What Have I Learned?

The answer to Winning Question #1 – Chrystalla Thoma for What have you learned from the books you have written?

This question really stood out to me. In the late fall, I'd been furiously editing "Road to Hell." The story had been sitting on my hard drive off and on for a couple of years and, finally, I'd pulled it out to finish. I never liked the story much because I couldn't quite get it right in the past.

Then, I was also editing "Tranquility's Blaze." It only needed minor touches, but my writing had improved since I'd last finished it and it was time to dress it up a little.

So, Chrystalla's question really came at a time where I was discovering what I've learned from my work. And this is what I've learned:

I've gotten better. This is a fantastic feeling, knowing that my skill has improved. That means, I might continue to improve. Better ideas, better drafts, better execution might be down for the road for me. There's a lot of hope in that. And, also, there's some pride, too. I've worked really hard and I'm so happy to see that it has not been in vain.
Writing the first book is the easiest part. I was able to take all the time in the world to write Tranquility's Blaze. I wasn't published at all. No one cared if I ever wrote again. No one expected anything from me. Then, I started publishing short stories. Then, I got an intern position at a spec fiction magazine. Then I got a position as a slush at a spec fiction house. Things really started snowballing. It was good, but it was terrifying.  I started to worry that I wasn't good enough, that someone would eventually figure out I was a hack (or that people already thought that, but were being nice), or that I've never write anything interesting again. Writing Road to Hell was so much harder than Tranquility's Blaze, especially since I was finishing Road to Hell after seeing all of these really great reviews for Harvest Moon…I was genuinely worried that I'd never achieve that level again.
I could not do this is I didn't enjoy it. This isn't a life for the faint of heart. I joke around a lot about how I only work 21 hours a week at my "real" job while I spend the rest of the time in my PJs on Twitter. That isn't true (well, the PJ part might be true). I work really hard, and a lot. For the last week, I spent every waking moment in my office editing "Tranquility's Blaze." And even all the joking around on Twitter isn't about me wasting time. Twitter is a place where I have conversations about my career. I've found work on Twitter (my freelance gig all last year came from Twitter), met vital contacts, and have interacted with readers who actually enjoy my work (always exciting). But it's hard writing, promoting, connecting…I don't get paid as much as you'd think, considering how much work I put into it all. I also wouldn't change my career for anything.

I hope that answers the question!