Why Do Writers Write?

I sit here, picking away gobs of spray insulation foam on my arm (my first attempt), and seriously contemplating my writer's day.

Who knew this stuff would come back at you, scrolling in puffy strings everywhere?

Okay, I digress. What can I say? I'm a virgin-insulation sprayer. That was yesterday. Messy, but finished. Yesterday, I also edited gobs. So yesterday was Gobs Day.

Today, I'm preparing for the first of September, ready to launch my babies out into the world. These last two weeks before September and/or to Labor Day are busy for everyone. Students are back to school, homeowners are planning fall fix-up, and writers are really working hard.

With Missouri's extreme heat this summer, I've hit the keyboard during the afternoon, modifying my usual early a.m.s to the heat.

Summer is really busy as you can see on my blog My Jam Jar. But with a pretty busy family, there's always lots to do. I've dropped off from the track a little as writers do when they're intensely into projects. But I'm creeping back into gear, now that my rough draft is finished.

In touching base with other authors, the discussion came up about Writing For $ vs. The Love of Writing. Everyone has different takes, and I've get read an article on Guide to Literary Agents blog (really good blog) BTW, about writers income, and living off it.

I've been doing that for a number of years, after leaving a day job, but also writing for 2 publishers. Writing is my only income, and according to this article, the percentage of those writers may be as low as 1%. I'd heard 2% earlier.

I've seen Writing listed in the Hobby Sections of online communities. Really? Say it isn't so.

Most writers usually have some other source of income, either through spouse, retirement, investments, day-jobs, etc. I have a big problem with that label as we work darn hard out here. In fact, most writers I know are working at multiple tasks, day-jobs, various writing projects, and their own specialties.

Tip: Writing for sucess has specific personality elements. One is regimentation and ability to prioritize. The multiple-taskers above do know how to handle a calendar with life and writing deadlines, and they know how to prioritize. One writer, a teacher, spoke of writing around the corners of his life. I think that says it well for those with so-called day-jobs.

Prioritizing your writing projects isn't easy. Writers who complete their mss, edits, whatever, usually step back to catch up with life for a time. Then, they're back at the keyboard, brainstorming new proposals, working on platforms/PR, whatever. Because? It's necessary to be brewing new stories all the time, keeping the creative flow moving along. I keep a Toy Box of story ideas, when one drops in on me and just dipping into that plasters me with ideas. I think most writers have more stories in them, then they can actually write in their lifetimes.

Sometimes that's a sluggish situation, such as one writer I recently spoke with, has different family situations that are absorbing her physical and mental energy. Don't we all? There are just times when the Big Bird of Paradise drops one on you and you have to mop up the best you can.

We are different, my writer-friend and I, because when I'm deeply troubled, I can take a mini-vacation by dropping into my stories--taking a little mental health break. She cannot, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it is important, if not dealing with a money/career-making deadline, that we are human, flesh and blood and we need what we need to survive. Every writer is different in that aspect.

Recently, I've just stepped off the writing Boardwalk (didn't meet Snooki, thank goodness) and worked on different projects. I needed to try new fields, and old. "Mining" we call it. I write because I need to, because it's a part of me, my daily routine, my feel-good time. I miss it, when life (and home fix-up) pops in, eating up my creative time.

But then, I'm a scheduled writer, with regular hours. Make the coffee, check the e-mail and settle in with my characters. (Incidentally, they only come to my PC and don't like travel.) Another writer may write in bursts, when "they feel the muse", but that's not for me. I'm behind on updating my blogs now, and my website. But I'll get there, because I'm really into my stories now and don't want to leave my mental creative nest.

But as I've said, all writers are different in their goals, needs and financial situation. My first goal was just to get my name on one book. That was almost 70 books ago and a really gratifying career that I'm still enjoying.

So, if you are a writer, ask yourself, why you write and how dedicated you are, and what you are willing to sacrifice. I need to do this on a poll, I guess, but I'd rather get back to my stories.

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Writers Survival Guide X

While Orlando's RWA (Romance Writers of America)mixes fun and business, I'm holed up in my cool MO home, working away. Rather, I'm preparing to work, but am writing this post first.

BTW, note Book 4 in my early category book, A Lady's Desire, first published as Second Chance at Love, Cait Logan. In each book, I write about how this story arrived on my fingers or something that made the book special. I wish I'd scanned all the great reviews for each one, but their in a box somewhere, so maybe sometime... No small thing to be a USA Today bestseller or a NYTs either, which wasn't/isn't why I write, so these great reviews sometimes still shock me. I set out to get my name on just one book and now, close to 70 later, I'm still stunned.

Writing posts and keeping up with business does sometimes start the fiction-wheels turning. Amid much business and several books, I thought I'd share another Writer's Survival Guide, Number TEN. Check out the tag Writers Survival Guide and Writers Stuff and you'll find a whole backlog of maybe-useful info, if you work it.

This morning's post is leading with a little reminder that whatever the reason, it's always nice to keep those fingers from keys, until whatever sharp reply is under control. Once that Send key is hit, that e-mail may not be recovered.

The moral of this story is: what goes around, comes around in the professional writing community especially. It's essential to remember in all correspondence, which is in print/email, that any comment can endanger a potential entry door into publishing. That is, authors, agents, publishers all communicate in a sometimes very small community. A sharp reply, a bit of temper, to one can ripple wherever and amazingly fast. Likewise, poor professional manners.

After that tidbit, which is only too true, I spent this a.m. networking/catching up with business/e-mail. I'm on several loops, some professional, some websites and blogs, Facebook and Twitter. At Twitter, that's @CaitLondon and I'm currently using TweetDeck of the many apps available.

My books and e-books are available at different sites, publisher's versions and my own via reverted rights for traditional books. Every author must try to retrieve their rights, if possible, and it is no small job, if you have a longer list. In fact, it's a whole day-job to manage. A simple letter to the right person, starts the ball rolling.

For some time, I've been happy with VirtualMechanic's website software, but have been putting off a badly needed update to their new software, SiteSpinner Pro. Terrific support from Derek and the forums, and as a website host, BlueHost is surpreme, even handling your domain name's renewals for you. If you start up with them, please mention that Cait London sent you as that gets me some points on their next charges. Highly recommend BlueHost and they have a supreme CGI bin for users, lots of storage and facilities I haven't even started to tap yet.

This a.m. I checked into my Bloglines account. This is a blog "aggregator". Interpreted lightly, this beast goes out and collects everything subject and/or blog I want. Very handy for a busy person, because Bloglines holds all the blogs until I can run thru what I want and can hold in a CLIP file for later reference. Very handy. I clicked on the ones I wanted for later reference and the rest slid off into Ciberspace, not clogging up my account.

Bloglines also offers several other features, like a free blog. Check those out.

With a lot of business on hand, and an author usually does, I recommend use of mailbox filters to save time. To a writer, Time is like Money. We use it to create and hopefully provide some income.

Most writers have several mailboxes, according to the task. One for editors/publisher business is essential, family and friends, one per email loop, one for subscriptions (storing newsletters, etc. in one place is very hand). But also include one mailbox for the stuff you have to sign up for, but not really that important, i.e. I like to check over the different Coupon places. Some email can wait, so it just sits in that mailbox until you can deal with it, like I did this a.m.

Of those I hit this a.m., I think an article by Carolyn Kaufman at QueryTracker was the most immediately useful, as I've just backed up my machine. Carolyn's article, Backing Up: Know Your Options is a recommended read for everyone.

I back up and store on external hard drives, but also the WIP on thumb-drives. Writers get paranoid about backing up for good reason. So much work can be lost if a computer's hard drive dies.

Generally, Anything on QueryTracker is good, and Elana Johnson does a good job there. While you're there, sign up for their newsletter.

More:

Another great newsletter comes from Cynthia Sterling. She picks up stuff from everywhere. You'll find her at her blog, Cindi Myers Market News.

One big freebie for you KIDLIT writers: There's a free online conference at WriteonCon with tons of editors and agents/writers there. This starts August 10, 2010, I think, and there is a chat for registration. Quite the online offering.

Novelists, Inc, a professional members only group, has a great blog filled with tips from pros.

I also belong to A Writers Work, which is an author's co-op for traditionally published authors who have reverted rights and are self-publishing their books or are writing new material.

And the topper is probably Publishers Market Place, free version, available at Cader Books. For intense useage, they also have a $20/mo option.

I hope you've enjoyed this issue of Writers Survival Guide.

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Outlaw Love in Kindle

Outlaw Love - Brenda Joyce Anthology
Lady Desperado is my story in Outlaw Love. Monday is a business day for me, so I can devote the rest of the week to writing.

I was going through contracts and struggling to make a so-called "paperless office" by scanning legal stuff, i.e. contracts, etc. when I hit material about this anthology. Naturally, I wanted to check it out and found that it's still going strong.

I need to reread my Lady Desperado and post a back story for it. If you're following the new epublishing of my early books, you'll see that I enclose a back story to each one. Love those.

I was thrilled to be invited for this western historical anthology by Dell Books. In the lead was Brenda Joyce, Connie Brockway (isn't she super?), Cait Logan (moi), and Stephanie Mittman, new back then.

Thrilled. Short stories, and I think this was 30k maybe, are extremely difficult for me to write. I tend to think in layers. Lady Desperado was one of the most difficult work I've done, though all of it is pretty intense. Very intense.

A 1997 release, it is now in Kindle form with my other books. It continues to sell but now in a new form.

So if you like westerns, I wrote as Cait Logan and will soon be working on Delilah and her Mountie.

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A Writer's Choice

After just finishing Kindle's A LADY'S DESIRE, early category romance, I'm questioning which project to start next.

Let's see: 1. There's life stuff; 2. business (that ugly underbelly of the fun writing-part)which is scanning, filing, oh yeah--need to update my website really badly. I have new software, so it's not that easy a re-do; or 3. finish the 100 pages and edit my WIP that basically stopped while learning how to work with my reverted early books.

Any one of the 3 is major time consuming. So time vs. priorities is one of a writer's "real life" problems. I did a seminar on this for writers, complete with help from Julie Hood's and my own handouts, blocking time.

DELILAH'S Stepback.

Mm. Then there's Delilah, my "Mountie" western historical. It's all scanned and waiting.

This book is special to me, as they ALL are, because I've invested so much of myself and love into the story. For Delilah and Simon, her Mountie, I drove the entire route from basically Okanogan, WA up the Cariboo Trail (that's Canadian spelling is correct) to Barkerville, B.C., a perfectly restored historical mining town, complete with Chinese waterwheels.

I took pictures of this great car trip, so if I can just dig them out, they'd be great to work into Delilah's cover.

I always research heavily, more than what shows, and this trip, complete with Northern lights, Fraizer River, mountains, Barkerville was supreme. My westerns and some contemporaries are set in the Northwest, the westerns following the Indian, trapper, gold miner, etc. trails. The Oregon Trail was unbelievable, even car-driving, because you actually see how much the pioneers suffered in crossing.

And the interviews! Loved interviewing local history buffs and gathering regional materials.

So right now, it looks like DELILAH is in the lead for priority.

But then, I'm really really wanting to finish my women's fiction, the first of a series, I hope.

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New Lady's Cover

Flash! A Lady's Desire returns. Also watch for coupon savings until 7/15/2010.

Originally published as category in Second Chance at Love by Berkley, A LADY'S DESIRE, reformatted for electronic versions, is now available at Smashwords and soon to Amazon's Kindle and other places. Watch for it at your favorite shopping URL.

Dan Jones, tough business torpedo, isn't taking no for an answer from Ozarks bred Rainey McDowell. And she's not settling for anything less than love, not even when sensuality is both sweet and mind-blowing. *Double-click on photo to see how great the watercolor filter worked on Dan's face.

A LADY'S DESIRE mentions previous characters K.C. and Barrett Redding, whose preqel, LADY ON THE LINE, was my very first book.

All my early category books are numbered or set to be, and the return to them is one of dedication and love. More information on previous posts.

Both Ladies' stories are set in Branson, MO, or that region, a favorite of tourists.

It will be awhile before LADY ON THE LINE (she's a lady lineman) is lifted up, 'cause I'm working on new material, don'tcha know? :)

I've just checked and while most of my books are available via traditional/paper publishing, the following electronic publications of my books follow:

TAKING HER TIME
FOR HER EYES ONLY: romantic suspense
AT THE EDGE: romantic suspense
A STRANGER'S TOUCH: romantic suspense
WITH HER LAST BREATHL: RS
HOLD ME TIGHT
HIDDEN SECRETS: RS
TALLCHIEF: THE HOMECOMING (Reader requests continue for more of these and other series)
SILENCE THE WHISPERS: RS
FLASHBACK: RS
TALLCHIEF: THE HUNTER
INSTINCTIVE MALE
TOTAL PACKAGE
SLOW FEVER
EVERY GIRL'S GUIDE TO... (There is a "companion" book for this one, EVERY GROOM'S GUIDE TO...

Then, my own reissuing of early books:
GAMBLER'S LADY
A LADY'S CHOICE
RUGGED GLORY
A LADY'S DESIRE

I'm way behind on my website's update, but am hoping to also post this current list there--someday :) I do my own 3 blogs, My Jam Jar and The Second Cup, with this one, plus my website, whenever.

Books can be found in different places, and lately some at A Writer's Work, a co-op with other traditionally published authors, republishing their early work.

Smashwords has my own publications, plus most are definitely for Amazon's Kindle.

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