I'm busy with the busy. I've said that before. But it holds true. Mid-June and as is, I'm still plotting and outlining the new novel. At least now, I'm getting to focus more on the long fiction - which is what I wanted.
In the midst of me handling the usual author business, I do catch a current of what happens in my immediate circles in social media. Not seeing so much in the way of quarrels/disputes - maybe that's because there aren't any. Maybe I've just missed them: I don't know. Every so often though, I'll get an invite to like a page. For the most part, I'll accept, given that these are from peers and as such, if they feel it supports them, then fine. I admit that in the earlier days of my forays into social media, this is the approach I took. Past tense. I don't do that now. For those who do it, more power to them. Me, I'm of the mind that if people like my page it's because they like my work. Ideally, they'll like my work and then like my page. I don't expect everyone to see this shit how I see it. But that's just how I see it. I might get a friend request from someone I assume gravitates to my work: or at least how I approach my work. And then after the friend request is accepted, there's a request to (yes, you guessed it) like a page. But I don't. That would be too easy. Quips aside, this isn't quid pro quo here. No, I won't like follow you back.
Twitter isn't so bad for me. There's no invite to follow someone who starts following me there. Every now and then, I get followed by someone who has many 1000s of followers. And then, probably some individuals - regardless of how many followers they have - get disenchanted with me, and stop following. Again, I'm not so fussed. As long as my work reaches and moves people, that's the bottom line. In an ideal world, everything would fall into place from that criteria. The writing: the craft? That's the bottom line. So yeah, I'm more about the game, as it were. Keep my head down, knock out the good stuff - more of the fiction that moves the audience. Outside the realm of social media, it's nice to see that for all the low profile, my name reaches people - certainly peers through how many degrees of separation. I see my name referred to in a revered publication of dark fiction, one where I've yet to sell work to. I get approached by another author (who had my name flagged to him by another author) asking for a sample of work, as he's looking to put a little something together. Humbling. I get an RSVP invite for the Speaking Volumes do early next month: them shining a light on some 200 BAME authors on these UK shores. Which is also nice, and humbling. A canape do. Thankfully, it's not black-tie. Hell, it'd better not be. T-shirt, jeans and Tims. I kinda see this with an air of mild amusement. The idea that I keep my head down and work, but more people sit up and take notice. It's ...cool. It's humbling and it's gratifying, I guess, but I pretty much take it in stride. I don't analyse/crunch my numbers on social media, but I'm sure putting in work will help short-term and in the long run. And the audience will read faster than I write. There's work to be done. A lot of it.