I seem to be on a role here. I’ve published two posts back-to-back before, but never four!
Besides writing, I have a photography hobby, which some of you who follow me on Instagram might know, and I’ve taken several over the years. Author and blogger Robbie Cheadle has been hosting a photography blog series, which I’ve had the opportunity to participate in more than once.
Check out some of the photographs I’ve shared, together with many others.
It’s hard to believe that ten years ago today, I first created this website. And what a ride it has been. This site has gone through a domain name change and many theme changes (the most recent was recommended in a free consultation with Nate Hoffelder I won in a raffle at this year’s Maryland Writers’ Conference).
I’ve seen two novels published (which I’m now getting copy edited and plan to re-launch with new editions) as well as several poems, short stories, and essays featured in anthologies and journals.
It continued that way for most of nine years, but I decided last year to be more fluid with posting. My mental health also caused me to reevaluate my social media time and even which sites to be on. Through it all, I still strive to find balance between writing and online marketing so as to protect my mental and emotional health but also keep an active engagement.
I’ve attended and participated in different events and met a lot of happy customers, and I’ve made guest appearances on other blogs as well as podcasts. My work has gotten ratings and reviews, most of which have generally been favorable. Mystical Greenwood, through two different publishers, has acquired over 50 ratings on Amazon US! I’m grateful to all who’ve taken the time to rate/review my work after reading it.
Will I ever become a bestseller? Probably not for years. It seems becoming an overnight bestseller these days requires one of three things, which are all extremely rare:
Celebrity endorsement (intended or unintended)
Screen adaptation deal (movie or TV)
Social media post that unexpectedly goes viral (rarest of all)
But I know being a writer is about more than that. Salman Rushdie, in his 60 Minutes Overtime interview, said he hopes he will be remembered as a novelist with a shelf full of books that he can say is him and that at least some will still be loved and read. That’s what I hope for, too. I hope my books will still be being read long after I’m gone.
Thank you to those who’ve followed my blog and given me support and encouragement, especially those who’ve stuck with me over the years. I’m still amazed I have followers from all over the world. Here are the sites of the top six commentors, all writers in their own right, whom I recommend checking out (one has two sites, and I’ve shared both:
January 23, 2021 remains my site’s most popular day with 269 views. The most popular month was August 2022 with 917 views (I suspect some internet bots were responsible). The most popular year was 2020 with 6,196 views (no surprise, given a lot of people had time on their hands). This post has the most comments (46):
As for likes, I can’t seem to figure out for sure which post has the most (not counting pages, whose Like buttons I removed first for mental health reasons and then again after the consultation), but this one has 84, so that’s probably it:
Here’s to another decade. We’ll see what new features it brings to my writing and to this site. Next year I’m planning to share past book reviews on the blog, and who knows, I might open it up to guest posts someday.
Ten years ago, I went to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to talk about and read from my essay “Asperger Syndrome: An Affliction or a Gift?” It won second place in a contest hosted by the Maryland Writers’ Association, the first time I’d ever received a writing award.
I remember feeling like a writer and looking like one with my Tweed jacket. Though in some of these pictures and others, I admit my face wasn’t photogenic. I hadn’t created my author website yet, though my Facebook page was up.
Recycling is something we’ve been told since childhood is vital for protecting our Earth, and I don’t dispute that. Today, however, I want to talk about another kind of recycling, one which may serve writers well, especially if they are suffering writer’s block. This is literary recycling.
And no, I do not mean recycling entire plots or characters. Definitely not. That would be counterproductive. Every writer, in my opinion, ought to strive for something different in every project. Recycling entire plot structures or character arcs would not only be boring for readers but also indicate to them that the writer isn’t showing any growth in their art.
What can you recycle literary wise, then? Scenes, scenarios, passages, anything that will not simply fit during the editing process. This was something I first discovered during my long and checkered history of writing Mystical Greenwood. New scenes were written, and some were altered, characters removed, names changed, etc. All for the sake of pace and telling a better story. That left some passages cut through different drafts, ones which I simply couldn’t fit back into the story. But I liked them. I didn’t want to simply trash them.
Instead, I used some of them as starting points in Beneath the Deep Wave. And you know what? The same thing happened again! Some bits were moved around, and a few would no longer fit within. So I’ve decided to simply use them again, but this time for the third One with Nature book. A few others were also saved for other projects that I thought they would work better in. They simply would require a few tweaks, such as changing names or other factors to accommodate different settings and structures.
It’s a good feeling to not entirely throw out some words you’ve written, especially when it might be possible to fit them into a different puzzle, perhaps even better that what they might have been before. The only other thing I would caution is be careful not to inadvertently use the same plots or plot elements over again. When I first started my pets mystery in college, at some point I realized I was using some similar elements to my fantasy story. I knew I had to make some changes.
Don’t forget that Beneath the Deep Wave is coming out next month! One another announcement: I have reopened my social media accounts on Twitter/X and Tumblr, with the same usernames as before. It wasn’t an easy decision, nor a light one. I remember leaving them for the sake of my mental health, and in the former’s case, it hasn’t had the best reputation, especially since its rebranding. but I am also aware that I did gain followers and readers/reviewers on each. Hopefully, I will be able to use them now wiser than before. So, if you were following me there before, you can do so again. Don’t forget about my other sites as well.
Greetings, everyone. This month I’ve got some recent appearances as well as some upcoming ones to share.
First, here’s a sermon I gave at Nichols-Bethel United Methodist Church in which I discuss my journey, personally and in writing, with social media, as I have mentioned gradually in past posts, as well as with physical clutter, with references to The Social Dilemma and The Minimalists. Even if you aren’t Christian or religious, I hope you’ll be inspired to consider placing more value on the people in your lives than in your physical possessions and digital presence. If you have trouble with the volume, there is closed captioning.
Be sure to check out Minimalism, and, if you have Netflix, The Social Dilemma and Less Is Now.
I am scheduled to appear on a new episode of the Hidden Gems Author Podcast. Stay tuned. I will be sure to share a link.
Also, I will also be giving a presentation at the Annapolis chapter of the Maryland Writers’ Association next month on manuscript formatting. You can promote it on Facebook too. You can attend either in person or via Zoom. Hope to see you there!
Last week, on Independence Day, I appeared on the podcast The Chapter Goddess Chat, hosted by author and editor Madilynn Dale. If you didn’t get to watch it, here it is:
You can also listen to it on Spotify and read an interview I did with Madilynn on her blog. I had a wonderful time, and if you are a writer looking for a podcast to appear on, I highly recommend you check out this one!
And yes, like I said on the podcast, I’m no longer on Twitter and Tumblr, and I’ve chosen not to feature links to my LinkedIn profile on this site anymore.
Yes. Even more stuff has happened since last month. First off, the online magazine Words of the Lamb has published not only my micro memoir / testimony but also three of my poems:
During the last week of April, I chose to take a hiatus from most of my social media sites. Despite all my efforts to cut back on how many times I logged in, I was still feeling anxious and stressed about them. I feel now that it was because it wasn’t only time I should’ve been focusing on, but my actual activities/habits on them as well.
I’ve watched a lot of TED talks lately, including on social media, and some of the speakers discussed something known as FOMO, or the fear of missing out. Some of my shares/posts/tweets online were kind of like that; they had become more of a compulsive obligation. That is something I will need to change.
So, I’m once again examining and reconsidering my social media habits and how I can make them feel more productive and positive. For the time being, I do not think I will be as active as I was before. It’s also in the back of my mind that I might eventually quit a couple of social media sites, but that hasn’t been decided yet.
Change happens all the time. As someone who suffers from Asperger syndrome, I can tell you that change to routines and patterns, stepping outside of my comfort zone, has never been easy. Change, especially when it occurs outside of my control, sends my mind spiraling, and I feel trepidation.
But change can lead to benefits. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been making efforts to cut back on social media time, but I’m also seeking to change my online habits, too. During the COVID shutdown I spent more time online, especially Twitter. I did get the word out about my work more and made some new connections, but now the hashtags I followed haven’t helped with book sales. The same’s been happening with tweets asking for book recommendations. These habits and the time spent on them and other sites feel more like a hindrance. To counter them, I’ve tried walking more, and for that, I’m glad.
With most sites, I’ve gotten down to generally 1-2 logins per day. Nevertheless, that is also something that could change in the future. Sometimes, I’ve found myself going up again if I need to do something specific, like website maintenance. I’ve felt if I can limit myself with those moments, I’m fine.
Nevertheless, the temptation is still there, and it can eat time. Plus, I’m aware these efforts could turn into new patterns that could become just as constrictive and worrisome. I need to curb the scrolling, searching, and that addictive, time-eating cycle that can result, but simultaneously, I also shouldn’t try to control everything, because anxiety always comes from not being perfect. It’s been said that with reviews, quantity over quality. With online time and content, it’s the opposite. Now I need to put it into practice.
Likewise, I’ve tried getting back into the writing routine I’ve mentioned before. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, and other times I do not get the word count I’d like, but I need to remind myself that progress is progress, no matter how small. I need to see the fun in writing again, as author Nour Zikra put it. This year, I hope to be more positive about my writing, my online/social media time, my habits, and, most of all, myself.
I realized through prayer that I need to think more positively. Then, at the beginning of Advent, when I was feeling low and anxious again, after an earnest prayer to God, I opened my copy of the Bible without any specific section in mind. It opened to Psalm 77, and as I read it, I knew my prayer had been answered. Even if you’re not Christian or religious, I hope you too will remember all the good that’s been in your life when distressed. If I need to make changes to meet new circumstances, I will have to do so.
P.S. Enjoy these videos of my readings from last year’s open mics!
When a writer’s work is published, it not only goes out into the spotlight, but so does the writer. People who read books are pretty much guaranteed to be interested in learning more about the people who wrote the words, to find out more about the mind behind the stories they become devoted fans of. But the spotlight can be a double-edged sword.
Writers need to use public appearances and speaking in order to help spread the word about their work and build a network with other writers. It’s part of the marketing process. The nice thing about these events and conferences is that a writer can plan ahead to prepare for these events.
On the other hand, sometimes the spotlight can bring about negative feelings. The simple fact is not all people crave or seek the spotlight, especially introverted people like me. It’s especially negative when one hasn’t had the time to prepare, and it feels that everyone’s converging on them. That’s why I haven’t liked it when people unexpectedly start singing on my birthday.
There have certainly been a number of famous writers who haven’t craved the spotlight, such as Harper Lee and Emily Brontë. With the latter, it was her sister Charlotte who got herself, Emily, and Anne on their publishing ventures; had Emily been left to herself, she may not have published anything in her lifetime. J. D. Salinger went so far as to become a recluse and gradually cease publishing (though in his case, it may have also been due to unresolved PTSD from his service in World War II as well as fans of his magnum opus).
And, of course, the spotlight can have negative effects in another way. If people start scrutinizing your life, it can lead to mental trauma and even scandal. Throughout the news there have been numerous headlines about rough patches and downward spirals that many celebrities have gotten into, with gossip about what they are doing, especially in their personal lives. I definitely don’t want that.
It’s good to get away from the spotlight and the Internet sometimes. That’s why I’m taking my efforts to balance scales further by cutting back more on the number of logins per social media site per day, with reassessments of my social media activity.
When publishing, especially these days, it’s no longer possible to avoid the spotlight, but privacy is still something worth guarding. Therefore, it’s a good idea to prepare for public events such as reading, and it may be possible to satisfy the public’s curiosity without giving away too much, regulating what can be shared and what isn’t. They don’t need to know everything. One’s privacy is one’s own and no others.
To my fellow Americans, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Be thankful for home, family, and privacy.
Andrew McDowell 