It’s a little like Flashdance… (video post)

I can’t help but think of the indie author (or even the hybrid author) movement is a little like one of my favorite movies from my teens.

We are a lot like the girl who (like me) took ballet lessons in the basement of a church, or in someone’s home dance studio…Maybe like Alex, in Flash dance we even learned by reading books on writing, by listening to podcasts, or taking a course. Even participating in workshops and critique groups both online and offline.

Yet, we walk down the proverbial hall in our jeans and army jacket and are frowned upon by those classically trained ballerinas dressed in pink. (You know…the trad pubbed die hards, the elitist snobs, the ones who favor the old gate-keeping methods and think all indies suck.)

You don’t need to have an MBA in English lit to submit your work to an publisher or agent; and you don’t even need an MBA to self-publish (although a lot of people may imply that you should.) It’s very similar to the dance world.

So we practice our craft, tweak our writing, develop our voices. Just as dancers, warming up, stretching each limb, perfecting their technique. We go through all that we can do to make our work perfect. Pay for editing, pay for cover art, etc…

We walk down the hall scoffed at by the prima ballerinas, and soon are out there in front of the new “gatekeepers” of this world, to show them what we got.

And, then despite their sitting at that table looking doubtful, one of us breaks out and does something a little like this…

That’s why you shouldn’t scoff indie & hybrid publishing endeavors. That’s why you shouldn’t count us out. The book by the next Alex could be right around the bin. I am aiming for Alex-like success via the hybrid path. And, I intend to work like a maniac to get it. 🙂

~K. Crumley

Writing ADHD (part 1)

I think I have a rare condition known as writers ADHD. Or, simply put “too many good story ideas, to little time.” I tend to have difficulty staying on one project at a time…I kind of bounce around a lot.

For instance, I will be working on something for a while, and then get revisited by the Muse, and have to write some new story ASAP while it’s still fresh in my head. For this reason, a lot of my stories wind up on the back burner…sometimes indefinitely.

I’m try to remedy this situation. What works best for me is to create a spreadsheet with charts for all my current projects.
Divide it up into 2-3 tiers, creating deadlines for “top tier” projects as well as (hopeful) release dates. I find putting that kind of pressure on myself keeps me focused. LOL

Second tier: Older first drafts I really should finish. This tier also includes all the first drafts that I finished and left on the “pre-revision back burner” for far too long…

Third tier: all those new idea brainstorms I have.

So now, I jot down those ideas I get struck by and label them as “future projects.” Then, I go back to my First-tier WIP’s.

Well, that’s just how I get myself off of this “too many projects” never ending treadmill. Feel free to share your own!

~K. Crumley

Disclaimer: This post is in no way meant to offend those who suffer from ADHD, or their families.