Tag: new book

Waking Early

I have been going to bed earlier over the last few days, and starting my day similar. I’m not a fan.

I always hear about this magical life regarding starting the day early. I have not found the same majesty that other people have promised. I get roughly eight hours every night, but I find that the day drags.

Maybe it is because I am self employed, maybe it is because I am on other people’s schedule. I find that the hours between nine and one are a slog. I have even started exercising earlier to maybe kill the time. I have started writing earlier. I have started research and reading stuff that I usually struggle to fit into my day.

HOWEVER.

I am doing all the things I would normally stretch over the whole day in a matter of two hours. I understand that the point of starting the day earlier is to get everything done, but I am now just packing more into my day to HOPEFULLY kill the few hours I have gained. It is boring, lonely, and kind of irritating.

I think I need to make a change again. I seem to have a huge life-changing event every few years, and I have lived in the same place for the last two years.

I have been querying my next novel to a few agents. I hope that I have a response some time soon. On that note: if you know of or are a literary agent, please contact me somehow. I have been trying to do things myself, but I am sure that my methods are the wrong way. Using search engines to find a very niché kind of agent is probably the wrong way of doing things.

To get back on topic: I think that the extra time I have created for myself is making me impatient. I hit refresh on emails damn-near constantly, even though my phone would tell me if I had something that requires my attention.

Virgin

I just received a rather sharp kick to the nuts. Apparently, I shouldn’t have ventured into the world of self publishing if I wanted to be represented. Or, I should at least have my next story ready.

This came from me asking for representation from an organization that I won’t name for privacy reasons. The proclaimed that jumping onto a project that has already been published will not pan out for them or the writer. Apparently the book industry would rather an untested manuscript over one that has even pretended to see the light of day.

I find this both depressing and illuminating. I was under the impression that it would be better for everyone involved if I jumpstarted the distribution of my “work” and started to make a name for myself. That would create less work for both publishers and agencies because, again my thinking, I would already have a minor audience. It would show my dedication to the craft.

HOWEVER.

Since that is not the case, I will not be releasing my next work when it is done without an actual publisher behind it.

I love the people at Friessen Press. They have done great work for me, and helped me to realize a new passion. They have the tools and the connections to help me realize a new way to express myself. Unfortunately, I have to use their connections and go into that realm myself. By that, I mean that they give me the e-mails and phone numbers for connections, and it’s up to me to make it happen.

Now, in theory, this is a fantastic way of doing things. The big downside is that I am learning as I go naked into this world of writing. I have learned so many things, am still learning so many things, and don’t know that I have missed an avenue to explore until it is too late. As I mentioned in my last post, I am working on a new project. Since it is still in a very unexplored stage, I am not going to divulge what it’s about. I will say that I am about 4000 words into it (not 10 pages) and it’s going very well!

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