A final Monday (by Billy Coffey)

I spent over fifteen years trying to get published and doing all those things an aspiring writer was supposed to do, so I pretty much knew what to expect when my first novel finally hit the shelves. I knew, for instance, that not everyone would enjoy my writing. I knew that there would be a sudden whirlwind of things to do and say and keep up with. And I knew enough to keep writing every day with the goal of always staying a book ahead of where I was supposed to be.

What I didn’t expect is how difficult it would all be in conjunction with raising a family and working a fulltime job. Strange as it may sound, my children were much more concerned with my participation in kickball games and coloring than book sales and blog posts. And the students at the college where I work could care less about me working on my platform. All they wanted was their mail from home.

Both were understandable. All of this left me in the position that the vast majority of writers find themselves—trying to squeeze in a thousand words a day on a manuscript, writing three posts a week, and trying to maintain a social media presence. Writing itself is a fulltime job for anyone committed to the craft, one that for many like myself must be relegated to the wee hours of the night and the early hours of the morning. And at some point between Christmas and the New Year, I suddenly found myself thinking:

Dang, I’m beat.

Which is why I’ve decided to cut back on blog posts. Instead of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I’ll now be moving to Tuesday and Thursday. Kathy has been kind enough to turn me loose from the Monday spot here on her website so I can concentrate on books and a bit of freelancing, and the extra time will allow me to reconnect with many of you on your own blogs. Win/win, I say.

I’d like to thank Kathy for allowing me to borrow a bit of her real estate every Monday for over a year, and for those of you who have taken the time to visit me here.

It’s good for every writer to push harder and work more. It’s not a career for the lazy or the timid. But I think there’s a wisdom in knowing when to push and work, and when to understand you can produce better work by stepping back. I think that’s where I am right now.

Best,

Billy Coffey

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For those of you who may be wondering what losing Billy’s Monday post means to me, I’ll tell you. First and foremost, it means the obvious–no more Coffey time posts here at my blog. When I first asked Billy to guest post for me, it was for the purpose of what folks in the publishing business like to call “expanding his author platform”. I think we’ve done that very well. As an added bonus, both Billy and I have picked up readers that neither of us would have had without his guest posts here, and within that group of readers we have been blessed to have “met” many wonderful folks online. Mission accomplished and then some.

I will continue as Billy’s website administrator and helping him manage many of the administrative and non-writerly tasks that go along with being a professional writer. My role hasn’t changed since I agreed to help him back in 2009. As anyone who has read his writing can attest to, Billy has a gift. My role continues to be to help him share that gift with as many folks as possible, and it is a role I enjoy immensely.

As for me, I’m still trying to figure out a schedule here. For now I’m just going to play it by ear and see how things work out. Thanks to Billy for all the wonderful words of wisdom shared here and to all of you who have stopped by to read them. I’ll see you over at his place and hopefully back her as well. I’m looking forward to a great year.

Gratefully yours,

katdish

P.S. – Speaking of guest posts, In celebration of him turning 40, I’m guest posting over at my friend Jason Wert’s blog today and doing what I do best: Giving unsolicited advice. Hope to see y’all over there!