Welcome
to Xandra James who will take your breath away with her workload this year!
Writing could never be considered
easy. Sometimes though, when you've been on the outskirts of the
business for
several years like I have been, you become complacent. You fall into your daily
routines, and you know exactly what you can do and, more importantly, you know
your limits.
As a new writer, I knew my limits.
Full of ambition, I'd submit my work to publishers and, most of the time, get
rejected. I quickly realised that the writing business was going to be HARD. I
grew a thick skin, submitted more, had further rejections and the occasional
acceptance...and thought I'd made it. Sure, I hadn't set the book charts on
fire. Neither had I hit one of the major 'lists' which are much coveted by us
authors. But I was content in knowing I could write and someone out there would read me. Even if I couldn't afford the huge
house by the sea and someone to clear up the cat litter, life was good.
Fast forward almost six years and
I'm still doing the same thing. Add in the fact that I'm also self-publishing
my stories, and you'd think everything was coming up roses. It is, sort of. But
last Christmas, when I went on holiday for the first time in nine years and
promptly got sick, I had a lot of time to think about my future career in
writing.
So, 2016 brought changes for me. I
vowed to mix it up a little. Write in new genres, step out of my comfort zone
and approach different people for opportunities and marketing promotions. The
list goes on.
As a consequence, for the next seven
months, my schedule is manic. And I'm scared that I'll do something wrong. I'm
anxious that I'm making mistakes. I'm terrified that I won't be a good enough
writer to do it justice. There are moments I need to fill myself up with coffee
just to stay awake and write or promote or submit proposals. And I admit it has
been far from easy so far.
But, it's been fun. I've met new
people and been taught lessons in my craft. I've learned things—for good and
for bad—about myself and what I want out of my writing career. My priorities
have been adjusted, and I once again have that enthusiasm and ambition I had
when I first started out.
By opening my eyes a little and
trying new things, I've grown as a writer. If there's one piece of advice (in
the sea of writing advice out there!) which I would give, it would be to never
get complacent. Try a different publisher. Dip your toe into self-publishing.
Meet new people and plan to take over the world. It'll be worth it. Trust me.
Thanks to everyone at the RNA blog for
a chance to talk to you today. And, if you're so inclined, just one of the many
multi-author collections I'm in this year is available now to buy.
About
Xandra:
Xandra James is a British author
over 30 *cough*, slightly obsessed with caffeine, and definitely addicted to
chocolate chip muffins.
When not reading romance books, she's
writing them. And she can get so far into the new worlds she's creating, that
you can often find her still slobbing around her house after lunchtime with bed
hair and no idea what day it is! Sign up for her newsletter for more info on
new releases and book goodies.
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