Striking the Balance

Photo by Fons Heijnsbroek on Unsplash

An Impossible Feat?

As with all things, in writing there seems to be an endless push and pull between art and commerce.

That is to say, while all we want as writers is to get to work on our stories—to sit down and do the thing—we are constantly faced with the pressure to promote, to engage, to educate, to create content that has nothing to do with what we actually want to be working on.

This tension can be felt all across Substack. With that said, the careful writer can map out a working schedule to help with all the moving parts. And while there is no perfect way to handle it all, it is certainly a great first step toward tackling the crazy.

The Essentials

Branding/Marketing

This is the one that really bugs a lot of writers. This is posting, blogging, commenting, establishing a social media presence. Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok. And, yes, even our beloved Substack.

I know what you’re thinking. I can almost hear writers around the world lamenting the death of the quiet and thoughtful writer. I know the questions. I’ve asked them myself. What’s so wrong with being introverted? What’s so wrong with keeping to myself and just writing great books? Why do I have to show up at all?

Well, the truth is, we no longer live in a world where anonymity is attractive. It used to be mysterious if a fan couldn’t find out about his or her favorite artist. Now, it just feels creepy. These days, readers not only want to see your face. They want to hear your voice. They want to know your thoughts about anything and everything. That public-facing persona is what helps to cultivate real connection.

But truly engaging in social media is no small feat, and if you aren’t careful it can swallow you whole. So, how long should a writer dedicate to this part of the writing journey.

While there is no answer, it’s safe to say that writers should at least give somewhere between 20-25% of their time to this. That, at least gives, them an honest shot at establishing a real presence and beginning to cultivate a following.

Literary Citizenship

This is the often forgotten job on the list, and it just might be the most important for a long and fruitful career.

What good is a successful book launch, if you don’t have friends to share it with? I know what you’re thinking. I have friends. They’re my friends and neighbors. My colleagues. My family. There were all at the launch.

I’m not talking about those types of friends. I’m talking about the kinds of friends who know how many hours you slaved over drafting the manuscript, then on revision after revision. They know how many hours you spent searching for the perfect title and crafting the perfect query letter. I’m talking about those friends who actually understand the sweat and tears you went through to bring the book to life. I’m talking about writer friends.

Some of these friendships form naturally. You meet a writer at a class or at a book event and you hit it off. But, more often than not, these friendships are hard to come by. Just imagine the hours you’ve spent in your little cave writing in isolation. Now, imagine the other writers all doing the same thing, and you can begin to see the challenge here.

In order to be a good literary citizen then you need to be willing to step out of the cave and to actively seek out other writers who have done the same. These days, much of that happens online. Remember that whole marketing/branding, social media thing. Part of a writer’s brand should be literary citizenship.

In other words, writers should be spending a good chunk of their time reaching out to other writers. Sharing book reviews or good news. Commenting on their social media accounts. This good faith public-facing dialogue goes a long way in helping to build-up other writers. And that works doubly in reassuring your own growing readership that you are someone worth following.

Being a good literary citizen is an act of kindness. An act of friendship. And it is just plain good for everyone.

So how long should a writer dedicate to making friends? That really depends on the writer and how much is left in the social battery. Ultimately, I think it’s wise for a writer to spend as much time connecting with other writers as they do attempting to connect with fans. So, once again, I’d say 20-25% is a good number to work toward.

Writing

And that leaves us with the most important job of all. Writing is the beginning and the end. It’s the reason for it all, and it necessarily needs to be treated with the utmost importance and handled with care.

Yet, just as I did for this list, many writers save it for last. And by that I mean, it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the marketing and branding and literary citizenship component of the job, that writers can find themselves out of energy when it comes time to sit down and work on the book.

In fact, it is far too easy to be caught in the endless void of memes, podcasts, social media comments, stories, and reels. This is in some ways the ultimate distraction for the struggling writer.

But the fix is easy. To avoid the trap of getting caught in the endless doom scroll, all writers need to do is to remember to put the writing first. Writers should use the bulk of their energy on drafting and revising, and they should turn to the other writerly responsibilities only when the daily/weekly writing goals are met.

This helps ensure that the writing is at the highest quality. It also helps to avoid burnout when the writer does eventually shift over to the social media side of things. Because those writers who put the writing first end up planning, marketing, and socializing in support of the pages they just recently completed.

And, if done with intention, this can actually have a certain energizing effect on the writing.

The timing for this is easy. The truth is, writers should spend as much time as they can on their manuscripts. This means thinking, planning, outlining, drafting, and revising. At the least, writers should be try to dedicate 50-60% of their total wiring time to actually working on the book or the craft itself.

Conclusion

A long and happy writing career requires balances. And while the percentages I posted above are arbitrary at best, they are a good example of how a writer can breakdown all the components of writing into manageable chunks with clearly defined parameters.

It’s not helpful, and can even by downright dangerous, to think we need to do everything at once. The key is to divide and conquer. Even if the percentages shift. Even if some weeks it seems like all we’re doing is posting on social media.

Writers need guidelines and a long-term plan in order to maximize efficiency and avoid the hopeless slog that can kill the journey before it even begins.

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