Craving

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one was not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. ~ George Orwell, "Why I Write”

I do not agree with George Orwell. Writing the book is the easy part—marketing the book is an entirely different matter. I seem to be permanently plugged to the computer, obsessed with social media, blog tours, and building my author platform. Here is the problem– when I am immersed in technology, I am not immersed in writing. It feels like I am ignoring a basic need, like someone who craves vegetables but eats junk food all day.

Of course, no one is driving me to do this—it is a privilege, actually. I get to do this because I have a book. Promoting Free from Hepatitis C is a choice, not an obligation. I believe I will get into a rhythm, and I’ll be back to writing in 2012. And yes, probably complaining about that too…

I am traveling the rest of this year, so this is my last blog post for 2011. Hope 2012 brings joy, peace, and lots of creativity.

Procrastination

Procrastination is the thief of time. ~ Edward Young, Night Thoughts

Note: this line also appears in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield

Quite frankly, I like writing way more than marketing. Writing is smooth sailing compared to the world of widgets, mailing lists, book promotions, etc. My “to do” list has more words on it than my average magazine article.

On the other hand, the book got off to a good start – keeps selling out of Amazon. Reviews and remarks have been incredibly kind, but really what I want most is to get back to writing the next book.