Wrestling with Writing

It's been a bit since I sat down to write about my writing journey. I figured I should put hands to keyboard before a year since the last entry comes around. What's the latest, you might ask?

Well, my debut novel, "Seven Days: A Seven Falls Story" has sold...40 copies. In two years.

This is the story of a lot of self publishing authors with full time jobs and full time responsibilities - how do we find the time to market, share, and expand our book's reach into the reading public writ large? Never mind the sequel that is slowly moving forward, or the other two projects that I've got sitting on the shelf waiting for some kind of attention.

Today I spoke at the local community college on the subject of "Self Publishing". In the space of the 45 or so minutes that I talked, I found myself reflecting on what I hadn't been doing enough of in the time that I do have outside of the parts of my life I can't ignore.

Writing.

I haven't been doing enough of it. I have a sequel that will probably lead to shaping the "Seven Falls" universe into a trilogy if I play my plot and character cards right. The characters demand for their arcs to be told, for their progress in redemption to move, and for their destiny to be fulfilled. I need to make that happen. I need to write.

Part of the lesson here is to write everyday. Even if it's just a paragraph or a scene or a note on what you think should happen - write every day. Put your brain to work! This is mostly advice for me, but it's advice for you writers! Do the thing!

I've also had a recent identity crisis as a writer. I discovered that I am particularly skilled at editing and brainstorming with stuff that isn't mine. Like, really good at it. In the early stages of this crisis a horrible idea sprung out from my inner narrative. The idea that I'm not a good writer and I should focus all my energy on shifting to editing/brainstorming.

After taking a few weeks to let the wild beast of an idea squawk in my head until it got tired and laid down for a nap...I killed it.

With the candlestick. In the library.

Oh no, you say. How could you kill such a thing?

I killed it because it was threatening to distract me from one of the few things in life that brings me pure joy. I've learned that protecting those things in my life that produce that joy matters. I tell students and fellow writers - whoever or whatever is threatening to pull you away from this beautiful act of creation - don't let them. Hold true and fast to your keyboards, your pencils, your pens - never surrender, never give up.

I've resolved to return to my sequel. I've resolved to return to my other works in progress.

To make progress on all of them.

So today I'm resolving to be who I am.

I'm a writer.

And I've got some work to do.