Don’t get me wrong, I really like challenges. That’s one of my favorite parts of writing—never a dull moment & all that.

Learning new things on my own terms has always been a driver for me even when it involves going out on a limb. Take this website I’m posting on right now. Prior to diving headlong into the self-publishing world a couple years ago, one of the last things I expected to be doing at this point was blogging on a regular basis, especially to the tune of 85 published posts & counting.

A friend asked me not long ago what I actually get out of sharing this kind of writing. At first my defensive hackles went up, & I started grumbling about how I wonder the same thing since I have so little time to write to begin with & how I’m not a natural at the social media game &…

Then I remembered—hey, I actually enjoy writing these posts & figure it’s a good way to blow off steam about my process. Plus, here of late I’ve been getting more visitors, views, & likes on my site. Sure, that means I’m checking my stats more often, but that’s fairly harmless in the overall scope of things, right?

By now you’re probably wondering where this meandering post is heading. Why straight into the cave of the beast, as a matter of fact. I imagine myself drawing a line in the dirt & leaning into a full-throated imitation of a character from bygone days giving the what for to the beast—in this case the promotional side of being an independent author—along the lines of, “All right, buzzard brain, here’s the skinny.”

So instead of ruminating about any possible struggles ahead, I’ve decided it’s time to reframe, realign, or whatever you want to call it.

Maybe while I’m at it, I’ll nickname the beast to help me tame it this time around. Hmm, maybe Promo the Dreaded, or ROI the Fierce, or Advert the Intolerable.

Whew…I think I could use another walk.

Keep you posted.

Drew

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