Zero to Full-Time Writer in 17 Days

…or maybe a few more days.

“Sorry. I can’t come to work today. I need to write.”

Yeah, um, that doesn’t work. Well, I suppose it could work, as long as I didn’t need little things like food or a heater in the winter. Also as long as my family didn’t need those things, either.

Practically, that means I write in the crevices of the day. I’m able to tackle my work in progress after my kids go to bed. Often enough I can carve out an hour in the afternoon as well. I recognize that’s actually more writing time than a lot of people get. Still, I’d love to be able to dedicate more time not just to writing but to all the other authorial activities. Things like editing, marketing, and such.

Of course, there’s that pesky need to eat.

Continue reading “Zero to Full-Time Writer in 17 Days”

Writing is like laundry.

Ah, laundry! The never ending cycle! You throw the clothes in the wash… and then the dryer… and then you wear them. (Sometimes you fold them, if you’re civilized.) And then… back in the wash! Yes, the circle of life!

And it’s a lot like writing.

Well, kind of.

See, when you’re preparing a book for publication, you don’t just write. You revise. You edit. You take notes from your publisher. And it’s this endless cycle… until a book’s in your hands!

And then you start over again.

This is the way it goes for me:

Continue reading “Writing is like laundry.”

Something’s Coming…

When do you tell everyone?

The first time a publisher signed one of my short stories, I was so excited. I’m pretty sure I told everyone as soon as I had the contract. I probably told legions of people as soon as I had an acceptance, much less a contract. It’s exciting!

They were excited for me! But then… the wait came. It takes a while between acceptance and publication. Is it out yet? No? By the time the story was released, my friends weren’t nearly as excited!

Now I’ve gotten quite a few more publishing credits. When it comes to short stories in particular, I tend not to share with anyone until the publication happens. That happened just this week. “The Hand that Shuts Every Door” had been bought a fair while ago. I’m thrilled it’s found its home at Occult Detective Magazine! But I didn’t feel the need to share with the world until the magazine itself was available for purchase.

Continue reading “Something’s Coming…”