The Fast and the Furious

Time is something that we all have in common. It is a constant, yet probably one of the most varied aspect of every day. An hour can pass in the blink of an eye, or a minute can feel like forever. Time waits for no man, and so we all march to its tune.

None of this was more evident to me than during these past two weeks. What with finally finished my novel, having it edited by a professional editor, (and having no major issues discovered) the launch and to top it all off my daughter celebrated her first birthday.

This past year has flown by, and has seen so many changes in my life. The adjustment of having three children, the eldest of which at the time was only three, a new job that while it pays the bills hardly satisfies me, not to mention the writing process in general. I have to fit my writing in around the first two things, which at time can make things interesting.

Now to top it all off I have to engage in something I find incredibly difficult. Promoting myself. I always knew that this was coming, and I knew it would be my biggest challenge. From writing posts for my own sites, guest posts and not forgetting short stories, teasers and all manner of Facebook wall posts, and tweets my time is even more stretched than ever. Especially as I am writing a trilogy, I need to ensure that I get the second novel out as soon as I can while the memory of book 1 is still fresh in people's minds.

I have read several posts over the last few weeks that talk about this, and about how everybody nowadays seem to not just want but expect something for nothing, and they want their something immediately. From people at work sending me an email asking me something and chasing it up within 2 minutes (yes that actually happens to me…. regularly.) and then after being told it will take a number of weeks they still hassle me on a bi-daily basis. To the non-stop world of Facebook and Twitter which if you ignore for too long will forget you in a fraction of the time it took for it to recognize you. It is not surprising that the pressure of time is felt more now than ever.

I have noticed that the majority of my prime posting time for both twitter, Facebook and other social media and blog worlds is the middle of the night for the majority of my followers and friends. This means that while I may post and promote my way through the day, but at least 75% of them end up either unread or pile up so that should someone view my profile they may feel overwhelmed and feel I am forcing the issue too much.

I am more than happy to take a step back, to slow down and wait for things to happen. Had I hoped for more sales than I have gotten? Yes, am I disappointed with the page views and likes (read all social media acknowledgements)? Yes. Do I have the time to build things up slowly and climb may way to the top of the hill? Yes. Will the world wait for me…? I'm going to make it.