Modern Day Resume

This week I've been getting through a long list of to-do's to catch up around the house 

and also get on top of my writing/revising action plan. 

Two priorities this week were 1) buy a device for digital note-taking

and 2) start posting on my angshaefwrites instagram account and get a week's worth of 

posts and blogs prepared for next week so I don't feel like it catches me off guard.

(My blog is angshaefwrites.blogspot.com) I usually just post more details and thoughts to the instagram post. I feel a little awkward about prioritizing social media. I love this blog because I'm recording my life and its akin to journaling and its really important to me. And I love Instagram for sharing important happenings and I love feeling the love from friends when I share.

(And I love being privy to the good news my friends share.

Plus, memes. They're like modern day comic strips.)

But posting social media for a book that's not even ready to send to agents to see if they'll represent it to see if they can sell it to editors to see if they'll publish it to see if anyone will buy it,

well it feels a lot like counting your chickens before they hatch. 

Or telling the world you have something to offer with the potential of being 

laughed at or not delivering. 

(Thank you, Mindy Kaling for the best book title and motivating (and funny) read 

when you're questioning your ability to do something big: Why Not Me?) 

I was lamenting to Nick about how awkward it is to put myself out there 

on social media about my writing but how important every agent and publisher says it is.

He said, "Mom, social media is your resume. It's the new way of telling people who you are."

So I finish this week with a paradigm shift.

A few weeks ago in New York I took a Zoom workshop on social media and they validated, 

"Yes, it feels awkward when no one is listening. But plan on posting five days a week for two years before you'll have a measurable following. It takes time. Don't get discouraged."

The other priority was finding a digital note-taking device.

I love taking notes and I love paper. 

But I don't love keeping track of those notes taken in a variety of notebooks and trying to rifle through pages and pages searching for something I wanted to remember. 

In the end I decided to get an iPad with a pen using note-taking app 

that can search handwriting. 

I love apple notes, but want more versatility.

I did a bunch of research, then ruined Dan's anniversary gift surprise because and iPad is what he was planning on getting me. 

Tonight we had dinner at Nordstrom Cafe then went to the Apple store to buy the iPad, pen and keyboard.

You know I have a problem with taking the time to get things set up,

but as it turned out, Nick was home watching an F-1 show so while he and Dan watched TV,

I got the iPad up and running (and it was a cinch).