In the interest of not shocking you, let me say up front that I opted to break from my world building posts for a behind the scenes look at being a paranormal romance writer. As a reader you might ask, “What’s in it for me?”
Well…I’m fairly sure you’ll appreciate your own career a bit more after reading this post. On the off chance I’ve written this post the way it sounds in my head, you might even spit coffee on your keyboard from laughing so hard. Let’s find out.
*Chair scraping. Shuffling to the microphone to stand in front of a room full of people cradling coffee mugs, wearing fuzzy slippers, and sporting pens as questionable hair accessories.*
“Hello. My pen name is Regan and I’m an author.”
Group mumbles, “Hello, Regan.”
Here’s the deal. When I wrap a book, while I’m waiting for the first edits and beta reader comments, I always get a little giddy.
This is refreshing because toward the end of the draft process I’m usually convinced I’m a hack who has no more business sitting at a keyboard than a monkey. (although I hear they might be working on a new Shakespeare manuscript.)
So after feeling like a hack, giddy is fabulous. It’s a welcome relief. But then the edits come back – usually about the time I realize all the ways I should’ve made the book better before I even sent it out. *head-desk*
Then I buckle down and dig into the edits. I don’t feel like a hack in this phase because usually there’s plenty of good feedback to go along with the improvements. I just usually feel a little stupid.
Edits resolved, out the manuscript goes again and while I’m riding another (slightly less) giddy phase I start working on sales and promotion stuff to distract me from the stupid mistakes I surely left in this time around.
With five books in one series on the market along with several short stories and a couple of non-fiction titles, plus the lighter series, and new ideas, I have plenty of other responsibilities (like tracking my sales numbers) to keep my mind away from dangerous cliffs…
…like wondering why in the hell my editors and beta readers stick by me when I’m such a bloomin’ hack.
“My pen name is Regan, and I’m an author.”
Authors have giddy moments when we’re flying on top of the world over the perfect phrase, a great review, or the ever promising uptick in sales.
We have moments when we’d like to dive off the nearest cliff or into the closest dumpster because, face it, everyone knows the alphabet and the neighbor’s three year old knows the difference between it’s and its.
We have philosophical moments when we genuinely admire another’s success, often followed by moments when we’d rather slit our wrists than admit we write books for a living.
The only redeeming part – aside from readers who love the books we create – is that writers (of every genre) understand this wacky process completely and are ever so supportive!
Yes, “my pen name is Regan and I am an author…”
Live the adventure!
I hear ya, Sistah! There are days when I think, yeah, I’m a good writer and I know it. And then there are days when, in mid-paragraph, I’m thinking, Blah-Blah-Blah this sucks why would anyone read it? At least you keep the “good writer” thoughts going while you’re actually writing!
Most days, Gayle, only most days. LOL I think it’s because in the actual writing process anything can happen and that keeps me upbeat, even if the story’s a dark one.