Writers Life | Living the Writing Dream

Once upon a time, it was my only wish to walk into a Koorong store and see my book there. Book. Singular.

I scarcely had capacity to imagine much beyond desiring to have one title published. Now, at the end of this month, I’ll have twenty books roaming free in the world, most of which are available at Koorong, and via Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, etc. In fact, this month sees two of my books release, with Big Apple Atonement having released on May 5, and my next historical, Midnight’s Budding Morrow releasing May 31. Two books releasing in one month is certainly not something I ever envisaged happening, but it can happen now because of some of the things I’ve learned during these past years. Things like staying focused, working to meet deadlines, self-imposed deadlines, writing fast, and building reading and writing connections.

At the risk of sounding full of myself, sometimes I feel like I am living a life I once could scarcely imagine. I mean, who else gets paid money for making stuff up? (apart from filmmakers, advertisers, politicians, used car–oops, sorry!) But what some people don’t see is the hard work that’s gone into focusing on writing books as my full time job. And that’s how I treat my writing: as a full-time job. I take my kids to school, and while they’re there, I write or do writing related things. I don’t spend hours watching Netflix, or getting my hair done (my hair is lucky to get done at all!), or just staring off into clouds wishing for story inspiration. Nope. I write.

Sometimes what I write is good. Other times it’s mediocre (or just plain bad). But I’ve long been a believer in that you can’t edit what you haven’t written, so write something, rather than waiting for the mystical wings of inspiration to float down and settle golden words in your brain. Yes, sometimes that happens. But over the past twelve years of writing (and five years of being published), I doubt I would’ve written a quarter of what I have if I simply waited for inspiration to strike. This is my work, and I get that for some writing is a hobby, and that’s okay. But if you’re like me and want to write as a career then we have to treat it as work. I love it (mostly).  And I love finding readers that connect with my books enough to trust me to buy and read the next one. And the next one.

It frustrates me sometimes to see writers who say they want to be published authors playing around with their careers. Who find excuses to not write. Who blame others for their lack of productivity. Who don’t go to conferences like the Omega Writers conference happening this October 7-9 in Kingscliff, NSW. (I mean, come on. This happens once every two years, and thanks to Covid hasn’t happened for several years, so if you’re an Australian who is serious about writing Christian fiction then you should prioritise going. It’s been crucial for my career, and I promise it’ll benefit you greatly, too. So, book it. Today. Now. Come back and read this once you’ve booked it. Can’t wait to see you there!)

Sure, life happens, people get sick, family and finances demand our attention, and that’s fair enough. But some people seem to live in the fantasy land of dreaming of one-day publication without taking steps towards fulfilling it. Please, don’t be that person.

I didn’t start writing when I quit my day job as a teacher. I’d started writing seven years prior to that, squeezing in writing stints while taking care of four small children or while working. It can be done. Keeping on writing meant by the time I was actually published (with The Elusive Miss Ellison) I had several other books up my sleeve, ready to offer when my publishers wanted the next one. And I kept writing, so I still have books awaiting publication.

That’s the only way I’ve been able to release 9 books this year: I had books already written that I could publish, AND I’d kept on writing. So far this year I’ve written three books, and I’m contracted to write another (an Australian gold rush story for a Barbour novella collection – I’m SO excited to see a traditional US publisher publishing an Aussie-set historical!), and I have plans to write more. I ventured into indie publishing this year, and I’m loving the freedom it offers (and that those books sitting in my computer for years are finally earning money). But I wouldn’t have had confidence to step out into that if I hadn’t developed a good work ethic when it came to writing.

FYI: I don’t have a daily word count. I look at my calendar for the year and calculate what periods I’ll be busy (like family time, Christmas holidays, anniversary trips away) and place deadlines on myself to finish first drafts or get edits done so I have time and headspace to enjoy those important times. I’ll focus on one book until it’s written (or that round of editing is done), then move onto the next. And while I like using the story world and characters to write subsequent books in a series, I find switching between contemporary and historical helps keep my brain fresh, too.

So that’s my advice: FINISH writing the first book (keep your backside in chair until it’s done and stop making excuses) then go write the next. And the next.

These are first drafts, so they don’t have to be perfectly written (that’s what editing is about). But they do need to be written. The story on our heart is often a whisper from God, something that would prove a blessing to others, something that results in messages and emails like this: “I could not put it down. It took me awhile to finish it because I had to keep on stoping and analyzing my own life before the Lord.” So get it written. Edit it. Reread. Rewrite if necessary. Edit some more. Pass it on to a trusted honest reading friend for feedback. And while they’re looking at it, write the next one.

Get writing, and explore the wonderful world of your God-given imagination, whether it be imagining how an American hockey enforcer can overcome his bad boy reputation and live for God, or how a woman in a crumbling castle in Regency England can find hope after suffering devastating loss. Whatever your writing dream, we can trust God to open the right doors at the right time, to lead us in this journey for publication. And until it’s time for the door to publication to open, keep writing, friend. Keep writing.

Here’s a little more about Big Apple Atonement:

For Emma Moritello, giving abandoned and rejected children a safe home is her life’s purpose, but pressures at work means her dream may be coming to a close. And just when she thought life couldn’t get more challenging, along comes hockey’s bad boy, keen to make amends. God might want her to love her enemies, but it doesn’t mean she has to like them. Especially this hockey enforcer, who has the nerve to try to stir her heart.

TJ Woletsky has never tried to hide his sins—his exploits are tabloid fodder, and hockey teams love to hate him. Including his own. When a trade takes him to New York he’s confronted with the repercussions of his past, and time spent with the unfortunate helps ignite his desire to turn his life around. Until an incident in a nightclub makes everyone question whether this sinner can ever really change.

This story of second chances is the fifth book in the Original Six Christian hockey romance series, a sweet and swoony, slightly sporty, Christian contemporary romance series. Buy your copy here: Amazon, Apple, Googleplay, Kobo, Koorong

Want to know more about Midnight’s Budding Morrow? Here’s the back cover copy:

Sarah Drayton is eager to spend time with her best friend at her crumbling Northumberland castle estate. Matrimony is the last thing on her mind and the last thing she expects to be faced with on a holiday. Yet she finds herself being inveigled into a marriage of convenience with her friend’s rakish brother.

When James Langley returns to his family’s estate, he can’t be bothered to pay attention to his responsibilities as the heir. War is raging and he wants only distraction, not serious tethers. But his roguish ways have backed him into a corner, and he has little choice but to obey his father’s stunning decree: marry before returning to war, or else. Suddenly he finds himself wedded to a clever and capable woman he does not love.

Sarah craves love and a place to belong, neither of which James offered before returning to the battlefront. Now everyone around her thinks she married above her station, and they have no intention of rewarding her for such impertinence. It isn’t until her husband returns from war seemingly changed that she begins to hope they may find real happiness. But can she trust that this rake has truly reformed? When tragedy strikes, this pair must learn to trust God and his plans. Will they be destroyed . . . or will they discover that even in the darkest depths of night, the morning still holds hope? Preorder your copy at Amazon, Koorong, Apple, Kobo