As I'm writing this, I can't help but find the humor in my situation. I'm sitting at work on one of my breaks, mulling over some ideas on what I should write. It's been a rough morning, everything seems to be broken and everything is high priority. I work in IT, and it doesn't help that I realized two days ago that all I do is fix other people's internet access. I get paid well for a Slowlane job, it's a six figure salary, but this isn't for me.
My goals are simple:
- to never again wake up to the noise of an alarm clock
- to never again sort through items by weight at the grocery store to make sure I don't overspend
- to never again hear the words "It's hump day!" or "Yay, Friday!"
- to never again say I can't afford something
- to be able to travel anywhere I want, when I want
- to have a nice house on a nice piece of land to come home to when I'm done travelling
- to never again have any sort of debt
It took me awhile to land on writing as my Fastlane plan. I've been writing fiction in some way or another since I was 10. But as I looked into the world of publishing I realized that, to make a real living, you not only had to be good, but lucky. Something like only 10% of traditionally published authors made their living off of writing alone. So, I gave up and went to school.
Fast forward to last year. I began to realize I wasn't meant to work for someone else, but instead wanted to work for myself. I have a passion for making my own beer, cider, and wine, so I started exploring those avenues. It was about this time my dad ran into an old friend of the family who had been a self made millionaire twice over.
I did some research, and realized the start-up costs for beer and wine as a business wasn't cheap. So, I made myself a plan that, once my fiance was out of med school, that I would quit my job and start my own business. This would take about five years, and saving a lot of money.
At the end of last month, I finally got some time to sit down with that family friend. He basically told me he thought my five year plan was too conservative, and that I should try and go for it now. And that he would even invest with me if he liked my plan. As motivation, his wife told me to get MJ's book, and read it while I was at training for work. The following week I went to Las Vegas for training, and instead of partying and gambling, I read TMFL (I did some gambling, of course, and actually left Vegas $500 richer than when I got there).
When I got home, I found myself at this forum, with Held for Ransom's thread staring me in the face. There it was, my original passion, making someone money. My 10 year old self was screaming in my head.
In writing, there are no start-up costs. Just a computer and your imagination. I told my fiance (who's also an avid reader in my genre), who was skeptical but supportive, and I dove in.
Today, I have a short story and three drafts in a series ready to publish. I have another rough draft in a second series almost done. I carry around a laptop case with my laptop, several notepads, and a clipboard inside, so whenever I get a break I'm writing or jotting down ideas. And I'm writing down every idea that comes to mind. After reading my new work, my fiance is more excited than when I first told her. My work isn't novel length (roughly 12,000 word each, novella range), but she commented that she liked them better than many other authors' first novels.
Sure, she could just be saying that, to spare my feelings. But she's not that type. She calls me on my bullshit, which is one of the main reasons I'm with her.
I hired out my cover art on fiverr, and so far been impressed with the results. I don't know the first thing about designing my own artwork, and in the interest of getting my work out with eye-catching covers, I spent the $5 to get it done.
This weekend, I'm e-publishing my short story, to get used to the process of e-publishing and establish my pen name. I plan on using Amazon and Smashwords, and create a website, facebook an twitter accounts, and a Goodreads profile. And then within the coming weeks roll out the rest of my novellas, as I get into a routine of being able to complete a story every two weeks, or sooner.
I'm a month ahead of my original schedule. I had wanted to get my first story published by the end of September, but I've got the work done I wanted to in half the time, so I'm going for it.
And, once I can replace my current income with writing royalties, I'm quitting my Slowlane job and making some of the items on my list a reality.
My goals are simple:
- to never again wake up to the noise of an alarm clock
- to never again sort through items by weight at the grocery store to make sure I don't overspend
- to never again hear the words "It's hump day!" or "Yay, Friday!"
- to never again say I can't afford something
- to be able to travel anywhere I want, when I want
- to have a nice house on a nice piece of land to come home to when I'm done travelling
- to never again have any sort of debt
It took me awhile to land on writing as my Fastlane plan. I've been writing fiction in some way or another since I was 10. But as I looked into the world of publishing I realized that, to make a real living, you not only had to be good, but lucky. Something like only 10% of traditionally published authors made their living off of writing alone. So, I gave up and went to school.
Fast forward to last year. I began to realize I wasn't meant to work for someone else, but instead wanted to work for myself. I have a passion for making my own beer, cider, and wine, so I started exploring those avenues. It was about this time my dad ran into an old friend of the family who had been a self made millionaire twice over.
I did some research, and realized the start-up costs for beer and wine as a business wasn't cheap. So, I made myself a plan that, once my fiance was out of med school, that I would quit my job and start my own business. This would take about five years, and saving a lot of money.
At the end of last month, I finally got some time to sit down with that family friend. He basically told me he thought my five year plan was too conservative, and that I should try and go for it now. And that he would even invest with me if he liked my plan. As motivation, his wife told me to get MJ's book, and read it while I was at training for work. The following week I went to Las Vegas for training, and instead of partying and gambling, I read TMFL (I did some gambling, of course, and actually left Vegas $500 richer than when I got there).
When I got home, I found myself at this forum, with Held for Ransom's thread staring me in the face. There it was, my original passion, making someone money. My 10 year old self was screaming in my head.
In writing, there are no start-up costs. Just a computer and your imagination. I told my fiance (who's also an avid reader in my genre), who was skeptical but supportive, and I dove in.
Today, I have a short story and three drafts in a series ready to publish. I have another rough draft in a second series almost done. I carry around a laptop case with my laptop, several notepads, and a clipboard inside, so whenever I get a break I'm writing or jotting down ideas. And I'm writing down every idea that comes to mind. After reading my new work, my fiance is more excited than when I first told her. My work isn't novel length (roughly 12,000 word each, novella range), but she commented that she liked them better than many other authors' first novels.
Sure, she could just be saying that, to spare my feelings. But she's not that type. She calls me on my bullshit, which is one of the main reasons I'm with her.
I hired out my cover art on fiverr, and so far been impressed with the results. I don't know the first thing about designing my own artwork, and in the interest of getting my work out with eye-catching covers, I spent the $5 to get it done.
This weekend, I'm e-publishing my short story, to get used to the process of e-publishing and establish my pen name. I plan on using Amazon and Smashwords, and create a website, facebook an twitter accounts, and a Goodreads profile. And then within the coming weeks roll out the rest of my novellas, as I get into a routine of being able to complete a story every two weeks, or sooner.
I'm a month ahead of my original schedule. I had wanted to get my first story published by the end of September, but I've got the work done I wanted to in half the time, so I'm going for it.
And, once I can replace my current income with writing royalties, I'm quitting my Slowlane job and making some of the items on my list a reality.
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