My kids and I had a conversation about brains yesterday, specifically how our brains are changing. As teenagers theirs are forming new connections and changing like crazy. We listened to a TED podcast that explained how their cerebral cortex is changing and unfortunately my brain is changing too. As a middle-aged woman, mine would like to turn off a few connections and start to relax a bit--to which I reply, "nope."
By choosing to self publish and become a midlife entrepreneur I'm telling my brain that we will be forming new connections by learning new skills and pushing my creativity to new levels. Some days this plan definitely works better than others.
Currently I am writing the second novella in an eight-book series that I have committed to releasing in early 2016 (January? fingers crossed). I'm also reading "Rise of the Machines--Human Authors in a Digital World" by Kristen Lamb and exponentially expanding the underdeveloped social media section of my brain. Whether it's due to being introverted or just not growing up with social media, I recommend this fantastic book if you, like me, need to decode the strange land of cryptic conversations on Twitter and other social media sites. No matter what type of business you are running this book will help.
I've always been a firm believer in the idea that I'm smarter than the average monkey so I will figure out (usually with the help of a book or YouTube video) anything that confounds me or stands in my way. Marketing my books was falling into that category. And it gets tempting to just walk away. Social media changes so quickly I would imagine it is hard for those in the know to keep up. For me it's like going after a moving target or a finish line that's perpetually moving another foot away. But I don't give up because I'm just too damn stubborn and doing so would be to finally acknowledge that the average monkey is now smarter than me. (That day is coming, I know, but I'm fighting the good fight to stall it.)
Today I'm revealing my new author bio and redesigned website. It seems I'm not the only one in our family who has a relentless push to keep learning. My son Beau has been on a self-taught quest to improve his programming skills and I'm his favorite guinea pig. If you like it and are looking for someone to create a site for you (at amazing small-business friendly prices) you can contact him at Beau@DigiPhreakDesign.com.
OK, enough pimping my kid. Now for the big reveals, the result of choosing to forestall my trip to the rest home by not resting on my laurels, by firing up all kinds of new creative brain cells. My new author bio:
I was sure I could never be a writer. I grew up too
ordinary—a suburban, lapsed-Catholic, Irish, white girl who drank too much beer
and kissed too many boys. I wanted to be different, unique; to live my life in
some extraordinary place because I was sure that was where all the action was,
where the fun was, where something
interesting was going on.
Then I grew up (sort of) and discovered something; there is
passion and angst in suburbia along with pain and hope, it's just hidden behind
tan and beige exteriors and banal discussions about potty training and tree
rot. I discovered there is an art to reading between the lines and
looking for clues, to finding raw humanity in a place designed to hide
it. I’ve always watched and studied people, questioned their
motivations and agendas, wanted to know the stories behind their stories. As a
writer I tapped into my over-active imagination to create those stories.
I tell the love story of the teens no one remembers at the
thirty-year reunion, the ones that stood out to no one but each other. The
woman who no one would vote as most likely to succeed but who does succeed by
being the same quiet, smart girl they all overlooked. I write about the
hysterically silly moments, inspiring wins and crushing letdowns that happen to
us all and make everyone’s life extraordinary.
I still live in suburbia and have retained my embedded
Catholic guilt. I’ve replaced beer with whiskey and boys with one man, who I
kiss often. My life is still pretty ordinary, but my writing isn’t.
If you'd like to see my redesigned site you can click here.
I welcome feedback on both so I can keep growing as an author. I'd also love to know what you do to keep your brain active. My kids are trying to sell me on gaming to sharpen my brain. Thoughts? Labels: authorpreneur, brain growth, midlife, self-education, social media
