Late this year, I left my full-time job to contract or freelance my work, which had nothing to do with writing. In finding myself with time to breathe for the first time in many years, I had the smallest of inklings to revisit writing again.
Writing had been something I enjoyed doing in my free time. Granted this was well before any social media existed besides ICQ (which shows my age), so it was much easier to sink into something as enjoyable as writing.
Enter the age of mini-computers within reach at all times, and I had lost the joy, or truly the dopamine hit that writing gave me. I don’t blame my cell phone for snatching me away from something I loved as it isn’t the main cause. I’m a parent, a wife, a hobbyist in far too many things, so in essence, I over scheduled myself away from writing. Even after completing a 70,000 word book, I stopped editing it altogether and it sat in the archives of my old computer until time was finally on my side.
Time. I have it now. It’s a great feeling to be able to finish something because you have the time to do it. However, social media still exists and still pulls me easily and sways me into diving into its depths to supposedly become a better writer.
Enter Booktok. I’m not a fan of TikTok per se, but in knowing the book world is governed by your ability to market what you’ve written, I entered into it reluctantly, if not to learn.
Dear flying spaghetti monster, I got sucked in HARD. Booktok is filled with massive amounts of readers who are talking nonstop about their favourite writers, why, and showing off massive bookshelves full of carefully colour coordinated jackets, figurines, lighting schemes, and, if they’re an author, visible representation of their writings in full view.
Which ultimately means I haven’t written a damn thing since finding it. Granted, the holidays smashed any ability to eke out some words, but still, Booktok sucked me in!
At this rate, my book will be out in 2042.
Amelia Blackthorn 