The New Writing Plan: I will let go of my need for wordly rewards

So a couple of weeks ago, I told you about my New Writing Plan. I took some time off writing for Spring Break, because I was feeling creatively empty. Now I'm back and ready to put this plan into action.

Though the plan isn't in any particular order, the first thing that came to my mind when I thought about my future in the writing business was this:

I will let go of my need for worldly rewards.

This, I think, is one of the most important steps for me. Here are my thoughts on how to achieve that.


I will only check book sales on the last day of each month.

I will not ask for reviews, award nominations, or popularity votes.

I will not post "brag" posts about my books.

I will not look at any rankings of any kind.

I will not read reviews.

I will do only minimal marketing, such as maintaining my social networks, blogging, and taking advantage of opportunities that come my way. 

Yes, I basically decided to stop marketing my books. I'm afraid that's just shooting myself in the foot, but I feel it is necessary, at least for now, if I am to regain any joy in writing. So. We'll see how this goes.

Fun Happenings on my Facebook Page

I don't know if you've checked out my Facebook page yet. I am trying to make it interactive and fun. A page that people will want to visit and like. Here's what I've got going on.

Monday is question day. I use the Facebook question feature to ask things like who is your favorite character from Lord of the Rings or your favorite line from Stars Wars or the Princess Bride. Things like that. It's fun to see how everybody answers. I love how when my kids answer, their friends all jump on to answer too. Fun to see what people think.

Wednesdays I post a fun link. This week was a link to a production video from The Hobbit. (Man, I can't wait for that to come out!) Or it might be an interesting article or cool picture. I try to make them sci-fi related.

Friday is my favorite, though. It's Fiction Friday! I post a link to a great sci-fi or fantasy short story. So far they've all been from Mindflights, since I know those stories are great. Pop over and check out today's posting. It's a wonderful tale. I'll post a new one each Friday.

So, come check it out. So far I'm pleased with the results. Last week, one of my top three favorite authors, Julie Czerneda, liked my page. That pretty much made my life! =) I am also planning a separate page for Defenders of the Covenant closer to its release. More to come on that later.

Do you have a Facebook page? Let me know and I'll go like it if I haven't already.

Got any other suggestions on how to make a Facebook page fun and successful? I'd love to hear them.