As a writer, focus has always meant getting words on the page. However, I realize focus has to be a horizontally applied discipline. Writing is a big part of the process, but building an audience of people who love your writing is another part. Marketing is every bit as important as developing characters and scenes.
In the past, I have tried to apply a focus vertically. That is to say I would focus on writing, then focus on marketing, then focus on craft essays. This resulted in a fragmentation that was hard to follow and reduced the potential benefits. With a horizontal focus, you do many things at once. Some people call this multi-tasking, but that’s a bad word, so let’s stick to horizontal focus.
I've learned this process over the years through my day job where I have to balance the creative process of bringing digital products to life with the practical process of making sure people know about those products.
As an author, this works very similarly, but the audience is varied. Agents and publishers want to see that you can share your work. Any amount of marketing assistance for your work is a net positive, so applying a bit of focus to generating interest is going to go a long way. It may be the difference between landing your first agent or not. It may be the difference between your agent selling your book or not. It may not matter at all. But it's worth the effort.
Here, you see that focus come to fruition. I will be sharing my process, my thoughts on writing, and so much more. I hope you'll follow along. Subscribe so you never miss a post.