Get Smart!

I resisted getting a smart phone for years.

I had excellent reasons. Like, I didn’t use a cell phone much. I didn’t want to be like so many people, paying more attention to a phone than family and friends in the flesh. It was a waste of money, right?

And then I broke down and got a smart phone because of my step counter. Yeah, technology begets more technology. It was the smartest thing I’ve ever done (no pun intended).

No more getting lost! No more sweating over missing an email. And did I mention no more getting lost? Honestly, I wondered why it had taken me so long to get a smart phone. And then I remembered.

Oh, yeah. I don’t like change. I don’t like taking the time to learn new stuff. And I especially don’t like dealing with new technology.

As a writer, I’m constantly keeping up (or attempting to keep up) with new technology in the industry. One day, I may log into my blog and find that the way I’ve always posted has changed (We’ve improved it! All you have to do now is follow these 18 simple steps!). The next week, the site I’ve used for photos decides to mix things up and now I must have an account (I’m not going to lie; I find another site because I have way too many accounts that I already can’t keep sorted).

It’s always something, whether it’s technology-related or just changes and improvements in the writing world that evolve daily. And every fiber of my being resists when a new something pops up. But I power through it.

You know that saying, “He who hesitates is lost”? In the fast-paced publishing world, that’s certainly true. If you don’t keep up with what’s going on around you—just think of all the changes in self-publishing!—you’ll be left behind. There are hundreds, thousands of writers chomping at the bit to get their chance. They’ll happily chomp right through you.

And before you think this is an age thing, think again. I know plenty of mature writers who are as sharp as tacks and extremely successful because they know how important it is to keep up with a dynamic industry.

But I also know a number of writers—young and old—who complain about change and sit on the sidelines watching their peers zip by. Their negativity and resistance ends up as their downfall.

Don’t let resistance get the best of you and your writing career. You don’t have to grab on to every new thing that comes along—Lord knows, I don’t have time for the hundreds of apps out there for my smart phone—but pay attention to this remarkable writing world we live in and keep up with the important, relevant changes. I promise, it’ll be one of the smartest things you ever did for your writing career!

Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer. When she's not busy writing, she's busy keeping up with the ever-changing writing world. And sometimes, she spends two hours fixing her printer. Whatever...