Well, I made it halfway at least.
I'm calling it quits on the post-a-day challenge. Doing a post a week makes it seem like it really wouldn't be that difficult, but a post a day really is a whole other monster of its own. The sheer time it takes in writing, posting, and advertising such an ordeal leaves little for actually getting much else done. Time I could be better off spending writing a new book or trying to fix the leaks my first book has. As it is, my second book is nearing the final stretch and I really should be devoting more time to that as well. All this on top of other things which I've set aside for this challenge.
The time it takes notwithstanding, the amount of advertising I've been doing, posting every day on Twitter, Goodreads and on my Facebook page makes me feel like I'm spamming more than anything else. It's not technically the case, I know, but that's how it feels and I don't particularly enjoy that feeling.
Another reason is that I'm discovering the subject I chose actually doesn't run as deep as I thought. When I first chose the subject of cryptids to focus on for the challenge, I set a few rules for myself. 1. I wasn't going to use monsters which were predominantly supernatural. That means no vampires or werewolves, faeries or gremlins, no wendigo or Jersey Devil. 2. I wasn't going to use monsters which tended to being more extraterrestrial in origin, so out goes the Dover Demon and the Flatwoods Monster.
It seems most cryptids fall into one of the categories to which belong creatures I've already covered. Lake and sea monsters, relatives of bigfoot, giant versions of known animals and animals we know of being spotted in areas they aren't known to live. I've already covered most of the most well-known versions of each and a lot of others just don't have the information to really dig into for a blog post. Granted, there are critters which I could post on, but not another 15 - 16. The Loch Ness Monster, Champ, Skunk Ape, Jackalopes. Maybe at some point in the future I might come back and give them their own post, but as you can see, those there are simply two more lake monsters, a bigfoot relative, and a hoax.
Granted, I rushed into this without giving myself much time to plan it out, so I may give the challenge another go later on down the road, but I'm going to sit down and have the entire month planned out first. So. To those who were enjoying this feature and were looking forward to the rest of the month, I apologize, and I hope you won't be too harsh with me for bowing and ducking out rather than struggling through it and putting up sub-par content for a further two weeks.
Now, as I said, my second book is entering the final stretch, so in addition to my apology, I'm going to add in the back of the book blurb for you all to check out. Enjoy, and thanks for reading along.
Seguro, Arizona isn't a town with a bustling night life.
However, on this night, a mechanical malfunction has triggered a desperate and vicious pursuit through the desert. Hunter and hunted alike are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in their missions and neither is going to let anything stand in their way.
Unfortunately, for the residents of Seguro, their quiet little town is about to become the center of a deadly game of hide and seek...
~ Shaun
It was enjoyable while it lasted, thanks for the series! As you say, better to end on a high. I was surprised you kept it going for so long. Also, that's a good blurb, concise and intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI have been severely lagging in my blog-reading and commenting this summer. Just far too many other things going on. But I completely agree that blogging each day is incredibly time-consuming.
ReplyDeleteBeen enjoying your posts, even though I haven't been as great at commenting lately. Particularly enjoyed your latest one about the importance of editing. :) So very true.