But, no, not business writing!

Here I am again, writing on my blog for the third time this week. What is WRONG with me???? (I think it is insomnia, really)

But I am committed to putting out some new content this year. That includes blogging, books, etc. So, hang with me for a minute.

So, you have likely heard (even from me!) that writing is not just art. It is also a business by many these days. They are turning out books on regular release dates, marketing (which really means spending money they haven’t made yet) and promoting their work like mad men and women.

I was on that treadmill for a long time too, and well, if you have read my blog any over the last couple of years, you know that life intervened.

But now, I am back.

Believing that I could be a successful writer/author, and make my creative endeavors turn a profit has always been with me. I have never doubted that ability. I just really truly have had life issues that stopped me cold in my tracks. (cancer devours everything in one’s life!)

But as I look forward now, I realize that in order to succeed in this writing life, I have to do a few things.

1. Have a work ethic toward writing like I have toward a job. I would have to get up early every day, exercise, meditate, journal, and write. Or edit, or do revisions, which is where I am right now.
2. Keep my eye on the ball. I would have to quit procrastinating and really do this thing. Treat it like it matters. When I was young and raising a family, I sort of treated it a little like a hobby, and in truth, it was.

When I started getting serious about it 12 years ago (YIKES!), I knew that I wanted traditional publishing. Well, back then there was hardly any self-publishing being done, and what was being done was scoffed at as not serious work. Boy have we gone 180 degrees on that!

I sent out queries and got rejections, and finally sought small publishers who were willing to take on a newbie writer. My success was about like the publishers…small. I didn’t quit writing though.

When they all closed as they inevitably do when times get hard, (recession anyone?) I took my rights back and set out on the self-publishing journey. You can get all those works out on Amazon right now. While you are there, follow me!

But now, I am back where I was in 2008. I am writing a good book, one that I am enjoying writing, and one that I think has legs. And I intend to seek out a trad publisher for it.

Writing is a business and I am all about the business of writing

Why? You may ask. Well, it’s like this: I am a better writer now. I understand the industry now. It’s like changes have taken place over these years for both me, the writer, and them, the publisher. I think we have a great chance of being good for each other.

And, let’s face it, my love is in fantasy. Yes, I have been successful as an author of mystery and romance but YA and fantasy are just where my heart lies AS A WRITER. And I capitalize that because I think now I know what my niche as an author really should be. That one I have struggled with for a long time. Now? I get it. I really should be writing fantasy for kids and adults and I should have stayed with that back in the day.

As so many authors have said, it ain’t about the publishing, really.

It isn’t. I could self-pub all of the books that I have inside starting today. It isn’t about that. It’s about a CAREER. I want to be a full-time, all-in kind of author where I eat, sleep, and breathe writing books. Not that those who are self-pub authors aren’t. But as an S-P writer myself, I didn’t invest anything in it. Not serious money, not serious time. I still worked a full-time job, and had other interests, so it wasn’t the pinnacle of my world.

Maybe if it had, I wouldn’t be writing this. In fact, if I had made any money worth talking about as an S-P author, I would not be considering going back and attempting a new career as a trad pub author. But we do live our life and we do learn stuff.

Anyway, we will see where this will go. I will for sure be keeping you updated. Check back in a couple of days to note my progress. Since Monday, I have added a couple of thousand words to the WIP and that means it is now even BIGGER. Talk about BUSINESS WRITING. I am about to give this work in progress the business.