Authors and Marketing... do or die (or?)

I have to be honest, I haven't had the time to make any sort of marketing during this... ok since a few months.
The problem starts with a vicious circle, follow me:

Question: what is a writer?
A writer is a person who can bring to life stories that are only in her mind. The creative power is his/her best ally, and sometimes he/she is blessed with an overflow of ideas that need to be bled literally on the paper (or on the screen, if you prefer).

Therefore the writer writes, and if he/she wants to survive, she also needs to produce something new with a certain frequency (I can't do more than three novels a year).

Now the problem I find myself stuck in is the time factor. In my everyday life my day starts at six am with a merciless alarm clock, within 30 minutes (on summer when I use my bicycle), or 50 minutes (on winter when I walk) I am at work in my office.

My day has not a steady routine, and things can go from the normal 7,5 hours a day to the part take-the-first-plane-and-reach-the-working-site. In that case, it means that all hell broke loose and I will have to stay away from home between one day or a week.

Let's say that my day is blessed and I get out at 15:00, maximum 16:00 I am home.
Take care of the evil bunny and the regular chores, write some more of the next novel and research for it, and we are at 18:30 when together with my husband I enjoy my dinner and evening until 21:00.

At that point, I write some more, plan the next cover and blurb, check what's going on on the social, prepare some new banner ideas posts for the following day, and it is already 22:30... time to go to sleep, if I want to wake up the morning after and be effective at work.

The only time I have to learn something about marketing is during the weekends when also my brain needs some recharging, and I am, threrefore, less effective.

My question is that you don’t learn to be a marketer in a couple of days or neither in a couple of years unless you are going to learn it full time. Full time is a luxury I don’t have, and if I have to start really to learn marketing, using the few minutes a day, it will take me other 20 years.

Do I have 20 years in my life to dedicate and learn marketing? Yes.
Is it worth it? Probably not because marketing is something that evolves with the time.

20 years of learning the basics and I will find myself with outdated knowledge I have no use for.
Moreover, I would like to sell something before 20 years.

So should find a marketer who has experience with new authors who are starting their journey, so they do not have an established readership. I need someone to take me from where I am to a steady and constant organic sale.

I believe that few of us, indie authors, are able to manage to learn marketing strategies and succeed to gain readers and sell a discreet amount of books. We are not all the same, and particularly I am the worst marketer in this world. It is just not my cup of tea, I can write, and that’s what I do, but at a certain point, I would also love to reach a wider audience.

The dilemma of an indie writer goes on….

Of life and death

I have no idea whether to a life fully keeps the fear of death away, what I know is that since I was a kid, I have been interested in death. Not in a morbid way, but I asked many times my little self what was the meaning of life, why we have to die and what happens after death. Humankind has always questioned itself about it and created many different theories or beliefs to console itself or to feel better about the fact that one day, we will reach the end of this journey.

Despite the different beliefs and the different concept of the afterlife, one thing it came immediately clear to me, one day willing or not this is going to happen. 

How it's going to happen or when it's going to happen, it is not up to us, unless we decide to end our lives on our own will.

The only thing we know is what has happened in the past and what is going on right now, so with this knowledge we try to forecast and to make a sort of plan for our lives, but then... Yes, then it happens and final day arrives.

I believe the fear of death is not connected with an unfulfilling life, as someone said that for those who are living a life of suffering death is welcomed as a relief. However, for those who are living a happy life, leaving is going to be more difficult. Who would like to leave something pleasant?

From my point of view, the fear of death comes from not being willing to accept it or to even acknowledge it. Once I understood that there was nothing to do about it and that life, as it is designed for this planet, means just fulfilling a biological cycle, the same that is designed for all the living creatures either belonging to the animal kingdom or to the vegetal kingdom (birth, growth, reproduction, death), accepting it came easier.

Yet, death means just a re-arrangement of our molecules, and the creation of food for other forms of life, at least on the material stage. Then if we want to take into account what is going to happen to our soul or to our conscious, that is something that is bound to the different points of view.

Some of us believe in heaven or hell, others believe in returning to our home in the stars, others believe in a cyclical reincarnation based on the way one has lived his/her life... and there are so many points of view about what happens after.

For me, I just wait and see, but meanwhile, I wait, I try to make the most out of this life since it is the place where I can make the difference, and I can act on the direction it has to take.

I personally have no fear of dying, I embraced the concept a long time ago. I have found out that if you accept the fact that all of this is going to end and you keep it in mind, not like something to be afraid of, but something unavoidable, like the rise and set of the sun, or like the days going by and the growth of your hair, your life will get better.

You cannot stop it, so better live and deal with it; to be honest, the original quote from Mark Twain would be better rephrased this way:

The strange connection between procrastination and writing

I have no idea how it all has started.
As a child, I do remember my mother's recommendations about always try to take care of my duties before relax and take care of more pleasant activities.
Sure at the kindergarten, the motto was, duty first and pleasure after. At the elementary school too, they taught us that once you have done all your duties, dedicating yourself to your hobbies feels even better, because you don't have anything else to bother yourself with.
For my childhood, complying to these golden rules wasn't really easy, mostly because I couldn't care less about the duties, so I couldn't be bothered about the fact that I had left something unfinished.
This attitude, last for many years, and particularly during high school, with life waiting for me outside my house, deciding whether to study or having fun with friends wasn't a difficult choice.
Nor I was bothered when the teachers called my parents about my performance.
At their inquiries, I always replied, "Life is out NOW! I can study, and I do, but this doesn't mean that because of a number, I will sacrifice something that is not coming back."

Strange enough, during the University years, I was able to find a balance where before it wasn't even possible, I was studying, working and also having fun with my friends.
Procrastination was something that didn't have a place in my life anymore.
With that, it seemed like my life found a direction also following those guidelines I received as a child.
I was indeed scheduling my time in order to take care of my responsibilities and also finding the time to live the life that was happening NOW.
This state of grace lasted for about twenty years.
Then, something happened...
I published my first book...
I became an author too...
I cannot pinpoint in time the exact turning point, the switch that brought me back to the procrastination path.
What I can say is that I am afraid that with all the things that need to be done, I do not really procrastinate, I just start forgetting them, to remember about them a few minutes before the scheduled deadline or just at the last minute.
Though, there is a pattern in this, I have noticed that my job comes first, together with the writing progress.
The rest, which means marketing, connecting, and blogging (sometimes) tends to be selectively ignored by my brain.

Is this a sign of me getting old?
I prefer to think that this is a question my brain tells me what it dislikes to be bothered with.
It might also be that this is a way for my brain to remind me that I am not a machine, and I cannot take care of every little thing in this world.
What is your experience?
Are you a procrastinator, or diligently follow your schedule planning a to-do-list and going through it at any cost?
What kind of things you seem to forget? Is there any sort of connection between things you procrastinate and things you really don't like or they stress you?
Is there such a concept like a serial procrastinator? LOL
Here I do not have any solution, but I believe that by finding the reason for not taking care of certain duties, we might come to a reason why and perhaps even with a personalized solution... who knows?
Some thoughts for the weekend...

A yearly attraction: the Rhododendron Park in Helsinki

There are attractions that are mainly for tourists and others that give enjoyment to everybody. One of these is the National Rhododendron Park in Helsinki. Every year at the beginning of June, the park offers, to the eyes of the beholder an explosion of colors and scents.
And every year, people are gathering in the Park to enjoy the full flowering of the rhododendron.
In the beginning, the first rhododendron was planted there in 1975, where the city of Helsinki, together with the University of Helsinki started a project for the Helsinki’s plant breeding program. At the same time, were planned and constructed paths along the area.
There, 3000 rhododendrons were planted for research purposes, in order to create a variety that could stand the Finnish climate and produce flowers in different colors.
Rhododendron Park is the only park in Helsinki where special uplifted view platforms were built. Those platforms give the possibility to admire from a better vantage point the beauty of the blooming.
In 1996, the park was extended adding a section where Azaleas were planted, which were the result of another breeding program started in 1986. The park offers a view of many crossbreeding species.
When I arrived in Finland, in 2004, the section was quite small, if we compare it with the extension, it has reached in the late years.

Nevertheless, I considered it large enough to keep me there for most of the summer days. I was lucky enough to live just close by so that my daily strolls would have brought me right there most of the times.
As the years passed by, I have seen the park growing slowly but steadily, until the extent it has reached nowadays. I have no idea whether there are any plans to enlarge it, but since the crossbreeding project gave spectacular results, at least from the beholder’s point of view, I hope more species and colors will be added to the Park.

Personally, I hope there will be added new parts to the park as I believe you never have too much beauty, particularly when we talk about colors and flowers. Then let’s not forget the contribution those flowers give to the pollinator’s colonies.
It is an oasis of peace, where to get connected with nature and, having at hand your mosquito repellent, that is the ideal place to stop by with a book and enjoy your time.
So here is to you another reason to visit Finland, and preferably in early Summer. One suggestion, for those who intend visiting this fantastic country, is to get at least two or three weeks time in June between 1-23.6 because there are a lot of things to be seen.
This is the period with the longest day of the year, and if you push yourself to the north, you will experience the 24h sunlight.
Here in Helsinki, the length of the day during this period is of about 18-20 hours, but the nights are mostly looking like dusk, and not particularly dark.
For the longest day of the year hosting the midsummer fest (Juhannus) you definitely want to participate in the celebrations around the country. Then, of course, the Rhododendron Park, where to chill out and relax, before heading to all the music happenings around the country.

And that will be all for the moment, I wish you a great time and an awesome weekend!

Some flight experiences

Last time I have written about a new way I am approaching my photography hobby; that is by the use of a drone.

Now we all understand that this is something that also kids can use and that there is no need to stress about, and my first thought was: “if a kid can do it, so can I.”
That is nevertheless a slight understatement as nowadays kids are more used to technology than people of my generation are, so there was a little, if not a lot of confusion.
The main problem was that the manual didn’t include much on how to operate a drone and there were just explained the main command briefly, but to understand what did they really mean and how to use them, it was up to the old ‘trial and error.’
So first flight, I decided to operate it indoors, as I have plenty of space, I needed to have some confidence about how the drone reacts to the different commands and how to master it before bringing it outside.
So, the first it was a series of crashes against everything possible, Carolina included who added to the list of what she hates, also that infernal flying machine.

After those crashes, I finally figured out how should I use the throttle to increase the height more gently and have it at a steady height.
The second achievement was to be able to move it around, and also that needed, of course, some calibrating crashes against walls, furniture, and flowers.
Everything endured perfectly the destructive fury, particularly the drone itself, which seems to have nine(hundred) lives, and all the will to make me become a pro.
The good part is that it is a big load of fun, I can understand the reason why kids like them, they are really cool devices.
After having been able to control the movements of the drone indoor without making any sort of damage, making it fly flawlessly from room to room, I decided it was the time for bringing it where actually it belongs; outdoors.
So having chosen a perfectly sunny and windless day, a perfect clearance on the woods, we left for the adventure.
In the beginning, everything went fine, and the drone amazingly reacted to the commands. I was having a lot of fun when suddenly it started to head towards the trees. It was totally impossible to stop it as it decided to go exploring the world without me.
Result?
It got stuck on the branches of a tree. Now I know you think that perhaps this was the end of the flying experience, and you could never be more wrong about it. My husband and I didn’t want to give up, so after a few trials, we decided to retire and plan a solution.
At 7:50 in the evening, we came to the perfect plan. We would have attached a stone to a light rope throw it to fly over the branch, and once the stone has reached the other side, we would have both started to shake the branch to allow the drone to fall down.
Something we need to remember about Finland is the fact that the swamp areas in the woods are kept for their biological and environmental importance. Nevertheless, this means that wherever you are, as the sun starts to set, the mosquitoes are on the hunt.
Try now to imagine a couple of adults shaking a tree branch to allow a drone to fall down and, at the same time, try not to be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
It was a nightmare, BUT… We made it, and the drone is now safe and sound at home, and guess what? It is working still like a charm regardless of the crashes.
Now soon enough I will also start to make some pictures and post them… I am still so excited!

Have a great weekend!

Under the Tuscany's sky - part 2

As promised you last week, here I am back talking about the beauties of the smiling town of Fiesole in the Florence province. Last time I lingered talking about the beauties of the archaeological site. Today we will conclude the tour of the city with a couple of other sights, which anyway do not make the whole of the attraction in the town at all.
What is interesting is that in most of the places I have ever visited, there is always a certain degree of little details which are going eventually to escape the attention of the traveler. This is not necessarily due to the lack of time one has at his availability to discover new places, but also to the richness of every single town, city or village.
Moreover, we also need to consider that nothing ever remains the same and the changes result in new sightseeings.
That said, let’s start with another oasis of peace, the monastery of St. Francis. The church was historically an old hermitage which was built in 1399, which was enlarged at the end if 1400 and restored in 1905.

The complex includes a church and a convent.
The church is rather small but absolutely beautiful reflecting a simple Gothic style of the period.
Inside, like all the monasteries have a small garden with a well for the water, which harmony will invite the visitor to linger and contemplate about the beauties of life and nature. Particularly enjoyable in the complete silence that surrounds the site.

On the upper floor is it still possible to visit the places where once upon a time the monks had their cells, which nowadays are transferred on a backside of the monastery and that is not possible to visit (unless you decide to join the monastic life).

The cells were once upon a time occupied by important names like that of St Bernardino of Siena.
He was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary. Nowadays we would not consider his preaching as an example of tolerance because it was frequently directed, among the others, against sodomy (homosexuality) and Jews. Nevertheless, we also need to consider the times when he was living.
Despite that, Bernardino was later canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint, where he is also referred to as “the Apostle of Italy” for his efforts to revive the country's Catholic faith during the 15th century.
The cells of the monks reflect the frugality of their life dedicated mostly to the prayers and contemplation rather than to the materiality of the existence.

The scenery that can be enjoyed from the yard of the church is absolutely amazing giving a full panoramic view of the city of Florence and the surrounding mountains, which completes the beauty and peace of the monastic life. There you really find yourself far from the noises of the busy city life, to make you believe to be transported to another dimension from where is possible to look at our modern life from a different perspective.

Indeed Fiesole is a lovely spot, a must visit, when traveling to Florence, together with all the surrounding beauties, so wherever you go on holiday, don’t limit your wanderings to the main city, take the time to visit the surroundings to find real gems to fall in love with.

Three years of blogging. Past, Present and Future.

Image by Kevin King(Chandana Perera) from Pixabay

Far from being a lesson in grammar, this post is going to be a sort of going through the history of the blog "Paper Pen and Inkwell."
The first thing that comes to my mind is why did I start blogging?
Well, at that time I was just starting my brand new career in being a published author, and I was just going through all the possibilities I had to be noticed by the big crowd of authors, and content online.
At the question what next? in the marketing process, the possibilities of blogging were indeed something highly recommended, so I decided to give it a try, the problem then was the name of the blog, which would have become my brand.
The name Paper Pen and Inkwell came from a very old way of saying at school when you were prompted to write something. "Prepare paper pen and inkwell" so to be ready to write.
I consider myself a very nostalgic person, and although I like the advantage of technology, I also look back at those times where we needed to do everything on our own without any automation.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Then came out what to write, I didn't have many writing experiences to write, and definitely, I could not give advice to anyone since I was the one in dire need of them.
One thing, though I had done extensively in my life, and that was traveling, and considering that my travels have been quite extreme, I decided to share them with the rest of the world.
That's how also the "Wandering Writer" was born.
That's how I depict myself, this is not only because of the travels I am doing around the world but also because of the extensive travels I go with my imagination when I am writing my stories. Those can be invented places or really existing ones.
Now after having described all the experiences, I have acquired during my travels I had to change a bit the topics unless I wanted to blog only the months when I am traveling or when I have a new novel coming out.
This doesn’t mean that the Wandering Writer is no more here but she is traveling differently exploring new topics, and that is also a sort of journey.
I also started to share my passion for photography, which has been a never-ending journey in learning new techniques, practicing combinations, acquiring new objectives for the cameras, and dreaming on those subject that is for the moment not at my reach (but they will be one day).
Now after three years of blogging, I think I have learned that you do not need necessarily to stick on one single topic in your blog. Whatever is in your heart, every story that needs to be told is worth the time of a blog. The experiences shared might help someone else too.
Paper Pen and Inkwell is a name that can include everything that is written, and I am glad to have chosen such a versatile name. I have to admit that initially, I was wondering whether this was the right one or should I have used as a more specific name either connected to traveling or to writing, but then, thinking twice, this was just perfect and describes the Wandering Writer in its essence.
What about the future then? Well, the future holds at least I hope, more travels, more novels more pictures taken, more experiences. As once I said we are planning our escape from the rat race, and at the moment we are at the count -4.45 years (LOL).
Indeed, the future holds a lot of uncertainties too, and I cannot really tell for sure what will actually happen. One thing I want to let you know is that whatever it will be, I will write it here on my blog.
I wish you all a great Weekend!!