I’ve definitely bit off more than I can chew over the years. So, I’m pulling back on some things while doubling down on others. I’m not completely throwing in the towel on some projects. But I would like to see others excel before taking on another.

I keep thinking that I can keep up the same pace of content creation that I was doing back in 2018.

Back then, I was free to crank out three blog posts per day across three websites. Nowadays, I’m also involved in YouTube, podcasts, managing a team of writers, and writing more books.

The bottom line is that I am spread super thin to the point of where you can’t taste me. Well, that didn’t come out nearly as well as it was in my head.

Anyway, lately, I’ve been focusing more on the things that matter most. Once each of these projects is complete, I’ll move on to the next. When you’re spread as thin as I am, it could be months if not years before any single project is finished.

The Progression of My Books

At one point, I thought I could write three different books at the same time every day. And while I probably could still do so, it would mean none of them would be published until 2030.

That’s taking into consideration all of the other things I have to do throughout the day, such as working with clients or producing content for the other blogs.

Instead, I’ve made the decision to only work on one book at a time. That way, each individual book will get the “full Monty,” so to speak. Instead of 500 words per day per book, I can focus on 1,500 and get one of them done much faster.

Seriously, it’s kind of difficult to build a library of your work when you don’t have the time to actually finish a book. No one is going to read until it’s done, right?

My current project is Shadows of Atlantic City. I started writing this one during the Reedsy masterclass I took for How to Write a Novel. It’s a dark western and has required a great deal of research thus far. Still, it’s been an incredibly fun book to write.

Think of Wild Wild West meets Sherlock Holmes meets Supernatural.

The first draft for Shadows should be done by March 22nd. At which point, I’ll take a four-week break before editing while giving beta readers a chance to go over the initial manuscript. During that time, I’ll work on finishing Fury, the second book in the Witcham series.

If I can keep the pace at which I’m writing, I should have Shadows, Fury, and VII finished this year.

Working on the Blogs

I’m also pulling back a bit on developing the blogs, of which I have four primary sites. Like the books, I’m not getting enough content on the blogs overall.

And Google frowns on inconsistency.

So, I am focusing mostly on WriterSanctuary at the moment. It has the best chance of hitting 10k visits per month and makes the most amount of money through AdSense, sponsored content, and tips.

That doesn’t mean that I am shit-canning the other three, though. In fact, I have enough time to at least publish or update one post per week. That means I’m putting them on life support until WriterSanctuary hits the goal of 10,000 visits per month for three consecutive months.

The hope is that I can afford some writers at that point.

Keep in mind that everything I do, I do alone. My team of writers is actually for a client, who pays their salaries. But all of the blogs, YouTube channels, and podcasts, I do all of the work on my own – aside from having a co-host on the shows.

Anyway, if I can get WriterSanctuary to a point where I can afford to pay a writer for at least one article per week, or even bi-weekly, it would be insanely helpful.

Nonetheless, I still have a lot of work ahead of me.

A YouTube Calling?

I am so freakin’ close to having the requirements for the YouTube Partner Program. Not that I think I’ll bring in the “mad YouTube money,” mind you. But even $10 per month from the videos would go a long way to help me afford writers, products to review, better equipment, etc.

At first, I started the YouTube channel showing people how to get started as a freelance writer while using Textbroker. Well, it’s grown into more of a self-publishing platform.

Essentially, the channel evolved as I have over the years. Right now, I am more interested in being an author, and I love the idea of helping others along in their writing journeys.

If I can upload at least five videos that perform as well as my review of Atticus, I’d be set.

Unfortunately, it’s often an uphill battle as algorithms change so frequently. While YouTube isn’t currently as fickle as Google, they are both a pain in the ass to deal with on a daily basis.

Still, the channel has grown quite a bit over the past 12 months. Statistically speaking, I should be able to monetize with AdSense sometime this year.

The trick is to keep consistent with publishing regular videos. Even if I don’t gain new subscribers, every minute from my community of viewers adds watch time.

I just need to keep giving people a reason to watch.

What About Despair?

I really miss working on Despair. It’s my audiobook on YouTube that I started a couple of years ago and haven’t touched in quite some time.

The problem is that each episode takes so long to produce. It takes about 4.5 hours total of the week for a single 8 – 10 minute episode.

As I have so much on my plate at the moment, 4.5 hours of time is massive.

I’m thinking about finishing the book at least and then going back and making the video/audio episodes. At least the book version would be complete for those who like the story.

This is another process that I would gladly pay for assistance. Although I love adding the sound effects myself, there are days when having a video editor would make things go so much smoother, overall.

So, for the time being, I’ll weigh some options. If I do plan on finishing the book, it would have to be after I finish VII. I’m tired of having partially written manuscripts scattered all over the Internet.

Gotta Prioritize

I have a lot going on, that is for sure. Still, if I prioritize things properly, each finished project will only help me achieve the next in line. As I said, by the time WriterSanctuary hits the 10k per month mark, I should be able to afford assistance.

It’s all about getting that snowball rollin’ down the damn hill. Lately, all I’ve done is come up with a strategy of where that snowball will travel.

It’s time to get it moving down the slope.