Why do I write?

Lots of reasons. The main one is that I can't not write. I'm not saying my head is bursting with stories that can't wait to turn into books. It's more like I feel the need to flush out my mind of all the debris of my life, and turning that into stories is inevitable. It's therapeutic, and it keeps me occupied. Retirement could be horribly boring without my writing. I guess the fact that it's not easy is why I keep doing it. The challenge keeps me engaged.

The hardest part is getting started on a new outline for the next book. It's the best feeling when you finish a first draft. To have found the right starting point and, even more difficult, the closing act. And in the middle, between finishing a first draft and starting a new outline, there is the revision process. This takes longer than writing the full first draft, and consists of reading and rereading, fixing and tweaking and working with a critique partner, if you are lucky enough to find a good one. I am that lucky. Then there is the difficulty in finding reliable beta readers and incorporating their feedback.

One of the main things that keeps me writing is Nanowrimo. I love a challenge and it helps to have a deadline. Most of my books were drafted during a Nanowrimo month. Either the November challenge to write at least 50K words in one month, or the camps held in April and July, where you set your own goal. The prize for completing the challenge isn't just a winner certificate, it is the fact that you now have a first draft of another novel. I have four certificates and four novels. And it's almost November and time for my fifth.

I wrote Peeling the Onion over a period of years, never intending it to be published, or even to be a book. It was written as a therapy. I did self publish it back in 2013. And while I refer to it as a memoir, it's more a series of essays covering my experiences growing up and finding myself. When I wrote it I had no clue about the craft of writing. I also had no clue about self publishing. I had no plans to do any marketing. In fact I couldn't imagine anyone ever buying, or reading it.

My first novel, Caitlin's Escape Route, took me over two years to write. When I unexpectedly found myself retired (you can read about that here), I had dozens of false starts. I knew I wanted to write a novel, but I had no clue how to go about it. I wrote every day, but everything I wrote turned out to be a weak short story. Then I got a Masterclass membership. I watched each writing class over and over again. After that I found The Writing Mastery Academy. That was when I finally got my teeth into The Escape Route Book 1—Caitlin's Escape Route. I didn't know it would be a series when I started, but by the time the first draft was complete, I realized where I could go with it.

The idea for each of my books has started with a character. I spend some time getting to know that character, building a family and back story. Only when I really know who they are can I start on the story outline. The bare bones of an outline that is. Once I start writing, I discover the story, and the outline grows with that discovery. Caitlin's Escape Route is filled with characters. The premise is an escape route for victims of domestic violence. Therefore, we briefly meet many victims as they utilize the escape route. Each of these victims become the main character in another book in the series, as we follow their progress towards healing and rebuilding their lives.

After Peeling the Onion was published, I had to learn to accept that I was opening myself up to criticism. Although I didn't do any marketing, over a period of months a few people found it, read it and reviewed it. While most of the reviews were very complimentary, there was one two star review that was particularly scathing. It took a few days to digest that. But I finally figured out that someone bought the book, then read it, and then took the time to write a review. She didn't have to like it, but she also didn't have to go to the trouble of reviewing it. I did some research on reviews and eventually posted this blog about it. Then I moved on. But not before learning the lesson, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. I decided to stay in the kitchen.

Fast forward to January 2024, when I published my first novel. Again, I decided not to do any marketing. For two reasons, one: I didn't want to. Marketing is just not something I ever wanted to do, but I also read that when a second book in a series is published, it generates interest in the first book. Naturally, I skipped the fact that the second one has to be marketed before that can happen.

But, before publishing Sally's Story, in September 2024. I spent some time learning about Amazon and Facebook Ads. I created a campaign on Facebook and it ran for the first two weeks of September with what I consider some success. That is, between sales and Kindle Unlimited page reads, I earned more in royalties over the period the campaign ran, than it cost me. It was somewhat nerve wracking I do admit. I watched carefully as the income and cost ran neck and neck for a few days, but after the first week, the royalties won the race.

So, what next? The third book in the series, Brenda's Story, is almost ready to publish. That, I expect, will be in December 2024. Meanwhile, I am running another test campaign. The first one was in the US only. This second one will run in both the US and the UK. So, fingers crossed they will perform at least as well as the last one. The fourth book, Gerry's Story, is in revision and I am working on getting to know my character for book five in the series. 

Meanwhile, if you want to check them out, they are available on Amazon, and if you want to know more about my books, please follow me here.