The writing is going to stop!
Well March 22 has come and gone and my novel did not make it into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest quarterfinals. Even more important were the comments given to me by the reviewers and they helped make my decision that much clearer.
I am no longer going to write. A venture I truly love to do but alas, the sad reality is that as hard as I tried it is apparent that I am not going to be anything more than a top 20% writer. Don’t get the wrong impression, I consider this to be an accomplishment. I have written over 12 books and published seven. Not bad. But this contest has only strengthened what I already knew.
My last book was titled Canuck GI: The Peculiar Life of a Canadian Soldier. I sent out many press releases, even having it picked up by USA Today as well as publications throughout the world. My web girl Krissy made me an award-winning website and through it all it never became a best seller. For all the work it takes to write a book, the rewards have been missing, which is why my writing days are over.
I don’t mind working hard…spending months hunkered over my Mac, missing dinner dates with my wife so I can concentrate on my writing but with no sales or rewards worth mentioning, its time to move onto another endeavor.
I am fully satisfied and I’ll tell you why. I put my best foot forward. I didn’t scrimp on advertising, paying for a high class website or marketing my book. It failed…but not because I didn’t do it right. It just wasn’t what the public wanted and I can accept that. Which is why I can move on with my head held high. There is nothing worse that looking back and thinking “if I only would have done this, or that, it might have been successful.” I don’t have that. It failed all by itself.
So, what’s next? I have had music in my blood since I was in elementary school. I won the school district singing contest 4 years in a row and have sang and played keyboards in numerous bands.
I have always wanted to play guitar and I am now taking lessons. As well, we own a keyboard and I will be buying a left hand Fender Strat and a left hand Giglia Violin. Between my wife Carly and me, we are going to focus on learning how to play these instruments.
It’s important not to be scared of failure…otherwise you won’t try new things. I am an excellent storyteller and my novels are very interesting and entertaining – they just aren’t up to professional publishing standards. My excellent technical writing career just hasn’t transpired into creative writing. I have had limited success but just not enough success to warrant continuing to do it. What I have got from this endeavor is the knowledge that I can do it. As well, I have become friends with some very cool people.
Therefore, I am moving on to another endeavor…one that if nothing else will give me lots of pleasure.
