Jack of all Trades…Master of None?

When it comes to being a would-be writer, and even a self-published author, there is so much more besides simply writing the story. So, so much more. The longer I go with trying to fill all the roles of a self-published writer, I begin to wonder, is this making me a Jack of all trades and master of none? Or is it simply more of an opportunity to work in the wider range of the craft?

The positives and the negatives of the month so far would probably center around one thing: my ongoing job hunt. On the downside, I’m still in limbo for regularly paying income. On the upside, it still gives me time to work on all things writing related. I still make myself a weekly schedule, and do my best to stick to it. This year, I also added on a line for a BIG picture item and a big picture item.

Now – for this week alone, I’ve had to relearn the craft of making short videos (though it’s still in progress. Hopefully to be completed and shared this weekend). This took a short learning curve that mainly consisted of cleaning out cobwebs from my brain. I only finished college four years ago, but some of the classes are already becoming fuzzy.

Then there’s the ongoing social media…uhh…struggle. There are so many sites and blogs and posts about which sites to use, how often to use them, etc. It can become so overwhelming. With my focus this year on keeping the spirit of writing my main priority and not overwhelming myself, I’ve decided to take even social media one day at a time. I’m trying to be better at consistency of blog posts, Instagram posts, etc. But at least I know I’ll never have to worry about missing out on Twitter – Ashe (my corgi) is quite popular from time to time, so he’s an easy task.

Another matter of usage was in graphics this week. I had completed a book cover, but when ordering my first copy, it hadn’t quite lined up the way it should. So I had to go back and make sure everything was resized and adjusted before then exporting and importing, and finally coming up with a finished product…again. Here’s hoping I made all the adjustments I needed to.

And finally, the writing in general. I’m not too far into my editing to start to worry about formatting, but it’s in the back of my mind. So that leaves me with computer graphics, video design, social media engagement, and formatting. With so much to think about when it comes to self-publishing, I really wish I could afford to pay someone to do it all for me. But such is the life of a would-be writer – we’re the learn as we go type. And that learning curve is never level, and never done.

What odd new skills have you learned to master in the pursuit of your creative dreams? One day, I hope to say I’ve mastered at least one!

Until next time –

L.E.