Blogging for one year!

I can't believe I missed my own blogging anniversary!

Exactly one year ago, last week, January 17^th I did my first blog post of this blog.

Finished My First Novel

Wow, how the time flies.  I had just e-published my first novel on Smashwords.

"Whisper   A Wiley Randolph Novel"

I think back at how much I didn't know a year ago.  I barely knew what I was doing and I honestly thought by publishing on Smashwords that my book was going to be distributed on Amazon also.  I remember back to when it dawned on me that I could publish on both, and began the process of reformatting Whisper for Amazon.

I didn't have a clue about having an Inter-net Presence; I had never been on any social sites like My Space, Face Book or Twitter.  I was flying blindly with the blogging, and socializing, and trying to build a following of readers for my first book.  At the time I didn't even know if it was any good.  I did have a second book in the rough draft form, I had corrections back from my first Editor for that book, so I was feverishly trying to make corrections and get it finished so I wouldn't be a One Book Wonder.  I was excited that I had been editing, re-writing, or writing something new every day I could.  I was afraid I would lose my new found passion, get distracted, side tracked and not continue.  I knew I desperately wanted to get another book finished and published.

When I met Jo Murphey, who graciously, out of the kindness of her heart agreed to help me edit my second book further I was happy but reluctant!  I already had corrections for that book and was about a third of the way through making the corrections to the rough draft.  I started by sending Jo the first two chapters of NROE ("No Rules Of Engagement").  She sent back suggestions, corrections, and questions.  It became obvious very quickly that this entire book was going to need to be re-written.  I remember throwing a quiet but passionate temper tantrum about the situation.  The very last thing I wanted to do was take six months and re-write and edit this book.  I wanted it done, I wanted it published.  I wanted to write something else, something new!

Jo, bless her heart helped, coxed, instructed, and provided moral support through that tough time.  Eventually I settled into the inevitable and began rewriting and editing.  Two chapters at a time we went through the entire book, every chapter twice, until seven months later it was done.  In Jo's defense as my editor the book needed more polishing, and more editing, and more care and attention.  My inexperience, and mostly my impatience won out and I self-published NROE in late August 2011.

"No Rules Of Engagement"

I am still impatient!  My list of Goals for 2012 is to finish and publish two more books, the sequels to Whisper and NROE!  I think that is grandiose and naive on my part to shoot so high, so fast!  Most importantly the so fast!

I am writing the sequels with full knowledge that the books will be re-written and edited before an editor ever sees them.  Then they will be edited, and parts re-written or tweaked again further.  With only putting four to five hours, five to six nights a week into this effort, there just aren't enough hours in the day.  That coupled with the fact that my efforts that are directed at this endeavor at the last part of my day when I am at my worst, already spent mentally at least from a full day of work and playing with two small boys and getting them to bed.

I realize begrudgingly that I may only get one more book finished and published.  That alone may take me until the end of the year!  If an author has a full time job, a family and other everyday responsibilities because they are alive and part of the community they live in, and they are writing and publishing one full sized novel a year they are working their butts off!

I end this post with the fact that I end one year of blogging, with two books published last year, that I do have some modicum of talent in this endeavor, and that the books are getting good reviews and selling.  My following of readers is growing with each person who dares to try my work.  I am getting better as a writer, at editing, proofing, and all other areas of my life.  My passion for writing is growing alongside my talent and skills as a writer.

I end the one year anniversary as a published author, where as I started the year as an aspiring writer.  I would lastly like to thank my twenty-five follows of this blog.  I never dreamed I would have twenty-five faithful followers of my blog in one year.  I shudder to think of what this number will be next year in 2013.  Oh, yeah I forgot!  This is the last year of the world!  There won't be any blogging or books next year.  My Bad!

May God Bless, Keep Writing, and Keep Reading.

  

Posted in: Blogging Published Books Writing Editing