Tag: writers life for me

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How to make it as an author

Hi, guys!

Not only is it a new year, it’s a new decade. (Sick of hearing that yet?) Let’s start this shit off right.

Everyone has dreams. Or at least, everyone should.

But so many people give up on their dreams or spend more time fantasizing about the dream come true aspect than they do actually working for it.

Humans love short cuts and easy little tricks to cut the work load in half. We love the idea of things just happening for us even better.

But.

(Yeah, I know, I’m a terrible person for this next part.)

That isn’t how it works.

Not unless you’re in the 1%.

For the vast majority, making your dreams come true takes time and effort. It takes work.

That’s it.

That’s the big secret, the little trick.

Effort.

Actually. Fucking. Trying.

Some parts will be easier than others, of course. Some parts will be so hard that you want to smash something to bits.

But you still have to put in the time to get to the “dream come true” part.

Now, I’m not 100% there yet. I’m not living my dream, and I admit that freely.

But I intend to, at some point.

As such, even with family visiting for the past couple weeks and the stress/busy nature of the holidays, I’ve still spent time on my books.

I’ve made it through a third of the final round of edits of World for the Broken and put together promotional materials. I did promo stuff for The Gem of Meruna and rereleased it. I even managed roughly 3,500 words (idk exactly, I don’t remember what my word count was a couple weeks ago) on my new WIP and started working on a cover. I know that’s not a lot of words over two weeks, but alongside all the stuff for my other projects, it’s decent.

Basically, even through the holidays, an author’s work never sleeps. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the worlds I’ve built for these stories and want to share them with you.

That means spending time in those worlds, in the minds of those characters. (Which certainly isn’t a bad thing.)

And eventually, that time and effort (spent doing something I love) will lead me to my dream of being a stay-at-home author. Yes, I’m going to daydream about what it would be like to already be there.

But I’m also going to do the work necessary to get there.

That means that when I want to relax, I explore the worlds of my stories more often than the worlds of the video games I used to sink months’ worth of play time into. When I get off a 12 hour shift on a Sunday night and want to go to bed, I still do my blog. Every week. So that I can post it early Monday morning before I go to sleep.

Your schedule will obviously be different from mine, and you can adjust it as need be. But the effort has to be there.

At some point, you have to stop talking about it, stop daydreaming, and just do. Take a step.

No tricks.

No short cuts.

Because that isn’t how life works.

So please, whatever your dream is, give it the time and effort it deserves. “Life” is not an excuse to set your dreams aside. Your shows will still be there after you do some shit to make your dreams happen. So will the closet you keep telling yourself you’ll clean out, so stop staring at it, thinking of what to do with it just to procrastinate. That won’t help you reach your goals.

Life is always going to happen around you. You just have to make things work.

Because when life steps aside, it’s too late for dreams.

Now, that got a little darker than I expected when I started this blog…but what the hell? That’s pretty normal for anything I write.

In short, don’t fucking slack. DO YOUR SHIT.

K, thanks.

Lol.

Keep reading. Keep writing.

Later. 

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Progress Report!

Hi, guys!

I’ve done something I maybe shouldn’t have. Or maybe I should have. Who knows.

At any rate, I’m excited about it. Lol.

I started writing a new story.

Yes, I should continue writing my sci-fi series, and I will. But it’s going back on the back burner for the time being. I’ll still add to it and work on it as I go, but this other story is calling me.

You see, I’m not a technology person. I’m a magic person.

I’d much rather plan out a magic system and create gods than calculate space travel times mid-writing session. There’s a reason most of my books are high fantasy.

I just love magic.

I love the idea of being more than just…human. That’s why the humans in most of my fantasy novels have access to magic or abilities. That’s why I write about humanoids (elves, orcs, and races I make up).

It’s also why this new story has NO HUMANS

.The characters are humanoids. They have pointed ears because I fucking love pointed ears. But they also have antlers and access to magic and all sorts of awesome shit.

I mean, these people redesign a fucking landscape, and I’m excited about it.
I know that doesn’t sound as epic as it actually is in the book, but I promise, it’s to die for.

Btw, after this book comes out, reread this blog. I promise that joke will hit differently. Lol.

You may think I’m a bit twisted for it.

But let’s be fair. If you read any of my books, you probably think I’m a bit twisted.

Anyway, the point is, sometimes you just have to write what you want to write. And this story is what I want to write.

I’m not condoning the abandonment of every project after it loses the “oooh shiny” effect of a new story. You do actually need to finish stories.

Which means actually writing them.

But I’m always worried that it’ll show through if I’m writing one story while my heart beats in another.

And I know I’ll knock this one out pretty quickly because it’s a fantasy romance story and I fucking love fantasy and romance. Plus, all the major scenes have already played through my mind.

I’m already 5,000 words deep (started handwriting eight days ago, started typing six days ago). The world is built, the Gods and magic system are in place, both mortal races have been created, and the main cast is assembled.

I have a title and ideas for the cover. I even made a little thing on Canva, stockpiling images I’m going to photoshop together for the cover. Lol.
And a kickass playlist is under way with songs specifically chosen for the story.

Basically, I’m pumped!

I’ve been in a loop of editing for months, trying to prep all my stockpiled manuscripts for release now that I’m officially self-publishing everything. I’ve done a round of editing on one story, then another, then another, then went back, and started the loop again, and then threw in a round of edits on a different one and…

Well, I’ve been feeling like an editor rather than an author. (Really, I’m a broke self-published author, which means I have to be an entire publishing company rolled into one person.)

But I was feeling like a fraud, like I wasn’t a real author because I was spending so much time editing and so little time writing.

I was even worried I wouldn’t be able to come up with anything or that I wouldn’t be able to write it if I did come up with an idea.

Yeah, I worked on The Regonia Chronicles off and on to keep the insanity at bay. (Seriously. Writing, creating worlds calms my anxiety. It gives my overactive mind something to focus on besides how terribly every aspect of my life could go wrong. ) The bits and pieces I wrote for Regonia, the chapters I added helped.

But the creative energy has been building.

And now, it’s all pouring out. Lol.

Don’t worry though.

I’m not screeching to a halt with my release prep. I’m still editing and all that.

The edits on Where Darkness Leads are pretty in depth, honestly. I wrote that one several years ago and I’ve learned a lot since I wrote it. Which is good for the stuff I’m working on now and for my edits.

But it also means that this round of editing is going to take some time.

Where Darkness Leads is going to take some serious work to whip it into release-ready shape, and…I have to write, too. I can’t just edit for months on end.

That ain’t me.

So, this super ambitious “release one of my stockpiled manuscripts every three months” plan I came up with (btw, I never officially announced that tentative release schedule, but that’s roughly what it was going to be) will likely have to be a bit more spaced out.

All beta reader feedback for Salt and Silver (to be retitled later, but this one has the wolf shifters and the demi-demon MC) has been received and considered. Necessary adjustments have been made.

I have all the swag I ordered for The Gem of Meruna, but I’m waiting for my book order to get here before I announce the giveaway. Holiday rush and all that means that the printing is slow and the shipping slower.

But it’s coming.

As with the giveaway when Soul Bearer released, winners will be chosen from Facebook, Instagram, and my email subscribers. And yes, there will be an extra prize for the winner chosen from my email subscriber list.

I’ll be officially announcing the new title for my post-apocalyptic story later this week. Once I do a final sweep for typos, I’ll be formatting, adjusting the cover size for final page counts, and revealing the cover to all you lovelies!

Keep an eye out for it. I’m pretty psyched about how it turned out (much thanks to my husband and my writing friends for all their feedback during the cover creation process, btw).

After that, I’ll have an official release date and set it up for preorder.

If you’ve been looking for a dark, dark, DARK post-apocalyptic romance novel, this is the one for you. Just saying. A book group I’m in requires a list of triggers on any book posts, so I was thinking through the list…and it’s almost all the triggers.

That wasn’t my intention when writing it, but that’s what happened. I didn’t even realize it until thinking through the list, either.

So…yeah. Readers beware, I guess? Lol.

Whew…that was a lot. As you can tell, I’ve been incredibly busy. They’ve been cutting back a little on overtime at work, so that’s helped me get stuff done. But it’s still been a hell of an undertaking.

But you know what?

I’m making my dream happen.

So I’m going to keep pushing and doing…all things bookish.

Just as you should do what you need to do to make your dreams happen.

Keep reading. Keep writing.

Later.

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Swimming Against the Current

Hi, guys!

I’ve been melting my brain with computer crap this week. There’s been one tech-related issue after another with the final uploads of The Gem of Meruna. Some of these issues were my fault. Some weren’t.

I don’t understand what happened or how they got fixed, but I *think* they’re fixed. Idk. I have another eproof waiting for me to look it over.

I’ve also decided to put my post-apocalyptic novel into 1st person rather than 3rd, so I’ve been working on a complete overhaul. A shit ton of sentences need nouns swapped for pronouns, pronouns swapped for different pronouns, and verbs conjugated differently.

It’s a mess.

But I’m almost halfway through.

I got just a touch of writing in on the prequel for The Regonia Chronicles.

Basically…I’m a chaotic mess jumping from one thing to another. Lol.

Now, the main topic of this blog. We’re getting heavy this week.

Today, I want to discuss the value of books, and art in general.

Yes, books are a form of art. I’ve seen some debate about that, though I’m not sure why. Literature is one of the arts.

You combine skill, talent, and creativity to put something brand new into the world, something that resonates with people emotionally or challenges their viewpoints. That is art.

This means that writers are artists.

Now, I’m lucky when it comes to this (though I’m not really lucky in any other way).

I was always terrified that if I pursued writing, no one would believe in me or support me. I fully expected for everyone (even the most supportive people I know) to shit on my dreams.

It turns out…I’m really the only one who doesn’t always believe in me or my abilities.

My husband, my family, and my friends are unbelievably supportive. They acknowledge what I’m doing as something that I should be doing. (Thank you guys, btw. Seriously.)

But I know that not everyone gets that lucky.

A lot of writers get absolutely no support from their friends and family. They get mocked for their passion, and that takes a hell of a toll on a person. I see so many writers getting down on themselves in writing groups because the people closest to them don’t believe in what they’re doing.

And it saddens me.

So, for everyone out there who deals with being belittled, this is for you.

First and foremost, writing is an art and a science. There’s so much to learn to do it well, and so much creativity goes into it. It’s hard work. It takes dedication and skill and talent and time and effort and strength.

You have to be brave in order to put yourself out there, to let others read your work.

It takes SO MUCH to write a book.

And you’re doing it!

So whether anyone you know in person agrees or not, if they’re saying it’s easy and anyone could make stuff up, know that writing is an accomplishment, in and of itself. It is hard work. Having an idea isn’t enough. Everyone has ideas. Writing requires going deeper.

And you’re freaking doing it.

Second, the world would be fucking garbage (more so than it already is) if there were no artists. Again, yes, writers are artists. (That does include you.)

A world without art would be excruciating. There would be no books or paintings or statues. Obviously.

There would also be no music. Or movies. Or television shows.

Clothes would be boring and functional, made in whatever color/fabric is cheapest or easiest to get hold of. The same goes for shoes.

Makeup wouldn’t be a thing.

Furniture and buildings and cars would be completely functional. There would be no aesthetically pleasing aspects intentionally built into them. No designer would spend hours getting a single sweeping line correct, just to make it look good.

Cheap and efficient. That’s all we’d have.

Life without art would be terrible.

Which means we need books. And someone has to write them.

Now, as if the need for art in the world weren’t enough, we need books because people enjoy them. That, alone, gives them value.

Books help people escape. They help people learn about the world and themselves. Books challenge worldviews.

Whether your book is fluffy or hard-hitting, whether it has some deeper meaning or is meant to entertain…

It has value.

Thus, the process of writing it has value.

If you enjoy writing, if writing teaches you something about the world or yourself, that means it has value.

All the people who try to belittle your efforts simply don’t understand the root of it, the need for books or writing. That doesn’t mean they’re right.

It doesn’t mean your work is less important or less valuable.

It certainly doesn’t mean you should stop your work.

So keep going. Keep writing.

It doesn’t matter if your family says it’s a waste of time. Wanting approval or support is understandable, and going it alone (at least until you find your tribe of writer friends) is difficult.

But you’re creating something new. That takes guts and work.

As long as you’re still doing the things you need to do in order to survive (i.e. keeping a roof over your head, eating, sleeping…ya know, stuff like that) then how you spend the rest of your time is up to you.

So long as you know that your book is valuable, that’s enough reason to keep going.

And on that unusually positive note, I’ll draw this to a close.

Keep reading. Keep writing.

Later.