Or maybe a better question is "Are you free at all?"
I think quite a few American would say the answer is "No."
Ask anyone and they'll tell you they're a slave to their job, or their debt, or whatever life situation they find themselves unhappy with. You know, it's the man holding you back, as they say.
And that defeatist notion 100% incorrect.
It's not your job or your debt that you're a slave to; it's yourself.
If you hate your job, there are only two people to blame. 1) The person who accepted the position and 2) The person who chooses to stay there.
If you're up to your ears in debt, it's the same two people: 1) The person who ran up the debt and 2) The person who hasn't paid it off.
Oh wait, all of those are the same person. You.
So I'll use your job as an example, but it's the same for any situation you're in. You are the one enslaving yourself by keeping yourself in a miserable situation. And the only way out is to find out what it is you'd rather be doing--and then quit screwing around and just do it.
Let's say you're in IT, but you'd rather be a personal trainer. So what stops you from getting your PT license and picking jobs on nights and weekends? No don't bother telling me the answer. I already know it: You're too busy for that. After all, how could you possibly find time to work on your real passion when there are so many hours of reality TV to watch? So many hours to spend on the latest Zynga Facebook game. So many weekend mornings that you want to sleep in until noon.
So remember next Monday when you show up to the job you hate that you are not slave to it. You're a slave to the distractions in your life that are keeping you away from chasing your dreams. They are what keep you tied down to the situation you hate being in because you're just too "busy" to take the time to change it.
The only way to true freedom is to figure out a way to spend your life living your dreams--and getting paid for it. Everything else is a distraction.
So put away the distractions and take your first real step toward freedom.
February 18, 2013
February 16, 2013
Quick thoughts from a local author/publisher fair
A library in the area hosted an author/publisher fair this afternoon, so I got in the car and braved downtown traffic to attend the event.
All of the authors I spoke to were local to Nebraska and most were self published (either on their own or through a micro-publisher) or published through local small press publishers.
I took a couple of things away from the event. One is that if you aren't having much luck going the tradition publishing route, there are still plenty of options out there for aspiring writers to get their work seen by others.
I hadn't heard of micro-publishing until today, and while it's not something I'd consider at this point, it is a valid option for a novelist hoping to publish their work in a semi-professional manner. It's not quite vanity press (even though it comes with a hefty fee) and it's not quite self publishing. Micro-publishers charge a fee to set the author up as their own "publishing" company. Pending on what you're willing to pay for, they'll edit, design the packaging and cover, and even market the novel, while the author retains all copyright. One of the reasons I shy away from self publishing is that you need to be your own marketing department. In micro-publishing, you can have them do your marketing. It's very interesting, but like I said, just not for me. I'm still not comfortable with the idea of anyone paying to be published.
The panel offered a former literary agent, a bookstore owner, and a local publisher, among others. I have to say, I didn't really hear anything I haven't heard before. That's definitely not a knock at it though, as there were plenty of people in the audience who were very new to the whole idea of agents, queries, and publishing. There was a lot of information for helping them get started (...down the long path of rejection with the rest of us, lol) and it was great that the library put the panel together.
So after all was said and done, this was a nice way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon meeting some local authors and publishers.
If your local library puts one of these together, you should go out of your way to stop by.
All of the authors I spoke to were local to Nebraska and most were self published (either on their own or through a micro-publisher) or published through local small press publishers.
I took a couple of things away from the event. One is that if you aren't having much luck going the tradition publishing route, there are still plenty of options out there for aspiring writers to get their work seen by others.
I hadn't heard of micro-publishing until today, and while it's not something I'd consider at this point, it is a valid option for a novelist hoping to publish their work in a semi-professional manner. It's not quite vanity press (even though it comes with a hefty fee) and it's not quite self publishing. Micro-publishers charge a fee to set the author up as their own "publishing" company. Pending on what you're willing to pay for, they'll edit, design the packaging and cover, and even market the novel, while the author retains all copyright. One of the reasons I shy away from self publishing is that you need to be your own marketing department. In micro-publishing, you can have them do your marketing. It's very interesting, but like I said, just not for me. I'm still not comfortable with the idea of anyone paying to be published.
The panel offered a former literary agent, a bookstore owner, and a local publisher, among others. I have to say, I didn't really hear anything I haven't heard before. That's definitely not a knock at it though, as there were plenty of people in the audience who were very new to the whole idea of agents, queries, and publishing. There was a lot of information for helping them get started (...down the long path of rejection with the rest of us, lol) and it was great that the library put the panel together.
So after all was said and done, this was a nice way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon meeting some local authors and publishers.
If your local library puts one of these together, you should go out of your way to stop by.
February 13, 2013
Ups and Downs
Allow me to share a quick summary of the contrast of my last two months of writing and submissions.
January successes: A full manuscript request from a fairly major agency. Two short-list notifications from pro-paying publications. Two personal rejections (as opposed to form letter rejections) from other publishers. One new short story completed and submitted, which is a monthly goal I set this year. Nine blog posts, which means I kept up with the posting schedule I created for myself.
February failures: The full manuscript was turned down by the agency. One of the short-listed stories was declined. Three other publishers sent form letters. I’ve been hit with writer’s block and made very little progress on my second short story for the year. And the list of writers advancing to the second round in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award list came out today--they forgot to include my name on it.
So what’s with the whining? you ask.
Nothing. Because I have nothing to whine about it.
With every success and every failure you make, you have a choice. With success, you can say, “Eh, good enough,” and quit pushing forward. With failure, you can say, “Eh, I suck at this,” and quit trying altogether.
Either way, if you quit chasing your dream, it’s because you make the active decision to do so.
I’m not going to look at the first two weeks of this month and decide to give up just because there have been a couple of setbacks. To me, that would be just as absurd as looking at January and deciding I’m on the right track so I can just take a break and let nature take its course.
So what’s next?
Tonight, I take the three form letter rejections, file them away, and then reread and resubmit the three rejected short stories. Now that I’m officially out of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, I have to resume my quest for finding an agent for the novel. Five queries by the end of the month isn’t a preposterous, unachievable goal. The short story that I’m “stuck” with right now is already 1200 words long. It’s not like I can’t write another 2000-3000 this weekend and finish it up.
I wrote this post hoping to show you that the world doesn’t end if you hit the wall a couple of times. Failing doesn’t kill you. It doesn’t need to crush your spirit either. Giving up does that. And I’m not capable of giving up at this point.
I hope you’re not either.
January successes: A full manuscript request from a fairly major agency. Two short-list notifications from pro-paying publications. Two personal rejections (as opposed to form letter rejections) from other publishers. One new short story completed and submitted, which is a monthly goal I set this year. Nine blog posts, which means I kept up with the posting schedule I created for myself.
February failures: The full manuscript was turned down by the agency. One of the short-listed stories was declined. Three other publishers sent form letters. I’ve been hit with writer’s block and made very little progress on my second short story for the year. And the list of writers advancing to the second round in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award list came out today--they forgot to include my name on it.
So what’s with the whining? you ask.
Nothing. Because I have nothing to whine about it.
With every success and every failure you make, you have a choice. With success, you can say, “Eh, good enough,” and quit pushing forward. With failure, you can say, “Eh, I suck at this,” and quit trying altogether.
Either way, if you quit chasing your dream, it’s because you make the active decision to do so.
I’m not going to look at the first two weeks of this month and decide to give up just because there have been a couple of setbacks. To me, that would be just as absurd as looking at January and deciding I’m on the right track so I can just take a break and let nature take its course.
So what’s next?
Tonight, I take the three form letter rejections, file them away, and then reread and resubmit the three rejected short stories. Now that I’m officially out of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, I have to resume my quest for finding an agent for the novel. Five queries by the end of the month isn’t a preposterous, unachievable goal. The short story that I’m “stuck” with right now is already 1200 words long. It’s not like I can’t write another 2000-3000 this weekend and finish it up.
I wrote this post hoping to show you that the world doesn’t end if you hit the wall a couple of times. Failing doesn’t kill you. It doesn’t need to crush your spirit either. Giving up does that. And I’m not capable of giving up at this point.
I hope you’re not either.
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