How Would I Know You’re Serious About Being an Author?

I don't run into many writers who just "fell into it." For most of us, it's something we've wanted for a very, very long time.

For me, I've wanted to be a writer since I was seven years old.

My second grade teacher was mean. I remember her always yelling at a kid named Bobby who clearly had some severe learning disabilities. And I remember being repulsed by her gnarled, arthritic fingers. (For a long time I assumed anyone who had fingers like that was mean.)

But Mrs. McConnell gave me an assignment that changed my life. She assigned us to write a short story.

Then she read the ones she liked best to the whole class.

Mine wasn't one of them.

She told a bunch of the popular girls that she'd try to get their stories published. I asked her if she'd get mine published too. She said no.

Her "no" lit a fire in me. I'd enjoyed the act of creating a story of a fuzzy little bunny. I wanted more of that. I wanted it to be my thing. And I wanted to prove I could do it.

But you probably wouldn't have been able to guess that I wanted to be a writer if you'd followed my progress through middle school and high school. English was my favorite class, but I only did the writing I was assigned. And often turned it in late.

College was the same.

Occasionally, I get little spurts of inspiration and crank out a poem or an essay. Or I'd journal for a few weeks.

It really wasn't until I turned thirty that I really got my butt in the chair in a serious way. I had my first daughter and realized that if I wanted her to follow her dreams I had to model that for her.

So I finally got to work.

If you'd been stalking me then (thanks for not stalking me), you'd have seen me sneaking writing time during my day job, during my daughter's naps and lots of other waking moments. I published a blog. I made writing friends. I read books on writing. I started freelancing for money.

I was finally walking the talk. And being a writer felt soooooo much better than wanting to be a writer. (Even if I wasn't as good as I wanted to be.)

And I started to embrace the whole idea of the author's lifestyle: waking up early to write, studying other authors, actually finishing a novel, learning the marketing side—so much so that I became a book marketer for my "day job."

I love writing and writers so much that I've created a life that revolves around both.

Because our stories matter. They make a difference in the world.

But in order to matter, they have to find their audience. They don't matter if they're hidden away in a drawer.

What are you doing to find your audience? If I stalked you, would I be able to tell you wrote a book that deserves a place in the world?

If you haven't been walking the talk when it comes to finding an audience, I want to help.

Inside the Happily Ever Author Club, you’ll get access to workshops and resources on how to find and pitch influencers so you finally get your book into the hands of your ideal readers.