Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Hobbies anyone?

As a indie writer I spend an enormous amount of time on the computer. When I'm not writing I'm emerged in garnering publicity for my work, published or about to be. Now I know a lot of you don't like this part of being an author. It takes up a lot of time you could be writing. You have to troll around the internet seeking anyone who will review or feature your work. I doesn't happen fast, you have to do submissions, wait for replies. Sometimes you're successful, sometimes you're not. It's a crap shoot. Above all it takes TIME!
Fortunately, I have a PR background and still love promotion. And I too get frustrated by how slow the wheels seem to turn. I'm over the moon when someone does agree to feature my work, but left perplexed when no one comments (good or bad). It's a learning curve and I'm still learning.
If you've spent any time on the internet in your mission to promote your work, you've seen there are a zillion sure fire ways that almost guarantee success. Books have even been written, and yes, I've read every one and I probably use (or was already using) 99.8% of what these authors claim you need to do in order to be successful. Like I said earlier, I'm still learning and I take everything with a grain of salt.
Okay then! Back to the title of this posting. Hobbies? Besides families and jobs, what do you do to have fun AWAY from writing and promotion? How do you relax?
Knitting is one way I relax, although it has to be easy and mindless. I have complicated sweaters as projects that I have to have complete quiet and concentration to work on so they get put to the back. Socks is what I'm doing now. A perfect quick cool weather project.
Photography is another way I chill, although not as much as I'd like. Right now I'm putting on paper a project I'd like to undertake. It's a huge one too, one I expect will take a couple of years to complete. Stain glass windows. And not just any ol' stain glass windows either. I want to photograph stain glass windows in churches.
Reading of course, but as writers we all need to read to keep us fresh and my reading pings from subject matter to subject matter. From paranormal to a book by the current Archbishop of Canterbury!
So I ask, "Hobbies, anyone?"

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