THE BEE KING
Like a lot of authors, I’ve always wanted to be an author. I’ve been writing stories for as long as I could write.
In high school, I published a few poems in various literary magazines. In college, I won a few university-wide creative writing contests. Orson Scott Card was at my reading and encouraged me prolifically. I also met Brandon Sanderson at one of his very first book events for his debut novel, Elantris. As I was the only person at the event, we got to talk for a while and he was also very generous and encouraging.
When I graduated college, I had a 7 month old baby, and spent the next fourteen years squeezing writing into early mornings before my children woke up, during naptimes, and in the evenings after they went to sleep. In 2021, I decided to give indie publishing a try.
The toughest part is, of course, rejection. Agent rejections, literary magazine rejections, post publication rejection in the form of those reviews that we’re never supposed to read. There’s a constant tension between the drive to write and that fallible thinking that if [person] doesn’t like it, then maybe you aren’t any good.
The most natural part of writing is the act of writing itself. As much as I try to outline, the most exciting ideas, plot twists, words, characters occur to me when I’m writing the actual story. When I can slip into that flow state, be totally immersed in the scene and story, and realize I’ve written a scene, a chapter, a book I’m proud of, is just a tremendously satisfying thing.
The indie community, like any community, has its ups and downs. There are wonderful people, and there are people who will fake their own suicides and let their fans fund their funerals.
To be totally honest, I haven’t been very active in the indie community in the last year, as I’ve been busy with my six children, am currently a full-time student, and have been writing a book for my literary agents (I’m venturing from Indie Authorship to Hybrid Authorship–just to try out both sides).
That being said, there are definitely wonderful people, including and perhaps especially those dedicated to supporting indie authors, such as the fine folks at Your Paper Quest!
Read! Write! Make friends! Don’t be afraid to walk away from anything toxic, overbearing, or bespeckled with red flags! Above all, have fun
