Ah, the day is upon us my friends. Today, instead of getting up at 7 AM to get ready for work, I had the choice of sleeping in…after all, this is the first day of being self-employed. The first day of being a full-time writer.
Ahh, lucky you, you say. And yes, I know I’m lucky. Lucky that I have such a loyal and slightly rabid fanbase, lucky that I’ve not given up when the going got tough, lucky that I had support from my family and friends. I’m lucky that I can do what I love for a living.
Does this mean it’s an easy life from now on? HELL NO. As any freelancer will tell you, once you take away the “security” of a “normal” job, every dollar coming in and dollar going out has more meaning. As in, OH MY GOD WHAT IF I NEVER SELL ANOTHER BOOK I’LL DIE AND BE HOMELESS.
Of course, if we listened to these valid fears, no one would ever take the leap. So here I am, leaping off the cliff and building my wings on the way down. It’s going to be a challenging and terrifying journey at times but you know me — I love being scared.
This is a time to develop solid writing habits, to put my nose to the keyboard and grind words out. I have more freedom now but that freedom is tethered to my writing, something that will always have to come first. This will probably result in many people’s fallen and confused faces when I tell them I can’t go to their party because I need to write or I can’t go on a trip because I need to go through edits, or I can’t go for dinner because I’m uploading to Kindle. Most people will probably think I can do whatever I want, and while I can, it doesn’t mean I should.
This morning I had the freedom and choice to sleep in. My first day of self-employment, I’m my own boss, right?
Right. But I’m a bitch of a boss.
So instead of waking up at 7AM for work like I would have done on a weekday, I woke up at 5AM to write.
That’s right. First day as a full-time writer and I’m up at 5AM. Hopefully this kind of behaviour will get me a raise in the long run
In other news, well actually the same news, I AM writing. This month has been crunch month for The Devil’s Metal. It’s a whole new ballgame and it’s not easy. Writing EIT is second nature to me. Five books and three novellas and I can spew about Perry and Dex in my sleep.
But starting a whole new book with whole new characters, plot and world (not to mention time period) is something entirely different. This is keep-you-on-your –toes, challenging stuff. You’re worried about pacing, you’re worried about keeping the time period authentic, you’re worried that people won’t love your characters as much as they love your tried-and-tested characters. You worry you will suck. Balls. BIG BALLS.
All I can do, however, is keep going. I will try to keep those voices at bay and I will try my best. This isn’t Experiment in Terror and it’s not trying to be (THOUGH EIT fans will notice one similar thread/item in The Devil’s Metal hee hee). This is strictly adult. It’s the 1970’s. It’s rock and roll. It’s about personal demons and real demons. It’s about two people coming together in a very unlikely way. And knowing me, this isn’t mainstream, insta-luv fare. Oh, there are plenty of sexy times and romance, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not standard. That’s all I can really say.
Although I’ll also say, man, getting up at 5AM is a bitch.