What in the world am I doing?

I had no idea that being an author would take so much effort. I thought that all I had to do was type out a story, send it to a publisher/agent, and sit back. Boy, was I wrong! My published author friends all say that the most important thing is to focus on creating a good story and worry about all the rest later. Easier said than done!

Once the story is written, a whole new journey begins. Self-editing has to be done which consists of “murdering” all of those precious words that I struggled to create. Grammar and spelling have to be considered along every step of the way. Dangling participles, head-hopping, and wandering body parts are just some of the dangers lurking on the page. Then it’s off to critique partners, beta readers, and possibly a contest or two. Next is the question of whether to submit endless query letters and synopses to publishing houses and agents, or to self-publish. I have chosen to self-publish my first series which leads to the search for quality editors and professional cover art, copyrights, ISBN’s, and a gazillion other things that I didn’t even know existed until recently.

Now, I am knee-deep in developing a marketing platform. Social media is a must, everyone says. Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and reader websites are the road to self-promotion. Frankly, I’m exhausted after two hours of answering emails, posting, blogging, and tweeting. Where in the world do these authors find the time to work a “real job” for fifty hours a week and still devote the necessary time to their craft?

All I can say is that writing is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid. My closets and book shelves are full of manuscripts that will never see the light of day. Now that I’ve decided to take the plunge, I hope that someone out there enjoys reading my stories. And even if they don’t, I can always buy another book shelf.