Wednesday 15 April 2015

Stop! Smell those flowers!



I watched a news report on TV recently where a group of teenagers agreed to switch off their mobile phones and not use social media for two weeks. For some it was complete torture and most didn't last the course. Even those with the best intentions gave in before the fortnight was up. The reason they gave for abandoning the challenge was their anxiety at not being 'in the loop' about what was happening amongst their peers.

What I found disquieting was one girl who said she hadn't known what to do with the time she'd freed up! On a more positive note (though still with worrying implications), another said she'd finally got around to reading a book she'd not had time to do so before, because ordinarily she'd be texting or interacting on Facebook.

Writers, especially indie-writers, can become similarly focused with creating their author platform, marketing and social networking, and it's easy to get carried away with the need to be 'out there' at every opportunity. Plenty has been written about the way it can consume time and take over your life.

An article by Joshua Graham on Jan Friedman's blog advocates lists as a way of keeping control and several writers on Ann Marie Meyer's blog give their own suggestions.

Linda Gillard, in her interview on the Alliance of Independent Authors' blog goes so far as to say, "No thanks, I'd rather be writing!" Though she's not completely without an online presence, with a website and her Facebook author page. Read what she says, here.

So by all means get those lists sorted and set your social media priorities but, as the precious and fleeting spring blooms lift their heads, don't forget to give yourself time to "stop and smell
 the flowers!"


The 'Primrose Path' in my garden





9 comments:

  1. Very pretty - such a lovely time of year.

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    1. Yes, my favourite time in the garden. Birds singing and everything about to happen! Enjoy the sunshine Suzy.

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  2. I could happily spend a lot of time pottering about in your lovely garden. I've only got a tiny patch and I'm always amazed when I find a new flower blooming there (even though I've planted as many as I can squeeze in!)
    I agree with you about social media. I enjoy blogging, I've found it's a good way of 'meeting' people who share my interests and I like to think that some of them have become real friends over time, not just numbers on my followers list. But I don't post every week, and I haven't got the time or patience to also manage Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. etc.
    Perhaps I'm just showing my age, but I am rather sceptical about the importance of building an author platform. If I enjoy reading a book, I'll look out for other titles by the same author, but I'm not interested in checking out their latest photos, or photos of their pets, or following their tweets and blogs - especially as these might have been written by a publicity company.

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    1. I feel the same as you, Linda. A survey found recently that, like you, if a reader enjoyed a book, they search out other books by the author. So spending more time writing and less social networking seems to be the best thing to do! I must admit, and I would never have believed it once, that I quite enjoy Twitter and 'meeting' people with similar interests. Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts.

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  3. As you can see I'm catching up Wendy!! I agree so much with the sentiments of this post - it is very easy to get carried away with all the social media stuff and lose focus on what's important...the writing. It's all about balance and that's never easy to achieve.

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    1. You're so right, Georgia. Even when we know what our priorities should be it can be difficult! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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  4. Briliant..... and you are right. Social media takes up too much time....I found myself staring at bees this week with 17month granddaughter...because that was what she wantd to do. Life...slooooowed. It was great

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    1. Oh, how lovely! It's the little ones who show us the way, isn't it, Carol? Sometimes looking at life through different eyes makes us appreciate it more. Thanks for dropping by!

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