Trekking the Self Publishing Mountain

In April I am having a baby. This is a pretty big deal as life stuff goes and an especially big deal in my world because this will be my first child, which means I'm embarking on an entirely new adventure that I hadn't necessarily anticipated for this lifetime. I'm excited and nervous and 10,000 other emotions that I probably don't need to list since many of you may have already had the experience. One of the major changes underway is that I will be leaving my current jobs to care for the new little guy sharing our apartment. This pending change has inspired me to return to writing as a more full time gig. For the last couple of years - since Ula got published - I've been working primarily in the psychology/social work fields - in addition to teaching yoga. I've continued to write - my Born of Shadows sequel Sorciere is currently in edits with the publisher and I'm in the process of writing Book III; however, I have not been living as a working writer. I intend to change that.

 How? Well that's where it gets sticky. My love is fiction and that is always my primary focus; however, after publishing traditionally, I feel that self-publishing is most definitely worth a try. I have a novel that I wrote three years ago that I've just begun to edit. It's in the chick lit genre and as far as self publishing goes, I am a novice. I've been on an information binge, consuming podcasts, articles and interviews about the self publishing process and to be honest, it's a tad overwhelming. Despite the brain overload, I feel pretty excited and inspired by all of the success that self published authors are experiencing. I hope to share the journey with all of you and I would love your tips, feedback and insights as well. Thanks for reading and writing and Happy 2016!

You Have to Start Somewhere

Writing can be an intimidating process especially when you first start out. The naysayers are many often detailing how difficult it is to get into an MFA program, get published, write something worthy and, of course, make a living doing so. However, if you love to write, you must abandon other peoples' opinions of the obstacles and go forward with a singular focus on doing what you love and making it work as best you can. This means beginning in a space that's reasonable and accepting where you are right now, irrelevant of where your writer friends are or where you feel like you should be.

A little over a year ago, I moved back to Lansing and struck up a friendship with a neighbor who loved to read and enjoyed writing, but had never really felt confidant taking the plunge. Over a series of months chatting about writing, he started to pen short stories. He would carve out time in the mid-day when his son was at school and before he went to his overnight shift at work. He wrote short stories and then began submitting them to small flash fiction contests and various websites. Within a month or two of writing his first story, he won a small contest and received a $10 gift card and publication online. His enthusiasm was contagious and he thanked me profusely for inspiring him to believe that he could do it. It reminded me of how hugely gratifying every step of the writing process can be. Where ever we are, we can discover the joy and satisfaction of living our craft. Whether you're writing a journal so that you can better reflect on your life or completing and selling your latest manuscript, allow gratitude into your life so that you can celebrate every victory regardless of its perceived value.

If you've been writing every day or never written a word, but really have wanted to, begin today - now - this moment. You have to start somewhere...

 

Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.
Graham Greene