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Happy August everyone. I can't believe we're almost done with summer when it seems it just got here. Our move to Ohio has started (I won't go into the crazy stories, because I know everyone has at least one) but we have one more stage to complete, and that can't happen until mid August when we will finally be able to move into our little rental house. So, meanwhile, I am worrying about whether or not I should help us out money-wise and get a "day" job (been wondering if I could find work writing newsletters or blog posts for someone yet don't know where to start...any ideas?), when all I want to do is bite the bullet and write full time again. I feel very insecure about this which adds to the stress of the move. I woke at 4:30 this morning unable to sleep, but I got up and finished comments on a story I'm judging for a contest. Soooo missing France right about now! In the meantime, my husband has started at OSU and is very happy/busy/stressed/excited. We've gone from staying with my parents in North Carolina to staying with our daughter and son in law in Ohio until we can move into our own place, which is stressful for them, even though they are being wonderful and generous about our temporary invasion of their sweet home.
So, today, I sit here on their couch surrounded by sleeping dogs, with a light and steady rainfall outside the window and tell myself to relax and be in this gentle moment. To appreciate what I have in my life and that all will work out. To stop worrying and just be. So much easier said than done... Breathe, just breathe.
August 1 IWSG question:
What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
The very first thing I would warn other writers to avoid, is to even think about not having their work edited by a professional editor if Indy/Self publishing. Not one "traditionally" published author exists that was not edited by a pro before publication. No one is perfect and a badly or unedited mss is what has given Indy/Self published authors a bad rep. It might be a really wonderful story, but if the reader is constantly pulled from it because of the writing/lack of editing, you will not have repeat customers. I cringe to think of the first novel I put out into the world thinking it was so wonderful. Learn from my mistake!
Please drop by their blogs and thank our wonderful co-hosts of the IWSG this month
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| My Dad with the rental truck in NC. We'd already driven from south GA up to NC at this point, 12 hours. |
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| The next stage, driving from NC to Columbus Ohio... |
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| Arriving in the town where our daughter lives! 8 hours this time. Whew! |
Great advice.
ReplyDeleteEight hours - you guys were hauling. I know you're eager to get the final step done soon.
I've moved across country several times and it's always an adventure. I hope you get settled into your own place in a couple weeks.
ReplyDeleteHello, soon to be fellow Ohioan! What part of Ohio are you moving to? I hope the rest of the move goes smoothly and you are settled in soon. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very long drive. I hope you took lots of rest breaks.
ReplyDeleteProfessional editing is very good advice. I've read too many self-pubbed books that consistently pull me out due to misspellings, or wrong word choices. Or poor formatting.
Good luck in the new location.
Wow, that's a lot of upheaval. It will be so nice for you when you get settled in your new place. Good luck to your husband on his new job and I hope you get to keep writing!
ReplyDeleteI agree! The fastest way to turn readers off is with a poorly edited book. It's imperative to take time and make sure your book is reader-ready before publishing it! Readers will thank you! Good luck with everything, Lisa. You have a LOT going on. Take a deep breath & enjoy the moment. Everything will fall into place as it should.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant minds think alike! Thanks for reinforcing this very important point.
ReplyDeleteWishing you the best on this phase of your journey. Relocating is always stressful, even when its good.
Good luck with your move! That is a lot of work for sure. If you decide to look for a day job writing I know that there are blogs and newsletters that hire writers to do the content writing and pay them for a certain number of content pieces a month. A friend of mine does this. I think if you go to indeed.com and put in your information and what you are looking for you could tailor job searches (I am not sure if this is how my friend found their writing jobs- but I have used the site for other job searches).
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the rest of your move. :)
~Jess
Moving can be an exciting adventure as well as a big hassle. I'd like to move closer to my family back east, but I'll probably be here in CA from here on out. No telling what the future holds though. Ohio would be a good place to live--that's where I was born. And it's conveniently located to most of the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThat ideal writing job sounds nice, but I'm not sure how to go about finding one or I guess that's what I'd been doing.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Yes, yes, yes! I freelance edit, and my proofer still finds plenty of errors. You can't edit your own work!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for getting settled in (squeezed in?) to your new place.