So, even though I have come to a decision of what I will focus on in coming posts, apart from that, I also have a life. Filled with obstacles, uncertainties and occasional blessings. I have noticed however that, a blessing to me isn't neccesarily a blessing to another.
I wrote in my first posts about how I was stranded in another country, I am still here. Can't find a job due to visa restrictions, feeling completely worthless, yet maintaining my self and coming across as undeniably positive
Am I positive? I guess so. More so on the surface though. There are days that I am terrified. I am 36 without a job, without a home, living with the in-laws, looking in their eyes for food, totally depending on their generosity. How much of that they have, is yet to be discovered. I do as much as I can, it is my form of paying for my meal. I have become of a service to them so I can eat without guilt. Then there is the clutching at straws. Trying my hand in the competitive world of writing.
Everytime those ideas came to me, I thought this is it, my ticket. Until I started reading and studying the A-Z. I usually with everything went in head first with my ventures, and being dissapointed at my failings. This time however I had a strong feeling about the story I was writing, and felt that I wasn't ready as a professional to give that story the promotion it deserved.
I read alot of blogs and stories, but instead of hearing about their successes, I wanted to see numbers, I wanted to know the A-Z. Did they just write, and boom overnight, a bestseller. It certainly sound like it.
I couldnt bare the thought of of spending months on what I believe to be a good book, only go unseen because of my lack of knowledge.
I needed a plan, maybe this was something that my husband has rubbed of on me. I am a creative. He is systematic, to me his execution of tasks is flawless. Me on the other hand. I believe in the impossible and I usually get everything I prayed for and worked for, but with several bumps and the occasional pot hole in the road.
After reading about the daily word count of famous writers, I daily reached my writing goals and felt extremely accomplished. When I re-read what I wrote, even days after, I felt satisfied. The better I felt it was, the more I began mulling over publishing. Traditional or self? I am not really in a position to be sitting back and wait three months for an agent to reject me, I had no money. As much as I write because I love writing, I wasnt going to lie like some, by not admitting that I am writing to make money from it. I want to make a career out of it.
I needed a strategy that would guarentee me success in this venture and save me the dissapointments of a failing project.
I decided to write something else, as a means to test the waters. I put my mystery aside, and began working on a childrens rhyme picture book. As a test and in the process creating something that could be enjoyed by others and keep me motivated.
At the time I thought I knew exactly how it was going to be. My illustrator, a friend even suggested the idea of using the main character of the picture book for merchandise. It all started when I was brainstorming names for my mystery. I came up with Mauve Periwinkle, and thought that it would make a great name for a childrens picture book character, and I began playing around with sketches of this character. I became very excited with this project but knew that it would be a learning process. I didnt think that I was going to upload my book and then just have soaring sales overnight. I was even wondering who still reads for their kids before bed? Do you? Leave a comment below if you are still one of those special parents. My mother is an exceptional mother, but that is one thing she never did.
So after a week or two I finished the writing and the illustrations was done. I did my file conversions, on the android as my laptop was now like the world, overrun by a virus. Everything wiped. Instead of whining about it, I remembered the passage. We just have to do what we can with what we have.
I did the same thing from the android, I just think it took slightly longer.
My cover was simple and colourful. I liked it. The message of the story is cute and somewhat based on true events.
September 11th, 2020 I clicked publish, feeling accomplished and proud that I followed through. This is not the first project I uploaded. I had a novel ready for Pre-order earlier, and realized soon that if I was going to take myself serious that it was going to be an impossible task. An impossible goal I set to myself, that if not met would make me feel like a failure. I did for a few days, until I realized that it was probably for the best.
I clicked publish, September 11th, 2020 on KDP Bookshelve and didnt wait anxiously but instead went into promotion gear. Sharing and sharing, and waited to for likes, follows or feedback. It was hard to put the phone down without checking, i went to sleep, eager to check the next morning.
First Mauve Periwinkle cover version
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