It’s been a lazy writing week since my last post, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on the project.

1. I got kicked in the face by the flu. Knocked me out for two days, and it’s about the only thing that keeps me from putting any thought into my work. Through the fever and lethargy, I did manage one related thought, however: I wonder when my print order will be complete?

2. Turns out, it was done in a day. I work for Thomson Reuters, and our Copy Center gives us a nice deal on personal printing. I ordered six copies of the 373-page manuscript and had them spiral bound with plastic covers. They’re now taking up considerable space on our table as I prepare some mailings.

3. I connected with a Trusted Reader who’s in the home stretch. He’s now reached the chapters that I split in half, based on his direction (read more here: Difficult Choices #1).

4. Did some more lit agent research. I’ve had two friends send me agents to look up, which is much appreciated. Now that I’m on my holiday break – from the office job – I’ll be spending more time on this….

5. ….and a smidge of time on the next book. This will likely result in updates to this website since information on Samor is scant.

6. I upgraded my WordPress account, which I’d been considering for a while. There was a sale – in December, what? – so I finally pulled the trigger. Primarily, I did this because of the ads my site displays. My pages look different when I’m logged in, and it’s jarring when I open the site when I’m logged out. So, I’m taking some control over the appearance of ads. I have zero expectations of income. I Just wanted fewer ads greeting a visitor.

I write posts like this to illustrate that bringing a book to life is more than just writing. Are the things I listed above requirements for success? I have no opinion based on experience, but I’ll guess “no”. Every writer’s journey is unique, even if we follow similar paths for a time. It’s the effort that’s important, and only each person can evaluate whether tasks like these are adding value to their project.

Mike

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© Michael Wallevand, December 2019