Tiffany’s Writing Journey

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Sorry, it’s been awhile.

Sorry, it’s been awhile since I’ve written, sounds more like a start to a letter than a blog. Letters are a good insight to a persons soul though. You understand them sometimes better through a written word than a spoken one. I remember as a child I used to write letters to my cousin, brother, friends etc. Letters at that time were still a staple to communicating and staying in contact.

Yes, I lived before smart phones were a staple in a persons life. When listening to the internet dial up on your computer gave you time to get a snack, use the bathroom, and stare at a loading screen for a minute. When the internet was still a foreign place to most. When you heard your parents tell you, “Time to shut it down, I have to use the phone.” And you contemplated playing minesweeper, solitaire or Sim’s just to keep playing on the computer awhile longer with or without internet.

The reason for me not writing for awhile has been that several big life changes have taken place since my last post. From looking for a house (which was more stressful than I thought it would be), to buying a home, then working on it to move in, packing, moving and getting a new puppy who loves to annoy her two old men brothers, and still working on it while living here, there has been quite a bit going on around here. What I have discovered during this process is that even though it is physically painful not to write; an overly stressed and exhausted brain can help keep you distracted from the fact that you don’t have time to write.

What inspired this blog article is that during our unpacking process, was when we sorted through what I call Memory Boxes (translation: stuff that someone else would see as junk but you see as trinkets and treasures). I found several letters I received from when I was a kid to a young adult. Now a days everyone just sends texts but letters were a part of life then. It’s interesting to read what was so important to you as a kid but it puts it into perspective that it’s was nothing compared to the real life that you weren’t ready for.

However, all of that got me wondering. Does anyone even write letters anymore? Or could a blog be considered writing letters? Writing to people who you may never meet but them feeling a connection to you through your writing anyways.

Despite my crazy busy Holiday brain and amongst the maze of boxes we are still unpacking while we also continue to work on our house, I am taking the time to write ya’ll this letter. Have a wonderful Holiday. I hope that you find the time to make time for as many of those lifelong memories as you can this Holiday season. Maybe, take some time to send a letter to someone and let them know that you are thinking about them this season.

I have many plans for my writing career in the New Year, so please stay tuned for more of these letters 🙂

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s to you and yours!

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my Facebook page the links are below the following image.

https://www.facebook.com/TiffanyDAuthor/

So Many Updates…

So many updates, where do I start? How about my book release. I released my first novel, ‘Languish’ Book 1 of the Live Series on Halloween. The excitement that built up to it was indescribable. Releasing my first book was an amazing feeling.

Days before my book came out I heard news about a spooky short story contest that I entered in. That I won the Adult category for it and I was ecstatic. That adrenaline rush that I actually won 1st place in a contest for a short story I wrote, carried over to my book release. There has been tons of “marketing” that I have tried to do via Facebook, Instagram, networking by connecting with libraries and such about book signings and information about events.

My first event was an Author takeover in a book group I’m in on Facebook called the Tattered Page Book Club. It was an incredibly rewarding experience where I met a lot of great people through comments on my posts. For those of you that are unfamiliar with an Author takeover, it is an opportunity that the group admins can give authors to takeover the group for a certain amount of time. They gave me the option of the whole day and I posted 20 posts spread out into 12 hours. The posts were allowed to be whatever I wanted (following all group rules of course), and I included 3 giveaways. Three opportunities to win a signed copy of ‘Languish’. Being my first ever takeover I felt so accomplished when it was over and I had hundreds of comments to go through. I was more than grateful to the admins of the group as well as the followers who participated. What went in the boxes took some thought but it was all put in there for a reason. I hope that the winners enjoy opening and reading ‘Languish’.

So much excitement in a short amount of time. Honestly, I haven’t made too many book sales so far but I am always trying. I have so many marketing strategies lined up. There are many ideas floating around in my head. However, there is no money to follow through with them at the moment. The starving artist is true in some ways. I refuse to let it discourage me though. This is the wondrous path I chose and I will succeed. Book sales take time. I realize that I am only on my first month but it feels like I have been waiting quite awhile to see a change when I refresh the KDP charts to see if there has been any more purchases. Being fairly certain the majority are family, I am touched by the fact that they care enough to buy a copy to read. It gives you this intense joy every time someone purchases your book.

My focus now is to continue promoting, trying to find time to read other books other than my own and get book 2 done. The progress on Book 2 of the Live Series is significant. All that needs completed is a final read through/edit and formatting. The time frame is months out and I am desperately trying to find every second I can between the real life things that are going on around me to finish it up. While in the back of my mind each day wishing that I could be writing for a living instead of the day job that I currently possess.

The reality of being a self-published Author is that it is a lot of work in the beginning without a lot of sales. Due to being an unknown Author with my first novel of a series being published, I know I have a long road ahead of me. Book 2 must be completed because I don’t want anyone who reads ‘Languish’ to have to wait too long to continue the story. Marketing will involve book signings, more Author takeovers, Author events, posting mostly daily all while shouting to the roof tops (basically) that I published my first novel and if you love thrillers with some passion and a psycho stalker than you will love my book.

I am not writing this to discourage anyone who goes down the same path of self-publishing but merely instead to encourage. Even though it is a lot of networking and marketing (a mindset that you have to remind yourself to stick to sometimes), it is still a choice I would have made. It has shown me that I can do more than I realize on my own. Each decision that I make only needs approval from me. So, in essence, it is a choice that you shouldn’t take lightly but something you need to decide if it is for you. I just got tired of waiting for someone to offer to do it for me and simply did it myself. So, I hope that you will continue to follow me on this writing journey of mine. I once said that getting to share my stories with the world will be one of the greatest things I ever do and that is still true.

Being an Author, I want people to fall in love with my characters, be excited to find out what happens next and enjoy my writing. My hope is that it will draw them into a world that takes the mind off of the real life stresses and gives them a much needed break.

As an Author, trying to share my experiences with everyone using this blog I hope that you will be encouraged to try something new and take a chance like I did. By deciding to self-publish I have put myself in a position to do more work but to also learn to take a chance on myself. I hope that you feel inspired by my journey to believe in yourself as well.

As always, thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog, Facebook page, instagram, Amazon Author page or purchase my book, the links are below the following image.

Upcoming Cover Reveal/Updates

This Friday I will be posting a video on my Facebook Page (which as always, will be linked at the end of this post) to reveal the cover photo for my upcoming novel. I will also talk a bit about it and the upcoming release. If you have been following me on here for awhile you know that my plan was to Traditionally publish my novel but I recently posted about the decision to change direction (the post was titled Crossroads/Big News) and to Self-publish instead.

This journey so far has been a bumpy unforgiving road but as I plan to publish many more novels throughout my life, the journey will continue beyond this.

I have been working on so many things to get my current finished novel published. More recently my time has been consumed and spilt between, researching self-publishing and prepping my novel for release. The book cover was made a little easier using Canva (which is an invaluable tool for an author). It turned out better than I expected. I can’t wait to share it with all of you!

As I will be revealing more about the choices I made for the cover as well as some tidbits of information about the name as well, I won’t be talking too much about that here. Facebook is really my epicenter of information for promoting my book. This blog was created to share my Journey as well as writing tips. So, if you want to have the first scoop in regards to my novels please follow my Author page on Facebook. I am also now on Instagram as well. As far as what else I will be talking about on here today is what I have been working on.

In order to get my novel ready I have discovered that there is more to this Self-publishing decision than meets the eye. I started with the research/working on the cover. Research about the steps that I needed to take to get to the release of my first book. There was some misinformation out there and also some that was more relevant to my situation. Deciphering what was the right information has taken some time but research is always well worth it.

My biggest piece of advice for any new author is do your RESEARCH. It may seem boring and may seem like you can figure it out on your own but that is really not the case with everything. The knowledge that is at our fingertips due to the internet would be wasted if we didn’t use it. Other Authors have taken the time to share with the rest of us their perspective on writing as well as any vital info they learned along the way. Most of it was probably things they learned trial by error.

For example, I discovered that what I knew about dialogue when I first started was outdated info and I soon learned the right way to write it. It took some time going back through my novel to get it right but I learned by the research I did and the information other writers were kind enough to share. I can’t even tell you how many edits my novel went through to get to where it is today. However, I can tell you that each bit of research I did helped me grow as an author. Being an author also means being flexible with the idea of doing something a different way. It also means being open to suggestion/criticism and learning and growing from it. That is actually true about not only writing but life in general.

Anyways, my research led me to start investigating the right ways to publish and format my novel. Formatting ugh! The Bane of my existence! If I had know what I know now about the need to set up and format my word document before I started then I would have done it first thing. My first mistake was thinking that I could format after I typed up the entire novel. Then I formatted it as a manuscript to send to agents and publishers after the fact and yes that was a pain! But recently I discovered, since I decided to go down the Self-publishing road that is, is that you also need a ebook format and a print format. These formats make it that much more legible when uploading to Amazon. Or rather it will evidently make everything line up better.

My goal is to upload and scroll through to make sure everything is laid out correctly before launching it. I want it to be a smooth read for my readers. I know first hand based on self-published books I’ve read that there are times when you come across a significant spelling, grammar or format issue that literally separates you from the book, pulling you out of a scene that otherwise would have been riveting.

I’ve also learned that you can purchase what is called a proof copy and author copies. Proof copies are ones that you can get before you publish and they have the line across the cover saying not for resale. They are also just the cost of printing it. Now the Author copies are ones you purchase after you publish and they are at a discounted rate but of course ones that you won’t get royalties from. I plan to take the extra precaution beforehand and purchase a proof to make sure it prints correctly.

Needless to say there are many steps to making sure a book is ready whether it be self-publishing or traditional. The biggest thing I try to tell myself is that I can do it. I doubted myself before and I lacked confidence at times but the key is just to keep moving forward no matter what. Take that chance on your work so others can to. If I can do it then you can. Above all just keep writing…and researching.

If you have questions or would like me to elaborate more on a topic please leave a comment.

As always, thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog, my Facebook page or instagram, the links are below the following image.

Crossroads/Big News

To be at a crossroads in life…is a stressful and sometimes frightening thing. In my case my crossroads is one big decision that has to do with my writing. My future career, you could say, as an author. My main goal this entire time has been to Traditionally publish my novel. It has been the journey I was set on. The goal at the end. The pie’ce de re’sistance. Until now…

Yes, I know it may look like I’m giving up and I should keep trying, keep submitting my novel to Agents and Publishers but the thing is that I am tired. Tired of putting my effort into convincing someone else why I think my novel will make money. I mean let’s face it, you are trying to sell your novel to them. Convince them why they should put their time and effort into it so it can make money. It is more about the money than it is about the love of the story. Which I completely understand because it is their job. They may love their job and reading but the fact of the matter is, that if they don’t have the same kind of confidence you do than they will turn it down. That doesn’t mean that it should affect your confidence.

It doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with your novel. I mean there could be if you haven’t taken the initiative to present it as a well edited manuscript. Taking the time to check for any mistakes, grammar issues etc. There are people who present a raw manuscript and then they edit it and resubmit. Those people sometimes get the deal they didn’t get in the first place. However, if you have taken the time and you have been through the ringer by receiving countless rejection letters than it may just mean that you need to take a different path.

As I stated in one of my previous blog posts, I have had my novel rejected by Agents and Publishers. Some who have only asked for a Query letter and maybe it just wasn’t worded the right way for them. Some who said the story just wasn’t a genre they wanted to represent at this time but when I write a different genre to please contact them again. Some who have read five pages and made a determination on that saying that it just isn’t what they are looking for at this time and that they are very limited on who they can represent…etc. I can say however, that I didn’t have rejections that said anything negative about my writing, editing abilities or anything like that. Which is a great thing. There were many, which ranged from being more personal to even just generic letters.

I have been a little quiet as of late, thinking about this crossroads and where I would like to be in the future. Do I want to continue to stress and doubt my writing abilities? Do I want to spend anymore time submitting my novel to people who don’t have time to represent it or market it because they have bigger authors on their list that are their sole focus? Do I need to Traditionally publish my first novel? Do I want to spend years down this path where I am just stuck in limbo waiting and writing book after book without doing anything with them? The answer to every one of those questions is NO.

Even though I started this journey planning to Traditionally publish and find an Agent it doesn’t mean that I have to be so stubborn that I fight what may just be meant to be. I don’t need to be so stubborn that I just wait for something to happen to show me a guaranteed path to follow. I have made big decisions at crossroads in my life many times over and somehow they have worked out for the best. Fighting a gut feeling because you are stubborn like I am, doesn’t get you anywhere. Taking your life into your own hands and making a change happen, does. No one can hand the future you want to you, you have to go get it.

That all being said, I am going to self-publish. I plan to go the Amazon route with it. Current research progress has been made. I am looking into how to make book covers and converting my document to read better on Amazon, and many more things. I will make this happen.

There was a fear in the back of my mind leading up to me writing this. The fear that I am a failure because I didn’t succeed on the path I started on. A fear that it means that my book isn’t worth publishing and that most of all I CANNOT do this. That was a big one, my lack of confidence in succeeding but I will never succeed if I don’t try. So here is me putting those fears to rest and taking the bull by the horns. (Excuse my overuse of every motivational saying I could think of in one place lol.)

Stay tuned, there are big changes coming. I have spent so much time researching Traditional publishing that I haven’t spent much time researching self-publishing. So bear with me while I embrace this new path I’m on and welcome the decision to take this direction at the crossroads. I will announce release dates and all of that when I am able to figure out all of the logistics.

Thank you so much for following me on this journey and I hope you are able to bear with me while I change direction a bit. This may be the rough road but I hope it is the right one.

As always, thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog, my Facebook page or instagram, the links are below the following image.

Work

Working at every job other than doing what you love will seem like work, right? Do you ever feel like you get so close to your goal that you could almost reach out and grab it but it’s like there’s a barrier that you can’t seem to break through?

Like you are almost there but you’re still far away unless you can figure out how to climb that darn wall. That’s how I feel sometimes lately because all I want to do is to write, or rather do all the many things that come with being an author as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I have a decent work from home job now that I like but I cannot wait to do my dream job, that won’t feel like a job at all.

Each day I wake up, get ready for the day, go into my office and work at a computer screen making progress towards someone else’s goals. It keeps me occupied enough through the day so not there’s not always much time to think of anything else, let alone writing as much as I would like.

It feels like I’m living a double life sometimes. My work life (tired, stressed, driven to complete my daily tasks and be professional while I do) and My author life (my normal everyday home life stuff fits in with my Author life because that who I really am). Now I understand that you can’t always have your dream job but I’m working on it. In reality YOU choose your life.

So if you want to do what you love you need to make strides to reach that goal. Whether I will get to solely work as an author someday or not doesn’t mean I didn’t succeed. I can and may have to do both what I love and what I am professionally good at. But making time to do what I love is key because I still have faith that it will lead to more than what it is now.

All you can do is keep trying. Trying to improve your life and yourself everyday. With multiple rejection letters from agents and counting I will keep pressing on because I will keep having faith in myself to get to where I want to be with my writing. My stories are meant to be shared with the world and they will be.

If you are feeling the same way with any aspect of your life at the moment where you are going through tough obstacles, rest assured they will pass and you will be stronger than before you overcame them.

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my Facebook page the links are below the following image.

Writing is Zenful

Writing is in fact Zenful. If you are like me than you understand what I mean with that statement. It can be stressful at times for sure. Especially when you are trying to edit, or get published. But for the most part it’s such a relief to write. To pull your story out of your head, makes it feel like it’s relieving pressure from all your ideas being compacted together in your memory.

I often think of how memories are extracted in Harry Potter, with a wand, using magic to pull it from your brain in a beautiful bright strand. That’s what writing feels like to me you are pulling thoughts and story’s from your brain and putting it down on paper. When I do that it’s like it gives me more room for more ideas to come through.

Writing is sort of a requirement for Authors to get their ideas down but you should also read. For awhile there I was having trouble finding a balance for both. But recently I have been working on submitting my novel to Literary Agents in my down times while I am working. There are times because I work from home that I have some time to spare but still need to be by my computer while I wait for important emails to come in. So that is my Querying time. Then my reading time is varying throughout the day and my writing is also varying but I do try to make time each day to do it all. I want so badly to get my Novel published and I realize that if I let the doubts weigh me down than it will never happen.

So, each time I submit my novel to Literary Agents I remain hopeful and try to pack the negative thoughts away in the back of my mind. Yes, some days they do rear their ugly heads and break free all at once but I lock them all back up and continue on. I know what I want and that is to find a Literary Agent so we can work together on making my stories come alive by being shared with the world.

Each day I try and I try and I have received plenty of rejection letters but I remain hopeful (for now) that soon I may find the right person to represent me and my work. But I have to tell you it is hard and it weighs you down, every letter feels like a nail in a rejection coffin of my writing Journey.

That doesn’t mean that I have stopped writing though. It is quite the opposite. If I am to remain hopeful then I need to write. Writing is after all Zenful. It is like meditation to a writers mind. We release all of the built up thoughts and ideas to make room for more.

If you are like me and trying so hard to get your work published or represented by a Literary Agent then don’t lose hope. Keep writing, keep submitting and keep pursuing your dreams. I have faith in you. We can do this!

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my Facebook page the links are below the following image.

My Current WIP

My current WIP can actually mean two things. One being the book that I am working on after I completed the one I’ve been talking about since the beginning of this blog. That one, has been not really getting anywhere new. I personally believe that it is sounding pretty great but it is slow moving at the moment. The one I will be talking about now is the one that I completed and have been sending to Literary Agents.

Granted, when I say completed, I mean that I was confidently done with it. After about 60 rejection letters you start to wonder how completed it is and what might be wrong with it. I felt very confident after my multiple edits, beta reading, revision etc. Don’t worry I am not giving up. These rejection letters have only egged me on and made me what to fight harder to get it published.

Most have been generic, a handful partly generic, and only one that was legitimately giving me a solid answer as why they didn’t feel it worked for them while complementing my writing in the process, which of course was very nice but still not a “yes”. But it made me doubt if only for a moment, if I should keep pursuing this or did I write a novel that no one will want to read. Brushing my doubts aside I reassessed the email rejection letter they sent me.

One of the key issues she said was the length. My Romantic Thriller novel is around 160,000 words. Granted yes that is a lot of words but I started my editing and revision processes with a lot more. Also, I and every reader I know (and I know quite a few) love longer novels. I don’t mind knowing more about the storyline granted, of course that it keeps me engrossed in the story.

She received only about three pages of my novel, that’s it. It is insane to think that these Literary Agents have to make a decision based on only three pages. The concept that you are looking for an Agent to hire (basically) because in the end they will get a cut from your advance or profits on the book and that they can not work with you to find you a Publisher or to improve your novel in anyway is also strange to me. We are looking to hire someone to help us and we as authors can’t even find someone that we are going to pay to work with us. The concept is baffling to me. I mean I would completely understand if say they saw no talent whatsoever in their eyes and didn’t feel as though they would be the best person to represent it. But if they see that spark of potential and think it is great but it needs a few things tweaked, you would think it would be ok. That being said it is our responsibility to make sure it is handed to them on a silver platter all primed and polished, no mistakes, no errors, and it has to be the next best seller (is what it feels like anyways) is so frustrating. This is not meant to be a burn on Literary Agents because I know that they have a job to do and they go through their fair share of stress I am sure but I would like to know what their perfect novel looks like because it seems like a fantasy to me.

I apologize for my random outburst up there but there is a certain level of frustration when submitting your novel to multiple Literary Agents. As in, why do people suggest to hire an Editor to Edit your manuscript before sending it to a Literary Agent? I mean isn’t it part of the process to have it edited by the editorial staff at the literary agency as well. Then when a publisher picks it up there will be an editing process through there as well. So, in essence as long as there are few to none as far as spelling errors and grammatical errors than it should be good right? I understand Literary Agents completely in the fact that they want to represent books that they have an interest in. I get it. Just like I wouldn’t write a novel that I wouldn’t read.

The issue is that trying to become a Traditionally published author is hard. And yes, Everything worth having in life requires hard work, but where are the Literary Agents who whether you are a new Author or not, will look at your work the same. I have read some novels that are published by bigger name Authors that are not so great, that have only been published because of their name. We have this gritty determinations new Authors to see our goal come to fruition. New authors have that drive, that desire to get to their work out there. If I was a Literary Agent I would love new Authors who show a desire to continue to write for years to come. There is a hunger as a new Author so to speak, so we will work hard to make and keep a career doing what we love. If I was a literary Agent than that is what I would look for over anything else, is that hunger.

So, that being said now I am moving on to plan B. There is a drive inside of me to get my novels out there to the world. I guess you could say that I’ve already moved on to plan B. I have started submitting directly to publishers who do not require an Agent to represent you. There is one large difference I have found between looking for an Agent vs a Publisher as far as the submitting process goes. That is the fact that most Publishers want to see a larger part if not your whole manuscript. Which I find incredibly refreshing because they are not determining your chances based off of one chapter and a query letter. Most publishers are actually having you submit a larger sample so they can review it properly and determine from there. Also unfortunately the time is longer as well, most won’t get back to you for months instead of weeks like an Agent.

However, in my search I have been debating for so long on just tweaking a few things, ironing out the wrinkles a bit with my book, doing another edit, getting a cover designed, figuring out a good layout for a book format and just self publishing. That is plan C, I suppose. But for now I will report back to ya’ll in this blog on the progress of my traditional publishing road. That way either you know what to be prepared for when you are ready to try it or you just get the progress on when you finally get to read this novel I’ve been talking about for so long.

Thank you all for following me through this Journey. All of you are a part of why I keep pushing myself everyday to see past each rejection letter and know that it is a goal I’ve set for myself that will be accomplished someday, hopefully sooner rather than later.

No matter what your goals are, no matter how many no’s or road blocks you hit, keep pushing. You were meant to do what you love to do. If you just let the world’s No’s stop you than you will have nothing to strive for. We as Human Beings need to have something to strive for. Without those somethings, we wouldn’t have so many wonderful things to be thankful for in life. The advancements made over time with Humans has been the determination of people fighting for their goals to make something better than it was before. So make the world a better place and publish your novel.

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my other social media platforms including my YouTube channel, the links are below the following image.

Write When You Can

Writing when you can, will help with stress and anxiety. Especially when a lack of writing is part of what causes it. I love to write so when I don’t, it feels like I am missing a part of myself. So this is me taking a minute to write.

My current situation with getting a second job and working there for awhile but just recently leaving it, is part of the reason for my writing draught. Don’t get me wrong the second job I started was a decent place to work and I met some great people. So I wouldn’t change any of it. Also, it gave me some of the experience that my new second job asked for. I am super excited about the new job and can’t wait to get started working from home.

It turns out that through the complicated process of getting hired for this great job and getting the paperwork started that I actually got two weeks of vacation in a way from a second job. Mind you, I still have to work at the first job during this time but I am learning how not so bad having just one job was. It’s funny, the old adage that the grass is always greener, isn’t always what it seems. Haha, you see what I did there? Two adages in one sentence. In this case, I feel as though I should have been more grateful during the time I only had one job. In the sense that I felt like less time at job one would have been best. However, it turns out that it had slightly more freedom than the last new second job. Hahaha who knew?

Not to ramble about my personal life dealing with life’s wonderful revelations but this is only a taste of what has been going on in my crazy life lately. To sum that all up I have been neglecting my writing to the point where it hurts. I’ve been writing tiny bits here and there just to keep me semi-sane but it hasn’t been enough. It’s mostly because of exhaustion. Falling asleep every night on the couch and having your spouse wake you up in a confused state is never fun. My husband, was understanding albeit bummed about the fact that he would have only one or two good hours of me being awake to actually spend time together. Which I understand, as I felt the same. I just couldn’t control my mental and physical exhaustion.

My last second job was working in an office around lots of people. For the extroverts of the world that may sound enticing but to us introverts it is mentally draining everyday. It has nothing to do with the people there, it’s not their fault. For an introvert it is just exhausting to “people” all day long, everyday of the week, no matter how great the people are.

My point of all of this….. is to find time to write, no matter the situation. Get that book, blog, etc, out there because if you don’t than you will never forgive your self for not making the time for something you love to do. I know life right now is kicking a lot of people when they are already down. I know that some of you may even say “what is the point?”. The point is for your happiness. For you to feel whole. Like you are not missing the part of you that loves to write. Take care of you. Yes, we all have people who rely on us to take care of them in some way but don’t lose sight of the fact that you need care too. That if you don’t help you, how will you help anyone else?

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my other social media platforms including my YouTube channel, the links are below the following image.

Update and Literary Woes

Update and Literary Woes, what an interesting title to draw y’all in to read this post right? I thought so, straight and to the point lol. So it’s been awhile since I’ve written well, really anything for that matter…usually the holidays effect my writing because I’m so busy, that it pains me but I don’t write much.

The big change that has affected my husband and I the most is, that I got a second job. That’s right, I’m working two jobs and trying to find time to write/submit my Novel to Literary Agents. So I ask that you please bear with me on the lack of keeping up with my blog. My husband and I are trying to figure out our new routine, the only reason I’ve found the time to write this is because I am sitting in my car typing it on my cell. Plus the overwhelming urge to write which has been weighing heavily on me. I’ve been forgetting my own advice to Just keep writing! We are just trying to get ahead and save to buy our own home which I’m sure many of you can relate to.

But aside from all that…I have submitted my finished revision of my novel to several agents and have gotten anywhere from flat out no’s, to my client list is full, to it’s got incredible potential but I can’t take it on right now so try some of our other agents…etc. I’ve found that I dislike the generic ones the most…even though I completely understand that they can’t personally respond to every query that comes across their email. Let me explain.

My issue with the generic ones is that they are so vague. I suppose if I were a literary agent and had only so much time in my day I would feel differently. But what I wouldn’t give to be able to have a few agents just explain a reason why they feel it wouldn’t be a good fit. We try so hard to write a great Query letter and edit everything just right. Then to get the flat out no’s, is really discouraging.

I’ve heard many Authors say ‘why don’t you just publish it yourself?’ It may come to that but I wanted so bad to work with a Literary agent as a team to find the right publisher. It may not happen and I’m learning to accept that but I’m trying as hard as I can.

There is so much doubt in my writing abilities at the moment. The doubts of:

Maybe my writing isn’t good enough.
I wrote a novel I wanted to read but does anyone else?
Will I ever get to write for a living? Get to do what I love?
Is my Query letter good enough (which I rewrote already as well)?
Is there something wrong with the first chapter?

And the list can go on and on but the point is that in this part of the process I have been so discouraged. However, in one way or another I will publish my novel so any of you who are interested and many others hopefully get to immerse themselves in the world and life of my characters that I created. One of these days you will get to read what I have been talking about in my blog all this time. I know this is all part of the writing journey that I am on but dammit if it’s not frustrating lol.

That being said, I would love to hear about your efforts in dealing with Literary Agents. As much information as you feel like commenting, whether encouraging or not. I am curious to know how the rest of you are faring in this cruel but wonderful literary world we live in. Please feel free to comment below.

I wish all of you luck in your artist endeavors. Although I haven’t been able to find the right literary agent for myself, I sincerely hope it happens a lot faster for all of you who want to share your stories with the world.

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my other social media platforms including my YouTube channel, the links are below the following image.

Focus

Focus, the very word we’ve heard all our lives. Ever since we were children and our attention span was still developing. Teachers, Parents etc. were the ones to use the word to teach us to keep our mind on one task until it was complete. As an Author, the word focus is essential to having even the semblance of a writing career.

Let’s start with the definition of Focus:

The Center of Activity, Attraction or Attention.
A point of concentration.
To Concentrate on something or pay particular attention to it.
The main or central point of something

Whichever way you choose to word it, Focus is a fairly simple word to understand but it is something that can be lost. It’s ironic that adults taught us the word focus when we were kids and as adults we are just as capable of losing it as we were then. We of course have different reasons as adults but it still is something that can be lost. When I was a kid I lost focus mostly when it came to Math. Let’s just say that subject has never been one of my strong suits lol. Lots of people remind themselves on a daily basis to focus on the task at hand. However, in a world full of distractions how does one not lose something that we were told as children was so easy to obtain?

There are many stresses in life as well as choices, so it can be extremely difficult to keep that focus on your goals. I’ve thought about the word Focus a lot lately because I have found it difficult to focus on my writing. So I apologize to all of you for not posting on any of my platforms recently. My life has made it a little more difficult to focus on my writing. I have goals and I remind myself of what I plan for my future success as an Author but it is still difficult to pick one task and stick to it.

I’ve found my mind trying to stretch and focus on too many things at once. While my heart and soul are just begging me to write something, anything. Just to put fingers to keyboard and words to blog right now makes me feel a little of that built up writing tension melt away. Don’t get me wrong, I love to write but sometimes you run out of time to do everything in one day. So prioritizing is important. So when writing doesn’t pay the bills it goes on a back burner for weeks at a time while work deadlines get handled. It’s a shame that we can’t all just get paid to do what we love so it doesn’t feel like work at all.

I could ramble on and on, making excuses for my lack of Focus on my writing career lately but I’m not going to. Before I took a break from writing recently because life has been a little hectic I wrote just the word Focus on a draft for this post. Just a headline. Because I felt myself losing that Focus (I realize I’ve probably over used that word but it’s an important word lol). So I thought that if fell into this writing draught that I would see this blog post with the title all about helping me regain that attention on my goals. I figured if I see it then I will want to write it.

Well, obviously it worked lol. I am writing this to tell you other writers out there that if you have lost that Focus then it’s ok. We all do through our lives. Yes, our attention span have developed so much more since being a child but it doesn’t mean that it is bad to lose Focus. What matters is that you come back to your goals. What matters is that it makes you a stronger person to learn how to reassess and get that ability to Focus back.

As some of you may know from one of my posts earlier this year, I lost my Grandmother. But I never mentioned that I lost her due to Dementia/Alzheimer’s. All those who loved her the most in this world had to watch as she slowly deteriorated to a physical state that is not right for any human being to have to endure. Dementia is a sad, horrible disease that can take a toll on the person and the family around them. It is an awful disease that I do not wish upon anyone. Over the past years my grandmother lost her ability to function, to walk, to speak, to open her eyes, to eat on her own.

In recent years both my husbands parents have also both been diagnosed with Dementia. With my mother in law being the first diagnosed with it. We have been spending more and more time caring for her as her memory and reasoning is what is deteriorating. We have finally been able to get her ready to move to the next stage in her care. She can still function in most ways but her needs will start to change as time goes on. We cannot provide all of the supervision and care she needs. Time is what we need with her, as much as we can get to give her some adventure in her life, where we can focus on making memories with her. She may not remember all of them in the future but we are not ready to let her go yet and we want to see her laugh and smile while she still can.

I saw my grandmother go from her wonderful, singing, dancing, outgoing, incredibly loving self to a vegetable like state. Now in life’s cruel horrible turn of events I get to start the process all over again with someone else that I am very close too. Now, I sound a little selfish. Because it is soooo hard for me but I feel the most sad for my husband. For my husband it feels like what I went through with my grandmother who helped raise me. It causes a crack, if you will, to form in the heart that cannot be patched…It feels like being pierced through the heart and that pressure from the hole that will never heal goes away for a short while but just builds again.

There are good days and then there are bad days where multiple things remind me of my grandma. The good are the happy memories that put a smile on my face when I remember them. The bad are the days when I am reminded of all she went through, the pain that she must have felt, the fear and sadness. My husband is the one who I am saddened for the most aside from my mother in law of course, in my mind and heart I worry more for him than myself. No one wants to see their love lose a parent in any way, let alone in a painfully sad and slow deteriorating way.

I would be a liar to say that being around my Mother in law isn’t a reminder of what my grandma went through in the beginning. It opens up the wound in my heart every single time I am around her. But that is something I try to put from my mind the best I can because I love her and want to spend those moments with her.

I am just having trouble focusing on writing right now. Family comes first and if you gotta stretch yourself a little thin to help them, then it’s what you do. I have been trying to find every minute I can to write even though it hasn’t been much lately. Reading has increased a bit though and I firmly believe that reading also doubles as research to better your writing skills. So I apologize to all of my followers on here that I have been so absent on here lately.

I have told you all this information about things going on in my life not for sympathy but for awareness. I know Alzheimer’s awareness month is in June, so it’s already passed for the year but I firmly believe that it doesn’t have to be a certain month to raise awareness for a cause. Many people out there are impacted by Dementia and Alzheimer’s on a daily basis, whether it is themselves or through care of a family member. So that being said before my closing paragraph here I hope that you would kindly take the time to learn more about this disease or even donate to help with medical research for a cure and so much more with the following link… Thank you to those of you who take the time to do so and to those of you already doing something to raise awareness for such an unforgiving disease. The link is https://www.alz.org

Life comes at you fast (to quote a very common over used phase that is entirely true). So you can lose focus without meaning to but make sure you find a way to get back on the path to your dreams. I have mentally been punishing myself for not making time for what I love to do. I have been trying to regain some of that focus. This is a reminder to myself as well as others who need the reminder to focus on what you love to do. It doesn’t have to be today, or even tomorrow but try to find the time in your busy life to make time for your future.

Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.

If you would like to follow my blog or my other social media platforms including my YouTube channel, the links are below the following image.