Tracie Podger's Blog - Posts Tagged "starting-a-novel"
Being an Indie Author
What does it take to be an indie author? Courage, a thick skin, the desire to work hard, an understanding family - all these things spring instantly to mind. Let's break them down.
Courage - A strange word to include in the list you might think. I can't speak for all indie authors but when I wrote my very first book, A Virtual Affair it was to exorcise demons! A Virtual Affair is based on a true life experience with a huge, and I mean huge, amount of fiction thrown in. For anyone starting to write their first novel, whether it be something based on their experiences or completely fictional, it takes guts! To have your 'baby' put out in the real world and be commented on, well, that leads me nicely to....
A thick skin - I can't write for everyone, I wish I could. I wish absolutely everyone would love and rave and shout from the rooftops about my work ha ha I can only write what's inside and hope that I improve as I continue on this journey. Yes, there are plenty of courses and degrees on writing but at the end of the day, no-one can teach you to write a great story. I look back on Fallen Angel, Part I and see a few things I would like to change and maybe one day I will. For now I accept everyone's views and comments and I try not to take them personally.
The desire to work hard - Well, writing a book is only a small, tiny piece of what being an indie author, or any author for that matter, is all about. The hard work comes after those words "The End" are written. First it's editing. Endlessly reading and re-reading the same chapters until you are totally word blind and can't see any errors. Then you hand your work over to your beta readers who tap their red pen on the manuscript while raising an eyebrow at you! "Isle is an island, I think you want aisle!" they say - oopps! After all this comes cover design, formatting (you need an IT degree for this one!), until you eventually hold that paperback proof in your hand. And, you know what, now the hard work really starts! You have to entice people to want to read it. Welcome to groundhog day! Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, you name it, you're on it, plugging away, day after day. All the time trying so hard not to keep checking Amazon and your sales chart!
An understanding family - Writing is a very solitary thing, isolating. When I first starting writing, it was as part of my therapy to overcome depression so I had already isolated myself from friends and family (when I'm down, I hide away). But then to get engrossed in the story, the characters and plot meant hours and hours of typing, researching and something goes by the wayside, namely the housework, the cooking, the hubby! Hubby likens it to having a flat mate he doesn't particularly get on with (he says this in a kind way, of course). He sits and watches the TV, I sit in a different room and type. It must be hard if you have children to fit everything in and I know many writers will go through the night, catching up on word count. But writing becomes an addiction and thankfully my hubby saw the good that it was doing me and supports me all the way. I remind him that should I ever make it big, he'll thank me for the new car!
So there's a little of my story, with a touch of humour thrown in. I can't sit here and say I wouldn't love to have a publisher, the backing of a marketing team because I would be lying but equally I am really enjoying the process of doing this myself, at my pace, with no-one to blame for mistakes but myself. I'm still learning, I hope my writing improves with each novel and I hope some of you might just like what I've done :)
Courage - A strange word to include in the list you might think. I can't speak for all indie authors but when I wrote my very first book, A Virtual Affair it was to exorcise demons! A Virtual Affair is based on a true life experience with a huge, and I mean huge, amount of fiction thrown in. For anyone starting to write their first novel, whether it be something based on their experiences or completely fictional, it takes guts! To have your 'baby' put out in the real world and be commented on, well, that leads me nicely to....
A thick skin - I can't write for everyone, I wish I could. I wish absolutely everyone would love and rave and shout from the rooftops about my work ha ha I can only write what's inside and hope that I improve as I continue on this journey. Yes, there are plenty of courses and degrees on writing but at the end of the day, no-one can teach you to write a great story. I look back on Fallen Angel, Part I and see a few things I would like to change and maybe one day I will. For now I accept everyone's views and comments and I try not to take them personally.
The desire to work hard - Well, writing a book is only a small, tiny piece of what being an indie author, or any author for that matter, is all about. The hard work comes after those words "The End" are written. First it's editing. Endlessly reading and re-reading the same chapters until you are totally word blind and can't see any errors. Then you hand your work over to your beta readers who tap their red pen on the manuscript while raising an eyebrow at you! "Isle is an island, I think you want aisle!" they say - oopps! After all this comes cover design, formatting (you need an IT degree for this one!), until you eventually hold that paperback proof in your hand. And, you know what, now the hard work really starts! You have to entice people to want to read it. Welcome to groundhog day! Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, you name it, you're on it, plugging away, day after day. All the time trying so hard not to keep checking Amazon and your sales chart!
An understanding family - Writing is a very solitary thing, isolating. When I first starting writing, it was as part of my therapy to overcome depression so I had already isolated myself from friends and family (when I'm down, I hide away). But then to get engrossed in the story, the characters and plot meant hours and hours of typing, researching and something goes by the wayside, namely the housework, the cooking, the hubby! Hubby likens it to having a flat mate he doesn't particularly get on with (he says this in a kind way, of course). He sits and watches the TV, I sit in a different room and type. It must be hard if you have children to fit everything in and I know many writers will go through the night, catching up on word count. But writing becomes an addiction and thankfully my hubby saw the good that it was doing me and supports me all the way. I remind him that should I ever make it big, he'll thank me for the new car!
So there's a little of my story, with a touch of humour thrown in. I can't sit here and say I wouldn't love to have a publisher, the backing of a marketing team because I would be lying but equally I am really enjoying the process of doing this myself, at my pace, with no-one to blame for mistakes but myself. I'm still learning, I hope my writing improves with each novel and I hope some of you might just like what I've done :)
