It’s been a few weeks since I last posted, but I have been writing and I have not forgotten you. Today I’m just going to post some of the notes and ‘letters’ I’ve written over time to you guys. They’re just notes, things that have resonated with me. Some are funny and ridiculous, others I have no idea how to classify them.
So read on for a look inside my mind.
5/31/2016
Everyone has little cheats they use when writing, abbreviations, symbols, etc. Thanks to Jim Carrey in the movie God Almighty, I always spell out ‘beautiful’ as b-e-a-utiful. In the voice Jim uses. Always.
That’s not the only trick the media, television and movies in particular, have taught me when spelling.
Remember that episode of Family Guy where Stewie pronounces the H in coolwhip? Yeah, whenever I hear the word coolwhip now, there is Stewie Griffin calling out coolWHip. And it’s not just that one word. It’s any word that carries a silent H. I realized this when I was editing Legacy and needed to write overwhelming. I couldn’t remember where exactly the H went. Then Family Guy came on the tv and I remembered Coolwhip...botta-bing, I knew just where that H went.
So it got me thinking, what other tricks, besides the obvious, can be used for writing tricks? The mind is wonderous thing, isn’t it? What tricks do you use?
6/06/2016
Indie Author. DIY...that means we do it all by ourselves. We write, edit, and create all on our own. The best books have aspects hired out, hard edits and covers. That is, if you have the budget.
Most career paths have classes you can take, sometimes even online, or schools you can attend to obtain a degree in what you want to do in life. Writers and authors don't have that. Sure we can take business classes, creative writing classes, graphic design classes...which all adds up to thousands of dollars spent and hundreds of hours devoted to learning. We have workshops and webinars to teach us. But as with music and art, you either have it or you don’t.
Anyone can be a writer...but not everyone can be a good writer. On top of that, indie authors have to wear many hats, not just that of writer. We have to do research, write our stories, edit those stories, design covers, edit some more, find beta readers, create author platforms, create an online profile through social media and author websites...on top of creating more than one book or project.
The world of publishing is ever-changing, and yo have to stay on top of every news article and change in the industry. It’s hard work and time consuming.
If you are like me, just etting out there, you probably are signed up for newsletters from other indie authors who figured this stuff out a long time ago. My inbox is filled with emails containing news, tips, and tricks to get out there and make the most of my chosen career.
But those emails...they have me in information overload. I see what to do, what not to do, try this complany, stay away from these kinds of publishers, use this software, use whats free, write what you know, go learn something new and write about that.
It is exhausting. Sometimes I just want to write and hit ‘publish.’ But I need to make a life out of this. To do that I have to have an income to support not just my career, but also my life. I need to produce a good product, which comes from hard work and diligence.
Diligence produces research I can use to make it in this fast moving world. I know I need the advice. I know what I need to do but sometimes….
*face meet desk*
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