Dismantle My Bed

Need a last minute gift for that writer friend? When I was talking to my Mom the other day on the phone, she mentioned buying something for my nephew that seemed kind of cool to me. It is a dictionary bookmark. Apparently my sister makes him look up words in the dictionary whenever he doesn’t know a meaning (good for her!), and my Mom figured this way he could have one readily available. Well, being the particular type of nerd that I am, I thought it was a pretty sweet gift, and the perfect encouragement for that young writer in your life. So, if you have one, check it out. Of course, this one appears to have pretty bad reviews, so you might want to seek another brand, but still… kind of cool.

The age old question.

I spend some of my time writing my heart’s desire. I spend most of my time writing for, what I hope will one day be, profit. Sometimes I feel like it’s a question of being a starving artist or a wealthy sellout. I naturally lean more toward one than toward the other, but the older I get, the harder it becomes to stay passionate and mean when the earnings are lean. There are moments when it feels like a matter of time before I throw on a sandwich board and give into my future career as a corporate advertising monkey.

Day-to-day life can be a serious drain on creative energy. Whether it is working at a company somewhere or working on making your life’s fortune on your own, there is always something that needs to be done while you are trying to write. How do you tune out the distractions and find your writing voice?

I find that, if I start my day out with something that lacks creativity, I cannot get back in the creative mindset. So, if I am going to spend a day writing, the writing must come first. I can always switch gears away from writing, but its difficult ot shift into that higher gear when I’ve been putting along in first all day.

To make sure you can always get the writing out, figure out what works for you and your own creativity. If it is at all feasible in your life, schedule your day around the writing. Don’t try to shove writing into a space where it doesn’t quite fit.

Writers write. This is the only useful information ever given a writer, I sometimes think. If you are anything like me, writing can be as painful and difficult an experience as a positive one, and days off from it sometimes feel like a glorious idea. If you are like me, though, some of the writing can be so difficult that on those days when you choose not to work on something that has been giving you trouble, it’s important to remind yourself what you love about writing. Write something fun. Write something snarky. Write something that makes you smile, even if it’s only three lines and they don’t make any sense together. You never know when something brilliant will present in your mind. If you aren’t checking in regularly, you might just miss it.

Hard to believe my book has been in self-published limbo hell for over three years now, but that’s the way it is. On a positive note though, I am still making the occasional sale to the occasional new person who comes across me. Here is what I’ve learned from this. For the roughly hundred or so hours of soul-wrenching, absolutely free writing you put out into the world, you will make approximately one book sale. Some of these sales will make you a decent amount of money. $12 or so, yay! Some will make you about $1. Suck.

So, my advice for selling your books today. Write for free and hope someone takes pity on you.

That is all.