Daily, I'm polishing almost three complete chapters of my almost there 30 chapter manuscript. I'm constantly streamlining and re-visioning, even creating Author's Notes, 30 pages at a time, so I'll be ready for launch on the 31st of this month. This isn't the first time I've tried to capture and clearly communicate what's on my mind in a tome of collective words. This is, however, the first time that I'm patient, honest, open, humble, and reading my story out loud repetitively.
You've gotta love a story to read it over and over. Especially, if it's lacking as a written piece of art. Which got me to thinking; for those who are top-heavy creatives and you're willing and able to set quotas, goals, or call them steps (and fulfill them in a healthy manner) wouldn't the goal of sharing your work get accomplished in a quicker, feed the machine, type of way if you humble yourself? If you re-read your work, not after being away from it for a period of time, but after you've found the bliss of it; wouldn't your passion and love for it become discerned and detached? If you seriously took the advice that touched your soul and daily applied it to your work, wouldn't you be in a position to attract those Beta Readers who knows your work and you? Yeah, you'd become a better author. A prolific author. My feeling, sniff sniff, is authors get a bad wrap. Not every name on a published book is an author. We authors communicate a message while conveying an idea. Storytellers do that- tell stories thing. Authors are the elite craftsmen of this field of word slaying in the crystallized form. They communicate clearly and motivate with a good message wrapped up in one. This means the suck-it-up-Buttercup attitude that many authors have is often misunderstood. I believe that you become an author when you gain the author's ability to release and release and release; to feed the machine, again. Knowing that you are an author and not a storyteller will give you the compassion needed to get up everyday and count (therefore) slay the words. Knowing you are an author and not a storyteller will allow you to be fed by what you produce even if it doesn't see the light of professional bookstore day. Lastly, knowing you are an author and not a storyteller will put a pen in your hand & fingers on the keyboard, an ear for rhythm which comes from trial and error, and the humility to slowly walk down and gather readers who will follow you instead of a few book titles. Yeah, I'm an author, who knows many storytellers. That is what keep the publication world going round. A world I just love. Thanks for Listening! Sabrina Louise Andielle
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Word count is an important thing to a professional author/ working writer.
Before I started my thing, I kinda had a feel for the importance of the number of words a good book held; especially those written by a creative authors. I never personally felt the actual weight of this importance until I decided to toss my hat into the self-publish arena. Of course, the moment I decided to take my writing career into my own hands, I lost the romantic appeal of being a professional author/working writer. Plain and simple I realized that if you don't write you don't have books and no books means no sells and no sells means no money; at least according to man's formula. Because you may write all you want, sell all you want, but at the same time you can't lose the spirit and art of it all. You have to find a way to balance the earthly hustle with the spiritual bank account. Meaning I must honor my schedule and decide where my energy and word count goes, daily. I only have so many words available to crank out on any given day and currently that number is averaging between 3,000-4,000. Sounds like a lot but it's not. Not for a professional/working writer. I still must maintain my website and blogs. I have a quarterly newsletter that debut in September. There are short stories and novellas to write and if I want to get a Patron account that means more writing for a special market. Then we must not forget the dream of telling novel length myths (93,000 to 100,000 words per myth.) Believe me, I'm not complaining. I know how bless I am to be doing what I love. I appreciate it. Besides, I know with time I will be able to increase my word count due to the development of my skill of communication and the invent of a good writing schedule like Mr. King spoke of in his book On Writing. Another thing that will help me to be able to increase my word count in an organic and spirit-filled way is my reading. Reading will continue to pay off in dividends incomparable. With that said, I will continue to write because that's what writers do. Including this website. It's not just a platform for me to sell my products its a way for me to remain in relationship with my readers and supporters. Because the other thing writers do is communicate and I have much to say. I think of my son, an entertainer. If he's not making someone laugh then he feels lost. If I'm not giving someone something to be filled by I'm lost and in many ways go insane. So, I guess I better write for all things in all directions and let the cookie crumble the way it wants. Dreaded word count. -Thanks for Listening Sabrina-Louise |
AuthorOne of those writer folk telling stories, reviewing the writer's adventure, and presenting the hero's journey. All wrapped in Spirit, the Kingdom of God, the Sanatana Dharma, the Tao, the Way, or the Absolute. Archives
February 2020
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