Forks in the Road
Spring- the season of rejuvenation. Spring is the time I look around and see what needs changing. Spring cleaning. It’s not deliberate; it just works out this way. March was full of activity, but April gave me pause when I flipped the calendar over.
In March, I put down 15,000 words into a novella in two weeks or so, then led a massive roleplay event in one of my current guilty pleasures, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Following these successes, I took a day to reflect, and began preparing for the next story release of the Erden Archives. Then I got some news that made me reflect about my current practices as an author.
Now, I’m not someone who writes solely for income or fame. I do it for me, and I’m happy to share my work with all of you. That said, every publication has a financial cost. Ebook conversion and distribution, cover art, and editing are not free.
In the past, things had been relatively inexpensive enough in the past to make things work. I don’t want to go into the business of writing her and now, but suffice to say that publishing short stories the way I have been is no longer viable.
Compounding this issue of cost is a flaw I’ve learned I have- I’ve been terrible at social media. There's something about engaging people when I have something to ‘sell’ (my writing) that cheapens the experience, adding an air of fraudulence to every word, every post. It makes me sick just thinking about it.
Worse still, planning posts took as much (sometimes more) creative energy than writing my actual work. I tried to balance things with planning, but to get a week of posts out, I often spent half a week preparing the text, media, appropriate tags, and trends to make things really look professional. It isn’t a sustainable practice for me.
Moreover, I’m so much more than an indie writer. It’s one aspect of me, but I several times I thought, “That’d be a great post, if only I could be more authentically me.” So much about my writing bleeds through to the rest of my life.
For example, as I discussed in my interview with RaeAnne of Lavender Prose, roleplaying is how I got into writing and storytelling. It’s still a strong passion. I’d love to share more about my experiences and perhaps tell stories through role-playing games as well. In the last months, I’ve also rediscovered my enjoyment of fitness activities (working out, hiking, etc.), especially since I realized how much sitting down I actually do.
I know also that a lot of people are successful because they focus on one thing to perfection. I’m not sure I’m that sort of person though. My interests vary wildly. I can focus, but the more I focus, I’m more likely to crash, and when I do, I crash harder for it.
What I have decided on is:
Offering you guys a more holistic view on me as a person, beyond merely being a short fiction writer. It might feel random at first, but I hope that you’ll stick with me as you have thus far and get a better view on what this author thinks.
Sharing more passions, pursuits, and hobbies outside merely writing
Increasing my engagement in multiple platforms of social media
Engaging authenticity-driven people
Finding more quirky ways to just have fun with those that follow me and are interested in my work
I still don’t every detail fleshed out. There are a lot of options I’m looking into, and I welcome any ideas you guys have. Feel free to comment here on the blog, or where-ever you find this posted!
For now, let’s grow comfortable in the realm of possibilities before us together. After all, problems tend solve themselves if you you merely recognize the and simply wait for opportunity.
During this transition, I am writing actively on several projects. The fun bit will be finding creative ways of sneaking you all content in some shape or form. While I might not be putting my smaller works on Amazon or iTunes anymore, know that we’ve begun a journey together, and I want to continue that journey with you.
Thank you for all your support and comments!
Yours,
~Whisky
