Writing high-stakes dark fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat and up until 3AM. Get my free prequel: www.jwweld.com/slice
To eat an elephant
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I miss being young (and not for the reasons you think). In my first year of university, I joined five clubs while working a part-time job and having a full slate of classes. My younger self had this near boundless energy to learn new things and take on new challenges. Flash forward ten years, and a lot has changed. I'm a bit heavier and overall slower at getting things done. When you combine this current state with my tendency to bite off more than I can chew, I've set myself up for a world of hurt. Yet, to make a living as a full-time author, that is what I must do. A few weeks ago, I launched my reader magnet, Slice of Sin, to the general public. This feat took around two months from initial idea to final release. Creating the story was easy. The hard part was everything else. I had to work with an artist to get the cover just right, find a proofreader on Fiverr, learn how to format an eBook, create an author website, set up a mailing list, create a great welcome email sequence to introduce new readers to my community, etc. And now that I'm done, I have a hundred more things on my list of to-dos. So what's keeping me going? How am I pushing forward in the face of my ever-growing to-do list? One bite at a time:If you read the subject line of this email, you already know half of the answer. In the face of overwhelming work, the best thing you can do is break it into small bite-sized tasks. It turns a mountain into a series of easier-to-climb molehills. Another thing that it does is build momentum. The more consistent I am in taking on my work, the easier it becomes. It develops habits that become a part of my muscle memory and get baked into my daily routine. I may not be as full of energy as I used to be, but I am, hopefully, a little wiser. Question: How do you deal with your to-do list? Reply and let me know! Until next time,
P.S. Next week, I'm rejoining a platform I swore I would never use again. Stories you might like:Looking for more? Check out these free reads: |
J. W. Weld
Writing high-stakes dark fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat and up until 3AM. Get my free prequel: www.jwweld.com/slice
Most fantasy settings draw on real world history, popular folklore, and ancients legends to inspire their worldbuilding. While many authors focus on these more fantastical elements, I find a certain joy in grounding my worldbuilding with realism. Focusing on the small details of historical life creates immersion and increases the contrast between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Fantasy, in general, tends to be light on historical accuracy, so I've spent a great deal of time trying to be...
Last month, I received a strange email. A reader reached out to ask questions about my prequel, Slice of Sin. At first, I thought she was running a weird roundabout scam, but the more we communicated, the more I realized she was a genuine fan. She read the prequel short story while over at a friend’s house and loved it so much she tracked down my email to ask me three questions: Why did I choose to write the prequel from the villain’s perspective? Why did I name my villain Sin? And above all,...
Hey Reader, Time flies. We have 104 days until the end of the year and 19 days until the release of my debut novel, Disciple of Sin: I’m excited (and nervous), but reviews so far have been great and I have more coming down the pipeline. With only 19 days left, this is the last time I’ll bring up reading my debut novel for free. The process is simple: Log in to StoryOrigin (or create an account). Apply for my ARC. I’ll check your recent reviews and (most likely) accept your application. You’ll...