Miscellaneous Musings on The Business
of Writing
I’m currently working have three
writing projects in progress.
1.
A collaboration with another
author on the first of a proposed book series. Target for the completed first
draft of this book is March.
2. Fine-tuning the first booklet in
my “how to” series, A Science Guy’s Read
On… This first volume is titled Idea
Farming.
3.
Hard edit of Mamba Mysteries: The
Mixer Murder And Other Detective Case Files—a book I hope to have out by
summer.
So what?
I’ve been thinking. Here are five
miscellaneous musings on the business of writing.
1.
Writing is easy.
Sitting at my computer with an outline or a manuscript open is a very cool
situation. Most of the time words just kind of bubble up into existance my
brain, flow down through my arms, and splash into reality on the screen.
2.
Writing is hard.
Managing three projects, while not an impossible task, requires the ability to
quickly refocus from one project to another. At times I find myself trying to
remember the last name of character…
3.
The business of writing can be fun. Talking to a the Reader’s Club at a high school or
explaining my process and discussing plot ideas at a book signing or author’s
chat event is a giant rush. I wish I could do more of that.
4.
The business of writing is a pain. Promoting a book is not easy. You need to beg for
reviews on Amazon so their search engine “likes” your book more and more. You
need to attract followers on social media—not as easy as it sounds. Oh, yeah,
then there’s tracking sales, royalties, expenses…
5.
I’m glad I’m writing. Overall, since I’ve started “writing,” the highs
are much higher than the lows. Do I wish I was selling more books? You bet! Do
I sometimes berate software programs for their idiosyncrasies? Yep—usually
quite loudly. Do I regret being a writer? Not a bit!
That’s it for today.
Well, not quite. When I can, I’d
like to start promoting young, talented authors I know. This is my first.
Hannah Youngwirth was a student
of mine. She has written a very compelling story in the first person perspective.
Titled, Ascension, it’s
the story of a civilization… well, I’ll let you read it for yourself. She’s
currently almost giving it away. I recommend the book and encourage you to give
it a read and post a review for her.
Follow “my” newbies on Twitter
#newauthor
Next blog: Some
Science Stuff that’s Simply Spectacular
