The Broken Record

The Broken Record Hate to sound like a broken record, but when I saw this quote, I hopped back up on that bandwagon I call diligence. Eighty percent of success is showing up.†Ã‚  - Woody Allen People are awfully sweet in complimenting me about my business savvy and ability to promote. Behind the scenes my husband shakes his head at my income. (You deserve to be paid more than you get for the time you invest.) Writers incomes are decreasing because of the huge number of writers in the mix, the ridiculous cost of ebooks which floods the market with free reading material, and the SEO writers around the world still willing to work for a penny a word. However, I cannot imagine not showing up to work each day. I love reading, writing, creating, and rubbing elbows with people who feel the same. So daily I rise and hit the keyboard. My duties include: 1) Researching material for FundsforWriters 2) Setting up appearances 3) Prepping material for online and in-person appearances 4) Tending social media and email 5) Writing on a novel 6) Seeking methods of promotion 7) Freelancing as the opportunities arise 8) Making notes about future books/articles To me they are all intermingled. One feeds the other, and frankly I love getting up and changing my mind as to what Ill do that day. But the bottom line is I show up every day. I write every day. During Thanksgiving, one of my sons asked, What have you done lately with your writing, because I know youve accomplished something new. You always do. Some days, however, I think its all for naught. Especially when I see others succeeding more than  me, or I hear nothing but negative on a given day; or worse, theres this big void of no response at all. But then a day dawns beautifully when I realize my work made it into another magazine, a book was chosen for an event/review/feature, my website landed me a public appearance. Some days I receive no reviews for my books, then other days I receive ten. This job is a yo-yo of the highest order. However, we never appreciate those grand days if we arent showing up for ALL days. Writing is a game of diligence, and while some days it feels like you are headed nowhere, in actuality, you are wearing down the resistance. The day will come when you realize all those thankless days of nothing were piling up and becoming days of worthiness.