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What Did I Accomplish Today to Be a Writer?
Today was a huge hurdle. I didn’t get nearly as many things checked off my list as I would have liked; but I faced a major fear (or a few of them) and gained some skill and knowledge I knew I’ve lacked for a long time.
Today was my mom’s birthday, so I wanted to post a poem I wrote for her a while back. I had to get over my fear of recording to do that. I’m grateful to Jeremy at Recording Studio Loser for his encouragement to go for it.
First off, I had a hard time figuring out how to get my mic input to work correctly. I’m sure the directions are in the dark corner of a box somewhere upstairs. I like the Apogy Hype Mic; but the tripod is a little tricky – somehow I need to learn how to tighten the legs; but that’s for another day.
I had to shut off the washer and dryer (I’m so thankful to have those) and hit “off” on the furnace to cut down on background sound. Then I used Twisted Wave and several YouTube tips to figure out how to record.
Next, I had to “take my breath away” by cutting out the pauses when I inhaled between verses in the poem. Learning how to de-amplify the spots where my voice got too loud took me a bit of time to catch onto; but by the end (once I learned to hit “F” and “shift”), I found myself enjoying the process – other than my eyes glazing over and my neck being stiff.
Gaining these skills opened up a world of possibilities – for posting other poems, possibly songs, and probably some audiobooks, or at least recording some of my stories – perhaps I’ll even add in some podcasts and interviews – I’d love to have some of our resident storytellers contribute content.
I’m grateful to Laura Ann Riley for being kind enough to give me a voice recording lesson this Fall. I still have a lot to learn; but the tips she shared really helped.
I realize this isn’t actual “writing”; but it was kind of huge for me to take my words and not “hide them under a napkin” like the guy in the parable of the talents.
LUKE CHAPTER 19:11-28 KJV (kingjamesbibleonline.org)
It also gave me hope that I could record, if I really want to. Here’s the poem, which I posted to YouTube:
I also did Day 25 of the 100 Words a Day Writing Challenge 2024 through LA Writer’s Lab.
What Am I Afraid of Doing Next in My Journey as a Writer?
I’m afraid of missed opportunities and not having my stuff in order. I’m supposed to prepare a query letter and ten pages of my manuscript for critique at some upcoming conferences. I’m also supposed to be preparing to pitch to an agent. All this is stuff I have no experience in. Slowly, but surely, I’m coming out of my shell. I just don’t want to be scattered when the due dates for these roll around.
I also have a meeting with my social media consultant Saturday, and I’m behind on the projects I’ve been working on. I’m trying to add Canva to my posts and have some branding elements; but have had trouble uploading files. I hope to fiddle with that tomorrow to get a better posting schedule.
Stuff I find myself saying: This is taking too long.
– Jody Susan
Everything truly does take longer than it takes; but I need to keep in mind that I’m building skills, and will get more efficient with extra practice.
My dad wound up in The New York Times and an article in BusinessInsider.com because of the three-year cruise that got cancelled.
He said that The St. Louis Post Dispatch called and wanted to know if they could interview one of his daughters. I volunteered; but I’d like to have more content to point to – to me, that’s easier than telling the story verbally. I especially want to finish my songs. I think humor can be the greatest force for companies to contend with. At least it worked for Dave Carroll when United broke his Taylor guitar.
I went ahead and sent the reported links to my blogposts about the cruise:
My Dad Signed Up for Miray’s Life at Sea Three Year Cruise – JodySusanWrites
Life at Sea Cruises: Why My Dad Decided to Go on a Three-Year Cruise through Miray – JodySusanWrites
I also sent a video of what the house looked like when we were packing it up, and I was trying my best to maintain a writing routine:
How Am I Balancing the Different Aspects of Being a Writer?
Today’s workload was a matter of taking content I had, learning how to turn it into audio, testing the waters by posting it on Social Media, using it as a draw towards my website, backlinking it back to my blog, winding up in conversations about it with other writers, and being inspired and encouraged about future work (and possibly even helping others produce recorded content).
It seemed like all the aspects of writing were coming together – except maybe monetization; but that’s another matter. I may not have money; but I do feel a sense of momentum.
What I’m Doing About Building a Body of Work as a Writer
By recording content and spreading it out in other avenues, I feel like my words are more likely to get read. It’s like building a bridge to my hard drive, so people can come for a visit.
What I’m Doing to Complete My Manuscripts as a Writer
I have several people reading my manuscript right now. Some have connections to publishers and others are people I feel I need permission or approval from – because our stories intersect, and I want to protect their privacy and honor their wishes.
What I’m Doing to Grow My Website as a Writer
I’ve been linking pages together and trying to post some on social media, which will hopefully point back to this site. I need to get more comfortable with including a “call to action”.
What I’m Doing to Build My Blog as a Writer
Backlinking is a big part of building my blog. Early on I was advised to make separate sites for various topics; but I’m glad I went with my gut instinct, because, for instance, it seems more well-rounded to refer to stories I’ve already written, when I’m offering tips to writers.
Not so Fun Fact About Me: I spent far too much time staring at a screen today – and I feel like my neck is stuck in a forward postition.
*Editor’s Note: I was about to correct the typo “postition” but it seems far too apropos at this point – it’s the position my head gets stuck in while posting content.
What I’m Doing About Networking as a Writer
The Wabash Writers group has been a huge help to me. I know they have a lot of connections, experience, and knowledge that I lack, and so I’m grateful for how they have taken me under their wings.
What I’m Doing About Monetization as a Writer
There was a button on the Meta Business Suite that said something about gifts and stars. I had no idea what that meant, and didn’t feel right setting it up at this point. Is it like Patreon? It felt a little like a handout, or setting a hat out on a curb; but then again, just yesterday, Harliss was telling me about a young violinist, from the Ukraine, who could probably support her whole family by playing her instrument for passers-by on the street. I’d definitely put a few dollars down to hear her play:
What I’m Doing About Social Media as a Writer
When I completed my recording on TwistedWave, I uploaded it to Canva. From there, I sent my video to YouTube and also tried my hand at posting it on the social media apps. I felt extremely clumsy in Meta Business Suite, besides that, it made it seem like I could only do ninety second segments – which was a big flop. Trying to do a poem in three parts was hardly a harmonious. I finally went straight to Instagram and did this:
Then I tried my hand at Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jodysusanwrites/videos/394637109735549
I tried to put it on Twitter, too; but was told again that my account has been suspended. So much for that – it’s like being put in detention for a class I’ve never attended. Has anybody else had this happen?
Here’s a confession: I’ve really only looked at Pinterest one time in my entire life. I shut it off pretty quickly, because I figured if I started pinning things, I’d be pretty discontent about all the things I didn’t get to do. So, it’s strange to have ended up with a Pinterest account at this point. I pinned my poem. Not sure if I’ll ever look back.
Maybe I put it on Twitter, too. I can’t recall.
What I’m Doing About Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Writer
I’m trying to be better about adding hashtags, closed captioning, and better wording, so that AI can comprehend my meaning. For instance, I know Artificial Intelligence picks up headings and subheadings to form answer targets, so I’m trying to be better about using complete sentences to start my responses to these questions. I just hope I don’t get in trouble with AI for the repetition of these daily inquiries.
What I’m Doing to Stay Organized as a Writer
Cringing. Keeping the clutter behind a closed door upstairs, or in a shut pie safe downstairs. I did have a huge success in eliminating emails yesterday; but more arrived today, and I didn’t get most of them taken care of.
Looking Back at My Writing Journey
Even just looking back at the last twelve hours, I’m kind of astonished at how far I’ve come. The problem is – it’s been twelve hours. This is supposedly a season of rest; but I’m not doing the best job establishing boundaries. Well, I do set them up; but then I tend to ambush my best laid plans.
*Editor’s Note: Make that thirteen.
Any Other Thoughts on Becoming a Writer, Random Rants, Tales, or Trials…
I need to close my eyes and go to sleep. I sure wish my teeth were already brushed, and I wish I wasn’t such a stickler about flossing (I’m speaking of the string, not the dance).
Thanks for reading what I’m writing,
Jody Susan
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