If You’re Reading This, We’ve Survived the Rapture

So, in case you were living under that rock of yours for the last week or so, the world was supposed to end yesterday. Oh, and I guess it was supposed to wait until it was Saturday here in the US…because the folks in Australia were already digesting their Saturday lunch by the time we all went to bed. Big shocker, right? I mean, c’mon people. There are better ways to promote your website (every single banner/sign included their URL…who says there isn’t money to be made at the apocalypse?).

Writing Will Be a Hobby Until You Treat It Like a Business

Someone recently called my writing a hobby. Luckily for that someone, I love them very much, so I politely explained that writing was my side business, not my hobby. Collecting baseball cards is a hobby. Building little ships inside glass bottles…that’s a hobby. Writing is a form of art, the results of which some people will actually pay for! If you expect to be paid to do what you do, you need to treat it like a business.

Writing What You "Know" Into What You Don't

There are moments out of the past that stick with us for a variety of reasons. Some are happy moments, some not so happy...okay...maybe a lot of them are the not so happy. It's sad that we often can reflect back on 10 unhappy memories quicker than equally happy ones. They've made the kind of mark that joyful moments just don't leave as often. One of the more memorable unhappy childhood moments in my life just spawned the beginnings of an entire book.

The Balancing Act

For my current situation, creating a pseudonym makes perfect sense. It distinguishes my writing between two very different audiences. However, as if finding the time to establish one following hasn’t been hard enough, I’ve now encumbered myself with two!

Two blogs (this one and that one), two Twitter accounts (@samulraney, and @andyraneauthor), a Facebook page, a soon to be active web site, and two email accounts. Yeah, maybe I pushed it a little too far. Perhaps I should have just stuck with an extra page on this blog and a twitter account. But, at the same time, I’m convinced that I’ll need these tools to deal with two completely different readerships.

The real trick right now is finding the time to juggle all of this extraneous social networking while trying to fine tune one novel and develop the story line for the sequel to the other. Oh yeah, and I have to work 40 hours a week as well…and not completely ignore my family. Do I hear someone in need of a Wah!-mbulance? Yeah, maybe a little. What’s funny now, is that I used to dream of having ideas for a novel. Ideas that I could shape into thousands of words. Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Now, the ideas are there, just not the time to dedicate to them. Anyway, I don’t want this to be a whiny blog. Some people would kill to have too many ideas.

Balance is always important, but perhaps even more so now. Things are only going to get crazier if all goes well. If your life is in balance, you’re more likely to take challenges in stride, then stumbling. Here's to not stumbling over the next couple of months!

They Say It's Your Birthday!

...and they'd be right. :-)

Allow Myself to Introduce...Myself

Pen name, nom de plume, pseudonym. Call it what you will, but many authors over the years have used one for a variety of reasons. George Eliot, Richard Bachman, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll to name but a few. Some did it to transcend sexual barriers. Some did it to avoid persecution for what they wrote. Today, most authors use it to separate one body of work from another. And, while I don’t have a huge body of work to deal with, I presently have two very distinct genres I’m pursuing. 

The Corrections – A Review

I love a book that makes me think about life in a new way. Heck, I like a book that makes me think, period. Jonathan Franzen’s book, The Corrections had me doing as much thinking as reading and that's a good thing.

Aging

The trouble with getting older isn't necessarily what happens to the body as it ages. What I've found most relevant is the regular reminders of age that come from without.

Making Something Out of Nothing

I took a step back in time this weekend. My wife and I took my son over to the Jersey Shore, with the intent of walking around Belmar. Our recent move puts us within an easy hour drive of the shore and my wife was excited to be so close (used to be about two hours, depending on where we were headed). The day was sunny, breezy, and warm enough that a light coat sufficed. We glanced at a map and headed out. It's not an area we're afraid of getting lost in, and we figured it would be a fairly straight shot to the boardwalk...or we'd see a sign...or something. So, when it became clear that we'd missed a turn somewhere, we decided to go to Asbury Park instead.

Thoughts From the Wrong Side

I promise…this is the last post about Hawaii…and a short one at that!