{"id":806,"date":"2018-05-21T20:08:38","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T00:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/dremadeoraich\/?p=806"},"modified":"2018-05-21T20:08:38","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T00:08:38","slug":"dont-fear-the-rowing-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/21\/dont-fear-the-rowing-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Fear the Rowing Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ll probably think this is ridiculous, but when I first joined my gym, I was afraid of the rowing machine.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true. I watched people using it, saw them sweat on it, and heard their puffs\/wheezes. It looked so hard, I thought I\u2019d never be able to last more than a minute on that thing. I believed it was beyond me, something for really fit people.<\/p>\n

Until I tried it.<\/p>\n

Sheesh. It was so easy that I cranked it all the way up to 8 (it goes to 10) the very first time, just to make it enough of a challenge. All that fuss I made in my own head, I thought, over this<\/em>?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old saying: \u201cFear makes the wolf bigger than he is.\u201d I\u2019ve learned this lesson before, yet I still cower in fear over the silliest things sometimes. Perhaps you have some experience with this yourself.<\/p>\n

Rowing machine aside, physical challenges are not usually the most intense for me. Mental ones are, especially if the New Thing is complex and multi-layered. I know I\u2019m smart enough to handle almost any challenge, but that doesn\u2019t stop the occasional irrational fear.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, right after one of the Hampton Roads Writers Conferences, I remember feeling completely overwhelmed. If I was serious about getting my novel published\u2014and I was (am)\u2014there was so much to do! Between tweaking my manuscript, learning to write a query letter and a one-page synopsis, and figuring out how to find the best agent to represent me and my work, the idea of publishing a novel seemed larger-than-life enormous, too frightening to contemplate.<\/p>\n

Now, a few years later, this big thing still looms in my future but it\u2019s not nearly so fearsome as in the beginning. By this point, I\u2019ve published one short story and one nonfiction essay, have had a second short fiction piece accepted for publication. (I\u2019ll post here when it\u2019s available.) I have also written three other short stories, two of which are out for consideration. The novel still dangles, a world of potential in 115 thousand words. I\u2019m currently considering self-publishing, which is my new Scary Rowing Machine waiting for me to step up to the plate.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I loved writing this book, even the editing and tweaking and seemingly endless revisions. But the process of self-publishing is not like writing at all. It\u2019s a completely different ballgame\u2014business, marketing, branding, things I\u2019m not at all comfortable with. Introvert that I am, I think I would rather attend 12 crowded conferences than one small marketing strategy session. To me, those subjects are a whole \u2018nother language, much like economics or investments and the stock market; I can balance a checkbook, but don\u2019t question me about finance. The best response I could offer you would be a blank look.<\/p>\n

Bobby has done some research on Draft2Digital<\/a> and Kindle Select<\/a> for me. He tried to explain what he\u2019s read; a third of the way in, the \u201ctilt\u201d light went on in my head (yes, that\u2019s an old reference; look it up here<\/a> or here<\/a>). These bits of alien biz-speak buzzed around my head like mosquitoes, moving too fast for me to catch. So I\u2019ve started a to-do list, which always seem to break down big, intimidating projects into smaller, more manageable pieces. For me, it helps make things more doable, less forgettable, especially when I\u2019m overwhelmed. It can also help me keep track of what\u2019s done and what\u2019s left to do.<\/p>\n

One thing on my list is the Twitter pitch party<\/a>, which happens four times each year. (Thanks for the heads up on this, Jessica and Sylvia!) The next pitch date is June 6. I\u2019ve written several one-line pitches, each of which will be revised at least half a dozen times between now and then. You only get one chance to make a first impression, right? I also need to read other people\u2019s pitches, just for an idea of different approaches to this very tight project. There are a number of webpages out there with advice on how to do this and do it well. I\u2019ve added one to my links pages and will try to add more as I come across them.<\/p>\n

I realize that I need better time-management. Between my day job, my weekly workouts at the gym, managing this website, and my socializing and networking on Facebook<\/a>, somehow I need to also find time for Twitter<\/a> and any other social media I might require, Reedsy<\/a>, online study\/research, writers\u2019 group, real-time classes and conferences, and of course writing. Sometimes I make my target word count for each day. Other times\u2026. Well, if you\u2019re a writer, you know.<\/p>\n

When all that is done, I need a break. I spend a great deal of my day on the computer\u2014both at work and at home\u2014so walking away and giving my wrists and my eyes a rest is essential if I want to keep pursuing a writing career. A schedule would probably help, but I know myself too well. It always looks good on paper but it never works out for me in reality.<\/p>\n

So yeah. Starting something new and big and potentially life-changing sometimes scares me. I know that wolf isn\u2019t nearly as large as I\u2019ve made it out to be, and that once I dive in and get my groove going, I\u2019ll wonder why I let this new challenge fluster me so. In the meantime, I just have to keep moving forward, one step at a time and stay on-task as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Keep your fingers crossed for me! I\u2019ll let you know how it goes.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"