Monday, October 29, 2012

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER.....

Even since I set upon the course of taking all of my previously traditionally published books, including my romance novels, my Figure Skating mysteries, and my soap opera non-fiction titles and turning them into enhanced e-books with music, video, interactive elements and more, I've learned a lot of lessons about not just writing, but about running your own business, which is the part of the writing craft no one ever mentions in MFA programs, etc...

Whether you're published by a big, New York City press, a small independent, or whether you've taken your career into your own hands, you are still the one out there doing most of the publicity and marketing vital to making sure that your book isn't just published, but sold.  And, you know... read.

To that end, when asked by BusinessWaresShow.com to contribute one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs for their series of helpful tips, I offered:

“They say ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.’ What “they” neglect to add is that means everything you once loved then becomes a job. Think long and hard if you are ready for the consequences of that before you start.” -Alina Adams, Alina Adams Media 

I expanded a bit more on the subject in my Kveller piece, All Work and No Play Makes Mom... Tired

Confucius (allegedly) said: Do a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Who am I to argue with Confucius?

So, that’s precisely what I did. Because I loved television, I studied television in college, and then I went to work in television. I loved to watch figure skating, so I became a television figure skating producer. After my oldest son was born and the travel associated with skating competitions became unmanageable, I switched to working in soap operas–because I loved soap operas. In the meantime, because I loved to read, I also wrote books, primarily figure skating mysteries and romance novels. 

Ultimately, having three kids and going into an office every day became too difficult, so I switched to freelance writing part-time. And, in addition to raising children, I began writing about educating children. And about finding free stuff to do with children. And just general raising children (do I really need to link this one)?

In other words, every single aspect of my life, from my marriage, to my parenting, to the stuff that I do for fun, became a job. At which point, it ceased to be fun.

I can no longer watch television without analyzing it to death (a primary reason why nobody wants to go to the movies with me. Apparently, being trapped in a dark room with a person who sees every plot twist coming from a mile away is… annoying, to put it politely).

I can’t watch skating without thinking of how I might turn it into a book. Or how I would have covered a given story if I were there on-site.

I can’t read without comparing it to my own work, good and bad.

As for my kids, well, let’s just say everything is blogger fodder.

I am now basically working 24/7.

Read more at: http://www.kveller.com/blog/parenting/all-work-no-play-makes-mom-tired/

And, just in case you think this blog post doesn't have an element of work to it.... (I think I'm the opposite of May Poppins.  In every job there must be done, she found fun.  In every bit of fun, I seem able to find work).... I am happy to report that Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga (Volume One), where what happens next is up to you... in now available as a Nook Book for Barnes & Noble!

Buy your copy today, here!




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