Almost everyone my age is familiar with the song Bob Dylan wrote, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Written over sixty years ago, the song still strikes a chord with me. (The Times They Are A-Changin’ | The Official Bob Dylan Site)
I am reminded every morning of how quickly times change. Last year on Christmas Day, my wife fell on our morning walk, breaking her hip. Before she recovered from the surgery in January of this year, she suffered a stroke, which has made speaking difficult for her. We still go to the park in the morning to walk, though we walk more slowly and for shorter distances. We often walk around the pond at a nearby park. In previous blog posts, I have written about the park and the ducks and geese. Goslings, Ducklings, Squirrels, Hummingbirds
The leaves changing colors, highlighted by the early morning sun, reminded me of the changing times. On our walk earlier this week, the first wigeons of the season swam near the mallards that live there all summer. Many of them grew up on the pond this year. We can’t, as the song says, avoid the changing times.
In 2014, I started writing my first novel. I posted a sign on the bulletin board in my home office stating my commitment to write a novel. Unfortunately, the times had to change before I could honor that commitment. I had to retire from my job, which allowed me the time I needed to learn how to write and complete my book. The sign is still there today, even though I have written and self-published two novels. I am still writing, having written about three-fourths of my third book. It is a sequel to my first, and commitment is still required. Because the times have changed with my wife’s health, it has made it harder to find time to write.
Writing, editing, and publishing my books takes time. Add the marketing to the fixed availability of time for the previous tasks, and you understand that even there, the times are changing. I am trying to learn how to market my books. But. I haven’t been very successful if the determining factor for success is book sales. I am using an artificial intelligence (AI) marketing tool, which I hope will reduce the time requirements and result in more book sales. It has yet to do either, but I just started using it.
There is considerable discussion about the use of AI by authors. I would not let AI write my novels. Though I use it to edit the text I write. I use ProWritingAid to find grammatical errors, misspellings, and other mistakes. It makes editing faster, but it still does not eliminate the need for an editor or proofreader. I hope that as the times change, these AI and other tools will help give me more time to pursue my writing.
I try to live my life without regrets, but I regret that I didn’t start writing earlier in life. I enjoyed my job and the people with whom I worked, but writing provides a different type of satisfaction. There is no other feeling like holding a copy of the book you wrote in your hands or having someone talk to you about enjoying reading it. However, I would like to make money at it too.
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