# The Pain and the Pleasure of Writing (did I mention the pain?)



## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

[rant /on]

Like most of my fellow authors here, I love writing but hate selling.
But, to be seen, and perchance, to be purchased, you have to sell, right?
It could be the hard sell: "Buy this book for only $0.99 cents before it becomes a major hit!"
It could be a soft sell: "Lets talk about stuff, oh, and by the way, here is a link to my book."
But in the end, we are here to sell books, and we are up against major competition from the publishers.

So, what can we do to stand out? 
For Indie authors, this usually means lowering the price of our books to a ridiculously low price. 
That usually (but not always) results in a boost in sales. But at what cost? Many people have admitted that they won't touch a 99-cent book, believing it to be substandard (why else would the author be selling it so cheap). You honestly can't win.

The best week of my book's "life" was last month when I dropped it to $0.99 and it shot up to the top 300 for two days.
Top 300 meant that I was selling just about 50 books per day--that's over 2 per hour.
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

Well, let me do the math here. At $0.99 I earned 35 cents per sale, so .35 x 50 is $17.50.
Top 300 in all of Amazon (and #1 in all of my genres) and I only earned $17.50 per day for two whole days.
But that's not all. This is not taxed yet, so The_Man gets about 33% (in my case) so that is a profit of $11.55 per day for me.
But wait, I have a coauthor (my brother) and I agreed to split profits 50/50, so in reality, I earned $5.78 per day for those two days.

Now here is the sad part--I was THRILLED during those two days. THRILLED!
I was thrilled because I was "at the top" and it was only after leaving the top that I realized that I was only earning $5.78 in sales during that "peak"

Most days I sell 5-10 books at $1.99 or $2.99, and at the end of the month I earn somewhere around $200-$250 (before taxes and split with my brother), which is sad because I spend far more than that in Starbucks coffee per month. So, end the end, my "baby," my 7-years-to-complete novel, doesn't even pay for half of my coffee needs. Making a living as an Indie writer? Not so much here. Even with 10 books (and no coauthor) I couldn't make a living at these low rates.

On the "positive" side, even with all the ups and downs in sales, I have sold over 1,350 Kindle copies of my book since December, which should count for something, right? 1,350 people have read my book (or will someday) and that's 1,350 more than if I had never bothered to promote it here. It even won an award and has had almost all positive reviews (so far), so why am I feeling so depressed?

My mood has been diminishing as time goes by, and even when I have a good sales day, it seems like sour milk when I think of the money side of the equation. I never wrote to make money, but I refuse to give my 90,000-word book away to people who think it might be crep just because you are giving it away. And don't even mention the anger over at the Amazon Kindle forum regarding Indie authors right now. We are up against really big odds right now, and after four months of living in it, it's finally wearing me out. I am in the process of deciding to give up selling all together and go back to writing in what little free time I have these days (I have about 10 novels and short stories outlined so far). That's not really a "bad" thing, is it?

Obviously, I am writing this rather self-absorbed thread just to vent some steam, so please disregard if you wish. 
However, if it touches a common nerve and you want to vent yourself, please feel free. 
Likewise, if Indie selling is making you happy, please share with us your success stories. Maybe I just need a pep talk...

Joe
[rant /off]


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Well, yes, it's painful now.  Because not everyone has ereaders yet.  Most people still read DTBs.  In a few years, everyone will have an ereader, and we'll all sell ten times more.

My advice:  Sell the novel, yes, but keep writing new ones.  And write for the passion and pleasure of it, not for money.  Very few of us will get full wallets from writing, but maybe our souls will be a little richer.


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

It's the lot of the struggling artist. On the other hand, your numbers are very impressive and when Amazon changes it's structure, you'll be making more per sale. Anyway, I reckon you couldn't stop writing, even if you wanted to


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks for the thoughts, guys, and you're correct that I could never stop writing. 
It's like a virus that consumes me (though, luckily, only in a figurative sense!)

Sorry for the long post. Obviously, the writer in me needs to go home and put all that energy into writing the next story!
I'll check in later to see if anyone else has a comment.
Please talk amongst yourselves for now. 

Joe


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

It certainly gets frustrating, eh? Out of all the arts, writers probably put in the most man-hours per work. I guess one bright side is that the work can at least be sold multiple times, unlike a painting 

My personal opinion is that marketing should never take up more time than writing. The writing's the concrete, the marketing the billboard above. More concrete, more advertising room! 

I don't know if this helps, but here's what's currently keeping me sane - the thought of having 20 books out, each making around $50/day. It could happen - if I keep an eye on the prize.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

You also need to remember something: very, very, very, very few authors make a living on their first novel. Period. You need to realize that you clearly have a ton of readers, a well-entrenched marketing setup, and plenty of experience. You say at best you could make 150-200 a month. That's on one book. What happens when you have five for sale? Granted, if it took you 7 years to write one book, you're probably not going to crank another one out immediately, but I have an inkling that if you put your mind to it you could at least write a new one a year, and then who knows where you'll be 10 years from now.

You have readers. READERS. Be happy with that.

David Dalglish


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I thought the pain was from constantly banging my head on the keyboard.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

OK, Mr. Rhea, here's a pep talk for you. Being an Indie author is like shopping at Wal-Mart. It seems that there is a stigma attached to shopping at Wal-Mart for some reason. It's OK to shop at Target (a foreign company). It's OK to shop at Macy's and all the stores in the Mall that charge twice or three times the price for the exact same item, right? It's OK to buy a pair of ten dollar jeans and pay sixty-eight dollars for said jeans simply so our little boys and little girls can go to school and say "My mom/dad bought this for me at insert name of mall shop here." Now, let me get this straight... I have been told I shouldn't shop at Wal-Mart and then told to see the U-Tube videos about the weird sights that can be seen at Wal-Mart. I did, indeed, observe those videos and got a good laugh from most of them, but I hardly believe that I should stop shopping at Wal-Mart simply because a 300# fellow was seen at the dairy case wearing leopard skin tights, pink pumps and a purple feather boa. I mean, he has a right to cheap milk, doesn't he? Isn't this America? Oh, sure, Wal-Mart buys stuff from China, but sooner or later they let us know that it's what killed our puppy or caused the whites of our eyes to turn blue. That's just part of the Free Enterprise system, right? And I have been known to shop in Wal-Mart after midnight dressed in... my Sunday best, you thought I was going to say, pink tights, right? Or jammie pants, but no, just because I share aisle space with _those people _ occasionally, I don't have to become _those people_. Now you might be wondering why I said all that... well, Indie Authors have the same stigma attached to them as Wal-Mart. Sure, you can buy the Sham-Wow if you like, but you can also buy Bounty, the quicker picker upper, if you so desire, or you can go to the mall and buy a single towell of _perfect perfection _ for $25. You can buy the $1.97 pack of 6 butane lighters or you can pay upwards of $3 dollars for a single lighter or you can go to the Smoke Shop at the Mall and purchase a lighter without flint or fluid for upwards of $100 depending on whether or not it is engraved. The choice is yours, but I know from experience that those Sham-wows last longer than paper towels even though the commercial is utterly unbearable and I also know that the six lighters last 6 times as long as the one lighter... d'oh!
As for the Mall Towell and the Mall Lighter... well, they can be passed along to your children and grandchildren if you keep up them or mourned if they are lost. Personally, I want a towell that is absorbent, yet semi-disposable and a lighter that won't make me cry if I lose it.
Therefore, we Indie Authors cannot afford to put ourselves up against those arbitrary preconceived notions and hope to sleep at night. We must continue writing and selling at the price our hearts desire. Personally, I will continue to shop at Wal-Mart and I will continue to write and someday someone will say something good about my books and I'll be pleased until I look in the mirror and discover that my eyebrows have fallen off from using soap I bought at Wal-Mart on a bargain table.... [/rant]


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## Rye (Nov 18, 2008)

I would say most authors do not really enjoy promoting and selling. I think most of us want be full time writers but it's not likely to happen with only one or two books. You need to have a catalog and keep writing. Once Amazon changes their royalty to 70% you could make some decent money if you have a list of titles available. Say you have 10 titles at $2.99 and sold 100 of each title per month...2.99x100x70%=$209x10=$2000 per month. Of course it's easier said than done and you have to have marketable titles that people read, want, and recommend to others along with other variables. But it is possible....whether it's likely, I don't think everyone will be able to do that, but I have no doubt that there will be a few of us who can do it.


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## historywesternromancelvr (Apr 6, 2010)

It would be a much bigger help if there wasn't the antagonism against indie authors that I've seen on Amazon boards.  It's almost like you should be ashamed to write a book.  A year ago, I went on a forum seeking out a certain type of book and got slammed with, "We checked your profile and see you're an author.  You're plugging your work!" I never once mentioned I wrote anything, but that taught me something about how they view indie authors.  I guess we're not allowed to be readers too?

Anyway, it is very frustrating.  It's hard to get out there if you can't mention that you write or what you write, and if you're stuff is on Kindle, then what?  I have several books published by now, and have offered some free just to get noticed.  But I don't know if that has done much for actual sales.  Sure, I get readers but probably the kind that don't want to buy a book? 

I don't know what the answer is.  But I agree with keeping on writing. It's the only thing that gives me true joy.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

<Most days I sell 5-10 books at $1.99 or $2.99, and at the end of the month I earn somewhere around $200-$250 (before taxes and split with my brother), which is sad because I spend far more than that in Starbucks coffee per month.>

I think this is one of those glass half full or half empty things. For me, the fact that books that have been languishing on my computer's hard drive for years are now earning about the amount you cite is FANTASTIC. When my mystery actually sold Kindle copies, I got started reediting the romance like an obsessed busy bee, and while it's not doing quite as well as the mystery, just try talking to a traditional publisher about a western historical romance these days.

And as for the promotion thing, I don't like it any more than anyone else, but the fact is I watched people who got traditional deals have to go all over the place and do book signings and attend writers' conferences and suck up to every industry person they could corner in an elevator, call book stores and libraries, spend their whole advance on a professional promo person, etc. It was watching that kind of stuff that made me realize I didn't WANT a traditional publishing deal and stop writing until I came to forums like this as a reader who bought a Kindle and became aware of the indie revolution. So being able to stay home, live my life and do the promotion via lists like Kindle Boards is so much less a burden. Maybe I could sell more if I did more, but I'm quite happy at this moment and ready to get a second mystery out as fast as I can do a good job with it. (My first one took years too, but since I wasn't selling it anywhere, I HAD years.) If you think I'm being a Pollyanna, I've got to tell you most people think I'm a permanent negative grump over most things.


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

Joe,

I completely understand where you're coming from. It is an enormous undertaking trying to get noticed and generating real earnings at the same time. Like you, I was very excited to see my books "flying off the virtual shelf." After one month and more than 170 (the majority at $0.99) books later, I was quite excited. While I am so very appreciative for those 173 readers, I'm at least as exhausted by the seemingly nonstop promoting I've had to do to achieve those sales. Like you, I've begun to feel a bit deflated.

Unlike most every other writer, I don't have that passion begging me to continue. I had one compelling story to tell, and I doubt I could muster the emotion necessary to deliver anything in my current book's league. I am a paltry 564 words into my likely-never-to-be-completed second work. That said, I currently consider myself to be more promoter than writer. And in a word...er, make that two words, it sucks! 

But I always consider that axiom "nothing wothwhile comes easy." If what you're doing is a worthwhile endeavor, then keep pressing forward. It'll eventually come!


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## Gus Flory (Oct 13, 2009)

• Don't quit your job in order to write unless there is none dependent upon you.
• Don't dash off a six-thousand word story before breakfast.
• Don't write too much. Concentrate your sweat on one story rather than dissipate it over a dozen.
• Don't loaf and invite inspiration: light out after it with a club, and if you don't get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.
• Set yourself a 'stint,' and see that you do that 'stint' every day.
• Study the tricks of the writers who have arrived. They have mastered the tools with which you are cutting your fingers.
• Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.
• And work. Find out about this earth, this universe ...
– Jack London, 1903


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I thought the pain was from constantly banging my head on the keyboard.


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## altworld (Mar 11, 2010)

The pain of putting words on paper, and the pleasure you get from it is an odd combination. Like getting a big comfy chair, and deciding its to comfortable. Then adding drawing pins on the cushions just to give it that edge.

Going through the pain on my second novel now, and also going through the pain of promoting my first. I know at some point the work on the second will completely overshadow the promotion on the first, but its hard to let it go and let it bob away by itself.

As for pricing, at what price do you place on your own work? My first novel None Good took a year to write in between lots of life stuff, the price point is set at $4.99 and I don't want to go lower than that just to top sales charts. It is after all only my first novel in what is going to be at least a trilogy, and with most series People jump in around the middle books and then look back.


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## Debra L Martin (Apr 8, 2010)

Joe,

I totally understand your pain/frustration.  I write with a co-author as well.  We write science fiction/action adventure stories.  We have the first 2 books in a sci/fi trilogy for sale at the Kindle store for $1.99.  Both books are over 90,000 words.  Sales have been sluggish, but I don't to lower the price on these because we also have 2 novellas for sale at $.99.  

It seems to be a catch 22 - if you price your books low, people think they may be crap.  Our books have garnered requests for pages from agents, but no offer came in the end.  If you price the books higher, people are reluctant to spend more on an unknown author.  All you can do is keep writing and enjoy the journey.

Deb


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Joe,

I know exactly where you are coming from.  I think most writers do.  At a conference a couple of years ago before I had decided to self-publish, I was very frustrated with trying to break into publication when I ran across a wonderful book called Take Joy by Jane Yolen, a fantastic author I admire greatly.  This book helped me remember that publishing aside, the reason to write is a love of the craft.  After I read that book, my whole perspective shifted because writing matters to me.  it has to matter to me first and hopefully it will matter to those who read my books, and I'm sure it's really the same way with you.  You love what you do or you wouldn't do it.  Nobody in his or her right mind would first write a book only to have to revise it several times before you even let someone see it.  Then when you get feedback you go through it again several times because you want to get it right.  Frankly, we've all got to be a little crazy for this much work, but that's okay.  I think sanity is over-rated.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Maria Hooley said:


> I think sanity is over-rated.


You should lose your mind. I did a long time ago. The freedom is a thrill.

David Dalglish


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I don't think it would be too hard.  My seven-year-old keeps trying to take it.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

My fellow Kindleboarders,

I really appreciate all the comments, and it's nice to hear from so many others here. This is exactly why I spend so much time on kindleboards--there is a great community of authors and supportive readers in the Book Bizarre section.

To be honest, the pricing side of this selling business is what is getting to me. I have priced my book from a high of $7.99 to a low of $0.99 over the last year. While $2.99 made the most money per month, $0.99 sold the most books (but made less money - even when I was above 500 but still in the top 1000). So if I wanted to make money, $2.99 would be the best bet (and with the royalty change in 2 months, that is where most of us will be.) On the other hand, if my goal is to just get the book out there and be read, then I should sell it for $0.99 and forget about the loss of money. However, selling a 90,000-word novel for $0.99 just feels wrong to me (other than as a short-term promotion). Also, I know for a fact, that some people who buy books at $0.99 end up giving really crappy reviews. At $0.99 they don't bother downloading a sample or checking it out at all to see if it's something they want. All but a few of my current, eleven 5-star reviews were made be people who paid $14.95 for the paperback. Those were people who invested more, and therefore, really wanted the book before buying it. People who pay less than a dollar for a fast download, often do it on a whim, and therefore, even though you got a sale, they are just as likely to hate it as love it. No book is for everyone, and that's why I hate selling for so low.

Okay, so that I don't blather on again, let me say that I do need to "get away" from the selling end of this business for awhile, but then the question of "while I'm gone" what should I set my price at? Should I make it high (say, $5.99) and hope some of the nearly 1400 people who bought it will love it so much that they will talk about it and generate interest without my help. Or should I drop it to $0.99 and just "give it away" to as many readers as possible (and not worry about the coming potentially negative reviews)? To be clear, I don't need the money (not this small amount, anyway), so the selling price is more a matter or principal than anything else.

I know that none of you can answer this for me, but I appreciate each of your perspectives on this. Most of us are in similar boats, right?
Sincerely,
Joe


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Well, Joe, it looks like you need to step back a moment, take a deep breath, and ask yourself one question.

"Why am I doing this?"

If it is for readers, then the 99 cent price point is awesome for you. You're getting an amount of readers that I would die for.

If it is for reviews and praise, then bump it up to 1.99 or so and be done with it. They'll come in over time, no matter what you do.

If it is for money, then put it at 2.99 and wait for the royalty hike. But frankly, you're better off just writing to a ton of agents disclosing the details of the book, the amount of sales you've had, and then hope for a sale to a real publishing company. As a still relatively unknown author self-publishing on the Kindle, you aren't going to make a living on one book. Heck, even with a traditional publisher, you aren't going to make a living on one book (unless you feel you're the next Michael Crichton or J.K Rowling...oh wait, they wrote craploads of novels, too).

My personal opinion? Crank another out, use Cyberdrome as leverage for increased sales in the new book, and keep developing a brand. You clearly have the ability. Then you have all sorts of options with prices with say Cyberdrome being 99 cents but your new one 2.99, or the reverse, etc.

Don't get discouraged. You've had tremendous success, and it sounds like that success isn't tasting as sweet as you expecting. Keep going. And for the love of god, _keep writing._

David Dalglish


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## Debra L Martin (Apr 8, 2010)

I agree with David.  Price it at $1.99 and move on.  Start writing your next WIP.  Sales will be what they will be and no amount of angst from the author is going to change that.

Find joy in writing again.  Remember the thrill of creating new characters and embrace the journey they will take you on.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

@ dlmartin6: What is the fun of writing without angst?  

@Half-Orc: Thanks for the pep talk and lesson in rational thought, David.   

So, after a brisk 2-mile walk listening to "Leave You Far Behind" by Lunatic Calm (from the Matrix's dojo fight scene) it dawned on me that I downloaded that particular track for free, and that since nearly everything on the internet is free these days, I should not expect others to pay top dollar for a digital version of my book, no matter how much time and effort I put in to it. It also dawned on me that ebook sales are only 1/10 of the reading market right now (growing, but still quite small) and maybe I should consider the digital version of my book as cheap "advertisement" for the paperback (with it's 10-times more potential readership). And finally, I realized that really do want readers more than money, so I should set the price for my book appropriately. 

So, no more whining: I just lowered the book all the way down to $0.99 and I will keep it there until the royalty change in June, when it will probably go back to $2.99. The Amazon version won't kick in until tomorrow but the Smashwords is there now. Since I'm in the premium catalog, I'm keeping the normal Smashwords price at $2.99, and just using a coupon code (WV76R) for the price drop.

Sorry for the whine-fest! And thanks to all for talking me off the figurative ledge.
Now, back to writing. I will still drop by to chat, but no more selling for a while. It will be a nice break...
Joseph Rhea

p.s. As an additional "thank you," I'm going to check out the book(s) of every author who responded to this thread!


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## altworld (Mar 11, 2010)

Leaves the biggest question at what point do you stop promoting your first and turn your attention to the second?


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

altworld said:


> Leaves the biggest question at what point do you stop promoting your first and turn your attention to the second?


You should always be writing if you want to claim yourself a writer. Always. The second you stop writing and instead only promoting your work, then you're just a P.R. agent with something to sell. When you get anther book out, congratz, you now have TWO books you can alternatively promote. Just because another book comes out doesn't mean you suddenly stop promoting the first.

David Dalglish


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> You should always be writing if you want to claim yourself a writer. Always. The second you stop writing and instead only promoting your work, then you're just a P.R. agent with something to sell.


Yup, I thoroughly agree.

Although it's OK to not be writing - physically - while scuba diving or bungee-jumping, imo. The letters get all blurred-up


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## altworld (Mar 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> You should always be writing if you want to claim yourself a writer. Always. The second you stop writing and instead only promoting your work, then you're just a P.R. agent with something to sell. When you get anther book out, congratz, you now have TWO books you can alternatively promote. Just because another book comes out doesn't mean you suddenly stop promoting the first.
> 
> David Dalglish


As we are both aware there are limited amount of hours in the day and you don't always get chance to do what you want. I subscribe to the theory that every day do at least one thing to help you towards your goal, so every day I do that. You cannot always write, but you can always create of it wasn't for my record app on my G1 I would lose half my ideas before I get chance to sit down and bash another 500-1000 words out a night.


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## ReeseReed (Dec 5, 2009)

nomesque said:


> Yup, I thoroughly agree.
> 
> Although it's OK to not be writing - physically - while scuba diving or bungee-jumping, imo. The letters get all blurred-up


See, this is where I start to feel like I don't belong. There are days, many, many days, where I don't write. Anything. I work a full-time teaching job, leave at 3:30 with my oldest, pick up my younger two from preschool, get home around 4:00. Prep and cook dinner while ensuring WWIII doesn't break out in my living room. Then I serve dinner, clean up the dishes, give baths, and usually have about an hour to spend with my kids before it's time for brushing teeth and bedtime stories. Once they're in bed, I have housework and laundry, and most nights I can't hold my head up past 9 p.m.

Not meaning to sound like I'm whining, I know moms all over the world do this every single day right along with me. My ideas are always there, I'm always thinking about what's going to come next when I have time to devote, but finding that time is really hard.

Does that make me less of a writer? I don't think it does. Maybe one day, when the kids are grown and gone I'll have that time to sit and write every day...but for now I'm just trying to do the best I can with what I've got.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

No, I don't think that makes you less of a writer, Reese. Not every writer can write 24 hours a day or even 12 hours and not burn out. I'm not a mother but I am a daughter trying to take care of my mother and that's probably about as hard as raising children so these days I don't get to write as freely as I'd like to but I don't believe that makes me any less of a writer.


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## altworld (Mar 11, 2010)

ReeseReed said:


> Does that make me less of a writer? I don't think it does. Maybe one day, when the kids are grown and gone I'll have that time to sit and write every day...but for now I'm just trying to do the best I can with what I've got.


No it doesn't make you any less of a writer, you have the courage and conviction to put your words out there and create a story. For anyone to say your anything less is just not right.

My goal is push out at least 500 words a night, and I manage this about 4 times a week. The rest of the time I'm dealing with life things, like work, my kids, a hundred and one to do's on the to do list. Not counting doing what I can to promote my novel... Indie Author, PR Agent, Web Designer, Media creator, game designer and photographer that's all part time... Not counting loyal employee, husband, father and mentor...

Try to make notes when you can, if you have a smart phone get the Rehearsal App it a very good voice recorder app, use verbal notes so you don't have to rely on your head to remember things. There is never enough hours in the day to really dedicate yourself to this craft, unless your single, out of work and are paid professionally to do this you take time when you have time. Do try though to do this...

Do at least one thing a day that will help you achieve your goal.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Let me rephrase what I said earlier, since I don't think my intended meaning is getting through.

"You should always be writing on something _when possible._"

So no, you may not be able to write every day. You may not be able to write every week. Certainly not while sky-diving. But when you can, you do, and there's always something you're writing, whether it be a short story or a novel or some outlines or edits, etc. I'm more referring to people I've seen that never wrote anything before in their life, decide to crank out a single novel, and then call it good after that, and instead spend all their time and energy promoting that sole work without anything on the horizon, anything currently being written, nothing prior to hone their abilities, etc.

You've got to _work_ at perfecting your craft. You have to _try_ to get better. The one-and-done, never-before-never-again I just don't see as writers. That's like saying I'm a football player because I played in college. Am I still playing on the college team? No. Do I attend any sort of practice? No. Do I play professionally? No. Do I even get together to play every other weekend with friends? No. Would you call me a football player, or a guy who once played football?

Now substitute "playing football" with "writing," and you should see what I'm getting at. My apologies to anyone that felt belittled, insulted, confused, or slightly bloated with indigestion.

David Dalglish


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Let me rephrase what I said earlier, since I don't think my intended meaning is getting through.
> 
> "You should always be writing on something _when possible._"


That's how I took it  To be fair, I think I'm the one who caused the communication breakdown. Smart-arsery + lack of caffeine does NOT make a good combination!

Reese, I have two kids, a fulltime high-stress job and a energy-sapping medical condition, so I feel your pain. My lack of time+energy for writing fiction is really frustrating at times.


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## altworld (Mar 11, 2010)

nomesque said:


> That's how I took it  To be fair, I think I'm the one who caused the communication breakdown. Smart-arsery + lack of caffeine does NOT make a good combination!
> 
> Reese, I have two kids, a fulltime high-stress job and a energy-sapping medical condition, so I feel your pain. My lack of time+energy for writing fiction is really frustrating at times.


Please let me take the blame for this flare up.

I had an acception to the to be a writer you must write all the time phrase and felt it implied that you were not writer if you don't do this. As an Indie we have to be many, many things including our own PR Agent, and its hard to find that balance between everything.

I've been a writer for many years, professionally as a content writer for White Dwarf magazine, worked as a freelance magazine writer and now running headling into indie work. I just got irked.

I am sorry if anyone took offence to my remarks.
Arigato,
Nick


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