Spinning Plates and Shiny Objects

I got nothing this week.

I’m not sure I even have interesting random thoughts, like the other gals have when they have an “off” week ;-)  I feel like the plate spinner these days. You know, the guy who would balance a plate atop a skinny rod and spin it. Then he’d add another spinning plate on another rod. And another. Until he had several spinning plates. He would have to run frantically between them, giving them a little bit of a push to keep spinning, until it was too much, too crazy, and they all came crashing down. You know the guy?

Well, I’m that guy right now, frantically spinning plates and hoping they don’t come crashing down. And, unfortunately, people keep throwing shiny objects at me. So, I’m spinning plates, dodging objects, and getting distracted by shiny things.

This all sounds very stressful and unpleasant, which really isn’t the case. These spinning plates are the many aspects of publishing a book that I have to work on simultaneously. And, while every spinning plate has a huge learning curve, I know things now that I never would have otherwise known. So, hopefully the plate-spinning for the next book I publish won’t be as overwhelming.

The shiny objects are writer-related events. Chapter meetings, chapter responsibilities, gathering with fellow writers to share knowledge… These are all things that move me forward, either as a person or as a writer. And I enjoy them, even as they take time and energy.

And all the while, I’m trying to avoid the pitfalls of what not to do when publishing your first book. Like not promoting it via social networks. Or (maybe even worse) over-promoting it through these same venues. That doesn’t even include the pitfalls I don’t realize are pitfalls until I do them.

My writer peeps. See their calm, serene expression?
This is before my millions of questions!

Fortunately, I have a solid group of writer friends upon whom I can call with questions. And I have some doozy questions they’ve been kind enough to answer without swatting me upside the head. Like my thousand questions about the difference between a facebook profile and an author page (I almost pushed TC Winters over the edge on that subject). And wondering whether I should type “The End” at the end of my book. Thank you Donya Lynne for explaining (tongue-in-cheek) that to do so would be telling and not showing. Even the simple “What do you think of my cover?” was answered with a wealth of knowledge and experience by my friends. (Anya Breton, you probably think I didn't hear a damn word you said about my cover; I did, and am keeping it all in mind for the next book!)

And thank goodness for their help! The path toward publishing is fraught with details and obstacles and hidden curves and paths which diverge… and lots of shiny objects! This isn’t something you can do alone. Or should do alone. It truly takes a team to make this happen, whether you go the traditional route or decide to self-pub. And I am so very grateful that the ladies who have my back comprise an AWESOME team!

So, a huge thanks to my writer peeps! You gals ROCK, all of you!

Now, I gotta go spin some more plates.