Did you know writers are readers too?
Yep, sometimes when I get stuck on a scene I'm working on, the best thing I can do is put it aside and dive into a great book by one of the author's I love. Never fails to open up those creative juices.
This is how I know Readers love to get lost in a book, be taken away to far away places they never might have the chance to experience otherwise, or just escape their chaotic lives for a awhile. But how many readers stop to think about what really goes into writing, promoting and selling those beloved books?
When I was younger, I thought authors sat in their quiet offices, relaxating in pj’s as they pounded away at those keys. Then when the book was finished, they'd sit back and watch the money roll in. Geesh…talk about not even close. I wish that’s how it worked. LOL
Blood, sweat and tears! That's more like it.
Writers work non-stop on their masterpieces even when not at the computer typing those brilliant words. The story and characters preoccupy pretty much every moment of every day. Late nights, early mornings, lunch breaks, carpool lines, doctors waiting rooms, you name it. There is no turning the switch off. The plotting and writing oozes out of every pore regardless of whether we want it to or not.
With the invention of e-books, the publishing side may have gotten a bit easier to wade through for authors like me, wanting more say over covers and pricing, but it also opened up a can of worms as well. Now authors can have that control by self-publishing their work, but they must learn to format, find and hire good cover artists as well as editors, and then promote, promote, promote!
Did I say how much I hate to promote? Ugh...
Even choosing to go the traditional route and have a publisher take care of the formatting, editing, covers, etc. still leaves the majority of promoting up to the authors.
All of this and they still must carve out those precious moments to write the next book. It’s a brutal balancing act. Exhausting doesn’t even come close to describing the end result. Finishing a manuscript after months and months of hard work is just the beginning. Worthy of major celebration. But then comes the real work. The polishing, the cutting (ouch), the adding, chapter by chapter and after reaching the end, it’s time to do it all over again. You see, in an author’s mind, the story is never really finished. There will always be something to change, tweak or rewrite completely.
I've talked to lots of others, so I know I'm not alone in this madness.
Turning your baby over to someone else to critique, or reject (gulp) is the toughest part of writing in my opinion. This is where an author’s skin must become tough as nails or their dreams will be torn to shreds. So many different views on how one should write, so many different options on how one should publish, an author must be strong and stay true to their own ideas, and yet be flexible enough to change in order to grow. Another critical balancing act.
I know what's going through your head right about now. Writers/Authors must be crazy to continue on with this obsession, right? LOL Well, in a sense, I guess that’s true. Crazy in love with a passion churning from deep within. The rewards hard to explain, but like no other.
Even after all this, trust me when I say, it’s the ultimate addiction ever.
And I absolutely LOVE IT! :)
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