[PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

[Hucryn077]

Thank you very much. I know book 1 wont make me a millionaire. ....but it will surely outsell book 0. Will keep you posted on sales if its ok.

 

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[icey502]

Hi All,

Can't thank you enough for this thread folks. It inspired me to try the kindle publishing avenue. Over the past month I have been working into the wee hours to get a short book put together on a topic I think is under-served in my "day job" industry (the software biz). I am having a few trusted folks around me review it.

One thing I am a bit lost on, is in copyrighting. In searching around the topic, it seems that the act of writing might be sufficient so long as it can be correlated somehow to a date; alternatively, I can file with our good friend copyright.gov, which seems to be a very slow process.

Am I over-thinking this? Any tips?

 

[Digamma]

One thing I am a bit lost on, is in copyrighting. In searching around the topic, it seems that the act of writing might be sufficient so long as it can be correlated somehow to a date; alternatively, I can file with our good friend copyright.gov, which seems to be a very slow process.

Am I over-thinking this? Any tips?

Yes, you are. You have intellectual rights on your work. You don't need anything else.

 

[ChickenHawk]

One thing I am a bit lost on, is in copyrighting. In searching around the topic, it seems that the act of writing might be sufficient so long as it can be correlated somehow to a date; alternatively, I can file with our good friend copyright.gov, which seems to be a very slow process. Am I over-thinking this? Any tips?

I agree with @Digamma . I don't bother with filing anything with the government as far as copyright. I do, however, include a copyright notice in the books. If you browse the "look inside" feature of popular Amazon Kindle books, you'll be able to see some examples of how authors handle this. Good luck with your upcoming publishing venture!

 

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[icey502]

Great, thanks for the advice!

 

[Nica]

This is a great thread. Sound advice. I'm glad you're on this self-publishing journey and finding success.

 

[smarty]

Check this out: http://shanghaiist.com/2015/01/21/21-year-old_girl_with_cerebral_pals.php

and by the way if you can write a decent book, create an amazing story about how you did it, and with a few pictures, you may go mainstream like this lady

 

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[ChickenHawk]

So I'm working on my next book, and I've realized something. It's not that I write terribly slow, so much as my internal editor is a screaming harpie who hates almost everything.

Example: Earlier this week, I took several hours to write a little over 300 words -- but only because I went back over that section again and again. (It was a very tense scene between the two leads, so it had to be just right.) Regardless of the type of scene, I reread everything I've just written and find myself thinking things like, "Boy, that wording really sucks. No one would ever talk like that." Or "Holy crap, that's boring. If I were reading this, I'd skim over this part. It needs to be either a lot shorter, or a lot more exciting." Etc. Etc. Etc.

During this process, I second-guess almost everything. I read dialogue-sections aloud (with voices). I run things past my husband, and sometimes even my sixth-grader. The process seems to take forever and ever. But then, when I have a "first-draft", it's really like a 20th draft, because I've spent so much time tweaking it. As a result, I can usually hit publish within a couple days of writing "the end."

Unfortunately, this doesn't help me catch typos, because I get so familiar with the text that I don't see those "little" mistakes. As a result, I've found some really embarrassing typos a few months later (when the story isn't as fresh to me).

Anyway, all this to say, I've been really fortunate to earn an amazing amount of money per word, but what people don't see is that each word takes me a really, reeeeeeally long time. I'm not sure I'd recommend this approach, because it takes more time and effort than it would otherwise. But for me, I can't bring myself to do anything else.

On that note, back to grind!

 

[Ma Co]

So I'm working on my next book, and I've realized something. It's not that I write terribly slow, so much as my internal editor is a screaming harpie who hates almost everything.

Example: Earlier this week, I took several hours to write a little over 300 words -- but only because I went back over that section again and again. (It was a very tense scene between the two leads, so it had to be just right.) Regardless of the type of scene, I reread everything I've just written and find myself thinking things like, "Boy, that wording really sucks. No one would ever talk like that." Or "Holy crap, that's boring. If I were reading this, I'd skim over this part. It needs to be either a lot shorter, or a lot more exciting." Etc. Etc. Etc.

During this process, I second-guess almost everything. I read dialogue-sections aloud (with voices). I run things past my husband, and sometimes even my sixth-grader. The process seems to take forever and ever. But then, when I have a "first-draft", it's really like a 20th draft, because I've spent so much time tweaking it. As a result, I can usually hit publish within a couple days of writing "the end."

Unfortunately, this doesn't help me catch typos, because I get so familiar with the text that I don't see those "little" mistakes. As a result, I've found some really embarrassing typos a few months later (when the story isn't as fresh to me).

Anyway, all this to say, I've been really fortunate to earn an amazing amount of money per word, but what people don't see is that each word takes me a really, reeeeeeally long time. I'm not sure I'd recommend this approach, because it takes more time and effort than it would otherwise. But for me, I can't bring myself to do anything else.

On that note, back to grind!

Respect! That hard work and passion will pay off big time!

Do you have someone who could check for you the typos? Then you can relax on letting the "ink flow"

 

[ChickenHawk]

Respect! That hard work and passion will pay off big time! Do you have someone who could check for you the typos? Then you can relax on letting the "ink flow"

Thanks so much! About the typos, my husband proof-reads it, but it's not enough. I need to find a better system, that's for sure!

 

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[Mrs. BRKb]

So I'm working on my next book, and I've realized something. It's not that I write terribly slow, so much as my internal editor is a screaming harpie who hates almost everything.

Great analysis, CH.

Your poor inner critic probably lives in trepidation every day that his job is about to be phased out. I mean really, what is there for him to do that hasn't already been covered by your Herculean work ethic and attention to detail??

 

[MJ DeMarco]

So I'm working on my next book, and I've realized something. It's not that I write terribly slow, so much as my internal editor is a screaming harpie who hates almost everything.

Example: Earlier this week, I took several hours to write a little over 300 words -- but only because I went back over that section again and again. (It was a very tense scene between the two leads, so it had to be just right.) Regardless of the type of scene, I reread everything I've just written and find myself thinking things like, "Boy, that wording really sucks. No one would ever talk like that." Or "Holy crap, that's boring. If I were reading this, I'd skim over this part. It needs to be either a lot shorter, or a lot more exciting." Etc. Etc. Etc.

During this process, I second-guess almost everything. I read dialogue-sections aloud (with voices). I run things past my husband, and sometimes even my sixth-grader. The process seems to take forever and ever. But then, when I have a "first-draft", it's really like a 20th draft, because I've spent so much time tweaking it. As a result, I can usually hit publish within a couple days of writing "the end."

Unfortunately, this doesn't help me catch typos, because I get so familiar with the text that I don't see those "little" mistakes. As a result, I've found some really embarrassing typos a few months later (when the story isn't as fresh to me).

Anyway, all this to say, I've been really fortunate to earn an amazing amount of money per word, but what people don't see is that each word takes me a really, reeeeeeally long time. I'm not sure I'd recommend this approach, because it takes more time and effort than it would otherwise. But for me, I can't bring myself to do anything else.

On that note, back to grind!

You're not alone. In fact, I'm worse. In some cases, I can take 2 weeks to write 300 words. Each sentence becomes 10 decisions to make and I'm naturally a little indecisive spiced with a lot of perfectionist. I'm envious at your speeds.

 

[Rawr]

I took this from Kboards and posted to my FB yesterday...


QUESTION: Do you ever second guess your ideas/books?

ANSWER FROM A VERY SUCCESSFUL WRITER: Always. ALWAYS. I shared something like this recently, very tentatively, with a group of mega-successful authors. Know what they all said?

Every. Single. Time.

Hubby is my savior. (Also one of my sons.) They read as I go and say, No, it's great. (And ask questions or make gentle suggestions.) Without them, I'd be deleting everything I wrote without ever publishing a darned thing."

Those of you creating... keep your heads up.









For me, I've allowed myself to accept that my first draft will suck. So I allow myself to fly, to throw paint on the wall and see what sticks. But when i am in the editor mode - I am ruthless. I am like a well oiled machine, coming through and making sure the flow is lubricated and the delivery as smooth as can be. I don't try to go for 10/10 unless I really feel like this should be a moment where writing shines - beginning, some crucial scene. But I never overthink it and let it stop me - there are too many words still to go through. I know writing non fiction is different and I am not as good of a writer as CH, but this approach is fairly quick to me and if I ever want to get it more polished I get a copyeditor. I will say this - it must be a part of success to expect more from yourself. With my latest book, I am not letting myself just take off the brakes and run - I have to get myself into that mode to do so. But again, sticking to the fundamentals can cure it - 1. your first draft will suck. 2. either write, or edit, but never both at the same time as different parts of the brain are working. 3. when you edit, flow fast and smooth.

(Romance) readers aren't a lineup of harvard/best writing school professors sitting there critiquing your use of dashes. They are average people who are looking for a fun story. No need to be perfect. (also...they think writing is hard work. Shhh..)

 

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[Disciple]

So I'm working on my next book, and I've realized something. It's not that I write terribly slow, so much as my internal editor is a screaming harpie who hates almost everything.

Example: Earlier this week, I took several hours to write a little over 300 words -- but only because I went back over that section again and again. (It was a very tense scene between the two leads, so it had to be just right.) Regardless of the type of scene, I reread everything I've just written and find myself thinking things like, "Boy, that wording really sucks. No one would ever talk like that." Or "Holy crap, that's boring. If I were reading this, I'd skim over this part. It needs to be either a lot shorter, or a lot more exciting." Etc. Etc. Etc.

During this process, I second-guess almost everything. I read dialogue-sections aloud (with voices). I run things past my husband, and sometimes even my sixth-grader. The process seems to take forever and ever. But then, when I have a "first-draft", it's really like a 20th draft, because I've spent so much time tweaking it. As a result, I can usually hit publish within a couple days of writing "the end."

Unfortunately, this doesn't help me catch typos, because I get so familiar with the text that I don't see those "little" mistakes. As a result, I've found some really embarrassing typos a few months later (when the story isn't as fresh to me).

Anyway, all this to say, I've been really fortunate to earn an amazing amount of money per word, but what people don't see is that each word takes me a really, reeeeeeally long time. I'm not sure I'd recommend this approach, because it takes more time and effort than it would otherwise. But for me, I can't bring myself to do anything else.

On that note, back to grind!

I forgot who it was, as it very well might be several people who do this, but I remember reading about someone who would write for a set amount of time, and then spend some time after that revising what they just wrote. It would either be in 15-60 minute intervals back and forth, or one large period of time at one point in the day and the other in another. I've been applying this to my own writing and find that, for me, it helps.

 

[DrPenguin]

Example: Earlier this week, I took several hours to write a little over 300 words

Hemingway wrote 500 words a day

Do you find yourself deliberating/editing over a specific facet of your writing more than others?

For example, I rarely find myself needing to correct or instil more realism into dialogue, but I like to spend a lot of time playing with the poetry of the sentences and the words themselves.

 

[Karla]

I know exactly what you mean by internal editor. But I learned to keep him quiet. I find that I write best if do NOT think to much about it. The editing comes later. I do believe that everybody is different though. I always found creating plots quite hard and a bit annoying. But since I found out how mach faster I can write if I plotted almost everything, I LOVE plotting . There is no right way to write as long as you do it . People like your books, they are selling.....that´s all that matters.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

Do you find yourself deliberating/editing over a specific facet of your writing more than others?

Yup, definitely! Tense romantic scenes seem to take the most time. Funny scenes don't seem to require nearly as much massaging, probably because they're not so nuanced.

But since I found out how mach faster I can write if I plotted almost everything, I LOVE plotting

I'm jealous! I stink at plotting. I really need to work on that, because you're right -- it seems to go more smoothly when there's a roadmap to follow.

 

[Karla]

Yes, I understand. I hated plotting. But now it gives me a good feeling. I know where my story is going and I am more motivated to finish it. I change things along the way (or add stuff) though. I hope your next book is as successful as your other books! When I hit a motivational wall I always come back to your thread.....very inspiring ;-)[/QUOTE]

 

[LisaK]

I took this from Kboards and posted to my FB yesterday...


QUESTION: Do you ever second guess your ideas/books?

ANSWER FROM A VERY SUCCESSFUL WRITER: Always. ALWAYS. I shared something like this recently, very tentatively, with a group of mega-successful authors. Know what they all said?

Every. Single. Time.

Hubby is my savior. (Also one of my sons.) They read as I go and say, No, it's great. (And ask questions or make gentle suggestions.) Without them, I'd be deleting everything I wrote without ever publishing a darned thing."

Those of you creating... keep your heads up.

For me, I've allowed myself to accept that my first draft will suck. So I allow myself to fly, to throw paint on the wall and see what sticks. But when i am in the editor mode - I am ruthless. I am like a well oiled machine, coming through and making sure the flow is lubricated and the delivery as smooth as can be. I don't try to go for 10/10 unless I really feel like this should be a moment where writing shines - beginning, some crucial scene. But I never overthink it and let it stop me - there are too many words still to go through. I know writing non fiction is different and I am not as good of a writer as CH, but this approach is fairly quick to me and if I ever want to get it more polished I get a copyeditor. I will say this - it must be a part of success to expect more from yourself. With my latest book, I am not letting myself just take off the brakes and run - I have to get myself into that mode to do so. But again, sticking to the fundamentals can cure it - 1. your first draft will suck. 2. either write, or edit, but never both at the same time as different parts of the brain are working. 3. when you edit, flow fast and smooth.

(Romance) readers aren't a lineup of harvard/best writing school professors sitting there critiquing your use of dashes. They are average people who are looking for a fun story. No need to be perfect. (also...they think writing is hard work. Shhh..)

Really great advice, thanks. I feel better knowing maybe...everyone's first draft sucks. The first draft of my second book is not as bad as the first draft of my first book though so I guess that's progress. I have to accept I mostly CAN NOT be in charge of editing my book...catching grave errors and a few minors....happens when I let it sit and go back over it. That said, I still must have someone else go through it and really a someone else and then my friend who is an editor. This time thought, she will get a book that has far less issues than my first book. What a mess. I figure I have at least 6 more weeks the way things are going. I hope to have the second book published in April. I hate this part though. It is very time consuming.

 

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[LisaK]

Yes, I understand. I hated plotting. But now it gives me a good feeling. I know where my story is going and I am more motivated to finish it. I change things along the way (or add stuff) though. I hope your next book is as successful as your other books! When I hit a motivational wall I always come back to your thread.....very inspiring ;-)

[/QUOTE]
Plotting? You mean outlining? I wish I had the patience. Maybe that will come later but I don't think its in my DNA. I think I've accepted I'm the "fly by the seat of your pants" writer. Maybe I'll try a plotting or outline on my next one and see if it is easier ....I really have no idea where my book is going until I start writing. Is that weird?

 

[ChickenHawk]

I just realized something funny...It's been one full year since I left my slowlane job to pursue self-publishing.

The Upsides:

• I love Mondays! That's the day when I get a fresh start on my writing goals.
• Last year, my income was nearly five times my slowlane salary -- a big life-changer to say the least.
• If I want to make more money, I don't need to beg for a raise or look for another job. Instead, I work harder.
• Flexibility. Last year, I had a family emergency, where I had to be gone for a couple of weeks. I didn't need to beg for time off or worry that no money was coming in. On a cheerier note, my son can come straight home from school every day, and can stay home in the summer like kids did way back when.

The Downsides:

• I have a harder time relaxing sometimes, because I always could be working.
• I've gained more weight. Shameful, considering I have a ton more flexibility, schedule-wise.
• Because I'm home, I've assumed far too much of the housework. It really eats into my writing time. I need to keep a better eye on this. (We'll eventually hire a housekeeping service, but in our current home, it's really not feasible.)
• My income can vary wildly from month to month. As I publish more books, I'm hoping this will even out a little. But for now, I'm definitely not complaining. It's just an observation.

Obviously, the upsides WAAAAAAY outweigh any potential downsides. In comparison to the upsides, they're barely worth a mention. I only noted them as a point of interest for anyone looking to follow on this path. And boy, has time flown!

Alright, back to Book Number 5.

 

[Vigilante]

I just realized something funny...It's been one full year since I left my slowlane job to pursue self-publishing.

The Upsides:

• I love Mondays! That's the day when I get a fresh start on my writing goals.
• Last year, my income was nearly five times my slowlane salary -- a big life-changer to say the least.
• If I want to make more money, I don't need to beg for a raise or look for another job. Instead, I work harder.
• Flexibility. Last year, I had a family emergency, where I had to be gone for a couple of weeks. I didn't need to beg for time off or worry that no money was coming in. On a cheerier note, my son can come straight home from school every day, and can stay home in the summer like kids did way back when.

The Downsides:

• I have a harder time relaxing sometimes, because I always could be working.
• I've gained more weight. Shameful, considering I have a ton more flexibility, schedule-wise.
• Because I'm home, I've assumed far too much of the housework. It really eats into my writing time. I need to keep a better eye on this. (We'll eventually hire a housekeeping service, but in our current home, it's really not feasible.)
• My income can vary wildly from month to month. As I publish more books, I'm hoping this will even out a little. But for now, I'm definitely not complaining. It's just an observation.

Obviously, the upsides WAAAAAAY outweigh any potential downsides. In comparison to the upsides, they're barely worth a mention. I only noted them as a point of interest for anyone looking to follow on this path. And boy, has time flown!

Alright, back to Book Number 5.

This. Post. Is. Fast. Lane.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I just realized something funny...It's been one full year since I left my slowlane job to pursue self-publishing.

The Upsides:

• I love Mondays! That's the day when I get a fresh start on my writing goals.
• Last year, my income was nearly five times my slowlane salary -- a big life-changer to say the least.
• If I want to make more money, I don't need to beg for a raise or look for another job. Instead, I work harder.
• Flexibility. Last year, I had a family emergency, where I had to be gone for a couple of weeks. I didn't need to beg for time off or worry that no money was coming in. On a cheerier note, my son can come straight home from school every day, and can stay home in the summer like kids did way back when.

The Downsides:

• I have a harder time relaxing sometimes, because I always could be working.
• I've gained more weight. Shameful, considering I have a ton more flexibility, schedule-wise.
• Because I'm home, I've assumed far too much of the housework. It really eats into my writing time. I need to keep a better eye on this. (We'll eventually hire a housekeeping service, but in our current home, it's really not feasible.)
• My income can vary wildly from month to month. As I publish more books, I'm hoping this will even out a little. But for now, I'm definitely not complaining. It's just an observation.

Obviously, the upsides WAAAAAAY outweigh any potential downsides. In comparison to the upsides, they're barely worth a mention. I only noted them as a point of interest for anyone looking to follow on this path. And boy, has time flown!

Alright, back to Book Number 5.

I feel like you're in my head. Get out! Nvm, I want your skills. You can stay.

My life sounds a lot like yours, just with less success. But the tipping point is here.

Congratulations on making it happen. I'm glad to see you're still doing it!

 

[Rawr]

I just realized something funny...It's been one full year since I left my slowlane job to pursue self-publishing.

The Upsides:

• I love Mondays! That's the day when I get a fresh start on my writing goals.
• Last year, my income was nearly five times my slowlane salary -- a big life-changer to say the least.
• If I want to make more money, I don't need to beg for a raise or look for another job. Instead, I work harder.
• Flexibility. Last year, I had a family emergency, where I had to be gone for a couple of weeks. I didn't need to beg for time off or worry that no money was coming in. On a cheerier note, my son can come straight home from school every day, and can stay home in the summer like kids did way back when.

The Downsides:

• I have a harder time relaxing sometimes, because I always could be working.
• I've gained more weight. Shameful, considering I have a ton more flexibility, schedule-wise.
• Because I'm home, I've assumed far too much of the housework. It really eats into my writing time. I need to keep a better eye on this. (We'll eventually hire a housekeeping service, but in our current home, it's really not feasible.)
• My income can vary wildly from month to month. As I publish more books, I'm hoping this will even out a little. But for now, I'm definitely not complaining. It's just an observation.

Obviously, the upsides WAAAAAAY outweigh any potential downsides. In comparison to the upsides, they're barely worth a mention. I only noted them as a point of interest for anyone looking to follow on this path. And boy, has time flown!

Alright, back to Book Number 5.

Seems like we just read about you putting in your two weeks like 2 months ago.


Relaxing - yep, same story. Too much thinking "I could be working". So I'm curious what has really worked for you as a good recharging distraction? For me it's sports/weights/meditation and the beach. I read an interesting article a few days ago that said that to create - you have to get in this flow. The pattern is - beginning/research - flow - distraction. Then it circles back to beginning when ready. The zone, when you're flying. It takes a little bit of time to get into that zone, which is why I always accept that first 10-20 minutes are going to suck, but then it will come. Those who don't get this have a really hard time, waiting for inspiration, and wasting time, just my sidenote. Anyway the point they made is once you get out of the flow, you must go and do something to charge off the stress of the flow. The article said one HAVE to do this, this isn't optional, you have to go do something completely random and actively distract yourself from your work until you recharge. I feel like i've been having one foot here and one foot there so there is that constant worry. I think doing set hours like 2-3 hours of work upon waking and they calling it a day is the sane way, i'll tell you when i actually do it! Before bed had really been bad for me - laying there wondering what else i should have done.

Weight - how about the treadmill desk? don't have to spend crazy money. If nothing else, get a ball on sit on it to keep your back/core working.


You probably don't have this, but I'll throw another one into the mix - just hung out with a musician friend and he confided that he can be quite moody when making music. He won't return calls, etc. I told him I learned from Neil Strauss that you must guard you flow. Neil said in an inteview that when he's writing, his friends know there are no guarantees. He might show up to dinner late, he might not show up at all. When one is focused, you gotta keep that focus at all costs. I've ignored my roommate when he'd get home because i knew i had to work. He understood after a few times and was cool with it. So I guess my point is that you can kind of become a bit of a dick, with the "i should be working right now" and "man i could use less people/stuff distractions" to work.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Seems like we just read about you putting in your two weeks like 2 months ago.

Oh, I know! I swear, if I didn't have a calendar, I'd have said it's only been a few months. Crazy, huh?

So I'm curious what has really worked for you as a good recharging distraction? For me it's sports/weights/meditation and the beach.

Sadly, I've been terrible about this. Your recharging methods sound perfect, and I need to follow your fine example. I know it helps when I walk or hike, but I've done far too little. I definitely need to be better about this, both for mental recharging and for fitness.

Weight - how about the treadmill desk? don't have to spend crazy money. If nothing else, get a ball on sit on it to keep your back/core working.

Those are awesome ideas, and I really need to get a better office setup. I doubt it will happen until we move out of our current house though, because we're really crammed in tight over here. We live in a two-bedroom house with one kid, two cats, and me and my husband. I write in the master bedroom, which has made our life extra-complicated, as far as sleep, etc. We've been looking for a new house for years, but finding one that fits our budget and our son's school-zone has been a real challenge...until now.

You probably don't have this, but I'll throw another one into the mix - just hung out with a musician friend and he confided that he can be quite moody when making music. He won't return calls, etc. I told him I learned from Neil Strauss that you must guard you flow.

I can relate! My poor friends and family. Near the end of a deadline, I've been notoriously bad about returning calls, etc. I try to make up for it when I've just hit "publish," but I fear I don't do nearly as good of a job as balancing as I'd like. Something definitely to strive for!

Before bed had really been bad for me - laying there wondering what else i should have done.

Oh man, I do this ALL the time! It's kind of nice to hear I'm not the only one.

 

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[Rawr]

I'll throw in a thing I've been experimenting with, I read it in a book but can't remember the name. Basically the author was this really successful coach for companies, he'd come in and try to figure out why their employees and managers are having issues. His point was that each person should be asking ONLY questions that start in "how" and "what' when they're trying to solve an issue. This really helps with setting parameters for the situation, and then people can understand what options they have and what can be done. So for example, instead of asking "why am i being lazy" a person would have to think of what and how questions: what is stopping me today? what did I do instead of work? How could I work more? See, "why" is a bad question - "why didn't I work today" is not precise enough. "What did I do instead of writing?" - Now that's something. So I tried this before bed yesterday and applied it to different things in my life. It really helped quiet the mind and put things in perspective!

 

[Empire]

This is a super inspiring thread! Took me a while to get through it but reading ChickenHawk's results has just blown me away.

 

[Karla]

Plotting? You mean outlining? I wish I had the patience. Maybe that will come later but I don't think its in my DNA. I think I've accepted I'm the "fly by the seat of your pants" writer. Maybe I'll try a plotting or outline on my next one and see if it is easier ....I really have no idea where my book is going until I start writing. Is that weird?

No, it´s not weird . I just found that having a plot before I start helps me a lot. But I´m sure there are a million ways to get that book finished

 

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[Change]

I have to say I read your thread from top to bottom. The results you have accomplished are rather phenomenal. I'd love to make a few thousand dollars at my age (23) from writing so that I don't have to get a slowlane job when college is over.

Very inspirational, I do wish you the best with it and hope that you continue the hard work.

I have a few questions though, if it wouldn't intrude on your time.

I always enjoyed writing when I was younger, I was told I'd make a good writer, and it was just something fun for me. I remember we would need to write a poem or story for class and present- I loved how people just listened and were shocked by what I came up with. But that is what I am used to- writing short stories, poems etc ...the longest thing I have written is perhaps 25 pages long, a term paper years ago.

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1. How do you find the "thing" that makes you sit down and write for such a period of time?
2. I never really used to sit down and outline my writing, but from writing 2k words ( a bit less ) today, I'm finding that I can't stick to something specific and may tend to bounce around : / How do you keep your thoughts in one place? 40k word novels, is a lot of thoughts...does it just flow onto the paper? Or are you planning anything out beforehand?

Any thoughts/suggestions to someone that wants to publish his first book? I'm glad I read the Millionaire Fastlane , it brought me to this site and wow... I would have never read this thread/spoken to soo many bright people on here.

Thank you for your time and help in this.
You don't have to reply, but if there is anything you can say to help I would be most grateful.

From Change.

 

[ChickenHawk]

I have to say I read your thread from top to bottom. The results you have accomplished are rather phenomenal. I'd love to make a few thousand dollars at my age (23) from writing so that I don't have to get a slowlane job when college is over.

Thanks so much! And of course, I'd love to see you earn money from this too.

1. How do you find the "thing" that makes you sit down and write for such a period of time?

It's fear, mostly. I wish I could say I'm kidding. Every single book I've written, I've hated it for much of the time. Midway through, I always think, "This is crap. The plot isn't coming together. It isn't making any sense. Everyone will hate it. Sheesh, even I hate it.." But I'm terrified of ever going back to a day job, and inspired at the kind of success that is possible if you have a breakout book. I think half the battle is plodding along whether you feel "inspired" or not.

2. I never really used to sit down and outline my writing, but from writing 2k words ( a bit less ) today, I'm finding that I can't stick to something specific and may tend to bounce around : / How do you keep your thoughts in one place? 40k word novels, is a lot of thoughts...does it just flow onto the paper? Or are you planning anything out beforehand?

The nice thing is if yo have an outline, you can bounce around writing-wise. For my first breakout book, I had an outline (which changed greatly as I wrote), and I wrote whatever scene I felt like writing that night. For example, if I felt like writing a funny scene, that's what I'd do. I think it made the writing process go faster overall, but I had to cut a TON of words. One thing that might surprise you...40K words goes a lot faster than you'd think.

Any thoughts/suggestions to someone that wants to publish his first book?

Half the battle is just to write it and put it out there. You learn so much by doing. Also, read in your genre to make sure you know the rules.

Remember, sentences turn into paragraphs, which turn into chapters, which turn into a nice, finished book. Sometimes it's a slog, but then viola. Your own book! Good luck!