So I am in two different critique groups, been in Lisa Shapiro's novel writing class for four semesters, and made friends with a lot of other writers. I look at myself, my writing, and my friends, and today I realized something. I am very different than other people.
I have self published my first novel, Child of Prophecy, a book of short stories, and, later this month, I am self publishing another novel, Mysterious Warriors. I am currently working on Beauty is Only Skin Deep, Hybrid: The Beginning, Against the Tides, and floundering in Mysterious Warriors: Broken. Four Word documents are currently open on my laptop screen, and I work on them all the time. I have a goal to finish the first draft of Hybrid (pushing my goal back a week; work has been LOCO) a week from Thursday. I think I can meet that goal with the revised date. My professional goals are the put out a new book in EACH of my series every year (one from Prophecy series, one from Mysterious Warriors quartet, and one from Hybrid series). Is this insane? A lot of people probably think so.
In my novel writing class, in my critique groups, there are some other people published, but most are not. Most work on the same draft over and over again, fine tuning and changing all the time. Don't get me wrong, I completely respect that! I do multiple drafts of my work, over and over again. No one wants to put out crap. Your book should be the best it can be.
But in this day and age, self publishing is a lot easier, more open, and cost friendly. I don't know why more people I know aren't doing what I've done. I have wanted to publish since I was nine. That was sixteen years ago. Why would I make myself insane reworking the same draft over and over again? Mysterious Warriors is in its final draft stage. I gave my two editors and four readers copies about a month ago. I haven't worked on Mysterious Warriors since. I am not allowing myself to go into the document and rework it yet again until I get feedback.
So I asked myself, why am I different? Am I proving myself to someone? Do I want to get as much as I can out there in the time I have left here? (No I'm not dying, but I'm human. You never know what will happen to you...)
I think everything boils down to a couple things. I quit school to write. I have an Associates Degree now, but I never pursued a Bachelor's because I wanted to write. If I didn't have something to show for my efforts, my passion, then what kind of person would I be? I want to share my story of faith with people in a different way. God put this passion, this desire, to write in me. He is the reason I want to accomplish all I have envisioned for myself, since He put that vision in me.
Don't be afraid of rejection, failure, life. Pursue the dreams God has given you, pursue the ability to reach others. If you're afraid of failure and never begin, you've already failed. If you're afraid of rejection, have one person who loves you enough to lie to you. Besides, you might be surprised. Don't dream of people hating your work, dream of people loving it. I dream of the day when I'm checking people's receipts at work and they're buying my books (not knowing I'm the author. Lol. Funny little dream I have.) What's the worse that can happen? I guarantee that if you don't try, the worse will happen. But if you push forward and go on, what's the best that can happen? I guarantee that you can't imagine the best.
Thank you to all who have supported and pushed me through the years. Most of all, I want to thank my mom. It took a long time to get to where we are, but if you just let me do what I wanted back in High School and College, I never would have found this drive. You pushed me in ways you didn't know. Ways only God knew and understood. Thank you.
I have self published my first novel, Child of Prophecy, a book of short stories, and, later this month, I am self publishing another novel, Mysterious Warriors. I am currently working on Beauty is Only Skin Deep, Hybrid: The Beginning, Against the Tides, and floundering in Mysterious Warriors: Broken. Four Word documents are currently open on my laptop screen, and I work on them all the time. I have a goal to finish the first draft of Hybrid (pushing my goal back a week; work has been LOCO) a week from Thursday. I think I can meet that goal with the revised date. My professional goals are the put out a new book in EACH of my series every year (one from Prophecy series, one from Mysterious Warriors quartet, and one from Hybrid series). Is this insane? A lot of people probably think so.
In my novel writing class, in my critique groups, there are some other people published, but most are not. Most work on the same draft over and over again, fine tuning and changing all the time. Don't get me wrong, I completely respect that! I do multiple drafts of my work, over and over again. No one wants to put out crap. Your book should be the best it can be.
But in this day and age, self publishing is a lot easier, more open, and cost friendly. I don't know why more people I know aren't doing what I've done. I have wanted to publish since I was nine. That was sixteen years ago. Why would I make myself insane reworking the same draft over and over again? Mysterious Warriors is in its final draft stage. I gave my two editors and four readers copies about a month ago. I haven't worked on Mysterious Warriors since. I am not allowing myself to go into the document and rework it yet again until I get feedback.
So I asked myself, why am I different? Am I proving myself to someone? Do I want to get as much as I can out there in the time I have left here? (No I'm not dying, but I'm human. You never know what will happen to you...)
I think everything boils down to a couple things. I quit school to write. I have an Associates Degree now, but I never pursued a Bachelor's because I wanted to write. If I didn't have something to show for my efforts, my passion, then what kind of person would I be? I want to share my story of faith with people in a different way. God put this passion, this desire, to write in me. He is the reason I want to accomplish all I have envisioned for myself, since He put that vision in me.
Don't be afraid of rejection, failure, life. Pursue the dreams God has given you, pursue the ability to reach others. If you're afraid of failure and never begin, you've already failed. If you're afraid of rejection, have one person who loves you enough to lie to you. Besides, you might be surprised. Don't dream of people hating your work, dream of people loving it. I dream of the day when I'm checking people's receipts at work and they're buying my books (not knowing I'm the author. Lol. Funny little dream I have.) What's the worse that can happen? I guarantee that if you don't try, the worse will happen. But if you push forward and go on, what's the best that can happen? I guarantee that you can't imagine the best.
Thank you to all who have supported and pushed me through the years. Most of all, I want to thank my mom. It took a long time to get to where we are, but if you just let me do what I wanted back in High School and College, I never would have found this drive. You pushed me in ways you didn't know. Ways only God knew and understood. Thank you.
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