Blog Post 001: Who am I?

That is a great question with a fairly simple answer. I am a Struggling Writer (and more than likely just like you). A struggling writer on a journey that will end (hopefully) in my finding my niche and audience.

I personally feel that all writers struggle. Why hide it? We struggle: to find the time to write, to create new storylines we can explore, to create characters that an audience will want to follow, to create believable locations for the stories we create to unfold, etc. but this is all just the writing side of the equation. 

The biggest struggle for me has always been to find time to unapologetically be myself. As a writer, (and we are just that writers) I am so busy editing my thoughts and interactions with others. I constantly worry about offending others as it may cost me a reader. 

I think of being a writer much like being a small business. Within that mindset (as any small business owner can agree) word of mouth can cost you success. If one person becomes offended or dislikes your work this can quickly turn to two, to four, to eight, or more. Then you find yourself without an audience for your hard work. 

I think that should be why all struggling writers (artists in general) need to make sure they take time out for themselves. Writing for fun every now and again works for me. My writing went from a passionate hobby to a career. It was in that change the very thing I love doing became another daily grind. I found myself falling out of love with my passion. 

I was initially blind to the slow-building resentment of my craft. That was until the day y wife saw me struggling at my computer surrounded by scraps of paper with all manner of story bits on them, notebooks containing the half explored lives of countless characters, and fictional lands surrounded by a mounting need for a hero to save it. I remember her words exactly "If writing makes you so unhappy why do it?"

I was floored. Like many other artists and laypeople, I would lower my head and trudge on. No Hope, No Passion, No Love for the thing that had given me a way to express my creativity, I could only think to myself at that moment "She's right. I love writing, but what happened?"

I had to get my passion back. Just like the food service worker unhappy with their choice of work/career changes needed to be made. That part was obvious, but what to do about it. 

I want to make sure you understand this is simply what worked for me. I needed a break. I had turned out sixty-five short stories, thirteen novels/novellas, and several books on my writing process all in under five years. That's right five years. every single story was written, self-published, edited, and marketed by me. I created my own covers for each. I even negotiated with nine different audio producers to create audiobooks of my works. BURN OUT.

Burnout nearly cost me my passion. A writer must change gears every so often to avoid feeling burned out on a particular genre. Even if you never publish it try writing in a different gene once in a while. It helped me but I also simply needed a break. Take a vacation once in a while. You have to or you are gonna burn out. If, like me, you know you have many (many) more stories to tell. Remember writing is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Anyways, I hope this helps someone. Until next time... keep writing.

~Roger, The Struggling Writer.