An update on an Indie book world

Fifteen years of writing consistently has finally started to pay off. In my previous blog, I talked about the WHY in why people write. There are times when you are writing and writing and nothing is happening. That is just how it is. Then one day it is as if everything starts to come together. It is as if the universe smiles on you and says let's give this person who is not going to give up a bit of a chance.

This only really started in the last two years. I was the proverbial blue bottle that kept flying into the window and banging its head. I would fall onto the proverbial window-sill, lay slightly stunned for a while and then get up and do it again.

During that time I taught creative writing, worked full time as a business analyst, competed at rowing and wrote in between. You might notice I like being busy and managed all that by creating structures that enabled me to be consistent. What makes it easier for me is I like the feeling of progress. Even if I write for ten minutes then I am progressing. The point was - nothing was happening. So one day I had to re-evaluate my WHY. My great dream of international fame, fortune and flying  helicopters probably was not going to manifest in reality. Instead I realised I had been chasing illusions and actually the reason why I wrote was down to the fact I loved writing. I simply loved creating stories and it did not matter whether other people liked them or whether people bought them. Instead it was spending time in creative inner landscapes imagining. As soon as I realised that it was not about how much money I made and whether there was any interest.  I was going to write anyway because it was my passion and my hobby- that is when something shifted. The struggle stopped and I had more energy to write what I wanted, how I wanted. My books went on promotion and the sales started. I know it is sad but when you have twenty downloads in a week you feel as though you have been 'found'. That sense of liberation seemed to send a signal up to the universe and people arrived in my life who desired to make my books into audible books. That is where I am now. I am working with a fantastic producer who is turning Labyrinthine into and audible book. It seems to take it to the next level and I am loving it. After that, who knows, I am completing a couple of film scripts of The Ocean Callings and Labyrinthine because the producer I should have those ready 'just in case'. So let's see what the next step is... All I can say to all you Indie authors is persevere and find ways for you to make things happen. All the while, love what you write and enjoy it. That is the greatest reward you can have - enjoy every moment of your creation. The way I see it is if I can do it then so can other people. I can have a break through then surely sharing it with others will help them to keep going against all the odds. There will always be doubters and people who tell you why you won't succeed. It is your choice to listen to them. My advice is keep going, enjoy what you create and put the work out there because there is more than enough audience for all of us.

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Passion, persistence and perserverance.

Passion, persistence and perseverance.

If at first you don’t succeed then try again. This is all very well, however, the word ‘trying’ implies forced effort and repeating the same type of effort. The image of a blue bottle colliding repetitiously with a window comes to mind. If I have learned anything, then doing the same thing over and over again never enables a different outcome. So if at first you don’t succeed, find another way to do what you love or an alternative route to the success you desire.

So what is the success you desire? Why are you doing what you are doing? Is it because you desire a certain outcome? Is that specific outcome realistic? If that outcome does not happen then would you still do what you do for the enjoyment of it? If the answer is yes then you can stop trying and simply enjoy your creation as you enjoy the journey to your intended outcome. If the answer is no, then do you carry the belief that without pain there is no gain? Do you really have to put yourself through pain to achieve your goal? Really? If there is pain aren’t you likely to stop? Isn’t that when the mistakes happen? Obviously the old cliché of learning from your ‘mistakes’ is always apt for progress. Yet mistakes don’t always have to be painful. Instead they can be regarded as diversions - where you come to a road-block and are enabled to experience something new or an alternative way of doing things. Another thing to consider is what you consider a mistake. Personally I don’t generally consider any part of working on what is essentially a passion a mistake unless I don’t enjoy it. So what if what you are creating is not internationally successful over night? Isn’t it about the joy of creation?

So with regards to passion and perseverance, this is also how we perceive what we want to achieve. In the last years I have come to the conclusion that the time I spend writing is more about having the opportunity to step into my creative landscape. At one time I would have felt as though I was pulling a jumbo jet up a mountain using a rope because of the unrealistic expectations I had on myself. That has since transformed and nothing about creation is a chore, instead it is a joy. That was the pain that I was causing myself by have huge expectations of sales and general concepts of success. When I shifted those expectations I realised I simply loved writing stories and putting them out in the world. Writing became easy because there was no pressure. Of course, that is when the shift began and books began to sell. I realised I was creating works that were an absolute enjoyment to create without pressure. That changed the quality of my creation and meant that I could persevere without feeling as though it was a struggle. I hope that will help you. These are a few of the questions I asked myself:

What so you enjoy?

Where is your creative passion?

Ask why you are putting pressure on yourself.

Are there more fun ways to achieve your success?

Ask yourself why you do what you do.

Find out what motivates you.

Create a habit of what you are doing regularly.

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