How Much Is Too Much Author Information

I am all for the internet, I will acknowledge my full blown addiction, however--dear lord, sometimes there is way too much information out there for authors. Sometimes I'm so bombarded by it all that it sends me down a spiral of epic self doubt. It's become quite the war to pick out what to take to heart and what to ignore when everyone has a little tidbit that could easily be added to my knowledge quilt.

In order to figure out what works for you as an author you have to know your process first in terms of writing schedule, voice, and editing. Which, lets be honest, can take some practice and be really grueling. Unless you're one of those lucky ones who gets everything from the get-go and if that's the case congrats because I still haven't managed it. Anywho, in order to pick and choose existing rules and advice that will fit in with who we are as writers we need to know how to spin it to fit the lifestyle.

Generally, the most helpful thing I find to do is read the heading of a blog post or the link if it's twitter suggested and then I take from that all the info I need. Will it add to the rolling questions I always have in my mind? Will it make me think all day so I can't get anything done? If this is the case I normally leave it until the end of the work day. But if it seems like something that will work for me I digest it in small bits and pieces. Literally, I read every paragraph with a little pause in between the next one so my freak out demon doesn't have time to show itself. This makes everything easier to digest.

Don't get me wrong, I could read blog posts written by authors, agents, publishers, etc everyone in the business with advice to give me. And that my friends is the problem. There's no way to separate myself from that gaping whole of knowledge that needs to be filled all the time. Part of that has to do with my hard work mentality. Another part of that is me being curious. But the majority of it is my paranoia that I won't "make it" whatever that means at this point with such amazing publishers under my belt.

So I pull myself away from all the information, disconnect, digest, and hope to add to my knowledge quilt rather than gunking it up with old pieces of cloth that are stained that no one will want to see ever again. But it's a mental process. I still fall into the role of passive observer where I have to read every scrap of information that falls in my lap--and when that happens I shut down the internet and pick up a book.