It’s National Novel Writing Month and even though I
am not officially trying to write a novel in one month, my readers know I am
always working on something, even multiple projects at the same time (as
evidenced from the ‘Projects and Writing’ section of my website). In celebration of NaNoWriMo, Webucator is asking authors to answer a
few questions about their writing careers.
Here are my responses:
What
were your goals when you started writing?
That one’s easy!
When I was a child, I knew I wanted to be an author/writer/novelist (I
used the terms interchangeably). My main
goal was to see my name in print on a book, and preferably in a bookstore. Of course, I did achieve that, though times
have changed and now ebooks are a thing.
It really wasn’t about fame at all.
My goal was to make a difference through my writing, and I hope I have
done that.
What
are your goals now?
My goals can range from finishing a certain book or series
to finding the time to write. A more
complicated goal of mine is to help people; I hope I have made an impact
somehow. As I write mainly romance, I
hope I have caused people to believe in true love or at least believe that
lasting love is attainable.
What
pays the bills now?
I will be as frank as I have in other interviews. I do have side jobs. I have since I was about 19 years old, ten
years after I began on this writing adventure.
Presently, I book appointments for an entertainment company, and
recently I started supervising on the weekends.
Additionally, I am working with my fiancé on a medical device start-up. Yes, I do all of this outside of writing.
Assuming
writing doesn’t pay the bills, what motivates you to keep writing?
I have stopped thinking along the lines of finances
when it comes to writing. So many things
are constantly changing in this industry.
For myself, I am happiest when I am deep into the writing of a scene,
when the story is flowing and the characters are coming alive on the page. So, I pour my heart and soul into the whole
thing. When the manuscript is finished,
then I think about the technical aspects – like editing, finding critique
partners or beta readers, and then publishing.
Publishing is always last. When
it is ready for a publisher, then you can work to get the attention of one. But, there are all kinds of hoops to jump
through during the publishing process as well.
I think the three most satisfying things that
motivate me are: 1) Writing the story. 2) Seeing the final work published – either in
e-book or print format (That’s your baby out there, and it’s a proud moment!).
3) Hearing from a reader about how well they liked the book and why. That’s validation that you have done your job
to the best of your ability. All of
these things keep me writing, keep me focused on my next project. Sure, as humans we need a break now and then
from everything. But, I always come
back, ready to get to work on a new book.
First, I write for myself because I can’t imagine doing anything else
for the rest of my life. And second, I
keep myself accountable to readers by putting out the best quality of work I can.
What
advice would you give young authors hoping to make a career out of writing?
I think that when we all start out, we have stars in
our eyes. Believe me, I am a big fan of
dreaming; I am also a dreamer. But, new
writers tend to think that once they make it big, they basically have it
all. I hate to be the utterly realistic
parent here…but, look at the competition.
Count how many bestselling authors you’ve heard of against the ones you
haven’t, the ones that are working their butts off every day to try to get to
that level. It can be disheartening
sometimes. Hundreds of thousands of new books come out every year. That’s what you’re up against.
The point is to stop thinking about monetary
goals. Adjust them a bit. Is your main goal to be published traditionally? That’s great!
That is actually a manageable goal.
So, get out there and work on achieving it. Pick up side jobs if you have to. Hell, I know many authors who also have full-time
professional jobs (unrelated to writing or publishing) alongside being writers. All of us want to write full-time, but we may
not be able to. Don’t let that get you
down. Keep writing!
Put everything into small, manageable goals such as…“Today,
I will work on my novel” or “Today, I will research my character’s job.” Once you’re finished writing your manuscript,
maybe your next goal is to find a good editor.
Always give yourself these smaller goals to work on, steps that will
lead to your larger goals. If you look
too long at the bigger picture, you may become jaded and you will forget why
you started this journey in the first place.
Reward yourself in small ways if you achieve your milestones. If you finished your manuscript, go out and
celebrate it with your friends and family.
Linger over it for a brief time, then get back to work. You want to enjoy those successes as well.
Constantly remind yourself of why you are writing at
all. If you are in love with writing, so
to speak, you will realize it as you are immersed in your manuscript. But, never, ever forget what you brought you
to each level in your journey. Where you
started is just as important as where you end up.
Well, I definitely found these questions
thought-provoking. I’d like to invite my
fellow authors to participate, even if they do it after NaNoWriMo. I think a lot of aspiring writers could use
this kind of information to pursue their dreams. So, let’s make this an awesome blog tour! :)
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