Swoosh! Like autumn leaves on a windy day, November has flown past at dizzying speed. So much for the blog posts I planned to write, sharing writerly wisdom gleaned from October’s Emerald City Writers Conference. Heck, I haven’t even finished organizing my notes from this excellent event.

That’s the trouble with conferences: you cram your brain and notebook and tablet with so much new information, then get back home and plop back into your routine. At least that’s what I do. A few nuggets of wisdom will stick, but the rest languish in a pile of notes which gradually become indecipherable.

Here’s the one glittering, golden nugget from ECWC that I’ve already put to use: I must prioritize my writing–over blog posts, social media, promo, author events, advertising, etc. Duh, right?

We’ve all heard that the best way to sell books is to write more books. Since ECWC, I’ve spent more time on actual writing and kept more careful track of time on task and word counts. I’m not participating in NANOWRIMO this year–bad timing in reference to my current projects–but the NANO spirit lives on. Book 3 of the Book Nirvana series is done, and I’m 23 pages into a romance novella.

So, a thousand thanks to Rebecca Zanetti, Asa Maria Bradley, and Boone Brux for their inspiring and educational workshop on designing writing retreats, which yielded up this much-needed kick in the tush.

Now to finish the novella before the new year. Wish me luck!

How do you handle notes from writers’ workshops? And how do you balance your writing time with other writing-adjacent chores?

Title image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay