Maintaining Steam As A Fulltime Author

“I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes at nine every morning” This quote often attributed to William Faulkner has become a staple in my approach when building my fulltime career as an author.

When I took the leap to follow my dream of becoming an author five years ago, I did so in the same manner in which I would approach a new career of any sort and I invested in myself. Granted an author’s career seldom takes off like a rocket and is much more akin to a slow burn.

Thus, the result of effort put in is far from immediate. If you are looking for instant gratification, you may wish to try your hand somewhere other than writing novels.

But if you are committed to the scenic route of building a career, I hope these practices will help keep you moving down the road toward a life as a fulltime author.

Show up each morning ready to work

This may seem obvious but the idea of an author lounging in their PJ’s comes up in conversation more often than you’d think. It seems many in the non-writing world have a notion that we writers, roll out of bed and stumble to the coffee pot before sitting at our desk to write the day away in brilliant fashion.

For me though, I don’t drink coffee and I rarely begin my writing day without first having taken care of the “life stuff”. You know the “life stuff”? The stuff that all of us, no matter what profession we have chosen must complete. The exercise routine, feeding the dog and the family, showering and dressing for the day, and all the other little things we cram into the hours when we aren’t at work.

Set a writing schedule

Right on the heels of showing up ready to work is the idea of having a set start and end time to your writing schedule. I prefer to write in the morning but life doesn’t always work out that way so I have learned to be flexible, but even my flexibility is scheduled. I plan each upcoming week the Sunday before the week begins and schedule my writing time just as I would a doctor’s appointment or a family commitment.

Setting an end time for your writing is just as crucial for maintaining balance in the rest of your life. Whether it is a word goal or a time goal, knowing how long you will be in writing mode each day is a blessing on good writing days and a forced imprisonment on the not so good writing days. But as you’ve likely heard a thousand times, “you can’t edit a blank page” so what you can do is sit down and write.

Read within your genre

Every writer needs to make time to read. It is a crucial element of why we write in the first place. We love books. We love a good story. We love being swept away to another world.

Reading is part escapism and part writing craft. If you are continuously reading in the same genre you write in, you will know the genre expectations (romance = a happy ending) and you will have insight into how other authors pen a phrase and inspire you to improve upon your own writing.

Read outside your genre

I realize this may seem completely counterintuitive, but reading outside your genre is also an important part of learning how to improve your craft. When it comes to the editing portion of my drafts, I put down all historical fiction titles and instead switch to domestic suspense or legal thrillers.

In the beginning, I began this practice out of the sheer need to read something less similar to my own work while I was editing my novels. Along the way however, I discovered that reading novels with a suspense element to them while editing my own manuscript proved to be a huge advantage as I found myself intrinsically aware of pacing and that pacing migrated into my own manuscripts.

Connect with readers and other authors

Humans are social creatures by nature. Whether it is via a virtual format or in real life, connecting with others through mutual appreciation of a good book fills our being with the best kind of joy.

Not only will you authentically grown your own fan base by building relationships, you will come to know authors you admire as part of your community. As an added bonus, this social connection adds fuel to your writing fires.

Be the best “you” possible

Whether it is in the world at large or the smaller book community, being the best version of yourself is all anyone can ask of you. Be authentic. Be kind. Be generous. And most importantly, be yourself. It is the job that you were meant to have and only you can do it justice. Just be you!

Allow yourself grace

A writing career takes time to grow. It takes determination and a willingness to put in the effort required. Occasionally, it also takes a thick skin and a willingness to do things over (again and again).
There will be days when words don’t flow as easily as you would like them to or technology holds your progress hostage. Either way, taking a deep breath and allowing yourself a little grace will go a long way in the journey. Tomorrow is another day after all, and we can all try again tomorrow.

—

Tanya E Williams is the author of historical family saga, A Man Called Smith along with two other stories in the Smith Family Series. Her next historical fiction novel, All That Was came out in autumn 2020. Tanya loves to help a reader get lost in another time, another place through the magic of books. History continues to inspire her stories and her insightful view into the human condition deepens her character’s experiences and propels them on their journey. Ms. Williams’ favorite tales, speak to the reader’s heart, making them smile, laugh, cry, and think.

Find out more about her on her website https://tanyaewilliams.com/

Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/tanya_breathes

 

ALL THAT WAS

Separated by a century. Bonded by loss. Will examining all that was invoke comfort or calamity?

Seattle, 2015. Emily Reed refuses to dwell on her emotions. When the first-year attorney is assigned a church archival project, she dives into the records to hide from her own heartache. But when she discovers her parents were married in this very chapel, she is forced to confront the grief she buried a decade ago.

After she died in 1935, Elizabet Thomas was devastated when her beloved husband wasn’t waiting for her on the other side. A lost soul, she’s wandered their church for the past eighty years, desperate to find him. And now she must persuade a young, living lawyer that the historic building needs to be preserved rather than sold and torn down.

Discovering a diary among the disarray in the building’s basement, Emily is first engrossed and then moved by the dead woman’s words. And as the fate of her home unravels, Elizabet realizes she and the grieving archivist have more in common than she ever would have guessed.

Can Emily and Elizabet save themselves and their cherished sanctuary?

All That Was is an uplifting standalone women’s literary fiction novel deeply woven with historical elements. If you enjoy dual-perspective storylines, complex female characters, and the rekindling of lost hope, then you’ll love Tanya E Williams’s soul-stirring tale.

Buy Link: books2read.com/allthatwas

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips