Stacking Up, by Maressa Mortimer

 

The hardest parts of any job are the tasks that aren’t the actual job. I had a wonderful, healing time writing Sapphire Beach, but what do you do when you get to The End? Turns out, the rest of writing a story is more complex than just telling a story! Parts of the process I really enjoy, like making the cover. Other parts, like marketing and making yourself known I enjoy but find them time consuming at the same time.

Building a website is a fiddly job and involves a lot of nitty gritty details. I also have one of those pullup banners, which is a fiddle to set up without losing fingers, but looks good once it’s up. The problem with both banner and website is the upkeep of it. The banner is now out of date, as I have another book published since I ordered it. My website is in desperate need of an overhaul, which is time consuming and needs my full attention, even if it’s for an hour.

I also have a podcast, which was rather ambitious and made me very nervous. I did enjoy it, although the idea of me telling people how and what to write still makes me blush and stutter.

When life became more complex than I ever imagined, I lost time and headspace for all extra activities, especially ones that relied on me thinking in sentences and being able to read or write. Thankfully, life is somewhat more manageable, just in time for me to stack on some more activities related to being a writer.

There is this new (to me!) platform called Substack, where you can drop articles, newsletters, notes and even those podcasts! So, with a lot of trepidation, I set up a Substack and started exploring. This month, I wrote and scheduled my first article for Writers Narrative, I managed a personal newsletter and dragged my podcast across to Substack as well.

All this gives me a tummy ache, and some days feel like simple adulting is too much, let alone learn new skills, when everyone around you seems to know what they’re doing. I do love new ventures, but I find myself having to overcome fears as well, and it’s easy to spend so much time faffing around with graphics and links and hashtags that there’s barely any time or energy left for writing. And it’s in the storytelling and the splurging words on paper that I find calm and healing and a renewal of energy as well as a blessing. Just thinking and writing about God and His mercies is special, and all other activities can detract, rather than add to this special gift we freely receive from our Heavenly Father. But connecting with others brings so much joy as well, so I suppose I’ll have to try and find that balance!

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa has (self)published six novels and has been part of several anthologies. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops. Maressa can also be found on Substack, at Vicarious Home