Weekly posts at Maudlin's Shoes will begin again starting...now!
Roaring Boys is officially "done" -- which essentially means there are a few last minute tweaks going on from the editor -- and then after that it will be uploaded for sale. You can get details here or on my Facebook page. Stay tuned and don't miss it! We'll have it on Amazon.com, Kindle, and Nook.
**Roaring Boys will be available for purchase soon! Until then, check out this promo.**
And if you haven't already, check out my novel Shifted, available on all of these platforms. Shifted was the first book that got me back on the writing horse, officially, and was the first book I self-published.
**Shifted is available on Amazon.com, Kindle, Barnes & Noble online, and Nook!**
You know the amazing thing about writing? It's kind of like eating Doritos. You can never have just one. After I wrote Shifted, I took about a three month hiatus to work on publication materials and getting it ready. And then I was off again with Roaring Boys.
Now, merely a week after finishing the writing of Roaring Boys -- note, I haven't even finished the publication process yet!! -- I'm already churning up a new idea. I have the title, the tale, the main outline, the research, and most of the chapters organized. Maybe about 5 chapters are still blank, waiting to be detailed. Heck, I'm ready to start writing again!
**Can you guess what story I'm going to do next?**
I would never have thought this possible a few years ago. A few years ago I was burnt out. I was barely writing at all and I wasn't reading for fun much. I was nose-to-the-grindstone, working hard to finish my degree and try to land on my feet. And all I ever got told was how I'd have even less free time as a working adult. So bye bye dreams.
You know what? Everything anyone ever told me about losing my dreams when I was in college was dead wrong.
I got told I should give up on my dream of the publishing-editing world. I was told I would never have any free time to pursue my hobbies and turn them into something more. I was told I should practice my "do you want fries with that" line.
**this should not be the first thing I find when writer and fries are typed together. Just saying.**
And now here I am, sitting on my dream job right out of college, editing, working in the publishing industry, in my dream town, and I've just finished two books. I'm starting on the next one right now.
Yes, I am way busier than I have ever been. I've worked harder than I ever thought possible to get where I am. But I also get to go and do things way more than I ever did in the last ten years. I am writing more and more consistently than I ever have since I first started writing. Am I exhausted sometimes? Yes. But it's a powerful, wonderful, amazing exhausted. Not the exhausted that comes from going directly home after work and sitting in front of the television. The exhausted that comes from filling every moment of every day with something that is exciting and motivational and fulfilling. No matter what that is -- whether going to concerts, going to the gym, attending church, reading, writing, painting, visiting the beach, doing trivia night with my family, watching movies -- I try and never, ever say "not tonight, I'm too tired" because I have plenty of nights I can just vegitate. And I don't want to miss out on a single thing.
Including writing. I have a thousand books in me, waiting to get out. I don't want to waste time dithering!! I want to write them all, and when I'm 99 years old, I'll still be writing, you can believe it!
**Never let anyone tell you you're not a real writer if you're not J.K. Rowling.
Some writers make millions. Some writers just write. And they're both valid positions.**
Give up on my dreams? Not a chance! I'm now in the time of my life when my dreams are closer to my reach than ever before. And I'm going to take them.
My parents always encouraged me to pursue writing, even though they cautioned me that it would be more difficult than a job in something more "practical". I always tried to take their advice and blend practicality with my own desires. Instead of majoring in Creative Writing, I majored in English (start the English major jokes now). I started working on my job-hunt when I was a sophomore in college and I worked every year and summer after that. And now I am where I want to be in my life at the ripe old age of 23.
Does this happen to everyone? No. I've been incredibly blessed, and I am grateful that I have the ability to see that. But neither is it impossible. I'm proof of that.
So who wants fries with that?
No comments:
Post a Comment