This week I decided to take some time out to share a personal story. And yes, it’s media-related! After about two-and-a-half years, on the day of January 24th, 2014, my finished novel was officially published. While I went the route of self-publishing instead of using traditional methods (a choice that may haunt my sales), just the act of having my words finally available to the world is, perhaps, the greatest thing I have ever done with my life. So I thought I’d share a little about that here and maybe inspire another writer or two as they make their own long journey to that seemingly out-of-reach finish line.
My book - Grey Spaces, Book I: Walls of Stone - began as a set of serialized stories posted on a blogging site. I was just having fun and trying to keep myself writing and really had no plans to ever turn it into the massive undertaking that it became. But as I explored the characters I soon fell in love with them. Eventually, I decided that if I was ever going to write that novel I’d always wanted to, I would have to pick a damn topic and stick with it. So Grey Spaces became a real idea.
The real world and money issues and all sorts of other complications bogged me down on many occasions. Sometimes I would have the luxury of spending several weeks with my book, other times I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on it for months. Anxiety about returning to writing after long periods away from it combined with fears that the finished product wouldn’t measure up to any standards but my own. I became, as writers are prone to do, my own worst enemy. Still, with enough time I saw results and those finished chapters became motivation. I charged, head down and eyes closed, through the seemingly endless re-writes and constant edits until I ended up, much to my surprise, with a finished novel of 160,000 words (the length most likely being a by-product of my love of Russian writers).
And though it has barely been a day-and-a-half and my sales certainly aren’t New York Best Sellers List quality, my book is done and people can finally hear the message that I wanted to send. To any other authors reading this, I would recommend this journey with all my heart. It’s painful at times, but positively exhilarating at others. In the end, you’ve created something that, hopefully, will teach someone something about making the world a better place. And with any luck, you may just end up with the opportunity to do it for a living.
Thanks for reading and I hope that your writing goes well and someone hears your message. If you’re interested in hearing my message, you can find Walls of Stone at Amazon (kindle format only) or Smashwords (all formats).
Photo Credits -
Walls of Stone courtesy of my awesome cover designers
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