I work a regular day job at a public elementary school, then I still come home and spend time with my family, cook, clean and all the other daily activities of life. I'm working hard to make writing my career, and as soon as it gets there, I will spend my daytime hours working hard on all the projects I have in the works. For now, my writing time is limited to evenings and weekends.
I wish I could say that writing was my full-time job. Unfortunately, it's not. So, I write as much as I can when I get a free moment. I work as the technology teacher at a public elementary school, so my free time is limited.
I write in multiple genres, but I know YA has a lot of people out there who think it's only for teens. That's not true at all! I know plenty of adults, well into their thirties or older who enjoy YA novels!
It's always been something that I'm passionate about, but as a child, I didn't necessarily think that it was something I could make a career out of. As I got older and my writing evolved and grew, I realized that I might could make my dream a reality.
A good cover and title are extremely important. I get the old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover." but everyone does it anyway. If a book doesn't look interesting on the outside, or the title doesn't make someone stop and take notice, then why would they pick it up and look at the back?
Yes! I've struggled on a couple of different occasions with writer's block. I think ultimately it comes down to a lack of enthusiasm or inspiration. When I feel like I can't focus or get anything on the page, I take a break and listen to music and try to get myself in the right headspace to get back to whatever I'm writing.
I'm just getting started, so I have read every review written on both of my novels. Most were good, but I did have one that disappointed me. It always sucks to find that someone didn't like what you put so much thought and heart into, but at the end of the day, it's unrealistic to think everyone who reads your work will like it. So, I brush it off and move on. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I think my most difficult part is getting all of the details I want to convey into my work. Sometimes it's hard to work everything that's in my head, onto the page.
I think the most difficult thing about writing characters of the opposite sex, is just having the full and accurate understanding of how their minds work as opposed to yours. I write characters of all sexes, shapes, sizes, colors, etc. They all have their challenges if they are somehow different from you. Our experiences are all different, therefore our natural way of thinking is going to differ as well.
Strangely, I don't find it that difficult. I've always been a tomboy at heart. On top of that, as a Gemini (sorry to go astrological here) I can easily slip into different mindsets and personalities, regardless of gender.
Literary success looks like readers enjoying your work. Whether is one or two people or a billion, if what you've written brings joy to someone's life, I'd call that a success.
After publishing my first book, I've noticed that I am more picky about the details. I realized that the little things are still very important and while I love my first book, as have many others, There are a lot more small details I could have included.
I would have pushed myself to keep writing earlier in my life. My first books was a years long process because of time and my constant need to reread and attempt perfection. I would tell myself to calm down and just write from the heart. Everything else would fall into place. It took me a long time to get to that point in my writing, but I'm here now, and now my brain never shuts up.
I've been writing regularly for the past 5 years or so, but I've loved writing and creating stories since I was in elementary school. Reading inspired me to write! Falling in love with other people's fictional worlds and characters, inspired me to create my own! Now, what I've created is a part of me that will live forever and I will never have the mystery in my head of how a story truly ended once the book was over.
You have to have a good plot. The story has to be there or it won't matter how well written the characters are. You also need good chemistry between characters, whether it's a romantic relationship, a tumultuous one, frenemies, whatever, it has to feel authentic!
Sometimes you just have to stop, take a deep breath and walk away for a moment. When I start getting stuck, or frustrated with what I'm writing, I take a break and put on my favorite playlist, then I lose myself in another activity. Sometimes I will read for a while just to get out of my fictional world and into someone else's. Honestly, sometimes that in itself can be inspiring.
