tl;dr: If writing fiction, or producing Story (in whatever format), is something you are compelled to do, then you must fucking do it. You must. Someone out there needs it.
tl;dr 2: It is my professional opinion that if your primary goal is to make a living wage writing fiction, you are almost certainly better off learning how to do it as an indie author/creator.
Are there reasons to go traditional? YES!
I still want trad publishing. Let me be so, so, so clear about this: I still want traditional publishing.
I also have to know WHY I want traditional publishing. And I do know why, and I set my goals and expectations accordingly.
They are very different now than 15 years ago when I licensed my debut for almost six figures at auction. That was then. This is now.
There is nothing wrong with wanting validation. There is also nothing wrong with wanting money. There’s nothing wrong with wanting self-satisfaction, or for setting a goal and going after it.
I endorse all these Why’s, and more.
But the paths to each are different (and can evolve!), and that’s why I preach what I do and how I do it when it comes to writing and publishing fiction.
I’m happy to hand out writing tips. Happy to answer questions, give you everything I know (or think I know).
But a person wanting a million bucks a year on KDP needs a different set of skills than one wanting to see their book on the shelf at B&N, or someone who wants to prove something to someone.
One More Time:
If writing fiction is something you are compelled to do, then you must do it.
If there are people in your life you are beholden to — spouse, children, old folks, whatever — people who you live with, who you are responsible for in some way, shape, or form, and they do not support that? Cool. Smile, nod, and keep doing the work anyway.
If that means an hour Wednesday morning from 4:30 to 5:30 a.m., then that is when you create.
If you have more time, you’re more flexible, and you have a supportive family or supportive people around you, great. Write every single day for five hours. Good for you. That’s super.
But when I talk about Living The Life Of A Writer, this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. There are so many facets, so many little dials that we need to turn to do the thing we love doing. Living The Life includes making deliberate financial, emotional, relational…even spiritual choices.
And that’s LONG before we talk about how to write awesome dialogue or apply a story engine to your outline. (Which we’ll talk about, too.)
You can 100% do this. We just have to be honest about Why, so we can be honest about How.
Keep writing.
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