Writing for the long haul.

Penny Reeve is the author of more than 15 children's books.
She returns to CWD today to guest blog about writing for the long haul. 

  

As a published children’s author I’m often asked the question: "When did you start writing?" Now, most authors I know understand there are several answers to that question. There’s the academic answer: "I started writing in preschool." There’s the artistic answer: "I've always dreamed of becoming a writer and wrote mountains of soppy (or morbid) poetry when I was a teenager." And there’s the answer most people are really after, the details about when you started writing for publication. My answer is 14 years, and to this I tend to get quiet raised eyebrows in response. I haven’t yet figured out why they go quiet at this stage but one of my suspicions is that the 14 years of hard work with little to show for it (financially or fame wise) causes their illusions of author grandeur to be slowly dismantled. Typically, at this stage, the conversation turns by their direction to other topics. (Like ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ or ‘Are you still writing?’ or 'How old are your kids?')

The interesting thing is that if they were honest enough to admit their thoughts (their doubts about the legitimacy of such a passion etc) I would probably share them. I certainly didn't imagine myself 14 years after the acceptance of my first manuscript with the attitude that I now have. Somewhere between that first publication and my last the ecstatic excitement of the unattainable goal was replaced with a more solid work ethic. And I don’t use the word Work lightly. I’m sure many authors know what I mean: that dogged perseverance, the dodging of self doubt and of hopelessness for well written, well placed prose. Yes the thrill remains, and leaps of faith are often tested and blessed, but when I am no longer ‘waiting for the right inspiration’ or ‘working at my own pace’ the writing journey feels remarkably different to what I imagined it to be as an emerging author.   

There are, I think, a number of habits that become crucial to writing as a long term commitment. (And, I’d love it if other authors could share their tips for perseverance. Please comment below.) Here are some of mine:

1)    Write. It seems a ‘no-brainer’ but writing for the long haul means giving up the illusion of writing when you feel like it. You need to train your creative mind to deliver the goods (even if they’ll require a significant rewrite) whenever you sit down to work.

2)    Watch over-commitment. An over-committed writer cannot find time or mental energy to write. This balance will be different for each writer’s personality, but with the necessary pull towards marketing and other ‘authory’ demands we need to learn to guard and prioritise time so the writing actually gets done.

3)    Don’t procrastinate. Yep, I’m writing this one for myself. I am very good at procrastination! But I can’t afford to be (and if I’m honest, neither can my family!)

4)    Set challenging but realistic goals. Look ahead at what projects you want published next and make a plan towards that goal. Push yourself creatively but also be realistic about what can be achieved. (For example: the year my youngest arrived I did very little writing, this year he’ll be in preschool three days a week so it’s a different story, literally.)

5)    Refresh, recharge and remain stimulated. Don’t let your inspirations dry up. Meet with other authors, meet with other non-authors. Go places, read widely, feel deeply. Don’t let yourself get stuck in a rut but allow enough creative input so your creative output can remain fresh and relevant.

6)    This may be a bit controversial, but I believe we need to give ourselves the permission to stop writing. For me this is both a challenge and a blessing. I love writing and often describe it as ‘my heart thing’, but if I ever love my writing more than my family, more than my faith family, more than my Heavenly Father, then the priorities will be wrong. There may be a time when I will need to slow down, or perhaps stop aiming for publication (be it for a particular story or for a season). I need to hold lightly enough to my writing that I can stop if I need to. I am an author – but that is not all I am.

To find out more about Penny Reeve and her books visit www.pennyreeve.com  or 'like' her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pennyreevethepennydrops

To Trail or not to Trail

What a journey this writing has been! It seems not so long ago I was pondering how on earth I would find an agent when none of them seemed interested if I wasn't already published, and none of the publishers would look at a manuscript without it came through an agent. It seemed such an impossible hurdle. Thankfully I'm well past that, and very grateful to have a great publisher. 
However, being a published author seems an ever increasingly complex journey that has involved learning about e-books, social networking, advertising and promotion, blogging, web-sites, online selling. I could never have imagined all these aspects of writing when I started.
I suspect that I'm not the only writer who LOVES writing and finds all this extraverted, self promotional, time consuming stuff much more difficult. What a dream it would be to be able to exclusively spend time writing! However, I can't deny the wonder and joy that it is to get positive feedback about my stories, or to see my covers on FB, or to see reviews of my work on sites for readers and writers and book sellers. It's been fantastic to get to know a group of writers with the same passions and goals and struggles and to be encouraged and supported. So all of the difficult stuff has been worth it. It's stretched me and challenged me and I've learned heaps.

So now, as the prospect of yet another leap, into producing TRAILERS, faces me, I must look back and remember that all the steps have taken me in a good direction. 
I know some of you have done trailers and they're very impressive. I love the idea of seeing something of my story done pictorially - even moving pictures! In fact wouldn't we all love the idea that our stories might one day be made into movies - even mini-series, on television? What a thrill that would be. No harm in dreaming! With God there's no end to the rainbow! 

For now I'd love to know what you think about trailers. Are they an effective way to get our books noticed? Will they help us stand out amongst the thousands of new books that come out week by week. Do trailers produce results? Do they sell more books? Are they worth the cost and time and brainstrain? What's the best way to go about producing them?

I hope this yet another experience in the world of writing where we can share and support each other. 

Love to hear from you, my fellow writers and readers. Carol Preston