It has been a season of doing hard things—a lot of times, I use the excuse that I’m just not great at doing something, or it’s not something I normally do. Well, this season, I’m going to do the hard things! Today’s blog is just some insight into how I’m (gradually) changing my perspective: doing what is necessary, but not always fun!
Budgeting
I actually told my dad last month that I hate money. It’s not that I hate it. I’m just frustrated sometimes at the complicated processes I have to weave around to make it! It also includes a lot of organization that I don’t like that doesn’t come naturally to me—but I’m getting better! I do love it when an excel spreadsheet works correctly and a formula setup for the year (that took me four hours to set up, mind you!) functions perfectly just by typing in one number! Voila! One less thing to think about.
My style of book
I will now embrace the way that I write books—and hopefully continue to get better in the process! The first rejection responses that I got for my first novel, Reserved (besides “no”) told me the same thing: “This is not the kind of genre that we represent.” The book itself is realistic fiction and the only agents I search represented contemporary fiction or family drama. Some of those genres can get very specific. From what I could gather, the illustrations that pop up throughout the book put my novel in a different category all together. For a visual learner and as someone who loves mixing genres, I never imagined that my illustrations would keep me out of the running to get an agent. Maybe later.
In the meantime, I will publish my books myself, including my illustrations, until the genre itself catches on. They might not be as polished as traditionally published books, but in the long run, I am very excited to (finally!) have my long-awaited manuscripts making their way into the world. Next up: my graphic novel and then historical fiction following on its heels.
The way I post to IG
I have grouped my posts to automatically release, usually 3-4 weeks after the initial posting. This way, I spend less time on social media as a whole and can help increase productivity for the “in-between” time. At the moment, substitute teaching comes first, at least until budgeting looks a little more stable, but it just means I need to be more intentional with the rest of the time I have. Social media might not be my forte, but I’m learning to embrace it. So far, in the extra time this gives me, I’ve worked on my graphic novel, read, gone to dinner with friends, and walked outside every now and then. Really, I don’t have tons of free time, but I’m learning to prioritize. To be determined…
Trying a new social platform
In the event that I move my blog from Facebook, I am trying out Substack. It seems to be a better way to explain personal and beautiful things I encounter through life, as well as insights from my creative moments. So far, it’s (honestly!) a dud, but I’ll keep trying for another couple of months to see if it takes off.
Charging more for my art
I raised the prices of most of my completed artworks, in the hopes that I can sell my art. My hope is that with the increase in price, the painting with increase in value in the eyes of the person who buys it. Still working towards this, but I have sold a couple originals in the same number of months.
Writing two books in six months
This was the most complicated. Not only did I decide that I wanted to put an art series book out in September (Imagine, 2025), but I also wanted to finish my graphic novel Voices by November. Probably too big of an undertaking, given that both projects include mounds of illustrations. Much of my evenings and weekends were spent with a TV series or movie while I worked on page after page to complete my deadlines. In November, you can tell me how I did!
Just remember, there’s not always a formula to live this writing life. It takes work and it takes determination (and maybe a second job!) Always keep dreaming!
Hannah Marie.