This is a brief account of the approach I took when I decided to write and self-publish a novel. What I’ll mention first is perhaps the most important part of finishing and self-publishing a novel. It is something I’d not given much attention. It is the need to manage all those things that constitute your personal life, outside of writing related matters. As of the beginning of 2017 I became a stay at home husband, retired early. I became the master of my own schedule. Now, almost a year later I am aware of how much time I’ve spent dawdling. When you are working full time and also have family, friends, and a home tossed into the equation – your schedule runs itself. Go, go, go. When you get out of that sort of cycle, there is a void present. Expectations and deadlines are no longer imposed by the exterior environment. Time management is your own job. You now have time to take care of all those personal tasks and pleasures that you couldn’t get to when life was busy. It is a daily temptation to do all sorts of things, other than your writing. I needed to learn how take my new boss (myself) seriously. I still haven’t managed to whip myself into shape in that regard. But the new year is on hand. Letting go of the old and bringing in the new. So there is hope. (more…)
Category: Writing Experiences
This week I started a journal writing course facilitated by the author Tara Heavey (Flame and other novels). It’s in a convenient location only a few minutes from my home. Ten of us sitting around an oval table, as the evening darkness dims the day’s light. A nice mix of people who came together to learn a little more about themselves, about writing, about humanity. A few students, a few social workers, a farmer, a physician, an artist, an author, and myself. I already knew several of the people in the group.
Life moves quickly. So many of our actions are reactions to whatever is thrown at us every hour of every day. Seldom do we have the time to contemplate whether we are being the person we hope to be, need to be. Though keeping a journal can help us to get some perspective on how we feel about our own life. (more…)
I hear famous authors asked, ‘When did you start writing?’. The usual response is ‘I’ve always written as far back as I can remember.’
I won’t be saying that when the question comes my way. In my own life, writing was a sometime consideration, without the passion many writers seem to have in their own endeavors. When I was 23 years old I found myself with a little bit of spare time on my hands. I started to read the classics, joined a classical music record club, took a class in creative writing, and found a book in the library on journaling. My life at the time was upside down. Journaling was promised as a way to make sense of tangled webs. So I started to write in my notebooks, then later on my laptop when personal computers became available. I wrote mostly about my feelings, good and bad, about relationships and aspirations. I’ve tried to write regularly in my journals, daily when possible. My journal has been a best friend to me now for most of my adult life.
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