Acknowledging your Writing Journey

I don’t remember the first time I heard this phrase.

But it’s the way I viewed my writing life ever since. When I first began this journey over a decade ago, a representative at the Australian Society of Authors told me how many new releases flooded the market that year. The amount was staggering. It was a combination of both traditionally published and self published works. And it was enough to make me give up this dream.

I’ve worked at my own success, although that success is not where I’d like it to be. I’m at a stage where I can help authors starting out, and still accept assistance from those higher up the food chain.

And this is where thinking of this as a journey helps.

I joined Writing NSW this year so I could seek out writing groups. I needed to be a small fish in a big pond believing the authors I’d meet could mentor me.

Instead, I fell somewhere in between, and this was a welcome perspective. I am traditionally published with a small press. I have to do my own marketing, working as hard as any self published author.

But I’m published. Some I’ve come to know, aren’t, so I’m sharing advice. One is a seasoned scriptwriter. Her works have been on our television screens for four decades. Yet, she’s trying to publish a novel. Her feedback on one of my works in progress has been invaluable.

In the past, I’ve had several budding authors send me their work.

One accepted my feedback as there was a lot about writing she didn’t know, just as I once knew very little. Another took my critique as an attack. He only wanted praise and ended up self publishing.

The lesson here is, the more you open yourself to seeing this as an adventure, the more you will learn, and not just about the craft of writing.

Many toil on their social media with minimal reward.

I’ve done this too. I began by spending a lot of time on Goodreads and growing my Twitter audience. I heard about the importance of a newsletter. I had a Facebook author page which I recently shut down.

The truth is, what works for one person, doesn’t work for everyone. I know authors who’ve found success through their socials, but I believe they’ve experimented to see what’s right for them. I’ve found the same content doesn’t always work on every platform. I’ve also concluded social media has contributed little to my royalties.

I can’t ignore the sales it has made, but I’ve put it in perspective. One of the reasons it hasn’t helped more is I’m not online enough to be present in that space.

So, if it ain’t working for you, rethink your tactic.

Otherwise you’ll be stagnant on your journey, and I’ve often seen indie authors stay on that roundabout because somewhere, someone told them a certain strategy will work.

Like any journey, there will be good and bad days. This is something you need to accept. Like good and bad reviews. It’s not your job to please everyone. Your job is to become a better writer with each book.

Understand your genre. Learn about pacing. Rethink the things about your craft you already know. You’re doing this to upskill, not to feed your ego.

At the same time extend your marketing.

The Covid years put me behind in my writing output, so I promoted my published works instead. Thanks to my efforts, several book stores have stocked The Midnight Man in the past year. One is interstate and I’ve let them know I’m available for an in store author reading. I’ll be out of pocket but it doesn’t matter. My goal is to find new readers wherever they are.

Another store took my books on consignment six months ago, yet have not payed me even though they’ve sold several. Around the same time I organised a reading afternoon featuring several authors. It wasn’t as successful as I wanted it would be, even though one of my authors who took part disagrees. He insists I’m being hard on myself.

There will be setbacks. Don’t dwell on them. Move forward whatever happens.

In the past years my sales have gone up.

This is through multi-author promotions, the lifeblood of indie authors. And in the past few months, views to my website have been through Google searches, and not through my usual method of enticing visitors through blogs promoted on Twitter.

A well known author friend paid for theatre tickets for me and my husband. The show was at a main Brisbane playhouse. It was written by her, based on one of her best selling novels. It was a triumphant closing night, and she thanked us for taking part in this chapter of her writing journey.

A representative from a Sydney theatre company was there, but didn’t consider taking the show. There were talks of this same novel being made into a TV series years ago, but nothing eventuated.

Yet it had a successful run. A reason to celebrate.

That’s why you need to be active in your writing journey. Raise a glass to the wins you make. Learn from the things which didn’t work. Improve. Talk to other authors. Let them help you if they offer, and offer help to those who are ready to listen.

Because the journey is just as important as where it leads. Have fun. Work hard. Go wild.

---

Vlog version of this post: