Note: The newest issue of SpecPoVerse has three of my poems.
Last month, I took part in an Instagram event where authors had to post every day. There was a calendar with prompts, but they were suggestions rather than absolutes. I didn't miss a day.
Riding high, I began to look at my social media updates critically. I could post more than once or twice a week on Instagram! Maybe I should make a video each week for my YouTube channel. And then, for my blog...
I made plans while looking at my Instagram monthly recap. I already have a large list of detailed concepts for posts and videos on my tablet. Batch creation got me though the Instagram challenge, surely I could use it for everything else. Nope.
Most of my hopes weren't sustainable. Weekly blog posts might be doable... if I quit most other platforms. I could probably manage four long-form YouTube uploads a month... if I wanted to stop writing new poems and submitting them to literary magazines. Being chronically ill can really suck.
As I agonized over what to do, a question popped in my head: "Am I a content creator who writes, or am I a writer who uses social media?" A cartoon lightbulb flashed somewhere above me. I'm a writer first—every decision I make regarding my upload/update schedule should reflect that.
I can manage everything right now without burning out or flaring up. I can still edit stories and write new poems. I can still spend time with those I love. Sometimes, the poise in the balance is more important than how high off the ground I can hold the pose.
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