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One
​Writer's ​Life

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One author helping others navigate the writing world.
​Tips, ideas, and guidance for new or experienced writers,
​shared through my experience of the writing world.

quick tip 8: Pinterest: storyboards

22/6/2020

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I am in no way associated with Pinterest beyond being an enthusiastic user. I’m have not been approached by Pinterest and am not being paid for any element in this post. I merely wish to share with you a tool that I find invaluable as a writer and believe you’ll find an asset to your writing.

If you haven't caught the other posts in this series, link to them from here: Part One: The writer's best friend, Part Two: Do it once, do it right, Part Three: Injecting your brand into your boards. Enjoy!
​And now for one of my favourite uses for Pinterest, and the one that led to my using it as an author in the first place: STORYBOARDS! Storyboards are a visual representation of your work and they can be used multiple ways, either personally, or to share with others. Have a read of this post and let me ‘sell’ the idea of storyboarding on Pinterest to you!
Picture instagram title image: Storyboarding on Pinterest for writers and to attract readers
I find storyboards great for two main reasons: 1. They help me create a visual plan of my story before, or as I write, and 2. They’re great to share with readers or potential readers to give a sense of the story as I saw it during writing.
Pinterest is an exceptional place to create storyboards because you have access to the entire web. Being image-based, these storyboards become a visual representation of your story, and you can pin links to research keeping it all in one convenient place.
To create a story board, all you need to do is create a new board in your Pinterest account, name it, and get pinning. I start with this board as a ‘secret board’ so I can pin anything and everything that I think could be useful. I can add and edit as I write and only change to a public board when I’m happy with what I’ve created.
Within the board I’ll create sections, such as: CHARACTER INSPIRATION, SETTING INSPIRATION, RESEARCH AND QUOTES, and sometimes CLOTHING INSPIRATION. Sometimes I create a section for each main character. It depends on the size of the story.
Picture Pinterest Graphic, a 'how to' quick tip sheet on storyboarding
Before going public with this board, you might consider making a title image using Canva or similar. As I’ve posted about before, I have specific titles I use, and incorporate my logo and website into cover images to make them instantly recognisable.
Storyboards can be an effective source to lead readers to your website or book sales links by including your book cover in the storyboard, plus, you can use your cover image to lead to your books, blogs, or buy links too. Consider having them lead to different places, e.g. cover image leads to your website, book cover image leads directly to your amazon link for that book (or similar).
I find my storyboards an excellent source of motivation to write. Visiting them gives me a deep reminder of my characters, setting, and plot, and this drives me to write more. Having images I can return to as needed helps me write accurate descriptions of character and setting, my saved research can be accessed quickly and efficiently, and I get a real sense of what my story looks like from my storyboards.
If you’d like to give storyboarding on Pinterest a go, I suggest you visit my Write! boards (link to my account below) as a great starting point. You’ll find banks of character inspiration images (see below; thousands of faces choose from including celebrities, well-known people, athletes, and so on, with multiple images of each person); Setting Development includes sections on world building, architecture, and images for inspiration; Images for Inspiration has plenty of setting ideas, plus a more diverse section called Strength, Beauty, Diversity to find character inspiration; and Research for Stories has a wide selection of topics you might require information on from survival to medicine, law to ancient culture and so much more. Feel free to follow these boards as I’m adding to them all the time.
Click Character Image Bank images to access below...
Picture pinterest board link Female Image Bank 1
Picture pinterest board link Female Image Bank 2
Picture pinterest board link Male Image Bank 1
Picture pinterest board link Male Image Bank 2
Picture header of Emily's book covers and profile image for Emily Larkins Author - Pinterest account link
Click to see all Emily's boards
Do have a look at my existing storyboards under Read! (link to all boards above). Some are better than others, but all will give you a good starting point for your own storyboarding adventure. Learn from my successes and mistakes, and take from them what you like.
So, why not give it a go? And if you come across any great storyboarding examples or ideas, please add them to the comments on this post for others to learn from. Who knows, it might just generate you some sales!
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April Blog 2020: Lockdown has killed my writing grove. What can I do to reignite the spark?

26/4/2020

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Picture blog title for One Writers Life Blog - Help! Lockdown has killed my writing groove. April 2020
​So, I’ve discovered the urge to write waning as this lockdown has gone on. I’m still committed to my goals and my author business, but the actual ‘writing’ doesn’t want to happen. So, what can we, as writers, do to be productive and support our writing during lockdown when the urge to write just isn’t there? I've got a few ideas (and loads of links) for you!
Picture Instagram image - computer, beverage, person writing. Text overlay: April One Writers Live blog post 2020, Maintaining the writing spark without actually writing.

I’m stuck, I don’t want to. Is this the end for me as a writer?

So, lockdown has killed my writing groove. What can I do to reignite the spark? ​If, like me, you’re feeling a bit lacklustre, less than inspired, tired, or frustrated, but you want to keep in the groove of writing without actually putting pen to paper or fingers to keys, what can we do to keep the fire burning? I find if I step back for too long, I lose the urge completely and won’t write for several months – hardly ideal when I’ve chosen to pursue writing as my career. Allowing such a gap, even in these unusual times, could spell the end, the implosion of my goals, and I’m determined not to let that happen.
After a spell of musing, I’ve come up with plenty of activities you and I can get on with to support our writing and authorship without feeling forced. In fact, this is a great time to concentrate on growing your knowledge and expertise of your craft, and to do small things now to get ahead. I’ve put together a list of ideas (feel free to add yours in the comments) that are sure to spark interest, some of which may surprise you. I’m sure there’s something here to keep your passion alive.
Taking a break is important, but stopping completely could be detrimental. It’s possible to take a writing holiday without losing touch by shifting focus for a bit."
​- Emily Larkins, author.

A change is as good as a holiday, even if you’re stuck at home.

At this unsettled time, keeping your mind focused on the singular task of writing may be a challenge, but there are plenty of tasks you can apply yourself to that will support you as a writer, and help you get prepared for when you’re ready to tackle the manuscript again.
 
My (small and gentle) goals during this time are to:
  1. Immerse myself in story
  2. Grow my social media presence through interaction and building on my follower base
  3. Learn more about my craft
  4. Prepare for next stages

I've really only set goals for this time so I can ensure I do a bit of each. It's totally up to you if you want to work this way.
 
Here are some ideas to support each goal:

1. Immerse in story…
  • Read – start with an old favourite, then go wide and deep – try a new author, new genre…
  • Try listening to an audiobook
  • Watch – TV, Movies – pay attention to story, character development, plot…
 
2. Grow meaningful social media…
  • Be active every day on existing platforms (even for short bursts)
  • Refresh your bio, images, hashtags, etc.
  • Join a new social media platform or delete what isn’t working for you
  • Have a cull – check through your following list and see who is and isn’t active – cull those that aren’t
  • Plan ahead for new social media posts
  • Plan/build/refresh your website (check out ideas here)
  • Plan or start a blog (check out ideas here)
 
3. Learn your craft…
  • Catch up on your learning (have a look here to start... getting started, plot development, character development, setting development, short story tools)
  • When reading/viewing, take notes on how plot and character develop - pose questions to research
  • Start building your own research board/s on Pinterest (check out mine)
  • Check out other author websites – note what you like and what works well (try starting here)
  • Do some journaling (check out my blog post) – find out where your sticking points are
 
4. Prepare for the future…
  • Set up next year’s planner or journal (clever tip here) 
  • Refresh your planning documents
  • Choose some prompts that inspire you for future writing (try mine, or check out the ones I've gathered)
  • Create your own writing prompts
  • Try writing a short story or flash fiction if the mood strikes
  • Hunt out some future characters/settings
  • Start a storyboard
 
These ideas are just the beginning. I’ve caught a few other blog posts out there with more, so hunt them out if you haven’t found something that takes your fancy on mine.
Do take a rest if you need it. We can’t be totally enthralled with what we do all the time, but we can maintain forward motion. Even when we’re feeling lost or completely anti, there are small actions we can take to get through the hard spots. There’s inspiration to be found in the work of others, and through other mediums. Every little step you take now will help you get through and come out the other side in a better position to restart your writing passion.

​In the meantime, stay safe, wash your hands, take those little steps.
Happy writing,
Emily.
​
P.S. ​Do you have ideas that others might find useful? Please add them to the comments to help your fellow authors through.
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Quick tip 5: Pinterest: the Writer's Best Friend.

20/4/2020

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Ready for posts two and three? Just click!
​It’s no great secret that I love Pinterest. It’s one of the top tools in my kit as a writer for its ability to serve me in several different ways, and I believe it could benefit you too. Over the next couple of months I’ll show you in quick posts how I use Pinterest, and why I find it so great.
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​First up, I have not been approached by anyone or paid to write this post. I’m singing the praises of Pinterest solely because it’s an essential and brilliant tool in my writing kit, and I want to show you why, so it can make your writing life easier too!
​For those of you unfamiliar with this platform, Pinterest is essentially a search engine, but unlike the majority which allow you to bookmark pages, Pinterest has been designed to be the ultimate place to capture exactly what you want off different sites through images and links. It goes beyond that, too, allowing you to create and share your own ‘pins,’ ‘boards,’ or account.
There are numerous different blogs on how to set up an account, and the basics of using Pinterest, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel outlining how to do that here. Instead, I’ll give you my tips and tricks for making Pinterest work for you as an author.
​Things to note: a ‘board’ is like a folder (you can have multiple boards on your account. I presently have 38). Within your board you can have ‘sections’ or dividers with different titles related to the subject of your board. A ‘pin’ is the item you’re saving, or tucking into that section that you can come back to later. A pin can be a single image with no link, or it can be a title page that, when clicked on, can lead you a whole blog post or website.

​I make Pinterest work for me in several ways:

​First: it’s a place to promote myself and my writing. I have boards that illustrate me as a writer and person, my blog and other social media platforms, and my books and stories. These are my marketing boards that help me get my brand across. Many of my pins contain links that take you directly to my website or places you can buy my books.
Second: I use it to learn and help others learn my craft. I have ‘Write!’ boards to inspire others to join the writing way of life. From how to develop a character or plot, to images and prompts for inspiration, I’ve saved hundreds (if not thousands) of excellent tools to help you on your journey as a writer.
Third: I use it to learn and help others learn the business side of being an independent writer. Titled ‘Biz,’ you can find everything here from how to build a website or blog, to different forms of publishing and marketing.
Fourth: it’s a tool for developing and illustrating my stories as storyboards. Each of my stories gets a board, and each board is sectioned depending on what I want to store or show. Common headings here are: characters, setting, and research. I also have character banks (with thousands of entries to help you put a face to your characters), and a ‘research for stories’ board in which I tuck bits and pieces I might need in the future, and could help you out should you need to know about anything from survival skills to period costume, science to crime and combat, and heaps more.
​The internet is truly your oyster when it comes to Pinterest, and you tailor your boards to suit you. You can even have public boards (seen by everyone), or private boards (seen only by you), so if you want to save things that aren’t relevant to your writing life, but happen to like sewing or cooking and want to save pins on those topics, you can save them just for you.
Like other social media platforms, you can follow other accounts, or follow a selected one or more of their boards. Likewise, you gain followers – people who see what you’re pinning, and can pin those things too. The key to gaining followers is to pin, pin, pin. Several pins in short bursts throughout the day seems to be the most effective strategy. I’ll pin anywhere from 10 to 50 pins in a day depending on what else I’ve got going on. You can also create your own pins, but everywhere I’ve looked advises to start by pinning from what’s already out there (when you pin someone else’s pin or follow their board or account, they’re notified of that and might pin from you or follow you back!).
So, I thoroughly recommend giving Pinterest a go. If you’d like to see how I’m using Pinterest, come find my account here: www.pinterest.com/emilylarkinsauthor There’s so much here for you as an author, or a reader. Otherwise, pin this quick list for reference!
 
My next quick tip will show you how I use my boards to show my brand and personality, so keep an eye out for it!
In the meantime, check out my Free Flash Fiction Friday stories, or be one of the first to read Into the Mist, my brand new short story!
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A beginners look at platform building: how one introvert overcame the terror of social media.

2/3/2020

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​‘Is there anybody out there? Can anyone hear me?’ Yes, it’s a line from Titanic, but a line I find strangely relevant at times as an author/blogger, especially when starting out. I mean, where do I start? The internet’s such an enormous place, and I’m one tiny fish trying to make it in this gigantic sea. In my opinion, take a tip from Dory and ‘just keep swimming!’
Title Image for One Writer's Life Blog: Introverts and Social Media platform building. Text over image of laptop computer.

Building an author platform isn’t as scary as you might think…

​Starting out back in 2018 I had no clue of what an Author Platform was. None. I had accounts on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and was keen to get my book out into the world, but had a sticking point: it’s scary. To start, following complete strangers on the internet goes against the grain of inviting strangers into our lives, and as for direct messages, well you never know what’s going to pop up in there! To be frank, it scared me, but I had no idea how important a social media following is for an independently published author or for a newbie looking to get a foot in the traditionally published door! I needed direction, so, like for most things I have no idea about, I decided to do some research.
During research into publishing I came across the term ‘platform.’ Having not long built a house, all I could imagine was bare earth all smoothed out and ready to build on, and this image actually isn’t far from the truth. Your platform is the foundation of followers, fellow writers and creatives, friends, viewers…anyone who could be considered a potential reader. It pays not to be a hermit (that’s a bit tough! I hear you introverts cry), but it’s a fact of publication that having a followership really helps. I utterly get the reluctance to venture into the public world with your book baby, or to create a public image of yourself, I’ve been there! I’d not long come through a period of depression when I decided to go the whole hog with my writing. I was in a space of wanting to hide, I mean, why would anyone want to know about me? Why would they care about my stories? How would they even see my one tiny text in a gigantic world library of books? Well, at the start they didn’t, and that’s the point of starting early.
Deciding on how you want to portray yourself can take some time, and so does building the confidence to take that step into the public domain in your newly claimed role. I’ve done it all in little caterpillar steps (to date, two years), and as time has gone on I’ve built myself a platform. I started with family and Facebook friends. I researched platforms and social media (you can find the blogs etc. I used on my Pinterest board here… [insert link]), I created accounts, and I waited, and very little happened. What was I doing wrong? Read on to find out.

Where on earth do I start and why?

​The biggest mistake I made in the beginning with social media, was assuming that people would come to me.
I still consider myself a newbie at platform building, and for me it’s been two years of mostly research, trial, and error. I’ll tell you that it takes time and a certain amount of guts (or just close your eyes and go for it, like me) to start making those connections. But the sooner you start, the better, and almost every author I’ve come across will tell you to start before you publish. That felt wrong to me, and so I waited. I didn’t have anything to share, did I? Actually, I did, and so do you. Had I joined the #writingcommunity on Twitter sooner, I could have tapped into a wealth of experience in planning and writing books. There are literally thousands of authors out there who are willing to share their expertise. I could have asked about publishing, advertising, how to beat writer’s block, or what the heck a platform was in the first place! So, I’ll tell you now, it’s never too early to begin, and baby steps are better than no steps.
The one secret I’ve got that can really help you isn’t such a secret really: if you want people to find you, you’ve got to get out there and amongst it by following others. You’ll find that many people you follow, particularly on Twitter and Instagram, will follow you back, and add you to their #writerslift (a way of sharing people to follow), and then you’ve got your foot in the door! Hooray!
 
But what social media apps should we as writers/creatives be using? How many? What should I post? There’s no easy answer there, sorry, it’s up to you. All I can do is share what I use, and urge you to have fun with it!
 
I use four main apps – Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I’ve listed them in the order I find them most beneficial to me as a writer and I’ll tell you why below.
Image of Emily Larkins Author's Pinterest profile title. Author image over book cover images. Bio included.
My Pinterest account profile image and book cover images as header.
Pinterest – ultimately a search engine with effective methods for saving what you find. Once you’ve joined (I thoroughly recommend choosing the free business account), start pinning. Begin by pinning other people’s pins that you like. I started with ‘how to’ type stuff, searching, ‘how to write a novel.’ Once you’ve saved a bunch of other people’s pins, you can begin creating your own. The bonus of Pinterest is that you can create boards (like a file folder) with any title you like, and you can divide these boards into sections with their own headings (like divider inserts). I have created title images for each kind of board I have – business boards (for how to build your author empire), reading boards (with inspiration boards for each of my stories), and writing boards (educational tools for myself and other writers to use). I also have a few private boards that are visible to me only. One of these is for saving pins I haven’t gotten around to reading yet. If I like them after reading, I’ll shift them into one of my public boards. I also start new story inspiration boards as secret boards and only make them public when I’m ready. Pinterest helps with my learning, sharing, and marketing of my work, and the business account gives you access to analytics (I can find out how many impressions my pins have made, how many saves, and how many link clicks pins have generated, which of my boards are most popular, and so much more!).
To see how my Pinterest account can help you on your journey to a writing career, click here:
​
https://www.pinterest.nz/emily_larkins_author/boards/
Image of Emily Larkins Author's Twitter profile. Author image over logo background with bio.
My Twitter account profile image and logo as header.
Twitter – it’s all about the interaction. I was terrified of joining twitter in the beginning and saved it until last (silly me!). The potential audience is massive, and I didn’t know what I could possibly have to say that anyone would want to interact with. It’s daunting in the beginning, but if all you do to start is follow a few people (hint, use the hashtag #writingcommunity or #amwriting), you’ll be able to look at what others are posting, and who knows, you might have an answer to someone’s question, or you might ask one of your own. You’ll start getting followers quickly, and you can follow them back (but you don’t have to if you don’t like the look of their bio/account). The key to building your platform on Twitter is to follow people, and participate. Use the above hashtags, and jump on #followfriday and #writerslift tweets so people can follow you. Interact, ask questions, or try setting up a poll. Don’t be freaked out by people with enormous follower numbers – pretty soon you’ll be up there amongst them and wonder what you were afraid of! They’re just normal people too, though they seem like Twitter gods to begin with! Twitter is my newest app, but my fastest growing, and most interactive, and I wish I’d gone for it sooner!
Image of Emily Larkins Author's Instagram profile. Author Image and bio.
My Instagram account header with profile image and short bio.
Instagram – is an image sharing platform. There are literally millions of images shared here each day. I use it to share visuals of my work, but also to share snapshots of my life. I started on a private account, but converted to a free business account when I turned my focus to writing. With a business account you get free analytics, and down the track you’ll find these really useful. My viewers get to see a bit of my personality, what I get up to, what I like, and how I live. I don’t have a visually stunning account like some of the pros out there, but I’m learning and evolving all the time. The key to getting noticed on Instagram is to use the right hashtags, for instance #authorlife, or #amwriting.
My Instagram following has been slow but steady to build. My top tips are a catchy bio that has a bit of your personality in it, and images that give a sense of you and your interests. I try to give equally of myself and my work. It’s never advisable to ‘sell, sell, sell.’ People will get annoyed/bored and unfollow you. Another great feature of Instagram is that (once you’ve linked your accounts) you can share straight from your Instagram account to Facebook and Twitter with a couple of clicks.
Image of Emily Larkins Author's Facebook Profile. Author image beside logo.
My Facebook profile image and logo as header.
Facebook – it’s where most people start because we’ve been using it for so long to interact with family and friends. The trick, when you go public, is to create a business page. I’ll be honest right now and tell you that Facebook, whilst I thought it was golden in the beginning, has been my hardest platform to grow, and compared to the platforms I mentioned earlier, it’s a bit of a let-down. Sure you can get some great page views through advertising, but it for me, it hasn’t led so much to anything useful. And be careful with advertising. I put a bit of cash into advertising early on. It got my page plenty of single views, and sold a few copies, but ultimately I haven’t made that cash back yet (not from Facebook interaction anyway). You might have more luck than me, or better yet, do your research to make it work for you.
Emily Larkins Author's Goodreads Profile Image.
My Goodreads author profile with author image.
Emily Larkins Author's Amazon Author Page image. Author image with book covers.
My Amazon author page with some of my available books and stories.
Beyond my ‘big four’ above, I also have connections in other places:
a website, which is my gathering page for everything – all roads lead to it, and I redirect to other places from there. I’ll blog more on websites in the future.
I have a Goodreads author page but am still working out how to make it work for me.
Potentially the most useful of my author pages as an independently published author is my Amazon Author Page. This is where your face and bio pop up with your works in one place, so it’s important.
 
There are plenty of ‘how to’ blogs out there with step by step instructions to setting up accounts on any of the afore-mentioned apps. All instructions to accounts I have can be found here – to be clear, these are bloggers I’ve used and collected into one easy place, not my own. You can use them too by clicking here:
https://www.pinterest.nz/emily_larkins_author/biz-promotion/social-media/
 
I’ll give you my three top tips for Social Media here now (more to follow in my Quick Tips coming soon):
DON’T sign up for everything out there – you’ll spread yourself too thin and won’t have time left for writing! Start small and add things in as you go. Stick to two or three and work your way up from there, otherwise you’ll be spending all your time on social media instead of creating!
DO write a bio on each platform. I, and many others, won’t follow you without a clue as to who you are. It’s way too easy to scroll over you. Even ‘writer,’ or ‘#writingcommunity,’ is better than nothing! The idea is to lead us to your account so we can follow you.
DO treat direct messages with caution, in both opening them, and sending them. Seriously, you’ll be surprised what some people think is acceptable to fling at you without invitation (including unmentionable images of body parts, spammy advertising, and ‘if you’d like to increase your follower numbers…’). Likewise, nobody likes the incessant message box spammer that pings you daily with ‘buy my book.’ Just don’t do it. I know it can be tempting when you’ve got a new book and you’re just beginning to build your following, but JUST DON’T. Save it for your public feed unless someone messages to ask you for more information. I don’t even have an automated ‘thanks for the follow,’ because it annoys me to receive them. I’d rather drop a gif or quick thanks on someone’s main feed. My general way of dealing with my direct message inbox is to ignore it, so please don’t be offended if I don’t answer you there. I find it more trouble than it’s worth.
And there we have it, a basic guide on where to start on building a platform. Start small and work your way up as your confidence grows. To kick you off, come find me on Social Media. Mention this blog post and I might just give you some extra tips or a follow!
 
So, see you out there in the great wide world of social media!
Emily.
Image digital business card with social media links.
www.emilylarkins.nz
www.amazon.com/author/emilylarkins
www.twitter.com/elarkinsauthor
www.pinterest.com/emilylarkinsauthor
www.facebook.com/elarkinsauthor
www.instagram.com/emstar2322
www.goodreads.com/author/show/17883568.Emily_Larkins
Has this blog helped you? Do you feel more confident in putting yourself out there for having read this post? Do you have questions about platform building on social media? Let me know in the comments section!
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October news: Recognising my THING and making the most of it.

14/11/2019

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Great news! You can recognise your Thing too!

​Some call it a passion, others a hobby, or their happy place. Though October has been quieter than September, it’s still been a month of big highs and lows. Discover how my blog writing has led to a massive ‘ah ha’ moment, and an exciting opportunity.
Emily Larkins, author, October news: Recognising my THING and making the most of it. Pen and paper ready to inspire.

Home life:
​Oh how life throws it at you, and then you’re expected to hold it all together…

Thankfully we’ve had a slightly quieter month in the Larkins house. Last month was a bit much for me all round. People who’ve known me a long time realise that I’m not a great ‘coper.’ I need prior warning, time to digest upcoming events, basically, space enough to get excited about things. Luckily I get eleven months for birthdays, this month including my eldest niece’s fifteenth birthday (FIFTEEN?!) and my youngest niece’s first birthday (I can’t believe she’s one already)!
The Larkins side (celebrating Miss 15) are a well-oiled machine when it comes to birthdays. My husband is one of five children and most of them have partners and children to celebrate throughout the year so it sure gets busy at times. Family tea at Nana’s (my husband’s mother) is usually the go so we catch up pretty much monthly around food, cousins excited to play (usually loudly) together, and my step-father-in-law’s amazing gluten free chocolate mud cake! It’s insane to think that this girl came into the world just six months before my wedding. She’s grown into a kind, motivated, talented young woman with a passion for horses and a rare (for her age) keenness for learning that is wonderful to see. Her mama has done a wonderful job of raising a girl who knows how to go after what she wants and to persevere, even when times are tough. I have no doubt this girl has big, exciting things in her future!
Emily's niece's fifteenth birthday cake. It's gluten free chocolate mud cake with purple candles and a horse shoe, because she LOVES horses. Ps. It was DELICIOUS!
Emily's one-year-old niece's banana and caramel 'poke' cake (banana cake with caramel sauce injected in. Red candle and little sticky fingers in shot.
On the other Sheppard side, my family is a little smaller. I’m the eldest of three girls and between us we’ve birthed six little people (aged 1-7). Little Miss One has spent the weeks since her birthday lunch at the beginning of the month saying “hapbirday” and “hooray,” and trying to jump. She’s a bright spark, curious, lively, and such a good wee girl. I’m lucky to look after her and her brother two days a week, and watching her learn and develop is fantastic.
However, on the flipside of the celebrations of the month, we’ve had a fair dose of serious topics to manage too. Great-Nana (to my girls) has made the decision to sell the family holiday home she’s lived in over the last decade (and which has been in the family a whole lot longer), and move to the Dunedin. Here she’ll be closer to family and medical facilities as she nears her nineties. We visited Hampden this month to help pack up some smaller things and take away old treasures that won’t fit in to her new urban life. I’ve inherited a bunch of old containers (milk canisters, buckets, bowls, and such) that I intend to use as herb planters on my deck. My husband and his brother-in-law got to go through the wood pile to salvage things for sheds. Though it was an emotional trip, it was lovely for my husband and his sister to hang out in their childhood haunt, and for the next generation, all our kids, to make memories there at the house and on the beach, too.
Emily's two daughters aged four and seven, and their four year old female cousin in a green garden cart pulled by their two year old boy cousin and his dad. They're exploring their great-nana's garden before the property is sold. The sun is out and flowers are in bloom
Antique farm containers transformed into planters for herbs including: rosemary in a milk can, parsely and oregano in old metal buckets, lemon thyme in an old dipper jug, and lettuces in various containers. Happy accident, hydrangea in blue pot included in image.
Another big shock came a few months ago but we're only just getting to grips with it. A close family member received a diagnosis that has us all considering the future, in particular, the way we plan for what we’ll do ‘when we’re older.’ Having to change life-long hopes and dreams on the basis of a single diagnosis, and the idea that we might have less time with that family member than we should is so hard to come to terms with. This person is so relied on and is such an integral part of everything that goes on in the family that the idea of their absence simply doesn’t compute. And so, the resistance rises up through medical treatment, the rallying of family, and making preparations to give support and encouragement through this sh***y turn of events.
​

In short, this month has had the full scale of highs and lows. As a person that experiences mental health issues, it is difficult maintain a balance when I’m so focused on others. I’m prone to overlooking my mental health needs and easily miss the little clues that I might be on a slide. As many parents will know, when mama goes down, the rest of the family slip and slide too. The grumbles turn into frustration and meltdowns. In fact, that’s usually the clearest barometer I have as to how I’m doing – why are the kids so up and down at the moment? Oh, it’s because I am! So yeah, I need to do something about that!

​Writing life: So, at what point do you consider yourself famous, or at least credible?

​I’ve hit a staggering 5000 followers on Twitter! Back in February 2018 when I joined, I thought that 500 would be an amazing number. I thought the thousands were for famous people, and anything over 5000 meant you’d made it! It’s funny how your goals move as you get to them. I still look at others over the 5k mark and am in awe of these incredible presences on the platform. I, in the meantime, am still just me, learning all I can from the amazing #writingcommunity family I’ve become a part of. Actually, I do have to admit to feeling a tiny bit famous now. I’ve been asked to guest post on a fantastic blog run by two lovely, creative ladies. It’s an exciting development that I hadn’t anticipated, but the longer I think about it, the greater the sense of achievement becomes. Little by little I’m getting out there into the world, and I’m managing to do it from my safe spot on the couch behind my computer screen.
But here I am procrastinating again. My platform is one thing, but it doesn’t mean that much if I don’t actually WRITE SOMETHING! This month my greatest accomplishment (aside from the guest post invitation), is having entered all my plot data into the writing document for The Weight of Expectation. It’s been a slog, and at times an interesting one, but it now means I have to bite the bullet and get writing! What grates is that this is my third re-plan and re-write. It’s the gritty part of writing where you want to throw the lot out the window and set it on fire because it feels like the whole thing is crap. Actually, having just written that sentence, I now realise why I feel so resistant to it: it’s the gritty bit. It’s the hard the uphill slog before I get to the rollercoaster downhill of revision and editing. Yay! Eek! Damnit! LOL.

​What it all means for this writer: Duh, it’s all connected, OR, how on earth am I only making this connection now?

Woman wondering why it's taken 37 years to realise what her 'thing,' or passion is. She's wearing a blue shirt, has short hair, and a confused expression.
​I feel like I should have realised this sooner, but writing my One Writer’s Life blog may be of more use to me than simply sharing stuff with you. Through my news blogging process I’m actually going back to revise my month – something I don’t formally do otherwise. By separating my month into personal and writing lives, I’m noticing correlations between them. The second revelation to me is that my writing strongly influences my feelings, and without writing, my inner workings get off-kilter. On the flipside, the happenings in my personal life inform my writing, perhaps not directly word-for-word, but they’re more intertwined than I thought. This may seem totally obvious to everyone on the outside, but as I said before, I’m often oblivious to what’s going on in my own brain, so we’ll consider 37-and-a-half years to get there better than never!
Often when I’m finding life a bit much, I’ll crave writing time, which for me is focused quiet time, a time when I’m alone and responsible for no one but myself. If I’ve had an amazing writing session, or I feel that I’ve had a great day of work on my ‘writing business,’ I feel so much more able to provide for my family through myself, if you get what I mean. Honestly, how can it have taken me so long to make this link? How can I have trudged through my life without realising the importance of it all? All I can hope for right in this moment is that I’m helping someone else realise it within themselves too. You can’t do a great job looking after your family if you do a crappy job of giving yourself what you need to feel alive. So, find your ‘writing.’ Some would call it your ‘passion,’ but I’m more comfortable with calling it a ‘thing.’ Writing is my Thing. So, find the Thing that gives you inner nourishment. It might be physical activity, it might be meditation or gardening or painting or fixing things. Everyone is different, but it is possible for you to find the thing that works for you, and you don’t have to call it a passion.
Text graphic reading 'find your THING' accompanied by cartoon fireworks ready to explode.
I hope now that I’ve had my big ‘ah ha’ moment, I’ll be able to put it all into practice over the coming, potentially challenging months. I’ll have to monitor myself more closely, to get on a better routine with my blog writing, to take time out when I’m in a mental frizz, and to embrace the opportunities to spend with family in celebration. After all, we don’t know what’s around the corner for ourselves or those close to us. It could be brilliant and inspiring, or it could be difficult and life-altering. Whatever it is, we need to be as prepared as we can be either way, and for me that means keeping on top of my rollercoaster – recognising the highs and lows as they happen and doing what I can through writing and quiet time to smooth the ride. I’m finally recognising my Thing and making the most of it.

A question for you:

How does your Thing impact on your physical, emotional, and working life?
​

Leave your answer in the comments

Next month I’ll be looking ahead to the silly season, the summer season, and for many in my family, the birthday season. It’ll be interesting to see how I’ve gone with my Thing through all that chaos!
​From One Writer to another, good luck finding your Thing!
Until next month,
Emily.
​Psst! Yes, you!
Join me on Pinterest to make use of the section I’ve added under ‘About the Author’ on self-care. I’ve added this in response to my low this month to remind myself of all the great tools I’ve been taught to maintain my mental health, and to collect new inspiration I find as I go. You can also follow me to benefit from all the hours I’ve spent scouring pins to give inspiration to your writing, creative business, and to see what I’m working on. My Pinterest account is a resource intended to get every writer into creative mode and is full of tips and tools to enhance your writing experience. Visit today!
Visit Emily over on Pinterest by clicking here
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    Hi, I'm Emily,
    I'm an indie-published author and busy mum working hard to make my dreams come true.
    I'm passionate about helping other beginner writers find confidence and get motivated to give their writing dreams a shot with help along the way.
    ​Join me for mini adventures to see what works for me and learn how to make your writing dream a reality!

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