To be honest with you, and why would I not be honest, I don't write books for the money it may make me. I write books because I'm an author, and I'm an author because I write. I write because I think of things, and sometimes I decide to put these thoughts into the written word. I used to think that being an author was the ultimate profession, but have come to realize that being a successful author would be much more in line with those thoughts. I am an author. Whether I sell a book or not, I'm still just as much of an author as J.K. Rawlings, L. Frank Baum, or any of the Bronte sisters. I write, I publish, I'm an author.
Today, as I have in the past, I received a royalty check for all the books I sold last month, and let me tell you - - I'm impressed! I sold a book. No, it's funny because as a writer or author, you may or may not sell something. Someone may or may not buy your work, and if they do you get paid, and if they don't you won't be paid, but it's OK. I am OK with not selling a single book, but I did in fact, sell a book. I literally have the books I've written printed and sent to me and I will in fact read my own books. I love my own books. I made these characters. I love my characters. I root for them. I hope things turn out for them, and it really is up to me whether or not things do turn out well for them. I can always crank out a sequel if I need to.
When I dream I typically don't know I'm dreaming until something in the dream sparks a thought and I say to myself, "Oh wait...you're dreaming." Then, I can if I choose, change the dream right then and there. I can force an issue, force a conversation, I can even turn the bad guy (if there is one) into a bucket of water and toss it into the sea. I've done that. I've told the bad guys that I'll put them in pink tutus and make them dance for me...on a beehive. Yes, I really really can do that. What I can't do in my dreams is call someone. Not one phone has ever worked for me in my dreams; not one single time.
I may not be a successful author, but I do receive emails quite often from people who claim to help authors become successful. Naturally, they do their magic only if I pay them. So far, I've declined. What I will do in the near future, is to work with a woman I know is both ethical and moral. She's helped me in the past. I'll pay her of course, and she'll promote my books correctly. I've just never had the money to do it, and soon I will. There is another person, a man, who does a really good email outsourcing business for promotions of all types. You tell him your audience and the amount of money you can afford, and he throws a list together. He'll send the emails out, and show you that he did; which is 10x better than these companies who say they can't share the emails with you - - even if you paid to have the promotions sent. He will literally cc you on the email, so you know who received the promotional ad.
Why write if it's not for money? There are a number of reasons, but the main one is that these characters stand in my brain and in my heart, literally tapping on the back of my eyeballs or pulling on my arteries to get my attention. I must tell their story. I must create it, work it, write it, publish it, and read it. They don't settle down until I do. To say I hear voices in my head would be accurate, but I don't think I'm crazy. They do tell me to kill, but they themselves only kill other fictional characters. No real person is ever in danger of the voices I continually communicate with. I could be in an argument with an employer and recess my mind to a happier time. I can also summon one of my killers to "off" the boss in a really gruesome manner just for the sake of getting the satisfaction of it all...again, let me state it plainly, no real person has or will be subjected to real harm. FICTION is marvelous.
I was once released from a job (well, put on suspension until there was an investigation, and then after the investigation I wasn't brought back) because I murdered someone in one of my blogs. Yep, the boss was THAT offended, but I did win the investigation and was paid for a full year's contract. Sorry, if that offends you that I said he was ignorant, but he was. The blog is fictional, the story was fictional, the characters were fictional, and I think inside the blog itself I mention that it is fake, not real, etc, about seven times. To top it off, I was a CREATIVE WRITING teacher!! Yes, yes, the irony, right? Well, that story went into my FICTIONAL book "Edinburgh", because I couldn't laugh hard enough at the idiocy of some people. If you're going to hire a creative writing teacher she/he should be...you know, creative.
I'm an author because I don't do micromanagement. I can do my job without anyone leaning over the top of their desk to see if I'm working. No, thank you. If someone feels that they didn't train me well enough to do my job, that's on them. If I have the training I'll be the best at whatever it is I was trained for. As an author, I'm the only one who ever judges me or critiques me. I don't ever, and I mean EVER, let someone tell me what or how to write. It simply will not happen. These are my people, my thoughts, my stories, my angles, my words, and my way. That's the real reason I write. It's so damn satisfying. You should try it sometime.
Nearly every week or so someone writes to me and says they WISH they could come up with stories. They WISH they could write. Oh, they like to try and make me feel so gifted and talented by pouring compliments at me. If they only knew - - I will say I have a way with words; I always have, but I am not any more talented or gifted than most people when it comes to writing. I just write. It's sort of like Rod Stewart singing. He's not the best by any stretch of the imagination, but he did it. He sang. If you get out on that stage and perform, you're a performer. Boom!
So, to conclude -- write. Write until you can't think of anything else to write, then let the characters discuss the last thing you wrote to see if they can come up with anything worth changing or adding to whatever it was you wrote. That's been my go-to and it's worked well in the past...and the present.
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