I suppose I’ve been lucky enough and have not come across any musings, or it would have added to my frustration of overused words. So much to unpack here. Congrats on finishing NaNoWriMo, btw. I had forgotten already about that other failure of mine. 🙄 My only achievement was to inspire others to sign up and finish their first draft. I should count that as an achievement. Anyway, interesting stuff.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. Let's see if the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo is actually any good! I'm eager to see what feedback it gets once I start serialising it.
Inspiring others to sign up and finish theirs is definitely an achievement, for sure!
Probably! Cranky old Gen Xers like me are slow to catch on to new trends. I wrote a post a few months back about how long it took me to realise what ‘Netflix and chill’ really meant, and at the same time I was told that the eggplant/aubergine emoji was something suggestive!
How long ago did you join LinkedIn? I’ve been debating it since it seems a lot of people in the publishing industry are there. But I’ve heard mixed reviews. And, adding yet another place that I’ve got to build and cultivate sounds pretty terrible. How’s it been for you?
Technically I joined LinkedIn a few years ago, but I never set up a profile or added a soul until about a month or two ago. I used to received requests to connect over the years but always ignored them. I’ve been adding as many people as I can willy nilly, mainly in the ELT area, but that includes some publishers and literary types (and in my case, a lot of Ukrainian connections). I’ve treated the place like a mercenary - I pop in, click on a bunch of ‘connects’, post something about my book or Substack, and then leave. I can’t face the thought of ‘engaging’ and hanging out there more than I have to. A few likes or post impressions (?) so far, but I probably need to be more active. I figured connecting to tons of teachers and language learning publishing people would be a good move, but it’s probably too early to tell if it’s led to any results (not much of an uptick in sales, though). I’m honestly not sure where else is the best place to find the thousands (if not millions!) of language learners online. I’ve been told Threads is worthwhile, but really, yet another platform when my time and patience is already stretched? Yikes.
Yeah I feel the same way about Threads (and TikTok and Instagram and Bluesky 😩).
I’m already on Facebook and read an article about a week ago and the author was talking about connecting with other writers and publishers there. So I’ve started to try that a little. Worst case they just ignore my friend request I guess.
Hahaha, made me laugh , especially the text exchange between you and your sister😁 can’t wait for the serialisation of your first novel , that will be great !! Good luck with the book.
Oh, and Daniel, I know you will love this (in case you don't know it already): in Swedish, the word "mus", meaning "mouse", is used in the same sense as "pussy" (an interesting semantic convergence to ponder). So since I learned Swedish, the word "musings" has had a rather, shall we say titillating, feel to it.
Daniel, thank you for this tantalizing tour of your laboratory. I think, though (and I say this as a friend who cares), that you may have a problem with over-focus. Why not loosen up and try to get some more variety?
Haha, thanks Gregory - though the overall feedback has been good for my first book, a few people have said it lacked focus and was a bit ‘all over the place’. Perhaps now I’m trying to [over]compensate. I’m sticking to what I know best for now (which, tbf, isn’t much!)
That Month of Musings will definitely feature some variety - that too, is ‘all over the place’ (but that was my intention).
The sequel to my novel will delve into some EFL erotica - definitely some loosening up going on there 😉
Haha, I suspected so, but just wanted to cover my bases. I’m telling you, even though I’ve probably digested every article or blog post re: writing and marketing books, I’m still plodding along with barely a clue. All I can seem to do to take my mind off things is write, write and write. Probably should look for gainful employment as some point.
I’m already thinking ahead to the sequels to my novels. I want to make it into a series with vague echoes of Flashman (if you’ve read those). The hero of the story, the intrepid English teacher, sets off on all sorts of crazy adventures, with a career moonlighting as a stripper definitely on the cards. Or it could be a teaching colleague by the name of Richard ‘Dick’ Tongue, stage name of Sir Loin.
Hahaha, I've been called out - my publication description contains the word "musings" 😂 I don't know why it's so popular, but I get it. I've always loved it!
I didn't quite get banned...yet. Just a pesky age-restriction thing, and for the life of me I can't understand why. Sure, I'll take a few followers, need as many as I can get!
¡Felicidades! I shall tell all my ELT friends/colleagues/editors/writers! I'm guessing it might not be your thing, but have you done/thought about text book writing? I have had to edit some pretty dodgy ELT MSs, to the point that I may as well have written it myself. It would be nice to have some fresh voices in the field. And look forward to reading your novel!
Muchas gracias! This book, and especially my next one (The Well-Rounded Language Learner) are meant to complement coursebooks, or at least provide an alternative. Actual textbooks? I'm not so sure. I don't know if you're familiar with the myClass from the British Council but back in 2014 I wrote a lot of those materials, I was part of a team in Ukraine. After that I continued writing a lot of materials, things like 'Vocab Booster' and 'Grammar Doctor' lessons. They were 'textbook-lite', I suppose you could say.
I have a ton of ideas, just not sure about the execution (and the marketing - yikes, this is my weakspot)
Very impressive 😊 I only thought of the text book thing cus if you write them for a publisher they pay well (judging by the invoices I've seen lying around the office anyway). But your ideas sound much more engaging and innovative. And I'm sure your TikTok career with take off soon and your marketing problems will be solved. Just gotta get past that two second mark 🤭
It might be worth looking into doing some proper textbook writing, I could do with a bit of money.
Re: TikTok, I'm trying to focus on the positives. My last video had 254 views and the average watch time is 6.59 seconds (the video is 2:24). And a whopping 0.8% watched the entire thing! How many is that, like 2 people? 😂
I suppose I’ve been lucky enough and have not come across any musings, or it would have added to my frustration of overused words. So much to unpack here. Congrats on finishing NaNoWriMo, btw. I had forgotten already about that other failure of mine. 🙄 My only achievement was to inspire others to sign up and finish their first draft. I should count that as an achievement. Anyway, interesting stuff.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. Let's see if the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo is actually any good! I'm eager to see what feedback it gets once I start serialising it.
Inspiring others to sign up and finish theirs is definitely an achievement, for sure!
Maybe "waxing nostalgic" is some sort of strange sex move we didn't know about?
Probably! Cranky old Gen Xers like me are slow to catch on to new trends. I wrote a post a few months back about how long it took me to realise what ‘Netflix and chill’ really meant, and at the same time I was told that the eggplant/aubergine emoji was something suggestive!
Kids these days, eh?
Being old is also about the trends of youth feeling foreign. It’s in our nature not to keep up.
This made me laugh thank you Daniel - especially the text from your sister. How on earth do you manage all this output though?!
Thanks Faith, glad you found it amusing.
Good question - I’m not sure. No sleep and no job are part of my ‘strategy’ 😂
😅I see
How long ago did you join LinkedIn? I’ve been debating it since it seems a lot of people in the publishing industry are there. But I’ve heard mixed reviews. And, adding yet another place that I’ve got to build and cultivate sounds pretty terrible. How’s it been for you?
Technically I joined LinkedIn a few years ago, but I never set up a profile or added a soul until about a month or two ago. I used to received requests to connect over the years but always ignored them. I’ve been adding as many people as I can willy nilly, mainly in the ELT area, but that includes some publishers and literary types (and in my case, a lot of Ukrainian connections). I’ve treated the place like a mercenary - I pop in, click on a bunch of ‘connects’, post something about my book or Substack, and then leave. I can’t face the thought of ‘engaging’ and hanging out there more than I have to. A few likes or post impressions (?) so far, but I probably need to be more active. I figured connecting to tons of teachers and language learning publishing people would be a good move, but it’s probably too early to tell if it’s led to any results (not much of an uptick in sales, though). I’m honestly not sure where else is the best place to find the thousands (if not millions!) of language learners online. I’ve been told Threads is worthwhile, but really, yet another platform when my time and patience is already stretched? Yikes.
Yeah I feel the same way about Threads (and TikTok and Instagram and Bluesky 😩).
I’m already on Facebook and read an article about a week ago and the author was talking about connecting with other writers and publishers there. So I’ve started to try that a little. Worst case they just ignore my friend request I guess.
Hahaha, made me laugh , especially the text exchange between you and your sister😁 can’t wait for the serialisation of your first novel , that will be great !! Good luck with the book.
Oh, and Daniel, I know you will love this (in case you don't know it already): in Swedish, the word "mus", meaning "mouse", is used in the same sense as "pussy" (an interesting semantic convergence to ponder). So since I learned Swedish, the word "musings" has had a rather, shall we say titillating, feel to it.
I do love this, this is incredible. I now have to sneak this into my Month of Musings collection.
Daniel, thank you for this tantalizing tour of your laboratory. I think, though (and I say this as a friend who cares), that you may have a problem with over-focus. Why not loosen up and try to get some more variety?
I will check out the new book for sure!
Haha, thanks Gregory - though the overall feedback has been good for my first book, a few people have said it lacked focus and was a bit ‘all over the place’. Perhaps now I’m trying to [over]compensate. I’m sticking to what I know best for now (which, tbf, isn’t much!)
That Month of Musings will definitely feature some variety - that too, is ‘all over the place’ (but that was my intention).
The sequel to my novel will delve into some EFL erotica - definitely some loosening up going on there 😉
Dude, I was actually being ironic. I meant, too many books at once! Though yes, there is a common EFL theme.
Are you serious about EFL erotica? I can actually imagine that being a massive success...
Haha, I suspected so, but just wanted to cover my bases. I’m telling you, even though I’ve probably digested every article or blog post re: writing and marketing books, I’m still plodding along with barely a clue. All I can seem to do to take my mind off things is write, write and write. Probably should look for gainful employment as some point.
I’m already thinking ahead to the sequels to my novels. I want to make it into a series with vague echoes of Flashman (if you’ve read those). The hero of the story, the intrepid English teacher, sets off on all sorts of crazy adventures, with a career moonlighting as a stripper definitely on the cards. Or it could be a teaching colleague by the name of Richard ‘Dick’ Tongue, stage name of Sir Loin.
Jeez! I would love to see those, but even more, I would love to see the people who would buy them.
Congratulations!! ❤️
I shared it in an English group here in Uruguay ❤️
Thank you! ☺️
Welcome 😊
Hahaha, I've been called out - my publication description contains the word "musings" 😂 I don't know why it's so popular, but I get it. I've always loved it!
It really isn’t a bad word, I swear! 😉
Also I can't believe you got banned on TikTok. Want some of my followers? I have 5k and none of them engage with me
I didn't quite get banned...yet. Just a pesky age-restriction thing, and for the life of me I can't understand why. Sure, I'll take a few followers, need as many as I can get!
BOOK RELEASE! I will think about purchasing it. No guarantees. We'll see (congrats).
It's free! Nothing to lose (other than your valuable time).
My upcoming books, including *A Month of Musings* might be more worthwhile.
¡Felicidades! I shall tell all my ELT friends/colleagues/editors/writers! I'm guessing it might not be your thing, but have you done/thought about text book writing? I have had to edit some pretty dodgy ELT MSs, to the point that I may as well have written it myself. It would be nice to have some fresh voices in the field. And look forward to reading your novel!
Muchas gracias! This book, and especially my next one (The Well-Rounded Language Learner) are meant to complement coursebooks, or at least provide an alternative. Actual textbooks? I'm not so sure. I don't know if you're familiar with the myClass from the British Council but back in 2014 I wrote a lot of those materials, I was part of a team in Ukraine. After that I continued writing a lot of materials, things like 'Vocab Booster' and 'Grammar Doctor' lessons. They were 'textbook-lite', I suppose you could say.
I have a ton of ideas, just not sure about the execution (and the marketing - yikes, this is my weakspot)
Very impressive 😊 I only thought of the text book thing cus if you write them for a publisher they pay well (judging by the invoices I've seen lying around the office anyway). But your ideas sound much more engaging and innovative. And I'm sure your TikTok career with take off soon and your marketing problems will be solved. Just gotta get past that two second mark 🤭
It might be worth looking into doing some proper textbook writing, I could do with a bit of money.
Re: TikTok, I'm trying to focus on the positives. My last video had 254 views and the average watch time is 6.59 seconds (the video is 2:24). And a whopping 0.8% watched the entire thing! How many is that, like 2 people? 😂
I'm sure, like anything, it takes a bit of time to build a following. You can always try that bumhole thing your sister suggested 😅
I might if I get desperate!
This is so awesome Daniel! Congrats!!
Wow! That’s some impressive productivity! Congrats on all these books.
Thanks, but what is it they say about quality over quantity…