Well, this is daunting.
My First Blog Post…Ever!
But, I hear if you want to be a successful writer you need to have a successful Author Platform.
Honestly, I didn’t even know what an Author Platform was until about a month ago. I was just an average woman wasting time on Pinterest. Then one day I stumbled upon this pin of a worksheet designed to help writers build characters Charlotte Dillon’s Character Chart. For some reason it sounded interesting and looked like it could be a fun exercise to do when I was bored, which was often.
The thought of being able to create a character and control every little thing about them was intoxicating! Hello my name is Darla and I’m a control freak.
So, one evening I printed out this worksheet and dived right in. UNBELIEVABLE! Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite that earth shattering but for me it has changed my life! One character became two and from those two characters grew a plot of how and why their lives intersected and what resulted from that fateful moment. By the end of that evening I had not only created a cast of characters and a basic plot but also a rough draft of Chapter 1. I could barely sleep that night from the excitement of unearthing a dream that was buried deep down inside of me.
Now, a month later, I’m freaked out. It’s my fault really, I know, but I couldn’t help it. I’m over 20,000 words in to this book that has yet to be titled and I got the “bright” idea to research “How to Write a Book”. From that stemmed, “How to Publish a Book”. Next thing I know I was delving into the world of Author Platforms, Social Media and Marketing strategies. AHH! Just typing that out has gotten my pulse racing and the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
I’m no newbie to social media but I honestly never thought of it as a form to help promote what you are doing.
I did not realize what it actually takes these days to not only get your book published but to be a successful author all around. I had to sit back and really think, Can I do this? I know I can WRITE this book, but can I successfully reach out to people and convince them I’ve got something to offer to this writing world.? The answer is…
I think I can…
I could lie through my teeth and say, “I know I can!” but I’ve obviously never done this before. I HOPE that my book will reach the hands of readers and that they will get lost in its pages the way I have. However, this all seems to hinge on my ability to reach out to the writing community and conquer the ever daunting mountain of marketing and promoting. I do not want to give up on this dream so I’m squelching my fears, ignoring my nerves and diving into the vast ocean of “Bloggers”. I hope I don’t drown!
Please feel free to follow along in my adventure. Don’t hesitate to leave me comments or even message me with words of encouragement (I know I will need it), advice (I welcome all advice) and even criticism (just try not to eat me alive).
Is it normal to be this scared when starring down the long hard road of becoming an author?
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