From starving writer to stuffed writer. Self publishing, take two.

[Cybria]

So when I first came to the FLF I started out with a couple ideas for a Fastlane in mind, one of which being self publishing. I chose this because writing comes as a natural talent for me. However, my confidence faltered, and I soon let my self pub ambitions fall to the wayside. Several months later, I'm returning to this idea...still nervous, but at least willing and ready to move forward. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter how slow the pace, as long as you don't stop moving.

A bit on my writing background, I've been in SEO/internet marketing for the past six years or so. Mostly writing for low pay and not enough recognition. I've always used my writing as a way to just get by. For the past few years, it's been my full time job. In the past couple years I've gotten into social media marketing. Right now I work part time for a start up as a social media manager. So I have a pretty solid background in online marketing.

Creative writing is something I've been neglecting, though I used to love it. I've mostly done poetry, and I've been published a few times. I've also done spoken word performances...even been on the radio. I love my creative side, and I look forward to channeling it into this venture.

On the other side of the coin, I foresee a lot of research in my future as far as market research and devising a formula for producing great quality books at a good pace. A lot of people in this forum have gone before me in those areas, so I will be reading threads and seeing what works for other people.

So...wish me luck! Though I will be doing plenty to make my own luck.

 

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[Lauryn]

Bust through and get to writin'!

 

[Unknown]

Do yourself a favor. Set a minimum number of words to write each day. Don't use it as your maximum. If you're in a particularly creative mood then keep writing, but force yourself to write something every day. It may look like garbage when you look at it the next day, but you will still have your ideas on paper.

 

[Cybria]

Do yourself a favor. Set a minimum number of words to write each day. Don't use it as your maximum. If you're in a particularly creative mood then keep writing, but force yourself to write something every day. It may look like garbage when you look at it the next day, but you will still have your ideas on paper.

Thanks for this...it's good advice and I will take it to heart.

So I've read a good chunk of Lauryn's 50 shades of paid thread...so far what I really love about it (besides all the awesome gifs ) is that she set out a purpose behind playgirl diaries...to inspire women to seek out fulfilling sex lives. I've been thinking, what would be the driving force behind my work? Then today it hit me: There is apparently a lot of stigma surrounded bisexuality..that bisexuals are confused and neither here nor there. I want to write a series that puts a name and face to a woman on her journey to embracing her bisexuality. I want her to get to know what she likes and doesn't like when it comes to sex and romance. I want secondary characters that either support or challenge her journey. I want her to come to the full realization that she enjoys sex and romance with both men and women. I know I've hit on something very significant, because now I have ideas racing through my head about how to develop the story.

This works because 1) This is a theme I'm familiar with, and 2) Lots of possibilities when it comes to steamy encounters. I want the stories to have depth to them.....not fake depth that tempts readers to skip over parts just to get to the sex scenes. I want to create something that is all at once very sexual and very heartfelt.

So I guess the only thing left to do is to get writing. I've been reading Lisa Chron's "Wired For Story" which addresses the art of developing a captivating story. I'll be referencing back to it a lot, I'm sure.

 

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[Cybria]

Day 1 word count: 1,122 words

My goal is to write a minimum of 1,000 words a day. I kind of blew through the opening to my story, though I like how the story is starting out. Starting is always hard, so I tend to write the opening to a story too fast. Well, I guess "too fast" is subjective. I've somewhat convinced my inner perfectionist that it's okay to take Ann Lamott's "shitty first drafts" approach. This is hard though. I've put off writing stories for so long because I'm always afraid they're gonna suck. Poetry is easy. You start writing and you stop whenever you feel like it's done. But with a story, you have to see it through to the end. My attention span isn't the longest, and admittedly, I don't naturally possess the "push" that it takes to see a project through after the initial zeal has warn off. I'm older and wiser now though, and I know that writers still write on days they don't feel like writing. They write on days where the writing is bad. They write when they're crying hysterically, and on days when they'd rather clean all the walls in the house than try to fix a troublesome plot. Writers have written under all conceivable conditions, barring coma and death. So there's no reason why I shouldn't follow suit.

Okay I'm rambling...I'm kinda emotional though. Actually breaking through my fear long enough to actually start a story is a big deal for me. I will keep my goals in mind and push on. I still have some research to do. I'm not sure how long to make this first story, though I have a general idea of what direction it's going to go in. I'm going to take a page from Held For Ransom's book and make the spreadsheet he suggested.

 

[Cybria]

It's a bit past 2 A.M now. I ought to be asleep, but I got really caught up in @Lauryn's thread. I can see much of my story in hers, and it's been helpful to follow her experiences. One thing I've realized is that I'm definitely not making the most of my time. I tend to get too comfortable when things are going just "okay," but knowing that I'm on my own now, I can't afford to get lulled into that place again. My life right now:

• I have a seven year old daughter
• I have a part time job as a social media manager that is mostly telecommuting
• I'm a freelance content writer/social media manager
• I'm preparing to attend online classes in January
• I've begun writing for Amazon
• I spend most nights fighting off mosquito air raids (not entirely relevant, but I felt someone out there should know my pain. )

I could benefit more from waking up earlier. I'm not a natural-born morning person, but if it meant getting more done during the day, I ought to just suck it up.
My part time job just about covers my rent, so I depend on my contract work to sustain me otherwise. Currently I'm re-doing my website and marketing for new clients. My older clients have moved on one by one, and I have let my marketing efforts fall to the wayside. I've gotten back on it, and expect have reached out to at least 100 different businesses by this time next week.
I'm maintaining my goal of 1,000 words a day. I plan to do @Held for Ransom's spreadsheet idea tomorrow...or I guess technically later today. Lauryn's post about the feminine journey helped me a lot when it comes to the structure of my story. I added 500 more words to the story because I really wanted to write in my main character's best friend...he will be providing some comic relief, which I am really excited about. I get to channel my sense of humor into something useful!
So thank Goddess I have a whiteboard because all of this would be gone by morning if I didn't have a prominent place to write it down. I bought the white board about a week after I decided I was going to get into self publishing again. In American currency, it costed about seven dollars. But because I bought the board, it set me back for the week so that I was having to cut back on essential things. That level of brokeness is no bueno. But I bought the board because I believe in myself, and in what I am about to manifest. I'm on my grind and I'm staying there until I see daylight.

 

[Lauryn]

I'm glad it's helped to inspire you! Stay focused, you got this!
Working on some clients myself. . .

 

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[Cybria]

I'm glad it's helped to inspire you! Stay focused, you got this!
Working on some clients myself. . .

All the best with it...looking for clients is a grind in itself...well worth it though.

Day 2, I have no word count, as I decided I should back peddle a bit and decide on what it actually is that I'm writing. I made a general outline based on the 3 act feminine journey from 45 Master Characters. I'd like to flesh out the characters some more, but at least now I know what direction I'm writing in. I also did the spreadsheet recommended by @Held for Ransom, and it helped to give me an idea of how long to make each book in this series. That exercise has given me quite a bit of clarity about my genre. At my current pace, I should be done with the first draft in about two weeks.

I have to be honest, I am very excited and very very focused at this point. Even with the money in my pocket dwindling, being stuck in a cramped little apartment, and mosquitos gingerly nipping at my ankles...I'm still stoked. I realized that at this age I am done trying to fit myself in a particular mold. I don't fit into the idea of "normal" that I've always had lurking at the back of my mind, so I'm just chucking it altogether. My life has gone in a very different direction than I thought it would, and that's totally fine. I'm excited about my life. I think that's what matters most. Excitement and passion mean I'm on the right path. Plus, all the unconventional-ness of my life will provide me with great story material.

On the freelance side: I sent out some more marketing emails today. Wrote up the first in a new series of blog posts I'm doing for my business blog. Tomorrow I HAVE to finish my website...I paid for Squarespace and it's not even live yet. :embarrased: I would love to do the Gary Halbert challenge...copywriting is something I have been meaning to improve on. But i already have enough on my plate. It will have to wait until after November at the soonest (November is NaNoWriMo...I plan to smash it!).

It's 2 A.M...my eyelids are failing me, and Madeleine Peyroux's voice is luring me into dreamland. So tomorrow: Resume writing my first book, more business marketing, finish my website. Let's dewit!

 

[Lex DeVille]

Are you going to bed around 2 am? That's about the time I wake up.

The difference - I get 6 hours of high powered energy at the start of the day before the rest of the world is even awake.

I go to bed around 9 pm.

If you want more productivity and if you're schedule permits it you might give it a try.

I'm unable to write after about 2pm, and there's no way I could come home and write after doing other things throughout the day.

That's why I get up so early. Then I use the second half of the day for mindless tasks like webdesign.

Trust me, it's MUCH easier to write with a fresh mind.

 

[Deleted17784]

Are you going to bed around 2 am? That's about the time I wake up.

The difference - I get 6 hours of high powered energy at the start of the day before the rest of the world is even awake.

I go to bed around 9 pm.

If you want more productivity and if you're schedule permits it you might give it a try.

I'm unable to write after about 2pm, and there's no way I could come home and write after doing other things throughout the day.

That's why I get up so early. Then I use the second half of the day for mindless tasks like webdesign.

Trust me, it's MUCH easier to write with a fresh mind.

This is interesting and I am the complete opposite. My mind is buzzing from 7pm-12am. We should set up a poll to see most peoples most productive hours.

Anyways, OP good luck. I am reading all these progress threads has me inspired to get writing!!!

 

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[Cybria]

So since I last posted, I had a major mental meltdown over this whole self publishing thing (in addition to a couple other stressors). But I managed to get it together a couple days later in time for NanoWriMo. I pulled myself together and wrote the first couple chapters of my erotica novel, only to be met with another crisis of self confidence. ultimately I just stopped and decided that all this breaking down wasn't getting me anywhere (not that I was doing it for fun, but...yeah). i stopped NaNoWriMo, I stopped writing, I stopped going out, i stopped almost everything...because i really needed to figure this out. The first time I tried to write my own books to self publish, the same thing happened. I kept panicking and eventually had a nervous breakdown. This time around, I tried pushing through the difficulty, but that wasn't doing it.

So after some silence and soul searching, i came to the conclusion that I'm writing in the wrong genre. I've always known that, but I was trying to stick with erotica as a genre that sells. However, it doesn't line up with my most deeply held values and desires.

So I'm going to stop avoiding it: I'm a sci fi writer. I mean I write more than just sci fi, but when it comes to self pub, I want to write sci fi. And why shouldn't I? I am a space geek with a hugely active imagination. i love sci fi books and movies, and the whole genre just lights my fire. Also there has been a renewed interest in space exploration and general science topics, thanks to the likes of Neil DeGrasse Tyson

(This is my bae, btw)

There's huge potential in this genre, so I'm just going to stop being a baby and jump in.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Why shouldn't you write what you want?

Because writing what you want leads to failure if it isn't what the market wants.

However if sci-fi makes money for you then I say go for it!

 

[Charnell]

Why shouldn't you write what you want?

Because writing what you want leads to failure if it isn't what the market wants.

However if sci-fi makes money for you then I say go for it!

That's the truth. If you're writing for money, write what sells. If you're writing for a hobby, write what you want.

 

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[GuestUser112]

^ Those comments above are true and accurate, however; sci-fi sells too, and if you're personally interested than you have a better chance of creating a more engaging story. The passion may come out in your writing and this may lead to return customers.

Besides, you could always mix eroticism and sci-fi..

Lotta dudes out there who wanted to f**k a Twilek dancer after the Star Wars movies came out.

Not that I know anything about that.....

 

[Cybria]

That's the truth. If you're writing for money, write what sells. If you're writing for a hobby, write what you want.

Yes true, more often than not you won't make money writing for your own enjoyment. Luckily what I want to write intersects with what's profitable right now...i just need to do a bit of research to see just how profitable.

 

[Draven Grey]

Yes true, more often than not you won't make money writing for your own enjoyment. Luckily what I want to write intersects with what's profitable right now...i just need to do a bit of research to see just how profitable.

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress! My own stories fit somewhere in between sci-fi, supernatural and horror - often compared to Lovecraft. I've been speeding time with HFR's spreadsheet too, improving upon it, and automating the whole thing to be an incredible research tool that goes far beyond just what he laid out. What I've found so far is that it's not difficult to lean my storytelling in the direction of what's selling well. Like your own, it intersects with what's profitable. The trick now is to be sure that I deliver the readers what they expect to get in those sub genres, hopefully over-deliver.

 

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[Unknown]

Writing is one area where I disagree with the idea of just doing what makes money. There's no denying that writing erotica makes money, but if you write something you're truly passionate about and your readers are truly passionate about the money that can be made would dwarf writing erotica novellas. It's definitely a path geared more towards long term results, but who's to say you're not the next Stephen King?

If you need money now, or this is a job for you then you have to write what will sell right now as well though.

 

[Charnell]

Writing is one area where I disagree with the idea of just doing what makes money. There's no denying that writing erotica makes money, but if you write something you're truly passionate about and your readers are truly passionate about the money that can be made would dwarf writing erotica novellas. It's definitely a path geared more towards long term results, but who's to say you're not the next Stephen King?

If you need money now, or this is a job for you then you have to write what will sell right now as well though.

Exactly, I'm definitely not saying stick only to what's selling. I just see short story erotica as more of a stepping stone than a long term plan. The time invested is not a lot, and after a few days you're pretty much guaranteed some sort of a return. That first sale that says "you can do this". It's a foundation for passive income, while working on other works.

If I knew I was going to go broke in 6 months and needed to make at least $1,000 a month to pay rent and all I could do was write, I'd rather write 4000 words each day on erotica and have 30 titles out in one month than have 1 80,000 word novel that would either flop or fly in that month.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I think chasing the money is the wrong approach. Chase a good product that people will love, even if that market for that product might not be as large. There's nothing wrong with shooting to be a big fish in a small pond, and I'm sure the pond for sci-fi is enough to move your money meter.

 

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[Polarbeans]

I spend most nights fighting off mosquito air raids

A funny thought came up in my head reading this bullet; are you addressing the symptom or the problem?

 

[Digamma]

Guys, you should stop obsessing about how big the market is. Any fiction genre is big enough to make a lot of money with it, because it doesn't matter how much people are in the market, but how many you can reach. The more the competition, harder it is.
The best bet would be an under served market, even if rather small (as long as it has a few millions interested, it's good).

 

[Cybria]

A funny thought came up in my head reading this bullet; are you addressing the symptom or the problem?

Mosquito repellent in full effect!

 

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[Draven Grey]

I think chasing the money is the wrong approach. Chase a good product that people will love, even if that market for that product might not be as large. There's nothing wrong with shooting to be a big fish in a small pond, and I'm sure the pond for sci-fi is enough to move your money meter.

Guys, you should stop obsessing about how big the market is. Any fiction genre is big enough to make a lot of money with it, because it doesn't matter how much people are in the market, but how many you can reach. The more the competition, harder it is.
The best bet would be an under served market, even if rather small (as long as it has a few millions interested, it's good).

For me, it's not about chasing the money or how big the market is. Rather, it's about writing a damn good story, and then having the market research to know how to best market it -- whether that marketing is in advertisements and keywords, or just the best cover, title, and description to use for the platforms I'm selling it on. It wouldn't be very difficult to even slant the final draft of the story in the direction of what's expected in those genres (known by the market research), or purposefully over-delivering on the hopes and expectations of that genre.

 

[Mattie]

Rather, it's about writing a damn good story

I'd go with that one. I get bored with formula's. I get bored with most of it if it's not unique, adventures, exciting, soaks me in and keeps me glued.

 

[Cybria]

Interesting discussion...I'd say that if I were to ven diagram this, then I'd want to be in the place where "profitable to write" and "fun to write" overlap. Sci Fi doesn't sell as fast as erotica, but it's also less saturated. Plus I don't have to worry about content filters (I hope. Who knows where my story will go...). My goal is to work on this solidly for the next year. I won't say how many titles I want to have out in that time, since I can't say how fast I can write at this point. But my goal is to definitely put effort into this venture every day until November 30, 2015. No half-assing...pure GO juice!

Lauryn recommended a book called "Write, Publish, Repeat" in her thread recently, so I went and got it from Audible. That book has so many gems in it...and it's made me realize that whoa, I'm really gonna do this! One thing that stood out to me is that they keep their story writing process separate from their marketing process. The storywriting is fun and creative, but when the story is done, they take off their writer hats and put on their marketing hats. The authors are self publishing vets, and I'm currently reading their sci fi series "The Beam." It's very well written and engaging. I've been scribbling down notes on different aspects of the story, like the tech they use in their world, the political system, etc. From that process I'm also spawning ideas for my own story. It's fun, like playing in a sandbox, building castles, knocking them down, then deciding you want a sand mansion and a sand mall. It's fun to stretch my imagination and slowly build this world in my head.

That said, I have a lot of research to do to fill gaps in my knowledge. Evernote is going to be my new best friend.

Literally a starving writer today. I have just enough money to get to work on Monday, so I'm rationing until pay day. Sux. :sour: But I'm kind of used to it at this point. We press on.

I'll start drawing up character profiles today, and will try to knock out a big chunk of my research before I go to bed.

 

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[Cybria]

"Write, Publish, Repeat" has given me a lot of insight into what it takes to create a successful sci fi novel. Though the book addresses fiction and non fiction in general, the authors use their sci fi series as a great example. I'm taking a page from their book when it comes to world creation. When I started with this, I felt like there was a signifigant gap between research and starting the book. I wasn't looking forward to starting to write, getting into the flow, and then stopping because I had to go Google something about hydraulic pumps or lightspeed travel. What the authors did was to create a document detailing aspects of the world they were creating for "The Beam." They did this in addition to creating character profiles. So when I listened to that chapter I had my "aha!" moment. I have to know this world inside and out before I start writing. Maybe I don't need to have every last detail down, but I need to know enough to write about it. So here is my plan:

Research phase: 3-4 days
Creating world sketch: 1 week
Writing actual first draft: 1 week
Take a couple days off before editing
2-3 days for editing
Submit to test readers

So on this timeline, I should have the first book ready by early January. Initially I was avoiding deadlines because I'm not too sure of my writing speed, but I've heard before that the volume of writing will condense to fill the time you have. So let's go with that.

So, I've done rough character sketches. Research and more research today. I still feel afraid because of the new territory, but I had the chance to observe my cat today. We just moved to a new place, and she was so afraid of everything. She would hide behind furniture while I spent forever calling her. When she finally came, she would be mewing fearfully, dashing from table to chair so she'd have something to hide behind, walking along the wall around the perimeter of the room so she'd have the wall to her back. However she could have saved herself the trouble by coming directly to me so that I could feed her. It made me realize that acting on your fear is a waste of time. Fear causes you to procrastinate and take uneccessary detours when you could have saved time and gone for your goal. So I'm going to "feel the fear and do it anyway." I'm sticking to my schedule and hoping for the best. I have to say that listening to this audio book is doing a lot to boost my confidence as well.

 

[Cybria]

My research and world building have merged together, but it's working out just fine. I know a lot more about the world I'm writing about now, and I'm still filling in details. I love researching science-y topics, especially when they're space related, so this has been awesome.

Also, I have a plot!!

(shout out to @Lauryn )


I knew what I wanted to write about, but I didn't get a plot in mind until I started writing. That quote by E.L Doctorow is true:

Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

And I love the plot too. Love, love love it! I love it so much that I was up fleshing out my story world and characters until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. Adding pictures to each character profile also helped a ton to help me visualize the characters. Chiwetel Ejiafor is playing the lead...I wouldn't have it any other way.

(This is my other bae).

I plan to be done with my world outline by the end of this week, though sooner would be good too. Realizing the importance of time management...I need to get better abou tit.

Also, I should note that I've had a huge improvement in my depression and anxiety symptoms. I found a supplement called 5 HTP, an amino acid that essentially balances your brain's mood functions...I am so much more functional now than I was just last week. So grateful for that.

Onward and upward!

 

[Lauryn]

Awesome progress! Same here for me.
Sometimes I have a scene to design and it's not until I'm really writing it that it starts coming together.

 

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[KWADS]

Liked the part about your cat.

 

[Cybria]

I won't effing sleep. I was going to say that I can't sleep, but I could, if I just told my muscles to put away the laptop, get under the sheet and close your eyes. But I'm not. I'm mostly done with the wikipedia-style document I made of my world, and I've begun writing the actual book. I wrote the first 1,606 words of my first novel today. And I'm nervous AF and also excited AF. I'm nervouscited AF. Because I feel my mindset changing day by day as I actively work to reprogram my thinking about wealth. My plans for going back to college for Winter and Spring semester fell though, so I just went FILDI (F**k it, let's do it) on the Gary Halbert challenge. I'm seeing new possibilities and really stretching myself mentally. This is all very uncomfortable and unnerving. It's like giving birth for the first time. Except you're giving birth to a new life. I know I can't go back now.

I've been reading a few books:
I Can Make You Rich by Paul McKenna
The War of Art by Sean Pressfield
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Write. Publish. Repeat by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant

They've all been introducing new ideas and ways of thinking to me. Paul McKenna's book is amazing, along with the audio it comes with. The War of Art gets a little woo woo for me in some places. But it's still a valuable book for any creative. I came to several painful realizations as to how the force of Resistance has been sneakily sabotaging my progress in life. Think and Grow Rich is an all-time classic for good reason. I definitely believe that a person can become whatever he or she thinks. And of course, I've been raving about the magic that is "Write. Publish. Repeat."

The thing that I've learned is: Making money isn't really about making money. It's about reshaping your attitude about money. It's about putting yourself, your talents, and what you have to offer the world out there. It's about learning how to roll with the punches and not internalize failures and setbacks. Making money is about reshaping your whole paradigm. And then you realize that getting rich is not about getting rich at all, it's about creating something valuable that people want.

So now I'm thinking about my book...I'm thinking about ways I can make the story better. I'm thinking about the whole section of my plot I have to tear out because it's too flimsy. I'm having random flashes of insight throughout the day and scrambling for a pen or my voice recorder. I'm staying up until 3 am typing posts on Fastlane Forum instead of sleeping. You guys, this ish is really scary. But I'm gonna press on.