Longing to Be a Full-Time Writer by Aaron Michael Ritchey

It’s the holy grail of the writer's fevered mind.  It’s winning the gold at the literary Olympics.  Wait, that might be immortality through your writing, like Shakespeare, or Peter Abelard, or Prince.  But, well, before you can become immortal, you have to live, and every writer I know would love to write full-time and make writing his/her day job.

And at cocktail parties, when the question comes up, "So Aaron, what do you do?" I can say, “I’m a full-time writer, yo.”  Eat my shorts.

That’s the dream.  But I know a lot of full-time writers, and I know a lot of successful writers who are still supported by their spouses, and the dream, like most things on this earth, is besmirched.

(I’m gonna bring the word “besmirched” back into fashion, as in, besmirch this, yo.)

So the full-time writers I know are really good at self-promotion, they ghost write, they write dozens of books under dozens of names, and they work at it like nothing else.  It’s not their job they do 40 hours a week, it’s their lifestyle.  Now, they get to do what they love, and they make a living, but it’s not the cushy fantasy I have.

In my fantasy, I get up around noon, go to the mailbox, pick up the fat old royalty check which proves millions of people adore me, then go write for a couple of hours, drinks and shrimp for dinner, swank parties in New York where the light hits me just right (hides the bald spot), and then I wake up the next day and do it all over again.  Checks and adoration and writing.  Sigh.

So reality is, the successful writers I know—successful in the fact they have multiple book contracts, have hit some bestseller lists and even the New York Times bestseller list in anthologies—they have big agents, big houses, big contracts.  And yet, most have spouses who work a day job to support their writing addiction.

But some writers do hit the big leagues and make millions and yeah, hello Fifty Shades of Grey.  Besmirched.

Which brings me back to a conversation I had on Facebook with a friend who wanted to quit his job and write full-time.  I heard author Catherine Ryan Hyde speak at a conference, and she said, “Those people with a back-up plan generally use them when the going gets rough.”  She then blanched at what she said, coughed, and under her breath whispered, “For God’s sake, Catherine, Don’t tell them that.”

Because we writers are a dramatic sort.  We don’t want a contingency plan.  We want to write until our fingers are arthritic and we are alone and that’s when it all gets good.  Alone, poor, selling plasma to eat, writing works of art that will make us immortal once we are dead.  Dramatic.

But what Ms. Hyde was saying is that writing takes full commitment.  You can do a day job and write, most writers throughout history had to do just that, but it’s hard and requires great sacrifice.  For those who want to make it, writing isn’t a hobby, it’s a sacred vocation, like joining the priesthood, or become becoming a monk.  Vocations require sacrifice.

Writing is hard, but to quote A League of Their Own, it’s the hard that makes it good.  Maybe the longing to be the full-time writer is the fantasy that with more time, writing would be easier.  With more time, there would be more motivation.  More time would equal less sacrifice. 

I don’t think that’s the case.  For the most part, being a writer means sacrifice, full-time or not.  If I quit my job, I’d have less money, but yeah, motivation might not be a problem anymore.  As one of my full-time writer friends says, when you’re writing to eat, hunger is the greatest of motivators.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I am going to write until I die, whether I become rich and famous, or if I become arthritic and alone, I’m in it until the end.  The nice thing about not experiencing a dream is that you get to live in the fantasy.  I’m published now, and I understand the industry better, and part of me longs for the days when I was naïve and didn’t have an ISBN connected to my name.  I wasn’t besmirched back then.

Now, I get to fantasize about the day when I hit it huge.  Another check?  Another party?  Why yes, I’d love another shrimp, thank you.

About the Writer:  YA Paranormal author Aaron Michael Ritchey has penned a dozen manuscripts in his 20 years as a writer.  When he isn’t slapping around his muse, Aaron cycles to look fabulous, works in medical technologies, and keeps his family in silks and furs.  His first novel, The Never Prayer, hit the streets on March 29, 2012.

Blogging With Brandon and Bryan Write Brain by Shannon Lawrence

Before getting to the notes on our August Write Brain, "Blogging with Brandon and Bryan," let's meet the guys who presented it:

Brandon and Bryan are a pair of fraternal, mostly unrelated twins. Bryan is from just outside of Denver, Colorado and has never left because of a fear of the unknown. And Brandon was once from Denver, Colorado but moved to Chicago, Illinois to pursue his lifelong dream of dodging urban gunfire. He's since returned.

Both brothers are writers, and between the two they've completed 46 short stories (40 from Brandon, 1 from Bryan, 5 collaborative) and seven novels, a good half of which are readable. They co-author the moderately popular blog/web-comic A Beer for the Shower. When they aren't penning collaborative novels together, you can find them throttling their livers at the local bar, posting politically incorrect web-comics, or indulging in one of life's greatest victories: a beer in the shower (separately, we assure you--get your mind out of the gutter).


Read Bryan and Brandon’s blog, www.abeerfortheshower.com.

Blogging with Brandon and Bryan

Written up by Shannon Lawrence

Why Blog?

1. Self-promotion - you're putting yourself out there and reaching out to others

2. It's free!

3. Guaranteed writing time - all writing helps you grow in your abilities

4. You'll have a leg up on everyone else

Blog vs. Static Website

A blog is constantly changing, versus a static website, which typically remains very much the same except for the occasional updates/changes. People won't visit a website as much as they will a blog that has new content on a regular basis, and they'll be much more likely to stick around and hear about new releases and projects.

How to Blog

Blogging does not have to be hard. If you use an easy-to-use blog site, such as Google Blogger or WordPress, you don't have to know html coding. Blogger is a bit easier to use, while WordPress tends to be a bit more technical and require a little more know-how.

Monetizing

Your main focus in blogging should be marketing, not monetizing, but you can use Google Ad Sense if you hope to make money from your blog, as well. Google Ad Sense allows you to make money per-click by placing their ads on your blog. Be cautious about this; reviews are mixed.

Another way to monetize your blog is to receive payment from companies for doing reviews or placing their sponsored ads.

Be warned, though, that a blog slathered in ads may be a turn-off, sending people away from your blog.

Do's & Don'ts

Don't over-promote - there should be content on your blog that isn't just about selling yourself.

Don't over-post - holding yourself to a schedule of posting too often will wear you out, as well as waste content that you could be spreading out.

Don't be a disengenuous sycophant - don't go around to blogs posting "nice post" with nothing useful to say; put some effort into it.

Don't info-dump - break it up if you have a lot to say; blog readers aren't looking for long posts.

Don't be boring - try to keep it interesting or people won't want to read.

Do set up a schedule - people are more likely to come by and visit if they know you post on specific dates; it's also easier on you.

Do be honest - be yourself; not everyone will like what you put out, but that is okay.

Do socialize - have a web presence/multiple forms of social media so you can be found or are searchable. On top of that, don't be afraid to make friends and care about others; this is meant to be social networking.

Do display your writing (occasionally) - you're marketing for yourself, so put out tastes of your work so people can see how desperately they need to buy your books.

Do be patient - growth takes time; you will not have five billion followers in the first week.

Do create good tags - this goes back to being searchable; create tags that will bring a lot of people to your blog.

Do monitor your stats - find your stats in your dashboard and watch what brings the traffic into your blog. Know your bounce rate, which is how many people pop up and leave quickly, therefore probably not actually reading your content.

Do use pictures/images - blocks of text make people tune out; be sure to find legal free stock images or your own artwork/photos.

Do integrate social networking - post a link to your blog posts on your Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc.

About the Writer:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has also recently discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about writing at www.thewarriormuse.com.

Quote

Writing is a craft. You have to take your apprenticeship in it like anything else. – Katherine Anne Porter

Sweet Success! Lynda Hilburn

Lynda Hilburn's adult paranormal novel, Blood Therapy (ISBN 978-0857387226, trade paperback, 400 pages), will be released in the UK by Jo Fletcher/Quercus Books UK on September 13, 2012. The author's website is at www.lyndahilburnauthor.com; you can buy her books online at Amazon.com and at local bookstores.
 

 

Kismet Knight knows exactly how to handle her clients, but when it comes to her love-life, she's on less steady ground. That was until she met master vampire Devereux, an 800-year-old hunk, who not only managed to convince the entirely rational shrink that vampires really do exist - he also convinced her to start dating him. Kismet's still having nightmares after being kidnapped by Lucifer, a psychotic vampire. From a therapeutic perspective she finds his split personalities fascinating - but she's constantly terrified. And Dev's become obsessed with finding Lucifer - before he comes after Kismet again. So much for her nice, ordinary life...

Lynda Hilburn writes paranormal fiction. More specifically, she writes vampire books. After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer. In her other reality, she makes her living as a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter. Her first novel, The Vampire Shrink, was released (rewritten/expanded version) by Quercus Books, UK and Sterling Publishing USA in 2012. Book #2, Blood Therapy, will be published in 2012/3. The third book in the series arrives in 2013. Lynda’s other work is available at Amazon.com.

Libraries Grow Writers - Long Live the Library by Deb McLeod

A few weeks ago Jamie LaRue and Lisa Casper of Douglas County Libraries met with a group of local authors to talk about publishing e-books at DCL libraries. As executive director of The Writing School and an author with plans to begin e-publishing next spring, I was honored to be included.

Jamie opened the meeting with statistics about e-book growth.

e-Book Growth

• In 2010, Amazon reported selling 115 e-books for every 100 paperbacks and three e-books for every hardback.
• In 2004, there were 29,000 self-published titles in the United States. In 2009, there were 766,000. In 2010, 2.7 million.
• Independent publishers are now publishing almost as any titles per year as mainstream (approaching 300,000).
• Publishers Weekly reported e-book sales rose 117% in 2011

If more and more books are available as e-books, if more and more readers are reading electronically, clearly libraries have to adapt. But legacy publishers aren’t making that easy. Here are the terms from the big six publishing companies for e-book publishing at the library:

Legacy Publishers Stonewall Libraries

• Hachette, Macmillan, Simon & Shuster won’t sell e-books to libraries at all. Under any terms.
• HarperCollins requires libraries to buy e-books again after 26 checkouts.
• Random House increased their prices by 3-5 times. (Danielle Steele’s latest book cost the library $84).
• Penguin is considering selling to libraries after the book has been on the market for six months.
• The library has lost ownership, discount and integration (into their catalogs) for most e-books.

Libraries Grow Readers

Research by Pew and Bowker and repeated in Douglas County shows the e-book lending does NOT undercut sales. In fact, the more people that use the library, the more e-books they buy. “Power users” (more than once a week) buy one e-book for every two they borrow.

Libraries Grow Writers

My local library had such a profound effect on me that the thought that there could be a future without libraries is chilling.

My mother told me she had to wait until she was old enough to get a library card to check books out. When she finally did, she spent her days on her bed, eating apples and reading as her immigrant grandmother told her she was going to ruin her eyes, told her to go out to play like her athletic sister.  When I was young, every Saturday we would start family errands at the library. Then we’d go to the grocery store and finally, the Italian store for lunch meat, cheese and bread. The culmination of our weekly ritual was a dinner of giant Italian sandwiches and treat of all treats, we could read at the dinner table. Only on Saturday.

By the time I was seven I had begun eyeing the very small teen section on the other side of the library. I was too young for those books, my mother said. So I devised some goals to keep me occupied. First I read all the purple-spined books on the children’s shelves. Then I went through the children’s catalogue for any book that had been written by, starred or in any other way referred to the name Deborah or one of its derivatives.

When I asked again to move to the teen section, my mother said there were still children’s books I hadn’t yet read. So I did the only thing I could do. I started at one end of the children’s section and read every single book in order, even the ones I’d already read.

Each week I started at the shelf where I left off the week before, not considering that books were checked out and returned all the time, so there were books behind me that I hadn’t read. I just plowed forward. I read as many as I could while we were at the library and checked out a pile when we left. I have no idea how long it took, but I do remember the day I finished.

This time, when I whined to my mother about nothing to read, I had the sense to whine in front of the librarian. Together they decided I had earned my way to the other side of the library.

Ah, the teen section with its stories of girls who had boyfriends, of high school and books that tackled issues like jealousy and thinly-veiled instructions on being a lady. I remember the first teen book I read. A purple-spined book called “To Have and Not Hold.”

But the teen section was small so when I reached the end of that I moved on to the adult section. This time without even asking.

Eventually, my mother got tired of checking what I was reading and soon the whole family was sharing books. I read “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” hidden behind my social studies book at night in bed while my parents watched TV. “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Godfather,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Valley of the Dolls”: the world was an astounding place.

I was a voracious reader and then one day I began to write. Together, my mother and the Town of Tonawanda libraries in New York State grew me into a writer.

It can’t be possible that libraries could disappear.

Enter Director of Douglas County Libraries, Jamie LaRue, and “The DCL Model.”

DCL Model

• Under DCL’s new program, Douglas County Libraries are working with over 800 publishers and buying (not renting) e-books, at discount, and integrating them into their catalogs. In addition to buying e-books, DCL is providing a link to purchase them.
• The DCL Model is being adopted by libraries from California to Florida and has been investigated by libraries from Europe to New Zealand.

Local Authors Lend a Hand

At the task force meeting, the first question asked was: Would you donate a copy of your e-book to the library? The answer was a resounding “Yes.”

That settled; we moved on to talk particulars. How the library might maintain quality by creating a selection process. How the library might be a piece of the local author’s marketing plan.

It was a productive meeting. A hopeful meeting. There doesn’t have to be a world without libraries.

Legacy publishing may perish, but long live the library.

About the Writer:  Deb McLeod, is a writer, creative writing coach, co-founder and executive director of The Writing School. She has both an MFA and a BA in creative writing. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years. Deb has published short fiction in anthologies and journals. She has written articles and creative nonfiction. Deb has been a professional blogger, tech writer, graphic artist and Internet marketing specialist.

From the Editor: Transitions

September is a month of transition. Students return to school, facing new demands and expectations as they tackle the next phase of their education journey. Summer makes way for autumn. Baseball wraps up and football season begins.

This year, September also brings a transition here at Writing from the Peak. After 16 months as Managing Editor, I am stepping down so that I can focus on other projects. It’s been an amazing experience, and I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to serve the Pikes Peak Writers.

Please give a warm welcome to my successor, Shannon Lawrence. Shannon writes fantasy and horror, and has completed a Young Adult Fantasy novel. You can check out her blog at http://thewarriormuse.blogspot.com/.

Shannon will "officially" take over the blog on October 1st, but I will be staying on to help through the end of the year. You can help by writing a little something for the blog. It doesn’t have to be fancy or long or philosophical – just share something with your fellow writers. They will thank you, and so will Shannon!

Write true, write well, and write on.

Robin Widmar

Managing Editor, Writing from the Peak

Quote

It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.  – Robert Benchley