Lisa Young

It's the New Year and it seems the appropriate time to start reassessing goals and aiming for that ever-elusive thing called a balanced life. I used to think that if I was going to survive as a writer, I'd need to cut out everything that didn't have to do with writing. Cooking? Errands? Grocery shopping? What a waste. I could be writing with that time. Going for a walk? How boring. Banking? Budgeting? Ditto. Better to save all that energy for writing. Oh yes and regular sweeping and mopping and things like doing the laundry went out the window too. But the problem with narrowing one's life to focus on writing is that it doesn't really work. Balance, in all things, works. But for some of us, life has a way of shifting from one extreme to another. Now I walk regularly, have a clean house, budget, do the banking and even cook. So where's the writing gone during these ever-productive holidays? It's dragging behind me complaining about how I don't pay ...

I recently took a workshop on marketing your wares as a writer. As writers, we've been told that we need to play our part in selling our books  –  that publishers expect writers to promote their own work. Of course. I get it. And this isn't exactly new news. Everyone in the arts is expected to get out there and promote themselves. I've always agreed that a writer should get behind their work and do what they can to sell their books. Well, why not? We have to. However, lately I've been thinking about this whole thing and I feel like I don't want to spend all my time marketing/promoting instead of writing. A little bit of promo work suits me just fine. But too much, and I'll start to lose my focus. I want to write. The business side of writing is important. I do do it. I send out my work in hopes of publication. I promote events that I'll be reading at... but I can't turn into a marketing machine. It just doesn't feel right for me. I'd rather ...

I'm going to be speaking to the fine writers' group, WriteNow!@King, in King City . In order to prepare, I've been researching resources for writers  –  what a treat! I never seem to make time for researching all the opportunities for writers to get connected with their readers. I'm happily overwhelmed by the abundance of free services out there  –  from Goodreads and shelfari to the good old fashioned Writer's Market. It's good to get reacquainted with some of these resources and expand my knowledge of who's who in the publishing industry. I will be talking about Quattro Books and why the novella is the perfect form for writers and readers. I'll also be talking about Existere   –  the literary journal  –  and how my work as a poetry and fiction editor there has expanded my knowledge and experience as a writer. Can't wait! You’re invited! An evening with Lisa Young On Thursday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. At the King City Library 1970 King ...