Rewriting: The Moment Of Truth

Posted on Mar 26, 2010 09:01:16 AM

It is time. Yep. That time I was avoiding…

I sacrificed a considerable amount of inner peace for my future–or at least, I thought I did. Why does financial security come hand in hand with serenity? No. The question should be: ” Why are we raised to believe our serenity comes attached to financial security?”

Writing a book these days is as tough as in any other moment in history. Perhaps tougher, because the internet has made accessible for thousands, what used to be hidden in a corner, far away, unreachable to the “commoners”.
I e-mailed the successful Puerto Rican author Lulu Delacre, and asked her what suggestions/advice she had for me in order to become a published author. She replied kindly, admitting her experience wasn’t relevant anymore, since the publishing industry had changed completely.

Kari Haywood, the amazing Kansas City blogger of Life, shed a beacon of light when telling me about Lulu. Not the author, but one of the most complete self publishing websites I’ve seen, yet literary agents still consider self publishing as a synonym of not published.

These decisions are important, yet irrelevant if you do not have a finished, polished book. Most aspiring writers don’t even get to that part. I looked up several statistics on writers, and found out that exactly five years ago, the average author earned $10,000 net profit per year. If you are thinking of quitting your dream, don’t!

The United States Department of Labor has an amazing handbook on Authors, Writers, and Editors. I suggest you read it completely. Even if you love writing (and just want to write), you should inundate yourself with knowledge about the publishing industry. According to this Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Authors, writers and editors held about 281,300 jobs in 2008. Writers and authors held about 151,700 jobs and editors held about 129,600 jobs. About 70 percent of writers and authors were self-employed, while 12 percent of editors were self-employed.”

The outlook of these professions according to the US Department of Labor is an average growth (7 to 13 percent increase), and less job openings than job seekers.

So, why bother?

Steve Jobs said on June 2005:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

May the life of your dreams be just around the corner… I know mine is. For now, I’ll keep writing (rewriting is more accurate).

Guest Post by Kari Haywood, Author of Life!

Posted on Mar 16, 2010 04:16:28 PM

To me, writing is not a job. That is not because I’ve never made more than about twenty bucks doing it, however. Writing is a way of life. It began as my creative outlet as a child. I’d beg my parents to buy me a spiral notebook for my “novels” and I would write constantly! My classmates would read each page I finished and would beam at what a wonderful writer I was. At this point, I wasn’t even contemplating any careers in writing. In fact, I wanted to be an obstetrician. Weird, I know. When I wasn’t writing, I was reading. My reading led me to the knowledge that, if I wanted to be a doctor, I was going to have to go through years of medical school and endure the worst part of the educational journey-learning how to use needles! None of these sounded appealing to me in any way! Then, my career sights landed on the education system. I went off to college fully expecting to walk out ready to teach. Here I am about seven years later, working as a medical billing manager in a doctor’s office, and pouring my life into a blog that hasn’t been made into a best-selling book or popular movie. Yet, I am writer.

I started blogging about 6 years ago. At the time, I didn’t fully understand how blogging was really “writing.” However, the more people I came in contact with that connected with things I had to say, the more this therapeutic outlet became a passion far surpassing anything else I’ve enjoyed. So, January of this year, I decided to take my life’s journey one step further and accomplish a list of items within 365 days. Some of these items sound so easy. Yet, in the life of a busy woman, it’s much harder to find the time to do something like watch the sunrise. Not to mention, it’s much harder to get my rear out of bed for something like that! Then, there are items on the list that seem impossible. However, I had a clear goal and a determination to seize my own life. I had to wave my quarter life crisis goodbye and do what I’ve always wanted to do. However, instead of just saying that I want to do something “one day”, I decided to plan it out and make it happen. My journey with this list has now become the driving force behind my blog “Life.” Will I accomplish everything on the list? I have no idea! However, I have hope! Will I gain the respect and admiration of my peers? No idea! I still have hope. Will I create a future for myself with the words I write within the next 365 days? Again, I have no idea. What I do have is hope.

You don’t become a writer when you sell your first published book. You become a writer when you realize that you’d rather be writing than doing anything else. This thought process doesn’t bring you wealth or fame at the mere decision, but it brings about an awareness that your words hold meaning. If not to anyone else, they mean something to you! That, beyond anything else, is the most important attribute of a writer. So, pick up a pen or turn on that computer. The things you have to say make you more than just a human with words. If you put them on paper, those things make you a writer!

I would like to thank Limari Colón for allowing me the opportunity to be a guest here! Her words have inspired me to do more with my writing and her passion is something I can certainly connect with. She has a very bright future ahead of her! Good luck and God Bless!

-Kari Haywood
Author of Life.
www.karilife.com