Reading, Writing, Relationship

When I finally decided to pursue fiction writing as a career I was already well on my way to a pretty good career in Information Technology; I was pretty good at troubleshooting and putting computers together but that was not where my passion was. To me it was a job just like any other that paid the bills. When I decided to pursue my writing career I took baby steps. Starting out with short stories, then a novella and finally a full-fledged novel (none of which has been published officially, by the way). But, the point is that I had started well on my way to becoming a full time writer. Luckily I had the background knowledge and hopefully the foresight (that will eventually payoff) to start my own publishing company.

In the beginning I racked up piles of rejection letters like so many other authors. Then, I finally decided that these agents did not know a good book if it smacked them in the face. So I decided to pursue independent publishing and do it all myself. By starting EVapor Entertainment Inc, it now means that I am the flagship author, and the CEO of my company, the publicist and the marketing manager; I am every position rolled into one man and I must wear many hats. But then again, the days of traditional publishers holding all the power is changing due to this technical world we live in.

When I first starting writing I would check website like Writer’s Digest and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America daily. I devoured guest blog post by established writers and how-to books. But most importantly I decided to sit down and write. I did not do what most people tell you which is, write a certain amount every day, sorry, sometimes I get lazy. So instead I set up a weekly quota for myself. Now, it is to the point where if I don’t get in my daily writing session I feel like something is missing and I stay up all night biting away at my already non-existent fingernails. Not only that but I imagine what I am going to write and daydream about my characters having epic battles and clashes on the fantastical world I have created. The hardest part for me is getting my actual words and thoughts down on paper. I can spend so much time fantasizing that I forget my starting point and then sit down and stare at the dreaded blinking cursor until it drives me crazy (which has contributed to my fingernails being a constant source of fascination).

With the line between reader, writer and CEO blurred beyond recognition, no longer are the days when an author can sit down and put out his book and then be and island unto himself (unless of course you are already a legendary and established writer). For the new guys, like me, my reading fuels my writing, which in turn fuels my passion to make by business a success in the demanding and changing world of eBook and hardcover publishing.