Writing is a Business

The next eight weeks, I'm going to discuss writing as a business.

I think it still amazes me on how many people don't think writing is a business.  I just want to shout "get with it people."

Of the past few months I've run into writers who are totally professional who think of writing as a business, then there is those who are at a mid-point, they think of writing as a business, but one they can do when they want, and lastly there are those who don't even think about it as a business.

If you want your writing to be taken seriously, then you have to take your writing seriously.

That means, being professional, listening and constantly learning about the business.

Writing is hard, many people think its easy, but it's not.  Writing romance is not easy, but the genre is the most put down poplar genre fiction.  I think it is because mainly women write romance (there are a few men), and other don't view writing romance as "legitimate" as writing other genre fiction.

It comes down to, writing is a business, you need to know how to run your business.

Next blog: Professional Writing Goals

Have a great week.

Marie

Conference Weekend

This last weekend I attended the Emerald City Writers Conferece.  It was fun and great to see old friends and make new ones.

I always forget how exhausing conferences can be mainly because you want to squeeze everything you can into the hours you have at the conference.  Sometimes it means giving up sleep and other times it means giving up a workshop or two.

I enjoyed workshops by Sabrina York, Bob Mayer and Jen Talty along with key note speeches by Maya Banks and Robyn Carr.

Writing conferences usually give me the boost I need to get my butt in chair and write again, and this one is no different. I've learned new techniques from Sabrina York, Bob Mayer and Jen Talty.  I've been inspired by Maya Banks and Robyn Carr.

It was a great weekend, but now it's back to my desk, to my writing, because I have books to write.  And next year it will be fun to catch up with everyone again and see what we've all accomplished.

Guest: MacKenzie Crowne

Today I have a guest, MacKenzie Crowne

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a wife, mother and really young grandmother. Together with my high school sweet heart husband, a neurotic Pomeranian and a blind cat, I call Arizona home because the southwest feeds my soul. My love of books, specifically the romance genre, has been a lifelong affair, both as a reader and a writer. A bout with breast cancer sharpened my resolve to see my stories shared with others. Today, I’m a five-year survivor, living the dream. Raised on the concept that a stranger is just one conversation away from being a friend, I love meeting new people.

My friends call me Mac. I hope you will too.

Okay, Mac.  What do like the most and the least about writing?

As a pantser, when I sit down to write a story, I have a general concept in mind, beginning – middle – end. The details, however, are a little murky. I love how both major elements and minor details unfold before my eyes. Like some kind of romance stenographer, I’m thrilled and excited when my characters slip me new insights into their psyches or deliver a bombshell I wasn’t expecting. On the flip side of being a pantser, however, is the danger of writer’s block. Since I’m not the one driving the story, I’m occasionally left sitting at my computer with nothing but crickets to keep me company. Hate that!

Oh how I understand the character silence.  Give us a peek into your latest published work?

A SONG FOR SOPHIE is a lighthearted contemporary romance and part of The Honky Tonk Hearts series from The Wild Rose Press. It’s currently available exclusively at Amazon and will be FREE to download 10/15 through 10/19.

Blurb: Jobless, practically homeless, and tired of being manless, Sophie Taylor jumps at the chance to be Beaumont Walker's personal assistant. Six weeks on the road with country music's bad boy--and, more importantly, his all-male crew--is the perfect opportunity to change her life.

Beau Walker doesn't need any more distractions. Sophie, with her butt-ugly suits and balls-to-the-wall attitude, shouldn't be one, but she proves to be distracting and more--even, surprisingly, a friend. So when he discovers her plan to snag a man from his worldly wise crew, he's determined to protect her from herself.

When Sophie realizes Beau is behind her failure to attract even one member of his crew, the last place she expects to find herself is in his bed. But will one night of passion convince her she's woman enough for him? Or will it destroy their friendship and his budding belief in true love?

That sounds like a good, fun book.  What's next on the writing horizon for you?

Though it’s not my usual genre, I’m hoping to announce some very exciting news about my new romantic suspense, IRRESISTIBLE DECEPTIONS, sometime later this week. Details to come… In the meantime, several of my lighthearted contemporaries are hitting the digital shelves. THAT DATING THING is available now and CARA O’SHEA’S RETURN, a prequel to THE BILLIONAIRE’S CON will be released on 10/28.

Here's an excerpt of A Song for Sophie:

Here’s a little taste of “Sophie”. Enjoy!

“Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing? I assume we’re paying you. Go earn your paycheck.”

“Oh, you’re paying me.” She allowed the secret smile to curl her lips in an actual one. “And I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“What’s that? Boring me to death?”

She dropped her oversized purse to the floor and took the chair next to him. It was a very comfortable recliner, and large enough that her arm didn’t reach the handle to lift the footrest. Feeling around blindly, she sat forward, and hanging half way over the arm, grasped the control. A quick tug and the footrest snapped up, and the back of the chair fell into the recline position, making her squeak.

Beau shook his head.

She tugged at the hem of her skirt to make sure it didn’t ride up, squirming until she’d settled herself. With her ankles crossed, she plopped her hands and forearms on the cushioned arms of the chair and looked at him.

“I’m keeping you busy.”

“Huh?”

“I’m keeping you busy. You asked what I was supposed to be doing. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“Well, quit it. You’re pissing me off.”

“Oh, yeah,” she drawled, “like that’s hard to do.”

“Have I fired you yet today?”

“No.”

“You’re fired.”

He really was funny when he was trying to look menacing. She laughed and held his glare. “Geez, you’re cranky.”

Thanks for being here today, Mac