In an Uncertain World we need plans of Certainty

 

Change can be an opportunity in disguise, whether you wanted it or not

 

There is so much change being hinted at currently especially in the UK where I live, the pound is dropping and our economy is in turmoil, but what does that mean for us writers and self-publishers. How does this affect us and what we do?

Who knows? It may have no effect at all or we may need to work harder to pay our bills, but whatever happens, we need a plan.

The plan I will be using as it's the one that makes most sense is write as much as I can as soon as I can. That book that is at the back of your mind, those non-fiction ideas that you had and would do when you get the chance, that great story that would be the best thing you have ever written. To steal the tagline of the well known sports brand, Just do it!

I have four books on my concept board and around another five in different stages of planning and although these will take time to write, edit and publish, I have to look at reducing the timescale for production. Once I have decided which books will be for self-publishing, under what name and what books I will try to get published through an organisation, then I will look at the audience for each book and a rough length. As soon as I have worked these through I can prioritise my list to gain the maximum results in the least amount of time.

Why am I choosing this plan, why is it so important to write these books? For a number of different reasons;

1. I currently have a job that is conducive to self-publishing and writing, I have a great deal of control over my time. However as the market changes my job priorities may change and rob me of my time or I could lose this job altogether and then struggle to find another that is so giving.

2. The creative juices are flowing, I become further inspired when I feel my back is against a wall, so why not make the most of this while I have the inclination and imagination.

3. Financial, I gain a small income from my books but it is far from goo enough to support me in place of a full time job, however the more books I have out there the more I will earn and although it may still not be sufficient to be my only income, no matter what is coming we will need money to combat the changes.

Please don't get me wrong, this will not effect my Great Writing Challenge as I will still be working through my goals and just for the record I have some good updates coming on that in my next blog. Writing can only help and the more I write, the more the new tricks and skills I am learning will become prevalent in my work and will influence how I write.

So that is it, start writing, keep writing and step up your writing, if this is what you want to do then the time to do it is now. Go big or go home as the Americans like to say.

Written by Martin Wallace