This is my last entry before I publish on Sunday. I want to thank everyone for their unexpected support of my little project. Family, old friends, new friends, present friends, strangers . . . all came out of the woodwork to acknowledge my project and I have also heard some very nice words.
When I first started writing this book, it was supposed to be just something that when I finished, I would put in a binder and bury in a drawer. No one was really supposed to see it, it was just going to be for my eyes, and maybe Lori’s.
In August of 2015, when I finally wrote the last word in the manuscript, completing the first draft, something came over me and I didn’t want the journey to stop there. So, I started this blog, announcing to everyone I know, that I wrote a book and intended to publish it. My secret love for writing, I made public.
It was really easy to do at the time, seeing as it was a long road before I reached the point of actually publishing it. Now that I’m about a day or two away from publishing and thus sharing my work, it’s very scary . . . because it is now real. What have I done??
Well I guess you can say I made myself accountable with many, many witnesses, and I have no choice but to follow through and share the book. Otherwise it would be a cop out on my part.
What’s just one book? I have joined many writing communities online and such, and some of these indie writers publish a book every six months. It’s nothing for them anymore. But to me, it’s a big deal.
There are a couple reasons why it’s a big deal for me. For one, and to get a little personal, when I think back on a lot of things I have done in my life, there have been so many times I have started things and never finished them. I would be motivated to do something, or get further in something and then just quit. I came to the realization that I have never really finished anything that I’ve started. That is one of the things that really pushed me to pound out every, last word in this novel.
Then there was another reason. When I wrote this, the fictitious city, the fictitious characters all became my escape. I became those characters as I tried my best to write their story. And when I held the hardcopy of my book in my hand for the first time, I didn’t see a book about a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff. I saw my last two years. To get a little personal again, when I actively started writing this book, I was going through some dark times. Then those times faded and when I dove even deeper into the book, I went through very good times. I looked back on that rollercoaster ride, which was life, and my one constant was that little escape I had when I sat in front of the computer and mentally threw up a bunch of words on my computer screen.
Anyways enough about that.
I had a conversation with a friend today, who told me that he knew someone that could possibly help me get my book in a major store. He never read my book. My response to that was that this was nothing more than a bucket list thing for me (that isn’t stopping at this one book). I’m not trying to fool anyone by saying I’m some marvelous writer that’s going to rise to the top. I told him my writing is not even close to being in par with writers who sell their books in major stores. He’s a good friend because he didn’t doubt that I could possibly be that good and it felt good to know that he thought I potentially could be. (Thanks buddy).
That brings me to another fear of mine. By publishing it and printing it, it comes at a price, literally. I have to ask people to pay money to read about a story that came from my imagination. Some will say, that’s not a big deal. I say it is. Because with that, I am given a responsibility to entertain whomever reads it. I can’t say I have ever been in that position before. It stresses me out a little bit, to be completely honest.
What’s the point of this post? Dunno. Maybe to let you know I’m scared . . . haha.
Anyways, that’s it for now. January 22, 2017. My DOB is also my DOP (date of publishing). And you can find the link to purchase it on that date here
Now excuse me while I sit back and collect my tens of dollars, haha. I always said it wasn’t about making money, it was 100% about writing a book.
It’s not what we do, it’s why we do it.
RR
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