Stan C. Smith's Blog, page 37

#1: What kind of writer are you?

People have asked me about the processes involved with writing and publishing as an indie author. I thought some of you might find it interesting. So this is the first in a series of posts, each describing a different aspect of the process.
 
Topic #1: Decide what kind of writer you are.
 
Let’s be honest, you don’t become an indie author to get rich (although this happens more frequently these days—look up Hugh Howey or Scott Sigler, among others).  You do it because you like to write. It is a creative outlet, and we all need creative outlets, don’t we?  I write because it makes me happy to create something from nothing. But my books are not for everyone. I grew up reading sci-fi and adventure books. I collected and read everything Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote (Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, At the Earth’s Core, etc.).  And so writing Diffusion and Infusion was a labor of love for me. The question is: what do you love to read?  If you love poetry, you should write poetry. You could take a poetry class, or read some books on writing poetry, or simply study the work of great poets. Do you love to read steamy romances?  If so, you should write romances. Life is too short to spend precious free time doing things we don’t love. Other people may not like the books you like. But don’t write for other people. Write for yourself.  If you do, your passion will show through. It is much easier to become good at something when you are passionate about it.
 
And keep in mind the world is changing. With indie publishing distributors such as Amazon, you now have access to readers all over the world.  Maybe your friends and neighbors don’t like the books you like, but you can bet your best writing pen that somewhere in the world there are people who do. Even if you write zombie romances set in prehistoric times.
 
What kind of writer is inside of you waiting to come out?

What is your creative outlet?

As a teacher, I loved creating new lessons I thought would engage students.  As an Instructional Technology Coordinator, I loved creating workshops for teachers and writing grants to fund exciting programs involving technology in the classroom.  I even enjoyed writing tutorials explaining how to do certain tasks with software apps. These were my creative outlets for the 29 years I was an educator.  Now that I am writing fiction full time, that is my creative outlet (I love sharing the fruits of my efforts, my novels:  http://goo.gl/rojJEA).
 
I have a neighbor who never stops working on the landscaping of his patio and yard.  I think that’s his creative outlet, and I am somewhat envious of his skills.  I have a son who is a wizard with words and rhetoric, another son who paints decoys and can cook any wild game or fish, a daughter who is mastering jiu jitsu, one who can expertly cut and style any head of hair, and one who creates the most imaginative wedding cakes.  My wife Trish can take any set of ingredients and create a delicious meal (which can never be repeated in the exact way again, as it is an art rather than a science). You might like to paint with watercolors.  You might like to create fun scrapbooks to pass down to your children.  Or perhaps you garden and enjoy coming up with new configurations of soil, compost, and plants.  Or maybe you like to redecorate the rooms of your house, creating fresh new living spaces.
 
It occurs to me that expressing ourselves creatively is part of being human.  I imagine everyone has a creative outlet of some kind.  If you haven’t thought about this, what is your creative outlet?  Whatever it is, be sure to nurture it, study it, expand it, make time for it, and most of all, love it.  It is, after all, part of what makes us human, don’t you think?
 
What is your creative outlet?