It rained all day. Flood warnings were issued for our area. Thankfully all is well. It was the kind of day that doing chores, inside the house or outside, was just not happening. The day was perfect for sitting with the laptop to do some reading, writing and connecting.

I have been busy joining groups related to all things writing. Usually I stay in the back ground and read what others are commenting. One day, I got brave and posted on one of the groups the question, “Is building a platform important when you self publish?” The responses were amazing. The suggestions priceless. The general consensus was that definitely it was important. Some even gave ideas of different ways one could build a platform besides social media.

Then I was shocked to learn from one participant that a platform should be built three years before writing and publishing a book. Holy cow! Three years ago I had not idea I was going to write a novel and publish it. Now, I figured, I was in a real pickle. Sure, I started a blog but I haven’t made regular postings. Sure I had started a Facebook page. My nephew helped set up a Twitter page. And of course, I had to be on Google+ and LinkedIn. I am embarrassed to say that I had not been regular there either.

Today, however, was a turning point for me. The reading I did from the groups I favored the most, inspired me to connect with like-minded people. I devoted the day to this endeavor. The result was phenomenal. I boosted my numbers on all the social media accounts, but more importantly – I made new friends. It doesn’t get any better than that. I love this business.