Last week I wrote a rather depressing blog post about the ups and down (mostly the downs) of being an independent author. It was nasty, dark, and true. But is also awoke something in me. Something that I hadn’t really had in a long time.
The writing muse.
Muses are funny is the way they come and go. They also have a weird way of being awoken at the most interesting of times. But this little muse snuck right in and wacked me over the head with a frying pan. I’m not sure why a writing muse has a frying pan, but it worked at getting my attention.
My writing days started way back. But the real passionate writing that I enjoyed started in 2003. I was finding myself stressed out beyond belief. And escaping to the world I had created, the world that Dissolution of Peace is set in, relaxed me. It relaxed me to a point that I could sleep well and face the next day ready for those challenges. I’d put down 2,000 to 4,000 words a day and I loved doing it. And when I did it, I had a small hope that someone else would read it and find themselves escaping into my world to relax. But that was never the point, the point was a lot simpler.
I wrote for me.
There was that damn frying pan to the back the head again. That was what the muse had came to lecture me about. I wrote to relax, and now here I was stressing about how to get more book sales. I’m stressing about the very thing I used to do for fun. And if I was no longer doing it for fun, what’s the point?
Every story teller just wants to be heard (or read in this case). And I still very much want readers to escape into my worlds and relax. But I have always written for me first. And fortunately this muse, and the frying pan, reminded me of that.
So I started a new novel project the next day. I’m sorry to say that it isn’t the next book in the Dissolution of Peace series. Though I think that will be my first ever NaNoWriMo project. I digress.
This new project has spoken to me for a while and it touches very deep on some of my own life trials and tribulations. And, it has had me writing 2,000 or more words a day. Yesterday alone I put down over 6,000 words. And you know what, it feels good to be writing to relax again. It feels good to be telling a story that makes me happy, and it feels great to get back on the horse. If I keep my focus on what I love, my books will eventually sell themselves. And, eventually readers will find relaxation in the pages of my worlds.
The best part is, I feel better. I feel like I can take on the world with my keyboard and computer. And the muse has finally put the frying pan away.
And with my new positive outlook, something did come my way. Samantha LaFantasie, another author is going to do an Author interview with me in October. And she got me thinking. Why can’t I post things on my blog to help out other authors? So I will. Starting in August. I will be posting some things for other authors. If you want to join in, you can contact me here. Just fill out the form and we will be in touch.
Here is what I am thinking:
1st Friday of every month: Author Interview
2nd Friday of every month: Guest Post
3rd Friday of every month: Book Review/Feature
4th Friday of every month: Author Spotlight (Brief Bio, List of Titles and upcoming releases)
This is free. I won’t charge anyone for doing this, I just want to help promote others because that is what we should be doing. So Please sign up to participate. I’ll do my best to accommodate everyone. It will likely have to be on a first come, first serve basis. But we will see how it all goes. So head on over and contact me. Won’t cost you anything. It just might be what gets you back on your own horse.