The Definition of Success as a Writer #IWSG

Before I started writing, I had big dreams and believed success meant achieving a household name status. Something equal to JK Rowlings or Tolkien.

Before I'd finished a single manuscript, I adjusted my outlook and decided success meant getting published by one of the Big Six. 

After finishing that first manuscript, I packaged it up and sent it off to countless publishers (I had no clue at the time…clearly). Turned out, I needed an agent. So I sent off countless queries…and more. I began to think that success meant getting an agent and everything else would fall into line. 

Ah, the positivity of youth.

I ended up getting short stories published, a novelette, articles, anthologies and even a book of Christian devotionals. Over time, my definition of success shifted again. 

That first short story I got published was a massive achievement. The first time I opened a bound book containing one of my stories was incredible. The first time someone actually paid me for a story was just as awesome. Success became finishing a piece and sending it out. It became seeing my words in print. It became reading the great reviews from strangers. It became getting fan mail. 

Then I decided to take the publishing reigns myself. A scary leap. My first book, Wielder’s Prize, was a monumental achievement because of the steep learning curve. It was years in the making and to this day, I’m super proud of it. 

Since then, I published Wielder’s Curse and then Wielder’s Fire. I released the boxed ebook set, Wielder’s Storm Trilogy. Then I released Well of Ash, my fantasy novella. I’m proud of every book and see each one as another rung in the success ladder. I have to pinch myself to believe I actually achieved all that. 

And then recently, I took another scary step and got back the rights to my Christian Devotional, Cling to God. I’ve been working hard on it and will be releasing its new and shiny self on November 3rd. Eek. 

If you’d like to help with its cover reveal and/or its launch, please leave a comment. 

What is your definition of success?

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE. 

 

Writing Craft Book Recommendations #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month: What is your favorite writing craft book? And why? 

I imagine a large percentage of people will say Stephen King's On Writing is their favourite writing craft book. While I did enjoy it and it's chock full of quotable quotes of goodness, I feel it sits more solidly in the memoir category. For me anyway. 

I have a few favourites I go back to over and over again. On Writing is one of them, but also The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell just works for me. It's described as Sun Tzu's The Art of War for novelists. It's easy to read. Super helpful. So many gems in its pages. 

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is another brilliant one. This one has a whole lot of anecdotal stories that bring the challenge of writing alive. It's wonderful to read someone else's succinct understanding of what it's like to be a writer. Again, this one has lots of golden nuggets to take away and apply to my own writing. 

Save the Cat is another wonderful one if you're looking to understand story beats. While it's more focused on screenwriting, it's helpful tips can be applied to novel writing too. 

There are a whole bunch of others. Each has had it's impact on me in some form or another. How about you? Which writing craft books have you loved? 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

 

 

 

5 Reasons to Quit Writing #IWSG

The question of the month for the IWSG: What would make you quit writing? 

I thought about this question for some time and decided to focus on the word quit. Plenty of things have caused me to take a break from writing, but I’ve yet to quit altogether. So below is my carefully curated list of reasons that would make me quit writing. 

1. The zombie apocalypse. I imagine it would be difficult to write on the run from slathering zombies who want nothing more than the taste of my sweet, sweet brains. But then, maybe I wouldn’t quit. To occupy my time while holed up in my zombie-proof fort, I’d likely write manuals to help others to avoid the infestation. 

2. Stranded on a deserted island with no writing materials. Even then, I’d write stories in my head at night, or find a way to record my thoughts. Maybe I’d create paper from seaweed and ink from sea slugs. 

3. Abducted by aliens. Nope, not even then. That would likely give me even more reason to write. 

 4. If I were offered a million bucks to stop writing—nope, make that a BILLION, and even then, I’d likely keep writing under an alias. Because writing! 

 5. If I found something more creative and expressive than writing. Yep, that’s likely the only thing in this world that would stop me from writing. 

I must have that creative output, otherwise I get grumpy or depressed or both. So it’s in everyone’s best interest if I continue to create. 

How about you? What would make you quit your favourite creative outlet? 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

On Resting a First Draft #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month: How long do you shelve your first draft before reading and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt? 

Regardless of my six published books and the countless others I’ve written, the drafting process of every book has been different. 

The first book I ever wrote has been shelved for a gazillion years—after years of writing the first draft, then multiple rewrites with little sitting time between drafts. Same with the second and third books, although the third one got shelved after the first draft.

The fourth was the first I got published and that had mere months between polished drafts while I sent it off to friends, family, and an editor and waited for their feedback. Once completed, though, it sat for years more, because I hadn’t been sure what to do with it. It was non-fiction—my daily devotional, Cling to God, and my writing focus had changed back to fiction during that sitting time. 

Then life unceremoniously reminded me that it would be tragic to let the completed book disappear into oblivion. So I found a wonderful publisher, edited it again, and got it out there. 

My fifth book then got a revisit. I had paused worked on that one after the first draft, stupidly convincing myself it wasn’t good enough. Because of that foolishness, it languished in isolation for too many years. That was Wielder’s Prize. It ended up being my fantasy novel debut. And I’m so proud of it. During its editing phase, it percolated for a couple months between drafts as I waited for professional feedback. 

Wielder’s Prize needed a series. So Wielder’s Curse and Wielder’s Fire were written. Wielder’s Curse was born during a particularly difficult time in my life. It was a mess when it was first drafted. I had to let it sit before I could finish it, let alone rewrite it. Finding clarity had been a massive struggle. Time and pigheadedness fixed that. 

Wielder’s Fire wrote itself and it got almost no sitting time by comparison. Only a few months while I worked on marketing and covers and everything else associated with releasing books. 

And that’s just part of the story. I have more books under my sleeves, but as I said, they’ve all been different—different in the way I approached them, how long it took to write them, how long I let them sit, how often I reworked them… and so forth. 

There is no magic formula. I am a slave to the needs of each story and the demands of life. 

How about you? What’s your writing process and how long do you let a story sit? 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.

 

The Joy of Getting Reader Feedback #IWSG

The IWSG question of the month for May: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way you didn't expect?

Whenever a reader responds--a good review, a fan email, a smile, a quiet thanks--I'm always surprised. Why? Because it means my writing touched someone enough that they went out of their way to let me know. It's easy to think you write in a vacuum, even when you're getting good sales. The stories go out, but percentage-wise, it's rare for anything to come back in terms of a response. Good, bad, or otherwise.

The time that surprised me the most was at a book festival. I was sitting around with other, better known authors, and a random person came up to the group and looked straight at me. 

"I know you," he said. 

I scrambled to place where I might've known him. At work? At school? At church? Nothing triggered.

"You wrote [insert novelette in an anthology that's now out of print--the same one I ended up rewriting and turning into the novella, Well of Ash]. I loved it!"

I kind of blinked at him. How on Earth did he recognize me? Turned out, he was a quiet follower of my blog and social media. This was an actual fan.They exist!

Don't think I've ever been more blown away.

So, if you love a writer's work, please let them know. We can live off that happiness for years to come ;)

Have you ever let an author know how much you loved their work? Have you ever been surprised by a reader's response?

 

This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.