The Long Road with a Few Readers

A Quick Reflection

I never embraced the idea of marketing myself, however, as an indie writer/ self-publisher, it is a must if you want to attract readers, and of course, sales.

My first book was rejected by every publishing agent and publisher I queried (100+) – which should have made me quit writing and do something else with my time. But my Hard-Headed-Polish-Blood decided to press onward into the void of indie writer oblivion.

 

"Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow Words, I will fear no grammar or punctuation, for thou art with me; Thy keyboard and thy dictionary comfort me."

Fast forward – 15 years and 3 books later.

 

Three books published and 16 books sold at last count – not good, but I am still optimistic about my writing future. Why? Because I now consider my books to be cult classics from the bygone era of epic fantasy-adventure stories.  

 

However – the sad truth, my optimism is concocted from the fantastical lie I tell myself, to convince myself into believing my time writing wasn’t wasted.

 

Furthermore – I have other completed books that have been relentlessly begging me to push the ‘publish button’. It is an ongoing war with no end in sight. I am a coward.

 

The truth of the matter is simple and yet complicated. My problem is the same problem many indie writers face – “Is my writing good enough to be published, and how will I ever know if only a few people have read and reviewed my previous books?”

 

More truth – I’m not writing this for sympathy. I am merely informing current and future indie writers that you are not alone. Yes, the journey is lonely and frightening, but it is not without individual rewards. Writing is a personal achievement that we want to share with others, and when what we wrote connects in a meaningful way, our self-doubt is defeated.

 

One last truth – Today is my Birthday, and like many others, I tend to gaze into the past, hoping I might finally understand the meaning of life, even though I already know it. “Life is a constant contradiction of inconsistency and conformity flowing in perfect harmony with an assortment of unexplainable events every single day we are alive.”  It doesn’t make sense, but it sure sounded good when I wrote it.

 

Today is the beginning of another 365-day journey towards another Birthday!

 

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Kafka!"

"Thanks, jimmy."

"You're old."

Shut up, jimmy."

-jk-

 

 

Inspiration Comes in all Forms

 

Do you need a hefty dose of lion-level courage? Will the Full Moon release a creative occurrence that brings forth an abundance of jubilant and meaningful words to a blank page?

 

Writers are weird. We seek inspiration wherever we may find it. My inspiration is the resentment, bitterness, aggression, and hostility that’s built up inside me, and when it boils over, I write. After a few thousand words, I revert-back to my peaceful, simple-self.

 

Unfortunately, sometimes real-life calls, and it forces writers to move on to other things, but that does not mean those inspiring moments are lost. You just put them on hold until you get a break from reality.

 

Eagerness to write and pent-up frustration because you can’t; that is the two-faced demon we all must defeat.

Happy Place

To rejuvenate that enthusiasm, it will take a leap of faith to revitalize your inspirational yesterday – basically that means, no phone, no TV, and cancel the playdate with your pointless preoccupations and the bee in your bonnet.

It’s time to embrace the lessons you learned; the good and the bad.

Stretch out your smiles of yesterday, and build more words upon the lands of your Expressive Sovereignty, and battle the blank page with courage.

Release negative energy. Contemplate what you want to write. Write whatever comes to mind. And for the love of frivolous  punctuation, bad grammar, and misspelled words, please, please, please, Write Like You Mean It!

 

The best smiles are when you type – The End.

 

“Mr. Kafka?”

“Yes, jimmy?”

“Resentment, bitterness, aggression, and hostility? You’re never like that.”

“I was aggrandizing to rouse inspiration.”

“Sounded a bit over-the-top, Mr. Kafka.”

“Thank you, jimmy.”

“It wasn’t meant as a compliment.”

“I know.”

 

-jk-