My Life and My Writing

Anna’s Obsession

My life interferes with my writing frequently. I work summers from mid May or so to mid September or so, give or take a week or two on either end. My hours aren’t too bad, but I get no weekends. Believe me, it doesn’t take long for me to get very tired – tired enough to just not feel like writing. Along with that is the desire to do other things associated with the business of writing, like advertising my books and socializing with my fans, both of which takes a chunk out of my sales. Also getting in my way is my slow internet, which has made it impossible for my husband and I to be online at the same time. This is something we’ll fix one of these days, but it just can’t be done yet.

At the end of my summer, it’s kind of hard to get back into the groove. It was made even harder because I didn’t have anything new to work on. I keep telling myself that I still have three books completed and in need of editing, but every time I get one out and start working on it, something interrupts me and I’m on a different track. Mood and motivation are lacking, and I just can’t seem to reclaim it. Those three books need a lot of attention and concentration, and it seems like every time I try, something happens to break my concentration. The TV is like four feet in front of my, and my husband thinks I need it on as soon as the generator is running. Some series or movie I happen to like makes it hard to protest.

Back in the day, I’d write and write, one story after another, the length made no difference. It was a new story written to satisfy my desire to read a new book – I’d run out, you see, and bookstores are very far away. Then came the chance to publish and I finished my last book. That was back in ’08. Then came internet and the distractions abounded. Publishing suddenly became easy, I had the books already written, and I’ve become a very good writer. I spent time pulling my published books back under my own wings and republishing them, which necessitated me finding my own cover artists, and figuring a way to earn enough money to pay them. As all this added up, I seemed to slow down.

Lately, I decided to write a new book, and I think that is the key to my slump. It would seem a new story, now nearly finished, just might be what I needed to do. I’ve been more motivated to write than I have been in a long time. Now all I need to do is come up with enough money for a cover. It’s been a long time since I’ve sold a book through my website – the proceeds of which go into my PayPal account, which is what I use to buy my covers.

Publishing and covers aren’t the only distraction I’ve been working on. I’m trying to get my books on regular bookshelves, and to that end, I’ve purchased my own ISBN numbers – I’m just scared to take that step. No one will explain to me sufficiently how that will work. I mean, if some store wants to order hundreds of copies of my books, I can’t afford that.

One distraction after another – this path or that path – even this and my other blogs – it all gets in the way of finishing my new book. I’ll be able to afford a cover soon. Keep an eye peeled for a new book one day soon. Any ideas for my next book? Happy writing to all you writers out there, and happy reading to all you readers out there.