Tag Archives: full time writer

Day 8- Full Time Author

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Today has been a day for reformatting. That took a while.

You know the back matter in a book? Author notes, pleading for reviews, etc, etc? I had to go through my already published books and re-do them. I managed to get through nine of them today. I still have a few more to do, but now that I have a system it’s getting a little easier… a little. I also had to fix the cover for the print edition of Witch’s Curse. That took several hours of fiddling with because the dimensions weren’t right. But I think I finally got it, and I will be able to order proof tomorrow before putting it up for sale.

I think I spend more time trying to get the covers the right size with the words at the right spacing then anything on print books. But it’s so worth it. Having the book in my hand is just…wonderful.

I also managed another 500 words in the Dragon Project. I’m rather happy with this first story. It’s at 20k, and I see at least another 10-20k in this draft. That makes it a shorter work than I had expected, but with ten books in the series that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, I think I’m going to throw a few more bad things at the main character. She needs the growth that comes with those bad things happening.

It’s interesting to write this story because there is no real “bad guy” in this series. I mean, there is at the end, sort of, but not one that really plays a role in the whole series. He is a force of nature that effects the land more then the main character directly. Rather the books are about her struggle against the environment, and everything going on around her. This is a personal journey for her.

I’d be lying if I said this series wasn’t influenced a little by Nathan Lowell or Patrick Rothfuss. Both of them write stories that are about the people in an environment. Neither of them have a big baddy that is hovering over the whole story (though Rothfuss certainly has a mystery with those spiders) but the stories are compelling anyway. I’m probably not as good a writer as either of them, but maybe some day…

Anyway, my lovelies, I am off to bed. It is already 2am and I am exhausted. More writing in the morning.

Day 7- Full Time Author

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Ever have a day where you just feel like you have no idea what you’re doing, or how you’re going to do the thing you want to do?

Yep. That was today.

Sometimes you just need to relax, so for the first time in a few weeks I didn’t write. I’ve been reading, and making perler bead crafts, and laundry. You know… Relaxing time.

And I’ve been thinking. About stories and covers. About whether or not this new series is the right direction. About where to go from here, and what I can do. And I don’t have a lot of answers. I just keep going, and hope eventually I find some answers. But I won’t give up, even on days when I feel like I should.

Day 5- Full Time Author

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Today has been one of those days where writing… it just wasn’t going to happen. You sit down to the computer and either children keep bothering you, or you just can’t seem to find words, but it doesn’t really matter. Writing isn’t going to happen. (And yet, even on a bad day I wrote 400 words. It’s not all bad, right?)

So I did a bunch of the little things that needed to be done. Covers, formatting, uploading, and the “stuff” that goes along with writing. Productive, even if I didn’t finish another chapter in my novel. There’s always tomorrow, right?

I also sent “Minotaur” out to my mailing list today. A good scene, I think, that struck a little closer to home with me than usual.

All right, I’m going to go crawl into bed with my kindle now… Good night all!

Day 4- Full time author

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You’ll have to forgive me. It’s 1:30, and I’m a bit tired at the moment. My words might be a little mixed up.

Every day I learn something new about myself. I think it’s because I’m actually paying attention to what I’m doing, and how I’m doing it rather then just letting it happen. In the book 2k to 10k Rachel Aaron describes a similar thing. She suggests charting when you write, and the conditions of the writing so that you can find the best moments for you to get the most writing done.

I good plan, one that I have always wanted to try, but one that I have always put off because I never had a steady writing time. I was at the mercy of my job, my children, and everything else going on around me. Now…Not so much. Maybe right now is the best time for me to figure this thing out.

Today I wrote for an hour after my podcast with Maya. I streamed it via twitch, which gave me the feeling of accountability and in that one hour session I managed to crank out a little over 1000 words. Whats more, after that hour session I felt like I could keep going. I was enjoying the story, and the words were flowing. It was wonderful. I think the mid afternoon, just after breakfast, is a great time for me to write.

But, alas, I had other things to take care of. Grabbing the car, going to dinner with Gregg’s family, a bit of shopping. It was a relaxing afternoon, and Gregg gave me a great idea for a new shot story. It’s called “Laying Down Roots” and I’m already 500 words into it. An awesome story about a forest guardians last stand. It will compliment the new set of armor he is making for Radcon next year. With that, and a few other small writing moments, I did get a lot done.

In all, I’m learning that I write best when I’m well rested, and fed. And I don’t think I like quitting in the middle of a good run because I don’t always get a chance to come back to it. On the other hand sometimes you have to do what  you have to do. The best part is that even with writing for less than two hours today I did manage to crank out 1700 words total. It doesn’t take a lot of time to get some words down. It just takes a writer deciding that that is what’s important and using those spare moments to do that.

Good night everyone. I’ll see you for Day 5 tomorrow.

Day 2- Full Time Author

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2016-06-08 20.04.42I have a list of things I want to accomplish in the next three weeks.

The re-edits for Witch’s Sacrifice aren’t that bad. I’m mostly finished with them anyway, so I will probably try to get those done over the next couple of days, and re-uploaded so that everything is great.

The print version of Witch’s Curse and Witch’s Stand both need to be finished by end of the month. I also want to put up the trilogy as an omnibus for those who would rather have a boxed set. It will, of course, have the bonus short story of Witch’s Sight included.

Yesterday I wrote a large part of Magi, a short story, and did some of the editing for Witch’s Sacrifice. Today I’ve already gotten through half of Minotaur, another short story. I’d like to get these two short stories finished for the Bradbury Challenge (since I haven’t been doing that well for it lately) and I think I’m on track. Both are all plotted out and I just have to finish putting the words down on the page.

It’s strange learning to work from a plot. It does make the writing easier because I know what’s going on, but sometimes I’m still confused as to HOW to say it. Making the words pretty is different then just putting words on a page. You want them to make sense, but they also need to engage the reader, draw images in their mind, and make them want to continue.

For Minotaur I have a Minotaur walking through a dilapidated village in the middle of the night with rain pouring down on him, and he’s carrying a sack with something in it dragging along the ground. There, I just set the scene for you, but I just wrote that would you read it? Of course not, that isn’t a story, that’s just a setting.

Rain pelted down on Rojar’s back, dripping down across scared flesh. He walking along the cobbled courtyard, uncaring of the storm above him. His hooves clattering against the stone. Shaking his massive head from side to side, the water flew off his horns, splattering in thick droplets beneath him. He welcomed the rain, licking it off his rubbery lips, tasting the sweetness of freedom and pain. The rain, and the heavy weight of the war ax on his back; that was freedom.
He pulled a rough sack along behind him, the contents clunking against the stones. Clunk, drag. Clunk, drag. Down the cobblestone path to the center of town.
He could feel eyes on him, peeking out through slats in boarded windows, and peep holes in doors. Hear their hooves tapping out across caked dirt floors just on the other side of the wall. His people, his family. The same people that sold him into slavery.

Now that’s more like a story.

Alright, now I need to get back to work and finish what I’ve started. I want to complete one short story and get to formatting the print books tonight. I’ll update you tomorrow.

Day 1- Full time Author

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I’ve got three weeks till I start the new job. That means three weeks to be a full time author.

I’m going to document this journey. Hopefully with a post every night, or a video on youtube. I haven’t decided yet.

It’s currently 12:30 and I’ve written 150 words so far. I’ve also vacuumed the floors, washed the counters, put away some things, and generally cleaned the house. Also spent about 3 hours this morning watching youtube and playing games. Productive…  ya…

I talked about a mind shift yesterday. Well now is where I put that to the test. Mind shift incoming. Writing is more important than games and youtube.

 

Onto the writing!

 

 

PS… yesterday was my birthday. Gregg took me out and we had sushi and craft beer. It was a nice day.

When Hobbies become Jobs

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I started writing a blog post and I realized I had a whole other thing on my mind, so I needed to write about that.

I’ve been following the Self Publishing Podcast for a while now. Long enough to watch Garrett go from fan, to writer with a day job, to full time writer, to writing full time and making a full living. It’s been an interesting thing to see. And Garrett is my friend, so I might be privy to things that aren’t necessarily on the podcasts we do.

What’s more, he isn’t the only author I’ve watched go through this transition. It’s a long hard road to go through. I’m hoping that I’ll start down that road myself soon.

At the moment my day job doesn’t interfere with my writing. I write mostly at night, and jot down a few notes every day at work. It works well. Part of me is actually afraid that if I quit my job I will lose my momentum to write.

Today was my day off. You’d think on a day off I could write more. But instead I played games, watched some youtube, and created some more resin charms. I did my hobbies, in other words, instead of what I am increasingly seeing as my “job”. Not working at the storage place, but rather writing my novels.

Many of us have this idea that if we could just do our hobby for a living we would always love our job and it wouldn’t be work. Maybe for some people that’s true, but there is also a great deal of work to go into it. And if you are self publishing, or creating your own store, then you have even more work. Marketing, packaging, analyzing, distribution.. you name it. It’s work.

It doesn’t make it less rewarding. Writing a novel is infinity easier on my body than digging a ditch, or power washing a gas station parking lot (both things I’ve done.) But writing a novel can be tough. Sometimes it’s emotionally draining to write emotional scenes. Some days you just want to give up when the words don’t come. Sometimes you’re frustrated because it seems like your words are falling on deaf ears. Maybe it doesn’t hurt you physically, but it can break you emotionally.

When writing started to become my career path instead of just a hobby I started taking up other hobbies to replace it. Crafting, gaming on twitch, reading more. Things I’ve always enjoyed, but things that require less brain power to accomplish. Sometimes you just need a break.

making your hobby into your career isn’t a magic button. It does not make you instantly happy, though I bet it’s an amazing feeling to tell your boss you quit (something I won’t be doing for another year or three.) It’s probably wonderful to be free of corporate pressures to produce, sell, achieve. But you’re replacing it with your own pressure to produce, sell, and achieve.

The real difference, the thing I want more then anything, is that instead of working for some nameless corporation that doesn’t give two nickels about you personally, for a job you aren’t even sure will be there next year or next week, you are working for yourself. When things get bad you have no one to blame but you. When you don’t work no one will complain but you (and maybe your readers.)

Making your hobby into a job is still a job. But it’s your job. Your business. You control it. If that sounds great then go for it. Otherwise… maybe don’t quit your day job.