Okay... I'VE BEEN BAD!
Early on, when starting this blog, I said I would be explaining the mistakes I made when writing my debut novel, BLOODLINE RUN. And how I told myself, I would not make the same mistakes again in the next novel. NATALIE'S WAY.
Well.... I've been derelict in those promises. Especially when I continued to make the same mistakes again in the second book. So, let me hit on one of the high points I wish I would have realized before now. Maybe caution a few writers to save themselves on spending.
NUMERO UNO!
This is for aspiring and emerging fiction authors. We (me included) toil in a pursuit some say is a SUICIDE MISSION. The % of writers who become successful full-time authors who can afford to pay a monthly mortgage/rent payment, buy food, raise a child or two, and put gas in the car is pathetically low. But what is a labor of love, anyway? So keep writing, keep the dream alive, but do this.
Chisel out a promise to yourself in granite, set it in your kitchen cabinet, and focus on it every day. And especially read it before spending a dime on anything related to your writing.
RESEARCH , RESEARCH, RESEARCH
CALL AN AUTHOR FIRST
GET THEIR ADVICE
Just this week, I heard stories from three writer friends lamenting about a painful, expensive purchase that yielded little in return. In two of the cases it was marketing their books. In one of the cases, they received nothing at all. I am not immune from those stories. I have a saying I repeat to myself often.
"I've never had an education I didn't have to pay for."
Here's a blog suggestion. Dani Clifton publishes a weekly blog geared toward new and emerging writers. Check it out. daniclifton.com https://www.daniclifton.com/blog
I'll post weekly what I've learned and am still learning. Stay tuned writers.
