Strictly Business

Now that I've got myself a part-time job to pay the rent - thank goodness - I've been able to focus a little better on developing my writing business. Oh, and I've started referring to it as a business, because at the end of the day, that's what it needs to be.

From what I've gathered, freelance writing is just as much marketing as it is actual writing. I need to learn how to sell my stories, articles and services. Which I kind of knew in the first place, though I've been avoiding having to accept it. It's something I'm unfamiliar with, know nothing about. It's sketchy territory.

But it's the next step on the ladder.

So, as I see it, I can either tackle the problem now, or I can wait around for an opportunity to present itself. Since the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim - and I can't stand sitting around doing nothing for long without going stir crazy - I think my choice is pretty clear.

Thankfully, the internet has no shortage of guides and tutorials to help a newbie out. I've been reading blogs like 'Make a living writing' and 'Writer's Living', which are full of helpful tips for selling your writing. And today, I'm starting to put some of those ideas into practise.

If it's like everything else I've been involved in over the past years, practise, feedback and more practise are the keys to success.

I'll keep you posted as to how it goes.

Selling stories

An article I read today on Lifehacker.com got me thinking about my stories again - my novel-length stories, that is. The author suggested that it was very possible to make a living through writing novels and selling them online, something that I haven't really considered in a long time. After 'Icarus, Episode One' never really took off, I guess my hope and drive for that platform took a big hit.

I had only just left college when I wrote that first novel. I'd never had a job, a social life, a romance, or any real life experience beyond the confines of college itself. Writing a whole novel was an achievement in itself. But when it came to editing, advertising and selling it, I hadn't the first idea where to start.

Now, after years of practising and developing my craft, and my voice, I'm in a much better position to actually sell something. So the platform I'd previously written off as 'no good' could actually become quite viable now. I mean, it obviously worked for the guy who wrote the article, so I know it can work for me, if I put my mind to it.

There are a number of stories I have rolling around in my head, including Icarus itself. I'm going to have a brainstorm today about continuing that narrative, maybe coming up with a proper synopsis for Episode Two.

I'm not saying that I'm suddenly going to devote all my time to writing and selling novel-length stories online. I still want to explore other aspects of professional writing (e.g. blogging). But if it's something that I can actually get into doing regularly, then by all counts, I could have a short novel ready to go every three months or so.

Something to think about.

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Do you buy books on the Amazon Kindle store? Better yet, do you sell them yourself? Let me know on Facebook or in the comments section!

New Fimfiction blog

I've started up a new, more focused blog. Huzzah!

Fimficwriter is a blog dedicated to talking about all aspects of 'Fimfiction', which is fanfiction set in the Friendship is Magic universe. Rather than 'just talking about whatever', as I'm doing here, the new blog will have specific articles - giving advice for writing fanfiction, discussing certain aspects of the world and characters, and showcasing inspiring stories or hidden gems.

I've been trying to start up a focused blog since I started with the whole idea, so I'm hoping that this will take off as something I can write regular updates for. God knows, I'm very passionate and have plenty to talk about when it comes to Fimfiction.

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Interested in the new blog? Click here to check out "fimficwriter.wordpress.com"!