It's Not Cheap To Be A Writer

It happens all too often that life gets in the way of everything else, and that has happened here. I apologize for taking so long to write another post. I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off the last week, or so. 

Picking up where we left off with the last post, today, we are going to talk about money and how expensive it really is to be a writer. A lot of people believe it to be a free career, because "all it takes is a computer and your brain". That's so wrong that it's hard not to cringe when I hear people speak like that. Being a writer is about so much more than the actual writing. While that's a huge part of it, there's also promoting and attending events and expenses needed to accomplish writing a book. You may need a notebook for your ideas, index cards for your edits, pens and paper if you write by hand, printer supplies, a computer, a Microsoft Office subscription, and then you need editors, cover designers, formatters, and many more services to complete the process. This all costs money, and while some of it sounds like somewhat cheap supplies, it adds up very quickly. 

Now, take into consideration that most writers barely hit $20-$50 in royalties per month (best sellers make more, of course, but it still counts for them, too), and most writers are working 'in the red'. And a lot of people ask, "Well, if you're not making any money from it, then why are you doing it?" NEVER, EVER ask this of a writer. We are not in it for the money, and to insinuate that we are is a slap in the face to us, even if you don't intend it to be. It's like asking a mother why she has children if they don't bring in any money... 

It's an insulting question.

We write because we love telling a story; we write because we have the talent for it; we write because it's who we are on the inside. It is the very essence of our soul. We don't just write; we are writers. 

However, we are grateful for any and all sales we get and are just as excited for pay-day as any other worker. Readers validate our hard work and keep us writing. So if you are a true reader/fan of authors, keep buying books from reputable retailers, posting reviews or sending messages to authors in appreciation of their work, and spreading the word among your friends and family about their books. Keep reading, we'll keep writing, editors will keep editing, and publishers will keep publishing. The book industry is dependent on you, the reader.

We wouldn't survive, or even have a purpose, without Y O U.

Because of this, I say thank you ... on my behalf, and on the behalf of all the other amazing writers in the world, both self-published and traditional. 

And that brings up the next upcoming topic on this blog: 

Self-published or Traditional, We're All in This Together!

Get That Light Off Me

Many people don't realize just how much authors are "in the spotlight". Even self-published authors, like myself, can be put on the spot a lot. Example: everyone watching what you post on your Facebook page. While a lot of writers may not have problems with this, for someone with a fear of too much attention, it can be just as nerve-wrecking as standing up to a microphone to give a speech!

Granted, it's nothing like big name authors who may get noticed on the street and stopped for an autograph or a picture. But, to me, it's just as scary ... and, also, means just as much. Just the fact that anyone even bothers to talk to me about my books is amazing. I never thought I'd be where I am now with my writing, and branching out to include myself in the communities makes me feel blessed, but nervous all at once.

Next year, I'm going to start attending signings. HOpefully, that will help me with my insecruities. The first one will probably cause me to drink, and I'm hoping I don't come off as rude or anything to the readers. I'm absolutely terrified!

But I know it's part of the job, and I do want to meet all the wonderful readers I can. So wish me luck!

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you tomorrow. Topic: Money

I Wish There Were 6 of Me

Since it's the weekend, it's the best time to talk about how other responsibilities can stop you from getting your writing done.

My normal weekend involves babysitting my nieces, grocery shopping with my mother, chores, visiting with my best friend (whom I only see one day a week), my day job, writing, and also time with family. And you're probably asking yourself, how does all of that happen in only two days? Trust me; sometimes I don't know where the hours go. Monday is here before I feel like I even blink. 

Now, while babysitting my nieces this weekend didn't happen and it's NOT grocery week, I'll be writing this based on those events (this weekend, I am going to a sweet 16 birthday party, so my time for everything else is still limited). 

Since my whole Sunday is spent with my bestie, I take that as my day off of everything for the week (that's right; only one day off the whole week). So, nothing gets done that day, and everything is squeezed into Saturday. But that's okay, because Saturday has plenty of hours to the day to get things done.

How? Well, when my nieces are here, I also work on my day job or do the chores. Since they're pretty self-sufficient now, it's easy to multitask while they're here. Understandably, that's not always the case if the children you are watching or raising are younger, but that's why you have to have a schedule in mind when it comes to your writing. Kid goes down for a nap at one o'clock? Get on that computer, or grab that notebook. 

Babysitting usually ends at one p.m, so that's usually when we go grocery shopping, if it's the week for that particular errand (granted, we've been known to switch it to Friday night if the weather is going to be bad or we don't think we'll be up for it. But that's okay. Work with what you've got.). 

Since we live close to the stores, grocery shopping usually only takes 2-3 hours of the day, so we're usually home around dinner time. While dinner is cooking, I'll likely work on the day job or chores (whichever one I didn't do while the nieces were here). If it's a meal that you have to watch carefully and can't walk away, I'll do some writing, standing in the kitchen. If you can't get your computer or notebook near the food, then use a cell phone or a voice recorder (I suggest investing in one, for any time you can't stop and write something down). 

If I don't write (and sometimes even if I do) while cooking dinner, I'll stop my other work by 8 or 9 p.m so I can hit my daily goal. By the way, having a goal is extremely important to getting a novel done. Even if you don't have a specific date for release in mind, you should set a goal for yourself. Make it a realistic one, too. Don't go crazy. If you're the type of writer who wants to write a 60,000 word novel in a year, then do the math (60,000 divided by 365) and set that goal. For me, I usually try to write 8 a.m-NOON on weekdays (except Tuesdays), and 8 p.m-MIDNIGHT on weekends, except Sundays. Depending on the book, I can have a daily goal of four hundred to one thousand words. Usually I try to make it the lower end of the spectrum, so that if something happens and I miss days, I won't be overwhelmed with how many words I should be writing on a daily basis.

Everything you have to do in your life can be overwhelming, and adding writing a novel to that can just make things worse. But if you become organized and stick to that schedule as much as you can, you'll have written a novel in no time! This was a lesson I learned from Theresa Oliver in her book "How to Write a Novel In Your Spare Time, Even When You're Busy", and it's a lesson I am forever grateful for. 

Most days I'm awake from 8am (7:30 when it's shower day) until Midnight or one a.m. Yes, those are long days, but on Tuesdays and Sundays, I allow myself to catch up on my sleep. It's a schedule that works for me, but it may not work for you. And that's okay. You have to find your own rhythm.

Now it's time for me to actually get to work on this schedule for the day (with a few tweaks since I didn't get up in time). Then it's off to the birthday party later tonight for some fun and cake! Hope everyone has a good weekend! And I hope I'll see you Monday for the next topic. Being "in the spotlight". 

Fight Scenes

Today, I am working on my upcoming release The Shift. The battle between good and evil is about to happen, bringing forth the climax of the story. I'm a little apprehensive about writing the fight scene, because I know they are a weakness of mine. Fighting in books is difficult to describe in a way that would translate to a person's mind, and in the past, I've skipped over them and just insinuated what went down. However, with this novel, I want to "spell" it all out for the reader, because a lot of what happens during the battle is important to what follows. That being said, I'm sure it will need a lot of editing after the first draft is complete.  

In all honesty, as I'm thinking about it, all I can think about is the battle in the last Twilight movie, and, although this one is similar (because they are paranormal beings), I do not want to "copy" the scene from the movie. Then there's the added thought of, "Who's going to die?"

Of course, at first, we don't want any of the good guys to die. But will that actually be the way it works out? I'm not sure. Honestly, I'm not sure about anything when it comes to this scene. So we will see what comes about. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow's Topic: Finding time to write while still being able to give attention to family and other responsibilities.

Brainstorming

Tonight, I am brainstorming the idea of a future series. It's a series that will be dedicated to my grandmother, Winona Gage, and it's inspired by her. She's a kick a...butt grandmother who doesn't let anything stop her. In addition to being a grandmother, she's a great-grandmother, wife, artist, jeweler, and judo "master". That, added with her love of mystery novels, conceived the notion for this series. It's different than anything I've ever written, and I'm not sure there are any books out there like it. Because of that, I'm not sure how the series will be received by readers, but I'm excited to get started! 

One of my goals as a writer is to write unique, never before read books, giving readers a new experience from all the usual plots out there. There's nothing wrong with those plots, but creating unique ones give readers a chance to live inside a "world" like they've never known. Hopefully, this future series will be one to provide that kind of escape.

At this time, all I know is that it will be a 2017 release. What time of 2017 is unknown, as is the title of the first book. As the date grows closer, I'll continue to update y'all, so keep an eye out! 

Hope to see you tomorrow for the next post! Subject: Fight scenes!

I Must Be Insane!

When someone approached me about creating an author blog and posting about my writing on a daily basis, I will admit, it terrified me. Blogs have always been an enigma for me. I love them, and they are a lot of fun, but I always end up not having time to write in them. So I wasn't sure if I would go forth with creating one for my writing, but here we are! I hope this goes well, and y'all enjoy reading about my writing and my life as a writer.