A wild and wacky ride! 6 years in publishing!

My first book released in June of 2007. Since then, there have been 26 more books published and 3 are waiting to go. So this time of year, I always take a look back at where I've been.

Here are a few things I've learned:

After 30 books, I've finally figured out that I shouldn't panic when words don't flow off my fingertips via the keyboard onto the screen. There will be times when it's damn hard to get even a page written.

I work best with a deadline. Give me a date to shoot for, and I'll hit it every time. Don't put a bit of pressure on me, and I'll dither and dally all day long. Now I set a goal for each book: "finish by such-and-such a date" and that gives me something to aim for.

Let the story go where it will. I never plot it ahead of time. All I know is I want to get from Point A to Point B. I've learned I shouldn't try to jerk the story back to the spot I think it should go. Just let it go and follow along and see what happens. Sometimes I delete a bunch of stuff, but usually I go places I never guessed I go.

I need to write about something that interests me. So I always have my hero or heroine involved in something I need to research, something that intrigues me. I don't add a lot of that detail to the story, but it gives me a good background and insight into my hero or heroine and it makes me feel I'm learning as I go.

But maybe the biggest thing I've learned is that you can't predict success. I know so many authors who are great writers -- they tell a fabulous story, they've got great characters, and they write a nice, tight novel. And they're not financial successes. And I know of others who are raking in money with crappy stories and poorly written books.

It's not all about talent. There's luck, there's talent, there's perseverance, and more luck. That's why you have to define success for yourself because if you compare your career to somebody else's, you'll go crazy.

I always said I'd keep writing as long as I'm having fun. Every year, around this time, I reassess and see where I am.

Yep. I'm still having fun.

So I guess there's still a few more stories in me!

J L Wilson
30 books and counting!