Reena Jacobs's Blog, page 3

Love Your Library

So, I received this email a few days ago about the value of higher education. It kind of looked like spam… well, it probably was. However, I thought it was interesting, none the less. The email linked back to a website called Webucator. First time I’d ever heard of it, and I haven’t really browsed it other than to read the related post. However, the email posed two questions:

Could you have gotten as much out of four years in the public library as you got out of college?
What would you do with a year in the public library now?

Ejumacate me!

I’m a huge fan of education… especially the good education (wink)(wink). I have a bachelor degree and a master degree. I started working toward a PhD but dropped out about a year or so before completing the program, when I decided psychology wasn’t truly a career I wanted to dedicate myself to. Now, I’m knocking out some prerequisites so I can earn a MBA. I’ve spent more of my adult life enrolled in school than not. For me, learning is very rewarding. Even when I’m not in school, I spend time researching and learning new things.

Public Library VS College

In my mind, the first questions is rather loaded. It makes the assumption that individuals will go to the public library for education if they opt out of college. I personally don’t go to the public library for education. I go for entertainment. Before eBooks were popular, I’d check out fiction. Those occasional instances I did check out non-fiction, it again for entertainment.

Entertaining Subject Matter

Maybe I wanted to learn how to craft something specific. Or perhaps I was interested in Victorian dresses in order to research a book. I was fascinated with bugs at one time and might have gathered books for the science section. However, my interest in non-fiction was never focused. The books I checked out wouldn’t have provided me the knowledge I needed to get my foot in any particular door, because my interests were so varied. Also, reading books typically is a lone project. I sit down and read without necessarily discussing it with other students or a professor to act as a mentor. There’s no one to challenge me when I read a book. It’s purely for entertainment.

Who’s Responsible?

Secondly, there’s no accountability for the books read in a public library. Finishing a degree or even taking specific classes gives the assurance that the student has learned key pieces of knowledge. I don’t have to learn anything when I go to the public library. I can just sit back, ready, and enjoy. What I retain, I retain. What I learn, I learn. What ever doesn’t happen, well… who cares? There’s more entertainment in the next book, which might be completely unrelated to the book I just read.

Now I’m Tracking

A big bonus for formal education is that it keeps me on track. I may not particularly enjoy the subject matter or the book knowledge required for a course or degree. However, knowing I have deadlines that are externally enforced keeps me on top of things. For me, that’s important, because it keeps me going; it keeps me focused on the end results… finishing the course or obtaining the degree. Others might work differently, but that’s me.

So, if I spent 4 years straight in a public library, I highly doubt I would have obtained the same knowledge as going to college. Now it’s certainly possible to obtain a college education in a public library. However, how many individuals are willing to do that? How many individuals will take the initiative to do so? I might have pose different question: Was the knowledge I obtained through college beneficial, applicable, and useful in the working world? Now that I’m a working girl, how much book knowledge do I still use?

A Year in the Public Library

Hmmm…. Just the idea of spending a year in a public library fills me with anxiety… almost a sense of claustrophobia. I hate to say it, but public libraries are outdated. They’re filled with books, most people would rather have in eBook format. They have sections of VHS and cassette tapes, which should be decommissioned to a museum. Why would I go to a library? For the quiet? Are the shush rules still enforced?

Earlier this week, I went to the state capitol. The library happened to be visiting and had an event to check out mystery books. Now when I say mystery books, I’m not talking about the genre. I’m talking about books wrapped in paper bags, so you can’t see what’s in them. On the outside was a clue to what kind of book it held. I picked up two. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten into reading, and I’d hoped those books would jumpstart my desire. However, even as I checked out these mystery books (which I still haven’t read), I couldn’t help think what a pain it’d be to flip through the pages or lay down in bed with a book vs reading a digital copy. I still haven’t opened the books to see what they are.

So… what would I do in a public library? Probably every thing I’d rather be doing at home… or perhaps I’d be doing less than what I’d be doing at home since the library has limitations I don’t have at home… like walking around in my underwear.

In Summary

There’s a place for formal education. That’s not to say, formal education couldn’t use some improvements. A large percentage of required courses don’t prepare individuals for real work. However, formal education does give an individual a little foundation. That way students can at least carry on an sensible conversation. Above all, I hope a student would learn some basic writing, math, or whatever skills. From there, work experience is there to help push an individual into expert-hood.

I think an even better approach would be to match formal education with work experience, similarly to what’s expected of doctors, nurses, or other programs which required internships/residencies. Make internships mandatory for all degrees rather than electives.

But let’s face it, public libraries are not the happening place they used to be. Downloading an eBook is far more convenient than visiting a library. Furthermore, digital books tend to be more convenient to read than physical books.

So, my not so humble opinion says public libraries lose this round.

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To Edit or Not to Edit

Last week, Steve Evans responded to my post about fair eBook prices. It got me thinking about the writing and publishing process, and the reason why I expect to be paid for my work. I realize, it wasn’t the writing itself, but rather the stuff that comes after writing which turns the whole thing into work.

I Enjoy Creating

I enjoy the entire creation process. This includes developing plots, creating characters, writing, and even developing book covers. Oh… what fun I have! I have 4 novels which are 75-95% finished with the first draft, a few more that are in the 50% range, and a host of other ideas floating around. However, when I think about going back and polishing those books, my motivation falls flat. In fact, I don’t even want to finish them when I think about having to prepare the for publication. So, I have some choices when it comes to getting my books out there.

Outsource

I can outsource the stuff I don’t like. One of the things business owners should realize is they don’t have to do everything. What they’re unable to do or just plain don’t want to do, they can outsource it to others. For instance, I can pay someone to critique my works, pay for a proofreader, editor, and marketing person. However, the key word is pay.

One thing everyone realizes is that resources are limited. There’s a cost benefit to pretty much every choice we make. If I pay someone to do all the things I don’t want to do or am unable to do, there are other things I won’t be able to afford to do. And I’ll be honest here. I don’t have a few thousand dollars to blow per book with little chance of recovering the costs.

To Hell with It All!

What Steve really got me thinking about was why I continued to do things I didn’t enjoy. It’s not like I have to prepare my books for publishing. In fact, I can write my first drafts and shove them in a virtual drawer, if I wanted.

On the other hand, I’ve been feeling rather guilty… especially when it comes to the sequels to Shadow Cat. I really feel as if I should finish what I started, and get those other two books out. In fact, book two is pretty much written. While polishing it, I thought about feedback I received from Shadow Cat, and wanted to make sure I didn’t make the same mistakes. So, I went back and rewrote a section. Now the whole thing needs to be reviewed for consistencies. The final book is at that 75% stage… so I’m pretty close with being done with them all… but then I’m in the to hell with it all stage. I just don’t feel like going back and reviewing and polishing them. So why should I continue doing things which make me unhappy? There’s enough unhappiness in the world. I don’t need to add an optional unhappiness to my list.

To Hell with My Reputation?

Then again, I can take that attitude and do something different with it. I’ve read quite a few literary agents say they see books on the market which aren’t ready for publishing. I wholeheartedly agree with them. Dare I take my not quite ready drafts and put them on the market? Just the idea feels me with anxiety.

I talked to my husband about the pros and cons of doing that. The reality is I have works I’m sure someone would like to read. However, they’re unlikely to make it into readers’ hands if I’m stuck on preparing them for publication… at least if I continue to work on them to the extend they satisfy me.

However, I can write my first draft, then do a pass or two before sending it off into the world. I can stop obsessing over getting each phrase to sound just right.

What Do You Think, Readers?

Literary agents have their own viewpoints. However, they aren’t my market, readers are. From the reader’s standpoint, would you rather see an early draft of a story or bypass the story all together? I ask because I’m in the to hell with it stage. The works I’m just on the edge of completing will either be filed in the virtual folder or I’ll likely finish them and do some rudimentary passes before sending into the world.

Is it better to get the work out or to slave over the work with the chance it’s just not going to get the attention it needs to be “ready for publication?”

What are your thoughts?

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The Fussy Librarian Reader Survey – Short Stories

Looks like The Fussy Librarian is sharing more results today. This time in response to short stories (classified as under 125 pages in this survey). As you know, I hold the belief that writers should be paid for their works, just as people going to their day jobs expect to be paid. Now how much a work is worth is up for debate. This is what I like about the Fussy Librarian surveys. It’s asking the readers, the actual consumers what they think their entertainment is worth.

Short Stories in Numbers

If we do the quick math on that with the standard assumption of 250 words per page, that’s about 31,250 words. The minimum to be considered a novel is 50,000 words or 200 pages. Keep in mind, 200 pages is a short novel. These days, I’m seeing novels running in the 300-375 range (75,000 – 93,750 words). In other words, the short story is looking at about a third of a book, if you’re pushing for the upper 125 page number. With that in mind, according to the Fussy Librarian, 75% of those surveyed read short stories.

The Results!

As a reminder, I mentioned in my last post that The Fussy Librarian revealed the $3.99 price point as the high frequency for eBooks with 55% of those surveyed believing that eBook prices should range from $2.99-4.99.

So what does the survey say about short stories? Well, 30% of those surveyed believed short stories should always be free. This kind of makes me think of the free pens with our logos that we give out to clients. We use the free pens as a way to promote ourselves. Likewise, many authors do the same with their works… the loss leader. However, a loss leader only works if you have a collection of stories to sell. Otherwise, the loss leader is just lost money. And really, a loss leader is really a marketing strategy, not an evaluation of how much a work is worth.

So our paying readers… what do they think? The high frequency this time around is $0.99, which came out to be 43% of those surveyed. Not bad, I think, considering 125 pages is about 1/4 to 1/3 of a book. That leaves the remaining consumers (25%) in the $1.99-3.99 price point.

What’s an Author to do?

When I think of 30,000 words, I see it as quite an investment. It’s not like the 5-15K short stories I whip up with Control Freak that might take a week or two max for a first draft and a few more weeks to refine, polish, and edit. A decent 30K word story can easily take a month or more to write (at least for me). Then there’s months and months of rereading, polishing, and editing. We’re not looking at a quick turn around. The longer a work is, the more chance time investment it takes (exponentially).

Yet 30% is a big chuck of consumers who think that effort should be free. If readers believe smaller works have no monetary value, what can an author do? Well, an author can consider packaging their works… putting together a short story collection that equates to the size of a full length novel.

The Unanswered Question

I found it interesting that 30% of consumers thought smaller works (125 pages or less) should be free while 25% of consumers didn’t read short works. Hmmm. What’s the distribution on that? Were those who did not read short stories likely to think short works should be free? Or was it the other way around… those who consumed smaller works valued them less monetarily?

Questions, questions….

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The Fussy Librarian Reader eBook Survey

The Survey

Recently, The Fussy Librarian conducted a survey in regards readers and ebooks. The Fussy Librarian was generous to post some initial data about what readers think are fair prices for a novel length ebooks.

Oftentimes, it’s difficult for authors to price their books. One one hand, authors want readers to download their books and read them. When the readers don’t bite, it can create a sense of desperation. Sometimes that desperation can drive authors to lower their prices to dirt cheap (and at times, free) in order to reduce the barriers of downloading their work. Other times, authors will base their prices on what other authors are doing or what others are telling them to do. In a way, it’s a bit of a scattered approach.

What I like about the survey The Fussy Librarian conduct is it takes some of the guess work out of it. Rather than relying on tidbits of information here and there, it’s going directly to the target market… the reader. What are readers willing to pay? And what do readers feel is a fair price?

Mildly Annoyed

I have to admit, when I first review the results, I was mildly annoyed. In fact, my husband (dear man puts up with so much), listened to my short rant about those who thought all ebooks should be free, and how I’d like to visit those folks’ place of work and receive free products and services. It made me think of the starving artist profession.

Then I had to realize… there are always those out there who expect a free ride,  may not appreciate the effort (or even the cost to produce a piece of work), or think in a way I can even fathom. Rather than be irritated with a bunch of strangers, whom I don’t understand, I should focus on the positive results of the survey… the parts I feel really pertain to the type of readers I’m seeking…

Those Who See eBooks Worthy of Compensation

I found several items about the survey interesting. First, the mode (highest frequency) was the $3.99 price point. For the longest time, I’ve thought $2.99 would be the mark. However, my thoughts on that was based upon the royalty rates. For Amazon, the $2.99 price point is the lowest an author can sell a book, while still receiving 70% royalty. Anything below $2.99 and the authors are put in the 35% royalty category. Likewise, anything above $9.99 puts the author at 35% royalty. However, few self-published authors price above $9.99.

In a way, my $2.99 price point was my projecting on the readers what I thought they’d be willing to pay based upon the lowest it makes sense for an author to price an ebook.

The second item which caught my eye was the skewed results.

Approximately 55% of participants fell in the $2.99-4.99 price point. In fact, almost three quarter of those who answered the question believed $2.99 or more was a fair price for a novel. For me, that’s huge. I’m not saying my books are great or even worthy of the effort of downloading. However, to know that a large portion of readers value the work that authors put into a book (even at the $2.99-3.99 price point), feels me with hope.

It’s true eBooks are less expensive to produce than physical books. After all, you don’t have the printing, delivery, or even same storage costs. However, there are still cost-associated services which go into creating an eBook (writing, editing, formatting, illustrating, marketing, software, etc.). I’m going to go out on a limb and make the assumption that outside of the writing process, most authors would rather not deal with the rest of the book creation process. It’s work… and to be success (or even unsuccessful), it’s hard work.

So when I got over my initial disappointment with those who felt eBooks were unworthy of compensation, I was pretty happy to see majority of readers did not feel that way.

I definitely look forward to the future results The Fussy Librarian has in store for us!

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Kindle Unlimited

Now Kindle Unlimited?

Hmm… We had Kindle Select. Now we have Kindle Unlimited. I was a somewhat early adopter of Kindle Select. I did one round when it first came out… I think? I’m pretty sure, at least.

If I recall, Kindle Select didn’t benefit me much at all. I think it made a slight blip. Over all, I think it was more of a wash, since I had to unpublished my books from other sites.

The Great Kindle Select Ploy

Quite a few authors hopped on the Kindle Select bandwagon. I don’t know so much these days. I believe the popularity of Kindle Select was a result of old ways of doing things.

Prior to Kindle Select, there was a period of about a year that Amazon did this free-book matching thing. Oh… it was wonderful. I think I was offering Brandon’s Story for free on other sites at the time. Amazon only gave self-publishers the option to price their books at $0.99 back then.

Then one day, I woke up and found my little unknown book had been downloaded for free 100s of times. I don’t remember how far up the ranks it rose, but it was in the top 10 for quite some time. It was glorious. Even though I wasn’t making money on my free book, my poor, struggling Shadow Cat was bringing in quite a few sales. Not get rich sales, but enough sales to make me smile.

Later, I noticed I was receiving sales for Brandon’s Story too. It was still free, but once in a while it’d get some paid hits. It occurred to me, that not only was my free book popular… but it also had potential for some earnings of it’s own. So… I put a price tag on it.

And people purchased it! I rode those sells out for quite a few weeks.

So when authors who hadn’t been as lucky as I’d been during those freebie days saw Kindle Select being offered (includes 5 days of free promotions), many jumped at the chance. However, when everyone is doing it, it becomes a lot less effective. Plus, 5 days of promotions doesn’t really give a book a chance to establish itself. Add that to the fact, Amazon started tweaking their algorithm to give less weight to free books, and it becomes a not so worthy system.

The New Game

So now we have this new feature… Kindle Unlimited. It’s actually a part of Kindle Select. It gives readers access to 600K+ worth of books, books which are enrolled in Kindle Select. In the past, Authors were paid when readers downloaded their book for free through the Amazon Prime program. Authors got a piece of the big pie… each download was worth a certain percentage of the pie. If 100 books were downloaded the month, and 3 of them were yours, you got 3% of the pie. Of course, far more than just 100 book were downloaded each month… I’m just throwing out easy numbers. If I’m not mistaken, readers were limited one free book a month.

With Kindle Unlimited, readers can download an unlimited number of books a month. Authors still get a piece of the pie. However, a reader needs to cruise through about 10% of the book for the author to get credit.

Dare Reena Try it?

For those who don’t know. Book promotion is an ongoing thing for authors. If the author doesn’t promote the book (and keep writing), their books get forgotten. Stop pointing fingers at me!

I’ve been out of the game for going on 2 years? Wow! Time flies. As expected, my book sales have dropped DRASTICALLY. I used to stalk the online book stores to see how much money I’d made that day. Now, I check every few months. I still receive monthly royalty checks, along with the notices that accompany them. Half the time, I don’t even bother to see how much it is. I’m lucky if it’s enough to buy my husband and me a dinner (no tip). haha

So when I got the email today about Kindle Unlimited, I started calculating. Should this barely known and forgotten author hop on the Kindle Select bandwagon to enjoy the benefits of Kindle Unlimited?

I don’t know…

What’s This Exclusivity Thingie?

The big drawback to participating in Kindle Select is the exclusivity clause. In order to participate, I’d have to take all the versions of my book off the other sites. Hmmm….

I scrolled through my ever so limited collection. Which book was I willing to sacrifice? At first, I thought Brandon’s Story! Yes… that’s the one. It’s a pretty good loss leader. I started surfing where Brandon’s Story was on sale and realized I also have it packaged in a combo set. If I put Brandon’s Story up, I’d also have take down the combo package from other sites. If I took the combo down, then it’d make sense to add it to the Kindle Select program too. And if it’s there, then Regina’s Story would be there too. Putting either of the first two books meant I’d have to unpublished 3 books.

I didn’t like that. I faced the same situation with the Injustice is Served series. Boo! I also didn’t like the idea of unpublishing Shadow Cat or I Loved You First.

I was just about to throw in the towel and say screw you Amazon, when I saw my unloved Unprotected story. It NEVER garnished much attention. It’s so lonely… not a part of a series… no future… It is what it is.

Snared!

So at last, Amazon caught me. I unpublished all the versions of Unprotected and enrolled it in Kindle Select. For those who have Amazon Prime and you want to use your precious one free book on Unprotected, it’s there for you! For you Kindle Unlimited folks who can download to your hearts content, pick up Unprotected. It’s a short read.

On a  Side Note

As I was visiting my KDP dashboard, I noticed another feature… the ability to offer electronic versions at a discount to individuals who’ve picked up the print version. I enrolled both Shadow Cat and I Loved You First into it.

As a reader, I never liked the idea of paying full price for electronic versions. If the electronic version was the same price as the print or similar, I’d purchase the print. Not that it was more convenient. It’s just that, it just didn’t jive with me… why would a virtual copy be as pricy as a print copy. There’s no printing or shipping involved.

So! For those who have my print version, you can now snatch the digital version at a significant discount. Hmm… let me see… Ah! Yes. It seems I’ve priced my digital version at the grand price of FREE, if you’ve already purchased the print version through Amazon.

I wish I had known that option was available sooner. I would have enrolled long ago. *blows air kisses* Thank you! Thank you, my loyal supporters!

Anyway, I can’t say how long the free price will last. I have moments of greediness.

This Post…

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Yes… a little shameless advertising.

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Blog Tour: Jenna Jacob’s Embracing My Submission (The Doms Of Genesis Book 1)

It’s been forever since I participated in a blog tour. Well… it’s been forever since a lot of things. Anyway… I’m loving this cover! Introducing Jenna Jacob’s new release…

Jenna Jacob
“Embracing My Submission”
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Haunted for years by dreams of a savage, amber eyed Dominant with lips so enticing my soul ached in frustration and lust. None of the Dominants at Genesis, my local BDSM club ever stirred me in such blistering ways. While I tried to fill my submissive desires vicariously through interactions at the club, I attempted to convince myself it was enough. But it wasnít. My dream Dom made certain I hungered for more. 

Forced beyond what I could bear, my passion and frustration exploded. I threw in the towel, determined to stop chasing a dream and gave up completely on finding submissive surrender. But fate intervened when two gunshots split the night. Forced to confront my desires and insecurities, I was shocked to realize that my dreams may have held a deeper meaning. Were they compelling me to finally embrace my submission?

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Embracing My Submission

*~*AMAZON*~*   *~*BARNES AND NOBLE*~**~*SMASHWORDS*~*   *~*KOBO*~*

BIO:



Jenna Jacob is married and lives in Kansas. A lover of music, cooking, camping, and riding Harleys on the open country roads. When she was thirteen she began writing–and not on a stone tablet, as her youngest son often teases. There is always a plot bubbling inside her head that has to be written.
With four grown children, she finally has time to paint the pictures of her twisted mind with words. Outgoing with a sassy sense of humor, she’s never once been accused of being shy. With nearly twenty years of experience in the dynamics of the BDSM lifestyle, she strives to portray Dominance and submission with a passionate and comprehensive voice.Author Links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Jenna-Jacob/e/B00CEKYRLW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1405300046&sr=8-1

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jacob.author?fref=ts

Twitter:  @JennaJacob3

WebSite:  http://www.jennajacob.com/

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Moms are great!

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother. Mostly because she’s awesome and is a rockin’ support system.

There have been quite a few times that I’ve been unkind to my mother or less than compassionate. From time to time, my mother will bring up one of my uncaring moments, and it bums me to find out that I’d hurt her in the past.

It’s interesting… these days I look back at some of those moments and find I’m walking her shoes today. I look in the mirror and I see her. It’s an odd thing for me… because I look nothing like the person in my 20s… the person I expect to see. Instead, I look like her… or my grandmother.

To be honest, it irritates me to see my mother instead of me. Don’t get me wrong… my mother is beautiful (and that’s not to say I see the same beauty in me). It’s just that I want to be my own person. Despite being annoyed that I look like someone else, I still have days I’m thankful I see my mother’s face in mine. I know one day, my mother will be gone, and my face will be the only living reminder I’ll have of her. When those thoughts enter my mind… I find myself grateful that I look like my mom.

I’ve been watching a lot of Korean shows lately. I’ve always thought my mom was the best… certainly better than the moms my friends had. Watching these Korean shows (yes, I understand they’re fiction) has shown me there are other great moms out there also. They come to the rescue of their children. They root for them. They comfort them. For me, it’s a reminder that moms are great.

My mother was there for the birth of my first two children. She was my coach… or rather the panicked woman next to me. Labor is bad… but with my mother it was bearable. I think about the times when women were the only ones in the room during childbirth, and it makes sense. My mother understood what I was going through.

I compare it to my last child, where I only had my husband. I don’t want to say he was useless… but I think back, and I still get upset that my mother wasn’t there. That was over 7 years ago, and I still can’t talk about that experience without feeling fire. Whereas my first two labors were bearable, I simply made it through the last ones. Because of my experience, I tell my daughters I’ll be with them during their labor. I just can’t imagine them having to suffer like I did without their mother.

I’m gearing up to have a hysterectomy this year. I talked to my husband first. And even though he cares, his demeanor told me he’d rather just have the problem not exist. I called my mom, who’d had a hysterectomy about a decade ago. Of course, she was completely engaged. She told me how life changing her hysterectomy was and that she wished she’d had one sooner instead of suffering through her 40s. We talked about our similar experiences that led to our decision. She asked me when I planned to have the surgery, so she could take off time to take care of me… like her mom (who had also had a hysterectomy) had done for her.

Until recently, I never really understood how precious my grandmother was to my mom. Mostly because I have the greatest mom in the world, and it never really occurred to me that my mom might have an equally great mom. I guess I didn’t see it.

Growing up, we lived in Washington and my mom’s parents lived in South Carolina. I recall visiting my grandparents in the summer, but seldom did my mom come with us. After I moved out of the house, had kids of my own, and my grandfather died, my grandmother started traveling. She took her first plane trip to visit my mom over the summer. My kids were also in the habit of visiting my mom during the summer (without me). Again, I didn’t get to see the relationship my mother had with her mom.

My grandmother died a couple of years after my mother had her hysterectomy. It was an awful time. My mom called herself an orphan. I still didn’t understand the relationship she had with her mother. To be honest, Grandpa was my favorite. I thought he was everyone’s favorite. In my mind, her reference to being an orphan was because she’d lost her last parent. After all these years, I see it was more than that.

My mom has been sharing the times Grandma has been there for her. She’s told me in the past, but I’ve only recently started to take what she says to heart. I’ve come to realize that her mom meant the same to her as she does to me. Just as I think my mom is the greatest in the world, my mom thinks her mom was.

It makes me feel horribly sad and eternally grateful at the same time. Sad that my mom lost someone as precious to her as she is to me… it makes me tearful thinking that my mom doesn’t have someone (a mom) to care for her like I do. I even feel guilt that I can’t take the place of her mom. Then I think about how my mom has been there for me, and I’m so very, very thankful that Mom had Grandma. My grandmother had been there for mom in a way I had never been.

My grandmother makes me want to be a better daughter. I know I can’t be like Grandma, but I want to give back to my mom what was taken away when Grandma died.

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Reviving the Writer

Steve left an encouraging comment to me the other day. It really got me thinking. So his comment.

Steve Evans says:

July 10, 2014 at 10:02 pm (Edit)

Hey Reena – you are a writer. An editor too, but a writer first off. Just because you’ve not written anything for a while doesn’t change that even one little tiny smidgen of an iota.

I worked in the media for a number of years because I thought it would help me to be a “proper writer” that is, a novelist. I was wrong. As you say,work just sucked out the energy. But I learned a lot about writing and when I chucked it and started writing fiction, it was a great help.

Anyway the point is that you never know what the future will bring. You have a great attitude about writing, and about life – so say I.

Hope the NatNoMo goes just exactly as you would wish.

Steve

For awhile now, I’ve had the idea in my head that writers write. Anyone with a published piece of work could be an author indefinitely, but writing was a status you had to constantly do to achieve. I still believe that… writers write.

Steve said, “Hey Reena — you are a writer.”  I have to admit, it gave me a boost. However, I also had to ask myself, if I’m a writer… what the heck was I doing not writing? Haha

I thought of my unrealistic goal of knocking out a short story each week. That was the goal I made last week. I make all sorts of lofty goals I’ll never accomplish. That’s just me. And to be honest… it’s difficult to even get started on an unrealistic goal because it’s like trying to eat an elephant in one sitting.

Yesterday, I woke up thinking about my muse… and where it had gone. I thought about how ideas used to float to me in the shower. How I’d dream of plots and scenes to write the next day. Now… I don’t know where that creativity has gone. It’s kind of like going to school. As long as you keep going, your brain stays fresh and ready to work. Take a few decades off and it’s a struggle to get back into the game. HOWEVER… it only takes a few weeks/months for the brain to reboot and get in the learning mode.

I think writing is the same way (or so I hope).

I’m all over the place here. I guess that’s why it’s called rambling. Let’s get back to writers write. Instead of the elephant of a goal of writing a short story each week, I can begin by writing a little every day… something that doesn’t overwhelm me. It brought to mind I Loved You First.

I believe I was about half-way into writing the novel. It’d been on the side burner for awhile. Then I came across this group whichhad a daily goal of writing 100 words. I did some calculations and realized if I wrote 100 words a day, I’d have the book finished in about 6 months. What was great about the 100 words was it was outside of my current writing project. In my mind, it’d be a way to complete one extra book that year, which might never have been completed.

So now… I’m thinking to myself… why can’t I do that now? Why I can’t I be a writer who writes 100 words a day?

Thank you for your words of encouragement, Steve. I’m writing again.

Out of the dusty closet, I’ve pulled out a contemporary work called “The Sun Still Rises.” The word count is about 12K at the moment. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on it, so I’m not really sure where it’ll lead. At the moment, I envision it being a novelette. I’m thinking, I’ll probably double the word count… hit somewhere around 25K.

It’ll take me about 4 months to finish it if I write 100 words a day. So!!! Hopefully, I’ll have the first draft wrapped up by thetime I hit NaNo. Yes, yes… I know NaNo is only 3 1/2 months away. However, there will be days I write more than 100 words. The goal is to write 100 words a day… no days off. I did that with I Loved You First. I can do it again. After all, 100 words only takes about 15 minutes of my time. Certainly I can spare 15 minutes a day to reboot my writing brain.

Anyway… I’ve had this cover for a while. What do you think?

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The Non-Writing Author

So, I’ve not been writing. I guess that means, I’m not a writer any more. Or maybe I am. Last night, I pulled out an old short story I started and did some minor editing… well that’d make me an editor. However, I also wrote a line or two. Does that make me a writer again? Hmm.

I haven’t been reading either… so I guess I’m not a reader any more either. Wow! Has life changed over the past 2 years… for the better though – minus the non writing and reading.

2013 was an awful year… a depressing year. It was the first time I ever dealt with depression. Of course, I’ve had a few down days, but last year… I was seriously depressed for awhile.

2014, though. It’s turning out to be a wicked wonderful year. The best year I’ve had since…hmmm 2000? 2000, early 2001 was awesome… this is pretty much up there.

I started a great a new job November 2013. Decent pay and with benefits almost as decent as military benefits… maybe even better with all the cut backs being made recently. Plus, I don’t have to put up with that crap that comes with being a soldier. Even better… I love my job. And it doesn’t hurt to have a great boss who pretty much lets me pave my own path when it comes to my career.

For the first time in my life, I’m with a company I feel comfortable retiring with. Of course, I have quite a ways to go… but retirement is looking pretty good right now. And the experience I’m obtaining here. It makes me feel like every day doors are opening wider and wider.

On the other hand, working a full day, really sucks my motivation to do anything but relax after work. I’ve been trying to tell myself to really focus on short stories for a while… knock out a few and get in the habit again. Publish something… ANYTHING.

Then again, the idea of editing what I’ve written saps my motivation too. I really need to start reading some more.

I think back to when my life was all about reading and writing. I’d come up with scenes in the shower… full of ideas. And now… blah. I’m sitting here laughing at the thought of being a washed-up, has-been writer before I’ve even gained a bit of popularity.

Still, this non-writing author is so happy with her life right now.

On a side note… I’ve already decided to participate in NaNoWriMo. I have an idea for a book that I’ve been contemplating for a couple of years. I’m really looking forward to it. Even though they (whoever ‘they’ are) say not to put off until tomorrow, I am. November-tomorrow. Perhaps that’ll be my reentrance into the writing society… or maybe not. The stress of NaNoWriMo always saps my motivation for a few weeks afterward.

Anyway or anyways for those who like to use made-up words. Thanks for listening to me ramble.

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