I've been writing full time for ten years now. I wrote in my teens, raised 6 kids ( one of whom has autism - *read Heavenly* ) and then took to writing again.
It seems everyone has a book inside of them. Just the other day on Twitter somebody tweeted "Is anybody else feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of YA authors out there?"
It's easy to think you'll never find your place. You have to make your place. Always write because you love it first. Create the stories in your heart and there will always be an element of satisfaction to your work. Writing isn't easy, but the process smooths out the more you do it and settle into your groove.
The more I write, the more I create a place for myself in the world of books, the more it becomes clear to me that focusing on WHY I do this is the key to my daily joy. Yes, making a place for myself requires a certain amount of interacting with everything writerly that's out there. But I don't need to inhale it.
For me, writing comes first. Determination to share with others comes second and everything else I do to support those necessities (i.e. reading, blogging, marketing) has to be carefully weighed in because time is precious.
Where will I be 10 years from now? I've written 14 books in 10 years ( 3 are unpublished ) I have no plans to slow down my writing rate, so I hope that means I'll have another 14 or more books out there. It's not about numbers,I've written long enough to know my groove, know what works for me as far as production goes and so I can see down the road.
It's exciting to share stories with the world. If writing and sharing stories is your dream, keep at it. Create your path. There's no better time than now to make your place.
J.
