Without Website, You’re Blind!

I used to have an author website long ago. It was back in 2012; a dark time 😂 I was young and impatient, while website creator sites were clumsy to use, and an utter ball-ache for people like me, who had no idea how to use them.

As a creative writer, all you want to do is just write down fantastic ideas, sell your work to the masses and feel all their adoring complements rain over you. It's all we want. We're not greedy. Well, maybe a bit. Joking aside, writing should be the toughest part of being a writer. But it's not for us at lowest end of the fame and fortune scale. Writing is more like a quarter of what a self publishing artist needs to do to get noticed. You need Social Media, that's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You need to get reviews, and on top of that you need an author page. Basically, a website. I had ditched my last one when I went off the writing boil and stopped for nearly 10 years due to a busy work and family life. But now I'm back on it and raring to go.

So, being a writer at the bottom, you'll have to do all the heavy lifting yourself. It's hard, but honestly, I feel it's the most rewarding way to be. The challenge and determination to succeed is what drives us; it certainly does me. So, I've got my head down and forced myself to make my website, and it's easier than you'd think. I found that Wix had the best reviews, and thought, I have to make this happen. For a week I have focused on pretty much nothing else but making my website. I've learnt about adding code taken from Amazon Affiliate Links to the source code box to link my books to my website. I've learnt about the joys of Blogging (20yrs late, but hey!) I've learnt I have to switch between the desktop version and mobile version of the website when constructing it, then do it all again for the Wix's Spaces app. It's been a challenge, I'll say that. But, the results have actually blown me away. Although visitor numbers are practically nil, it's early days, so I'm still highly optimistic for the future; a little delusion can aid motivation a lot, I've found 🤣

It's all worth it when you're working from the bottom and every success is a step closer to the top. The skills I am forcing myself to learn are fun once you get your head around them, I promise you. At the end of the day, you've learnt something few people know. When I think about the things I've got, let's say, semi-sorted, Twitter, reviews and a webpage, I think, that's three quarters of the work taken care of. Now when I write, I'll think, I know where I'm going to showcase my work, my website. Then, I'll share what I've got on there to Twitter and beyond, and that's how I'll get reviews. I feel the website is the last piece of my self publishing puzzle 🧩

...Now all I have to do is write something ✍️