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This place used to be active, now it's slumbering. I know some of you have had a rough time of it over the past year, but I hope you're at least surviving and some are doing well. Have you made any headway with your writing?

I've managed rather a lot in the past couple of months, after a semi-arid spell of some months, but you go first. What have you been up to?

Glad to hear you've been getting on well with your writing, Dale. I'll admit to having slacked off a bit in the last couple of weeks, but I am now trying to get back to my poor abandoned draft and figure out the muddle I've got into in the middle of it!

Meanwhile, I have at least been doing some final editing and formatting on something else, to get it ready for publishing in Oct/Nov. So, I've not been slumbering exactly, I just switched focus for a bit :)

Valerie wrote: "Glad to hear you've been getting on well with your writing, Dale. I'll admit to having slacked off a bit in the last couple of weeks, but I am now trying to get back to my poor abandoned draft and ..."

Ah, the muddle in the middle. A classic writer's dilemma. Good luck with it!

Having a laugh here - know-what-you-mean type laugh.

Dale wrote: "Ah, the muddle in the middle. A classic writer's dilemma. Good luck with it!"

Thanks, Dale. It's getting mostly untangled for now. The rest, I'll fix in the edits later on, because mostly I think I just need to power forward and get the rest of the story written down.

Alex wrote: I just can't get my brain to focus."

Ugh, I hate it when that happens, especially when you're so close to the end, but I think it's a fairly common writer's problem that gets us all sometimes. Hope you can manage to find your focus and get it done very soon, Alex :)

Mine's gone on strike and wants to go out and play.

I write in a flurry of days then get distracted and stop for a few weeks. I find I miss the writing though as well as missing the community.

I shall be trying tomorrow (Tuesday) but already a Monday appointment has had to be shifted to Tuesday - I've put it at 4 p.m. - so I have no excuses for earlier in the day! Except I haven't finished today's work yet. Sigh.

I've been so busy marketing my book that I haven't had time to write. I really want to get back to writing but being an indie book release pretty much means: you're on your own! #EmsAwfulGoodFortune

Marcie wrote: "I've been so busy marketing my book that I haven't had time to write. I really want to get back to writing but being an indie book release pretty much means: you're on your own! #EmsAwfulGoodFortune"

I bet all of us on this thread can echo your thoughts, so we know what you're going through. I don't Twit so I can't help you with that, sorry. But stay in touch with this group and you'll find you're not so alone.

Hi, I'm new here and hoping to connect with other indie authors. Released my debut novel in the summer and started the follow up. Finding getting the right balance between promoting the book already out, and writing new one quite a challenge!

Alex wrote: "Welcome, Carolyn.

Finding the right balance is tricky, but I'm sure you'll get there."

Thanks Alex

Carolyn wrote: "Hi, I'm new here and hoping to connect with other indie authors. Released my debut novel in the summer and started the follow up. Finding getting the right balance between promoting the book alread..."

The more books you write, the more marketing you have to do. It's difficult, that's for sure.

I spend about ten hours a week doing marketing- how about you?

It used to be about 3 devoted hours plus extras here and there. I've upped it to about 5 + now. The + tends to take over all sorts of things when I should be doing something else!

Am I right in deducing that everyone's sales are fewer than they used to be?

Yes I noticed that too. I did a lot on written word media and sales dropped off. I like all the charts on kdp. I’ve been able to track my busiest years. I slashed by budget for advertising awards and such. Now I pick and choose going heavier seasonally depending on the book. Back to school Halloween and Christmas. That kind of thing. I still post at least once or twice to fb groups that have books on thrm

Carolyn wrote: "Hi, I'm new here and hoping to connect with other indie authors. Released my debut novel in the summer and started the follow up. Finding getting the right balance between promoting the book alread..."

Welcome! I'm not sure I can help with balance. I'm struggling to get a handle on the marketing side of things while keeping up a reasonable stream of writing and working a full time job.

Yes, Dale, we need two bodies for our one brain to direct around.

My wife and I figure we have one brain between our two bodies. Does that count?

No, because we are told that when we marry, the two become one!

Anna, did you really have to put a Spice Girls song into my head like that? :P

Sorry...!

Dale wrote: "This place used to be active, now it's slumbering. I know some of you have had a rough time of it over the past year, but I hope you're at least surviving and some are doing well. Have you made any..."

I finally had to drop writing over the last 2 months to focus on weeding out all of the horrid clutter in my life - it was really messing with my head. My writing spaces are now inviting (no risk of being crushed by avalanches of meaningless paperwork) and I can sit and write for about an hour each week without anything else jumping into my brain, I hope to get back up to writing each night for an hour outside on the porch once the hot weather goes away. I am working on the ending of my spooky stage play this week, once that is complete I will go back to a novel I have been working on for a few years that is very messy right now - don't know how to fix it yet but I am just going to jump in and see what happens. I am also making a point to visit this site at least once a day - reading all of the tips and what is going on in other writers lives helps me so much - hope all of you are having a wonderful day!

Thank you, J, for your good wishes. Hope your plans work out. Many of us will know just how you feel.

Well, I'm happy to report that I managed to complete a WIP this week! Unfortunately, it was nothing original for actual publishing, just fanfiction, but at least I achieved something in the way of writing, right? :)

I'm here off and on; busy writing! :)

Me too, M.F. but I try to look in here as this group has been very helpful for me.

Hope you keep going and tell us all about it.

Alex wrote: "Doesn't matter what it was, you finished something, that's great."

Thank you, Alex. This made me smile :)