Ellen ES Ceely's Blog, page 3

The Truth About What I Write and Why It Matters

I’ve been considering the truth about what I write and why it matters. As I’ve pushed myself to grow in talking more about my books and my writing, and what they are or aren’t, I’ve realized that I don’t always advertise everything. Why? I’m afraid people won’t like it. That’s silly. Of course not everyone will like what I have to offer. But if I’m cagey about my books and writing and what I’m all about, then I also won’t attract readers who do want to read my stories. I will miss out on the aud...

New Job – Same Ellen – Different Life

As of today, I have a new job and a different life, but I like to believe I’m still the same old Ellen.

As of this week, I’m no longer an executive assistant. I’m thankful to be parting on good terms with my employer, sad to leave behind the relationships I’ve built over the last 5 years, and grateful for all I learned during my time in that position.

But it’s time for me to move on. It’s time to take a gamble and go after a dream a little more fully.

So, what is Ellen’s new job?

M...

To the Inspiring Indie Author Women

To the inspiring Indie author women out there: you’re killing it! You inspire me every day in so many ways. I was at a standstill with my writing for longer than I wanted because of moving. In the silence of my own platform, I got to witness yours more fully. It was so beautiful to watch and continues to be amazing even now that I’m back.

This is my toast to you, my letter of thanks, and my public declaration of admiration for who you are.

Indie Author Women Take Risks

Being an Indie a...

A New Start and an Old Love

The only title I could think of to explain what I’ve been feeling the last few weeks is, “A New Start and an Old Love”. You see, I recently moved from Orlando, FL to Gibsonville, NC. The past few weeks have been a flurry of packing and moving and settling in. There’s been so much in my mind and on my heart, but no time or ability to settle and write. So here’s my attempt, as an author, at verbalizing it all. This post is more of a personal letter and update than anything else. I feel as though I...

Celebrate How Far You’ve Come

Too often I focus on all I have yet to do and forget to celebrate how far I’ve come. When progress is made and goals are attained, it’s easy to move on and completely ignore how much I’ve accomplished because of the things I haven’t yet accomplished. So this post is an ode to the things I’ve already accomplished. It’s me pausing briefly to take a deep breath and recognize that although there’s still more work to come, I’ve already come a long way.

Celebrate: Writing & Publishing

At age tw...

My Idea of a Perfect Weekend

What is your idea of a perfect weekend? My idea of a perfect weekend includes, of course, all of my favorite things. But it would take too long to write them all down, so I’ll just give you a glimpse of a few.

Weekend Perfection: Writing

Any perfect weekend for me will always include writing. Time where I don’t have to worry about how long it takes me, but can just sit in peace and work on one of my books is something I consider absolute perfection. Right now I’m writing book 3 in my seri...

Life Goals and Dreams

As an adult I’ve struggled with creating long-term goals and dreams for my life. As a child and a teenager, I had all kinds of ideas about what I wanted my life to be like. At one point I wanted to be a theater director. At another I wanted to be an English teacher in Mexico. Life never went quite the way I wanted it to and, for a time, I gave up on making too many goals. Dreaming and hoping of what could be became too painful when disappointment seemed inevitable.

But the last few years have...

What it’s Like to Self-Publish

I remember wondering what it would would be like to self-publish. Now I know. It’s been amazing and terrible all at the same time. I’ve both loved and hated every minute of the process. There have been times of extreme doubt and fear, but other times of joy I didn’t know was possible to feel.

What it’s like to self-publish: it’s lonely

There’s no way around this one. Self-publishing can be extremely lonely at times. The key to this is to find your tribe, your support team, the people who ...

Why I Write Fantasy for Young Adults

I’ve often asked myself why I write fantasy for young adults. On the outside it doesn’t appear to serve any practical purpose in life. As an Enneagram 1, I have a deep love for the practical. I thrive on “gut” instinct and intuition. My core emotion is often anger. I have a tendency to view the world as black and white. So my love for fantasy has surprised me throughout my life. Fantasy is something for which I will be forever grateful.

Why I write fantasy: to relax

I write fantasy to rel...

3 Things I’ve Learned from Self-Publishing

These are not the 3 things I’ve learned from self-publishing that I expected to write about! When I started off on this Indie path I read all kinds of articles that contradicted each other with advice. I read books and followed people online to see what I could learn. Most of what I ended up with was encouragement rather than a clear path forward.

1st Thing I Learned from Self-Publishing: Expect Things to Go Sideways

There have been multiple days while editing, recording audio, and format...