When trying to figure out what my March theme should be, I pulled out my calendar and pondered over the events of the month. St. Patrick’s Day is fun, but I don’t have Irish heritage and typically forget even to wear green to commemorate the occasion. Easter is in March this year, but I didn’t want to focus on any religious themes and already did the whole “new beginnings” topic for the New Year. Ultimately, vernal equinox caught my eye, and I decided that I have a lot to say about balance to help celebrate the first day of spring, which is split exactly in half between daylight and nighttime.
But First, A Rant on Social Media
But before I get into the discussion of Balance, I have to disclose something that happened in February that has been a huge weight on me: my Facebook account got hacked. There is something incredibly violating about someone getting into my personal social media and using it as a vehicle to scam my friends and family out of money. After a little over a week and with the help of Meta’s customer support, I was able to regain access to my account and get the hackers locked out. Although I’m relieved the whole ordeal is over, this has shaken my confidence in social media.
Authors are told both by publishers and other successful authors that a healthy social media presence is critical to our success and a key aspect of book marketing. In my experience, this is just not the case. Although I’ve had a few fans message me on Instagram to share that they just received their copy of my newest novel, people don’t buy books they see on Twitter Posts. I’ve never gotten a handle on Facebook ads. The most successful marketing tactic I’ve found has been my Amazon ads for my puzzle book series. In fact, my puzzle books sell really well despite my not mentioning them much on social media.
I view social media as a way to stay connected with people I’ve met and those who enjoy my books. Doing monthly themes has been a fun way to explore ideas and share tidbits I’ve been thinking about. My main method of connecting with people, though, has always been this website. When I have big announcements, I put them here on this feed and then simply post a link on social media, directing people to this site. This is kind of my personal corner of the web, and I appreciate you venturing over here to hang out.
Onto the March Theme: Balance
I’m focusing on two main aspects of balance this month. First is work-life balance for writers and creatives. I’ll share tips through the month of things I do to make sure I’m fueling my creativity but also making sure I’m not spending every waking moment on work. Second, I’m shining a light on balancing different elements of a story in order to make your work more enjoyable for readers.
Going along with the balance theme, I’ll be sharing mazes that feature strong symmetry. And to help celebrate the beginning of Spring, I’ll be sharing fun media all set in the springtime or with spring themes.
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Have a wonderful March, and I’ll see you here again soon.
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