April A to Z Blogging Challenge – Day Twenty-Five – Yearning for success

Did you ever want something so much you just could almost taste it? Ok, I will admit freely I have no idea what being a published author tastes like, but I know it is something I want so bad that I cannot get it off my mind. In fact it is so bad that when i go to a large book seller like Books a Million I get disgusted and have to walk out. I know, that sounds like a counter intuitive response  but it is just seeing so many books in print by one author and I have none. Call it jealousy if you like.

I will say I am farther into the process at this moment than I have ever been before. SInce joining Word Press at the end of october 2012 I have made many friends who have reached the summit of this mountain and I am able to gain some critical knowledge of the process to join their fraternity much easier than before I found this blogging site. This is not my first blogging site. I tried Helium and Hubpages, but Word Press was the first where actual authors promote their books. Some people may find this excessive self promotion, but I find it to be a wise use of the real estate.

When I found my footing on Word Press I began to understand just a taste of how irrelevant I am in the online world. Sure, I have a Facebook account, Twitter, Yahoo and Google presence, but as far as potential readers, they have no idea how much  like to write. i understand how vital it is to build an identity within the writing world. Certainly a successful book will do that quicker than most other pursuits, but until then i have to use alternative means.

One method I chose is to enter writing contests. While not every one is judged by people in the publishing industry, several are and offer your writing some quality exposure. Many offer to have your work read and critiqued even if you are not the contest prize winner. I know my writing is not flawless and am open to creative critiquing to tighten it up. You never know when you might catch the eye of someone who finds your talent intriguing.

I can also credit Word Press for showing  me  the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, which is a competition to get your fiction manuscript published, if you are one of the chosen few who make it through a tough competition like struggle. Mine did not make it past the first round, but it did focus my efforts to finish a work in progress that had languished too long.

I also have made some good friends whose work i enjoy reading. Specifically I like a weekly effort where folks from around the world take a photo prompt and create a short 100 wrd piece of fiction. This teaches you to choose your words carefully to get the most out of our story. At the present I have begun a multi-part serial of these 100 word stories involving some of these friends and it is something that builds our friendship and infuses some fun as no one knows who will be the subject of the next post.

The matter I have the most struggle with is finding the time to write a piece of work long enough to be published into a book. I am considering a short story collection, since I have several that could be used for that. Sometimes it is a bewildering time trying to decide which direction to aim. I suppose that will come with time and experience. Until them I guess I will simply be yearning!

SPECIAL NOTE : I would like to use this space to offer a heartfelt thank you to Arlee Byrd, the founder of this challenge. I am happy to see his vision become such a great success. Leaders always step out of the pack to create something special. We want Arlee to know how much we appreciate his genius.

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