List of books and upcoming books

Life as a writer

Most people ask how they can become a writer. How do I get followers? How do I get reads? How do I get my books to rank?

Let's start with don't worry about these questions. Followers, reads, and ranks come over time. There is no secret formula. It takes time.

Most writers aren't living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The majority of writers have day jobs to pay their bills. I'm that writer who has a day job and writes. I live in a small house which always needs something fixed. I miss my apartment.

Life as a writer is a lot of work. Besides writing the story, you spend countless hours editing what you wrote. You still find errors. I'm always finding errors and glaring at my screen. Like why?

I spend my time hopped on caffeine while I'm writing and editing. No wonder I lack sleep and get cranky.

Eating is optional as my husband puts a plate with a sandwich on the desk. I'm sure my family remembers what I look like when I emerge from my hole that I call the office.

Now, I'm not saying I detest my life as a writer. I don't. I love creating a world with imaginary people who run amuck and cause me grief. Yes, my characters cause me much distress because they never listen. I tell them not to do something, and they ignore me. Sigh.

With writing comes endless hours of work and figuring out what the hell I want to say without looking like a complete dumbass. Nothing is worse than writing nonsensical bullshit. The worst is when autocorrect feels it knows a word better than me. Who the hell farts behind a car? Autocorrect, it's dart behind the vehicle. Stop it.

I learned life as a writer makes me a beautiful disaster. I'm not kidding. I look like a hot mess. My hair is piled on my head in some odd fashion. Sweats have become my new wardrobe. What's makeup?

I'm not sure about most writers, but I'm stuck in a creepy dungeon, tapping on a keyboard. Okay, I'm not in a dungeon, but my basement resembles one. I'm usually hiding from people and my cat. Did I mention my cat is my co-editor and sleeps? I need a new co-editor.

If you hadn't noticed, I'm a humor writer. A few don't understand my humor. I'm not sure why. I'm delightful. (Calling Nixon Gray)

Now, as a writer, I learned a valuable lesson. Are you listening?  Not everyone will like your work and will criticize it. You'll get negative reviews or comments besides the positive ones. Trust me. I got a few. Ricky Nelson said it best. You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself. That came from his song Garden Party. Yes, I'm old, but not that old.

My dad was a firm believer that everything is a learning experience. My mom is a firm believer people need to get a clue or get bent. Yeah, that's my parents' way of raising me. Two different opinions, confusing the hell out of me.

I had a few mishaps with readers. I'm not perfect and make mistakes. But so does everyone else. I had to learn not to respond to negativity because, let's face it, negativity sucks and drains you. Yeah, I'm still learning.

The truth is, there's no secret formula to writing except to write. Write every day. Even when you don't feel like it, write. Writer's block is complete bullshit.  The same goes for lack of motivation. You started a story, now finish it. Readers are more likely to read if you complete a novel.

Don't worry about the reads. They'll come. Finish the story.

Welcome to life as a writer where you spend countless hours writing crap.