Jon Cronshaw's Author Diary - The Real Life of an Indie Author | Writing | Publishing | Disability

Jon Cronshaw's Author Diary - The Real Life of an Indie Author | Writing | Publishing | Disability

By Jon CronshawArtsBooks
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Jon Cronshaw's Author Diary - The Real Life of an Indie Author | Writing | Publishing | Disability episodes

  • Jon's Author Diary - 120 - January 12, 2020

    Welcome to Jon's author diary for the week ending January 12, 2020.

    I returned to the writing desk on Monday and started getting up at 5am again to meditate and exercise before writing. Because of taking time off for Christmas and New Year, my sleep pattern shifted by about three-four hours.

    Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were solid writing days…Thursday sucked.

    I felt completely wiped-out. I’m not sure if it was the sleep pattern change catching up with me or whether it was SAD rearing its ugly head again, but I only managed to write 1,000 words (I usually do 5,000+). This was on the day I heard that Brandon Sanderson wrote 19,000 words in one day to finish the next book in the Stormlight Archive (I cannot wait to read that!)

    I’ve been working on the first draft of Temperance, book 14 of The Ravenglass Chronicles, in the mornings, and on the second draft of Blind Reset (the follow-up to Blind Gambit) in the afternoons.

    This new way of doing things has been working well for me (except on Thursday). Based on the way the stories are progressing, I should have Temperance ready for the editor in two weeks and Blind Reset by Easter.

     

    Social media blackout

    Throughout December, I decided to take a break from social media.

    I went off Facebook and Twitter for forty days.

    I’ve decided that Twitter showcases the worst of what humanity has to offer, so I won’t be going back on there again.

    As for Facebook, I’ve installed a plug-in for Chrome which replaces the newsfeed with an inspirational quote (it’s called Newsfeed Eradicator). This means I can do the tasks I need to do on Facebook and get out without getting distracted. Perfect!

    I’ve also decided to keep my phone free of social media and notifications. I have to admit that at first I found myself absently picking up my phone to check Facebook. But that stopped after a few days.

    I realised I need social media to work for me, not for me to be compelled to use it without much conscious thought.

    I’m definitely going to do more social media blackouts in the future…I’m sure my sanity will thank me.  

     

    Guilty pleasures

    I got into a show on Netflix over the holidays called Ancient Aliens. I don’t subscribe to the whole ancient astronaut theory, but I am interested in ancient civilisations.

    This show features amazing footage of megalithic structures, pyramids, underwater cities, etc. It’s a case of not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

    Plus, the leaps in logic from “here’s a funny-looking rock” to “this is definitely evidence of ancient alien technology” is always entertaining.

     

    Podcasting

    Over the Christmas break, I posted a review of 2019, my favourite reads of 2019, and an outline of my 2020 goals on my author diary podcast feed.

    In the latest episode, I talk about what I did over Christmas and New Year, how I plan to beat SAD next winter, my thoughts on The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, and my experience watching Groundhog Day for the first time… Visit: joncronshaw.libsyn.com to listen now or subscribe to Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary on you podcast app of choice.

    If you have any questions you’d like me to answer on the podcast, hit reply now.

    Take care,

    Jon

     

    11 min
  • Jon's Author Diary - 115 - December 14, 2019

    Find Jon online:

    Amazon. amazon.com/author/joncronshaw

    BookBub. bookbub.com/authors/jon-cronshaw

    Facebook. facebook.com/joncronshawauthor

    Website. joncronshaw.com

     

    Email your questions to Jon (at) joncronshaw (dot) com.

     

    If you want to help the show, please consider telling a friend or leaving a review wherever you download your podcasts.                                                         

    5 min
  • Jon's Author Diary - 114 - December 8, 2019

    Welcome to Jon's author diary for the week ending December 8, 2019.

    My wife and son have been ill this week, so I’ve not done as much writing as usual. My son was ill last weekend and was home on Monday, and then my wife got the same illness. I think it was probably the same virus that knocked me on my back a few weeks ago.

    I didn't get anything done towards The Ravenglass Chronicles, save for a bit of outlining. But I did manage to do some final editing tasks towards my non-fiction book for authors, The Stoic Writer. I’m going to give it a final read, but I think it’s ready for the editor.

    I had my best month ever in publishing  in November. So, for a change, I’m actually going to treat my family with the money. Next year, I’m going to book a week holiday to get some late autumn sun. Hopefully, this will keep the worst symptoms of SAD at bay…hopefully. I've realised November is my worst month for Seasonal Affective Disorder—the depression is pretty hard-core at points. So, the extra sunshine can only help.

    Finally, please visit https://patreon.com/joncronshawauthor to support this podcast and pay for my sun-cream.

    6 min

About Jon Cronshaw's Author Diary - The Real Life of an Indie Author | Writing | Publishing | Disability

From the publisher's feed

Step into the world of storytelling with Jon Cronshaw, a legally blind indie fantasy author who refuses to let visual impairment stand in the way of his literary dreams.