NOTES FROM THE WRITING NOOK: The Most Important Thing…

So, I’ve spent the last few weeks fitting various marketing workshops into my day, trying to find some good tips on using social media to find readers. Pinterest, Instagram, Tiktok, blogging etc.

After making copious notes, I came up with a monthly schedule, figuring I’d make 10 posts/week across my platforms (some that point followers to blog posts or other content), plus my quarterly newsletter, my blog, and extra content for my Patreon.

And then…

I immediately abandoned the idea.

Seeing all those posts laid out in my calendar was seriously depressing, because the one thing I didn’t see was any writing time. Because we all know…what you think will be an hour or two pre-writing posts turns into an almost-an-entire-day thing, and then writing gets pushed by the wayside. And that’s the last thing I want.

Nothing makes me more depressed than NOT creating – and I don’t mean content!

So Now What?

Instead of a content calendar, I’m:

• Creating a content bank – the topics I want to post about (from story themes to bookish posts to writing tips & witchy things)

Instead of taking the advice of these workshops (you need x posts/day or no one will find you), I’m:

• Choosing where I should post – where others show up for me

The Content Bank

I saw this over the weekend – on Threads, I think – and it really stuck with me. I had already put together a list of the topics I thought my readers might want to see me post about. So instead of rigidly sticking to a schedule, I have my list that I’ll pick & choose from as I’m inspired or have something to day. Why force it and not be authentic?

Choosing Wisely

Scrolling my Instagram feed made me fully aware of how many posts there are of my book – and not much else about my life. Granted, I don’t intend to share anything overly personal, but I’m sure people coming to my page want to see a little more about me than only “buy my book”.

So, I asked myself – where should I post then, that doesn’t feel like work? Where do I want to be (spoiler alert – it isn’t TikTok – no offense).

The places where others show their interest in me and my work – namely my newsletter & my Patreon. I also want to continue building my blog back up again, and I know I need at least one social media channel, so I’ll be sticking with Instagram.

That doesn’t mean I’m leaving social media, but I’ll probably cross-post things, and continue to post any announcements or events as they come up on my other platforms. I know there are rules and the faux pas of cross-posting and all that but…

This all works for me. Because the most important thing? It’s the writing. It always has been. And I have so many ideas sitting, waiting for me to get to them.

Good thing they’re more patient than I am 🙂