Aging Gracefully

Old Chick Oh So Chic 

Old Chick Oh So Chic

I don’t think I’m old. In fact I’m pretty sure I’m not, until I see a candid picture of myself and then I’m horrified. A friend’s grandson took a photo of me at Christmas all bundled up in my warmest coat. I was behind the wheel of my car on my way to a residential care center to deliver gifts to the residents. The Deacons of our church do this every year and I was among several taking this precarious journey on the coldest, snowiest day of the year. Hence the coat and look of grim determination on my face.

We arrived safe and sound, the recipients of the gifts had a high old time and I was happy to have participated. And then I saw THE photo posted on my Facebook page a couple of days later, a thoughtful gift from my good friend Art Trujillo, copy editor at the local paper and a regular columnist. To say the least I was surprised; mostly I was shocked at the deep wrinkles around my lips in contrast to the rich dark color of my hair. Who was I kidding? That hair? Those wrinkles? Get a grip.

Thank you, Arthur (the photographer), for this reminder that no matter how much I would like to look young, at 67 I’m NOT young and the road map of my face shows that. Oddly enough that visual reminder of the march of time didn’t depress me. For an old chick I’m healthy, thank the good Lord, and have the energy of women half my age, or perhaps stubborn determination would be a better description. 

Active Life Keeps You Lively

True Colors

I have a radio program, Writers' Block, on KFUN/KLVF, I’m involved in my church, I’m part of the planning team for a big gala at New Mexico Highlands University celebrating the tenure of the current president, Jim Fries, with a major scholarship fund raising component tied in, I maintain three blogs and a website, and I’m working on a couple of books. 

My husband is convinced I’m working too hard. I’ve been on the other side of that following my retirement from my last full time job, doing little more than playing computer games or reading endlessly and that’s no fun. I’d rather be busy.

My mission is to remind people that wrinkles and age do not mean you no longer have value. Getting old isn’t the end of life; it’s the beginning of a different kind of freedom. You can make choices you couldn’t have made when you were younger.  You can work or volunteer as much or as little as you want to. 

Getting older is a blessing, especially when you consider the alternative. But I’m not terribly worried about that either. I know that when this life is over whatever is next is mine to claim.

So despite wrinkles and days when I’m a little out of breath from running too fast, I’m pleased to say that every day is a great day, even when it isn’t. I’m not that much of a Pollyanna! Life’s little surprises just make getting up in the morning a little more interesting.

Writing

Help! Writers Come to the Rescue
I read this wonderful post today by blogger Robert Lee Brewer entitled 25 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic. It was written back in January but it was linked to his latest post, Tech-Empowered Writers: How to Use Blogs and Social Media to Find Success. Justifiably for two years in a row his blog, My Name Is Not Bob, was listed as one of the 101 best blogs for writers by Writer's Digest.

My blogging bump-in-the-road is being consistent, especially since my interests shoot all over the place. I spent two days this week giving my website a makeover, and working at giving my blogs a similar look. Branding for a writer, or for any entrepreneur, is a way of setting yourself apart from the crowd. Being able to identify for yourself what does set you apart is the biggest, and perhaps the most difficult, step.

The competition for people’s eyes is staggering. In 2009 (the latest numbers I could find) more than 280,000 books were published in the US. That doesn’t take into account e-books, blogs and information websites looking for readers. Creating your unique brand is all the more important. Some refer to this as building a platform based on experience, publication credits and contacts. I confess to not being quite there yet.

Confidence is crucial. Writers must have monumental belief that what they’ve written is the best thing ever put to page, and then be willing to get out there and sell it. Whether you have a relationship with a traditional publisher or go out on your own and self-publish the first person you must convince that the work is exceptional is yourself. I’m not there yet. I look at my self-published books and think of all the ways they could have been better. I want to fix them, which takes up a lot of time and energy. I fret and stew when I should be creating new work or optimizing my blogging experience.

I read again Stephen King’s essay on the writing life, which appeared in the Washington Post in 2006. Now here is a fellow whose brand is easily identified. I wonder in the early years of his career if it was so evident? What struggles did he undergo to reach a level of acceptance so he didn’t have to constantly prove his worth? If you are a fan of the genre, you know that Stephen King is, well… king of horror and suspense. There are contenders but he continues to be a phenomenon. Now that’s branding. Of course it helps that he's one heck of a good writer.

There is so much more to writing than coming up with a great idea and creating a great story. I love to write and I have no problem working at it. To get that work published I have to work at that too. I’ve been rejected by the best of them and usually on a form letter so bland it cracked my heart. I turned to self-publishing because as a person who is easily crushed by rejection, I wanted absolute control of my work, and nobody could tell me my work didn’t “fit in with their book list at this time.”  

What I didn’t take into account was that the self-publisher has one goal in mind and that is to up-sell you to the point that if you’re not careful you will never make back the money you’ve invested. I’m not saying there are no successful self-published authors out there. What I can tell you is that their success came from believing in themselves, working at their craft with diligence and persevering against the odds to get their work published.

Heart breaking as it may be, as a writer you may never find an audience.Your book may be the best tome ever written. You can have the best website on the planet and fantastic blogs. If no one ever reads them, you are up the river of desperation in a paper boat. My suggestions for getting off that boat before it sinks include finding writing helps at every level, from project development and fine tuning of your book, to building your platform or brand and getting your work into the markeplace. The list below represents some of the best writers' blogs out there. These folks share their experiences and knowledge to help others with the dream of getting published and selling their work.

My Name is Not Bob

Mystery Writing Is Murder
hiveword.com/blog
www.writersdigest.com

And here are the top ten sites selected by Write to Done, unmissable articles on writing, a website geared toward helping writers find their way.

Jeff Goins Writer
The Write Practice
Jane Friedman
Creative Penn
Bookshelf Muse
Romance University
Courage2 Create
Terrible minds
Artist’s Road
Word Play

As Stephen King points out in his 2006 essay, there is no easy way to become a successful writer. It’s work. Hard work. And perhaps the hardest part of all is selling your masterpiece once it is written. There is help out there, but ultimately, you – the writer – must put pen to pad and write, and then you – the book marketer – must get out there and work some more at selling it, either to an agent or to the public.

Is it worth? Absolutely!