Sometimes, I have a strong desire and passion to tell one story – whether it be a scene in the utopian world of my novel, a personal essay on a topic I feel the need to address, or a poem to express my emotions in a moment. At these times, my mind focuses in on this story, and little else, until I feel I have put all those thoughts into words.
Lately, though, I feel as though all the different aspects of my personality are vying for some writing time. My mind has been swimming with bits of several different projects and ideas. It is invigorating, but also quite frustrating, as it is hard to complete any one thing when I am feeling equally invested in several projects.
I've felt very poetic as of late. This week, I sent two queries to publications for new poems I wrote, wrote another new poem after that, and received one rejection for a query I sent a couple weeks ago.
I've been working on a realistic fiction short story that I plan to submit for consideration in a death-themed anthology. It is an emotionally heavy piece to write but I see the story so clearly and want to do it justice.
While I did not add any words to the novel this week, it has been on my mind often. I've been questioning my approach which involves two separate timelines being told in parallel and whether or not I should stick with that or just write one timeline to see how it stands alone.
Beyond my mind swimming with different stories, I have also felt invested in my efforts to present and promote myself as a writer.
Reaching the goal of 500 Facebook page likes was a wonderfully motivating accomplishment. And, if I am honest, also a tad bit intimidating. Once I reached the goal, I felt touch of performance anxiety – what should I post now, are they going to stick around, if I bump up my older stuff for the new crowd will the others find it annoying and repetitive, what are they hoping to see here? It was fleeting, thankfully, and I settled back into my standard, everyday anxiety over putting myself out there.
Also wonderfully motivating this week, my essay on P.S. I Love You surpassed my essay on Hopes and Dreams for Our Future as my best performing piece on Medium, by far! It has been viewed more than 1.6K times, receiving more than 1.5K claps from 153 fans and earning more than $70 in just three and a half weeks! Medium is incredibly unpredictable, but I still love that platform.
And I still love InspireMore, too! I submitted another piece for syndication which was accepted and featured on Facebook, Twitter, and in their newsletter.
I submitted different syndication query to another site I have not yet worked with, as well.
The big news of this week, though, is that my very first newsletter was delivered yesterday! I spent a fair amount of time tweaking the layout and am so happy with how it looks and all it offers: quick and easy access to everything new this quarter plus a newsletter exclusive section for sneak peaks at unpublished works, insider info, and behind-the-scenes tidbits. If you missed this one, opt-in now; the next quarterly newsletter is planned for June.
