In a few weeks, I am giving a workshop on world-building. I haven't started to plan but it's time. The only way to do this among all the jobs I have to go to, grading students papers, personal projects, staying hydrated and going to the gym, and doing at least one fun personal thing a day is to cut out writing time.
"But, Abi, you're a writer. You stop writing and you won't be a writer anymore," I hear the masses and my brain say. Thing is, I am writing whether I write every single day or not. Remember those posts where I said you don't have to write for every anthology, you don't have to be published to be a writer? Still goes here.
When a dentist takes a vacation, she's still a dentist. Now, I'm not taking a vacation (hahaha what's a vacation, am I right?). I am working on an author thing. What I am putting writing aside for is something to further my author career. Making appearances is important as fellow author Joran Petrarca showed me with his sold-out appearance at a con. He wasn't on a panel or anything, no one knew him, and he sold every book he brought with him. I will make this appearance at the workshop and then at the author fair the following month.
Making appearances isn't something I thought I could be doing my first year of having my book out and honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't think of it. Like, you HAVE to! I am my only marketing department and I need to act like. Which is of course hard work and has me losing my mind oftentimes. But the point is: you are allowed to cut out writing for a time. To take a break. To recharge. To do other author things. I encourage it as a matter of fact! Taking a break from work (all kinds) is always good for you and focusing on one task at a time is a relief. Especially since I have to create worksheets and plan interactive work along with a little bit of lecturing.
Good luck, pirates!