Fourth anniversary post

lorna_w

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Man, this is work. It is really, truly work.

In addition to writing, I juggle, and self-pub often reminds me of juggling. It's hard enough to learn to juggle three objects at a performance level. But where I am with the dual job of publishing + writing feels sometimes like juggling seven flaming torches with a new partner while riding a unicycle. And, to extend the metaphor, Amazon keeps messing with my unicycle's tire!

I know it's difficult to believe I'd have any complaints when I'm earning a middle-class living at writing, which is what a lot of writers dream of, right? (Right after they quit dreaming they'll be Stephen King and understand how unlikely that is.) You'll think, "Are you cray-cray for complaining about any part of this?" I understand that. I would have asked the same thing five years ago. But this takes effort, and more success means more work (not less, as a person might assume initially). Also, a book's sales usually tail off rather quickly, and you need to publish another book soon if this is now how you pay your bills...or you'll find the bank repossessing your house.

I'm not one of the book-per-month writers, but I do draft quickly, and I seldom take two days off in a row. I would love to have a break to refill that creative well. Maybe this coming year I will take one, even knowing it will likely hurt my income in at least the short term. A person--this person, at least--can't work at this level forever. :whip:

I tend not to chase trends in ads or writing exactly to market or hunting for underserved sub-genre markets or anything else. I write the best commercial/popular fiction books I can, books I'd like to read, trust my proofreader and cover artist (who are princes but took some miserable experiences of first kissing frogs to find), and accept fair offers for things I cannot do easily/quickly myself, like translations and audio. (I don't use an agent for that but deal directly and use an attorney to check any contract that's over a page long).

If you want to reach full-time income, I have no magic system for you, I'm sorry to say. (Neither does anyone else, but by gosh, they are happy to charge you $1000 for their course anyway!) My first publication in a national fiction magazine was during the waning days of the Reagan Presidency. I studied hard and wrote millions of words over the intervening years, wrote NF for cash, edited, and taught writing--anything that would help me learn more about my craft. I lived at the edge of poverty all that time because less wage work meant more time/freedom to write. (I ate okay, but I didn't buy any piece of clothing that cost over $5, go to concerts or the theater, and didn't own a cell phone until five years ago.) And during those long years, I accepted that I'd never earn over $10,000/year at novel-writing because I met very few authors who did. That I earned a good bit more for over three years now? I'm as surprised as anyone...and darned grateful.

If you are struggling with your reality not matching your hopes about your writing career (whether you are self-published or not), and despite my own current exhausted state, I'd still beg you not to lose that hope. Keep working, write because you love it (not because you hope to get rich at it), fall in love with it even harder this year, improve your craft, improve your business know-how, write fiction for far more hours every week than you hang out here or on Facebook (and track your time and use a site-blocking add-on, so you aren't fooling yourself), and don't stop trying. I can't promise things will turn out for you as they have for me, but they may, even if it takes a dash of luck and four more American Presidencies for that to happen for you too.

(As always, I don't reveal much about myself and my books here in order to avoid drive-by one-star ratings by frustrated writers, a reaction I do sympathize with but would still like to avoid. :))
 
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Maryn

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Uh, happy anniversary? Nah, remove the question mark. Happy anniversary! Can I buy you a drink?

Maryn, who could use one
 

lorna_w

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Uh, happy anniversary? Nah, remove the question mark. Happy anniversary! Can I buy you a drink?

Maryn, who could use one

Thank you, dear online friend. Yep, the question mark belongs there, for sure.

I tend to go for the sugar in times of stress. Or bread. Bring on the carbs, at any rate. Maybe there's such a thing as a beer float! or just margaritas and a big honkin' plate of nachos.
 

Maryn

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Hm, let me think what's in the house. I have wine, a fresh baguette, and some grapes. I wanted figs--my Italian friend recently turned me on to them and man, they're good with a red wine!--but they're seasonal, I guess. I guess we'll just make do, yes? And after the first glass of wine, we can break out the mediocre cheese that didn't seem quite good enough before.

And wouldn't it be lovely if we really could?
 

ASeiple

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Preach it!

It is no easy road. The rewards only come to the persistent, but they DO come. Might take five books, or ten, or twenty, but eventually it works out.

As long as you're willing to do this with love and keep honing your craft, determination wins out. That's been my philosophy since I started this ride, and it's very, very good to see it justified in you.

In fact, it's kind of what I needed to see today, and thank you. Things are turbulent right now. I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm right on the cusp of some big, big opportunities, and a small part of me is wailing in fear, afraid it'll all turn to dust if I get my hopes up too high.

But tonight I'll sit down, and I'll write. And I'll have fun with it, because if today doesn't work out, there's always tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that.

You give me hope, and remind me that I'm not alone.

Thank you, lorna.
 

lorna_w

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Preach it!


In fact, it's kind of what I needed to see today, and thank you. Things are turbulent right now. I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm right on the cusp of some big, big opportunities, and a small part of me is wailing in fear, afraid it'll all turn to dust if I get my hopes up too high.

But tonight I'll sit down, and I'll write. And I'll have fun with it, because if today doesn't work out, there's always tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that.

You give me hope, and remind me that I'm not alone.

Thank you, lorna.

That is such a goshdarned sweet thing to say!

A lot of the process is fraught, is stressful, is hard. And yes, the writing becomes a salve, an antidote the the business stresses. "Oh, good, it's time again. I get to go off to my little make-believe land and play with my imaginary friends."
 

Maryn

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I haven't told this little story lately. Many years ago, when I was just starting to be serious about writing, I took a writing class. During the class, the instructor's adult son was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I remember how haggard she looked during the next year. (I took the next class, too.) But I also remember her saying that she still had a contract and was determined to meet her deadline, not only because she was a professional but because when she was writing, she was in another place, in a world where her son wasn't dying. It was a pleasure to have that obligation, and often the only release from fear and dread that she had.

Maryn, glad not to be in her shoes
 

lorna_w

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logging out again. Probably won't see any more responses until next year! And if things go south in this next year, which they may, I'll for sure come back and talk about it. Anyone who thinks once you "make it" that it's all smooth sailing thereafter...sorry to tell you, that's not true either!

And about the Eastern Bunny...
 

Maryn

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Interesting typo...