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April 26, 2019
Oakland, CA
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| | I was recently in Vancouver helping my mother-in-law, Bella, close out the affairs of her sister who passed away a few weeks ago. And that has me thinking more than ever about the things and people we leave behind and the impact we have on those around us. Even if we don’t realize it at the time.
It’s been on my mind for a few years to update our will and even create a trust to protect my intellectual property. I’ve been gathering resources but haven’t made any decisions yet.
As Bella and I were reviewing her sister’s will, I thought about how nice it was that the sister had a will – clear instructions on what to do with her estate.
About that legacy...
I’ve been thinking a lot about how I don’t make a living wage from the fiction and nonfiction I write; I’ve felt bad that I don’t fit in that category and have put a lot of pressure on myself to live up to a standard that frankly not many authors actually live.
Fact is I’m just not motivated by money. I’m motivated by other things—leaving a legacy and making an impact.
So I don’t write to market. Not in the strictest sense (though I’m not really sure what that means). I do pay attention to it though. Why is this important? And what do I mean?
I get it. People choose writing as a way to make money; but I never could. Not directly.
It’s so frustrating. People want to know if you’re making money as a writer, but they never ask you 1) if you’re happy, or 2) if your readers are happy with your stories.
I get it. It’s human nature to care first and foremost about survival – what we’ll eat and having a safe place to live.
But writing fiction is an art form and that art form may or may not feed us in the short, or even long term.
Writing to market is a guessing game like any other, though you can make educated guesses based on numbers, trial and error, and tracking what works and what doesn’t.
But none of that drives me.
I write to make an impact, to create an emotionally compelling experience for my readers. When I focus on that, I can write and edit and come up with creative ways to market my books that fit my life and my personality.
But does it put food on the table and keep a roof over my head?
No, it doesn’t. Not directly.
But it does indirectly, just one step removed.
There is a straight line from my work as a novelist to my ability to help other writers.
In between is my ability to teach and my desire to help others and my keen interest and passion in both.
If I wasn’t a working novelist, I couldn’t be a good teacher of writing fiction.
That’s a direct connection.
I said at the beginning that I pay attention to the market.
I am a consumer of current and popular fiction (love reading late into the night!) and I am a product of my environment and love many forms popular fiction (TV, books, films.) So that’s what I write and what I teach.
More specifically, I let my imagination marry my interests and playful spirit, combining my love of science fiction, fantasy, romance, and mystery into adventure stories that are about strong women striving to be leaders in their world. (I write YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and now science fiction mysteries.)
As far as I understand it (and I’m no expert), writing to market requires writing what’s popular and putting one’s attention on publishing lots of books quickly, so that you sell them in a short period of time. To take advantage of the trends. To take advantage of what readers seem hungry for.
I like writing first drafts fast, but I edit slow, and I need to shut out the world while I do that. I can’t pay attention to trends. I can only pay attention to what the story wants to be and to honor that.
Of course, I do get feedback from my trusted critique partners and beta readers, but at the end of the day, the decision is mine on how to create a rip-roaring good read that touches the heart and minds of my readers. And hopefully create a book readers they put on their keeper shelf and read to their kids. (That's what one father told me about my YA Fantasy series, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer.)
All this to say – there’s nothing wrong with wanting to write to market, and doing so, but that’s not what I’m doing, nor what I teach.
My attention is on helping you create amazing stories that your readers will remember long after they get to THE END. Stories they’ll pass to their friends and their kids, and stories they don't ever want to leave.
Do you write to market? Is this something that you’ve explored? Or desire to do?
At the end of the day, I’m here to help you (and myself) listen to the creative flow and honor it, by writing our books, polishing them to glistening gems, and publish them to the squealing delight of our readers.
I love hear your thoughts on the subjects I touched on, as always! Hit reply and let me know your thoughts on writing to market or anything else.
♥
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| | Reminder! Starts Next Week!
Upcoming online course on "Story Structure, Essential Building Blocks of Your Craft"
For the second year in a row, starting May 6, 2019, I teach “Story Structure: An Essential Building Blocks of Your Craft Title” as an online email course with Outreach International RWA chapter.
Registration details:
Over the course of 4 weeks, I cover these 6 story structures. Students tell me this course helps them decide on which story structure to use to plan and write their novels. - The Three-Act Structure
- The Hero’s Journey
- The Virgin Archetypal Journey
- The 5-Point Plot Structure
- The Five Commandments of Storytelling
♥
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| Have a happy and creative week! Happy writing! Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Beth
PS. Our 5th anniversary school promo ends Tuesday night, April 30th. I invite you to check out the Special Celebration Bundle here!
One of our classes may help you get into action. finish your book, or plan your first (or next) novel.
Details: As a bonus for purchasing a course between now and April 30th, you get a 1-1 coaching/consulting session with me and a 5-page manuscript review.
Check out all the details here:
♥
♥
PPS. Is it too early to be thinking about NaNoWriMo? Ezra, my husband, and co-teacher in our online school for fiction writers, turned to me the other day to announce what book he'd be writing for NaNo. He's been planning it for the last few weeks and plans to do more research for it until November. He's excited and I'm so happy that he's plugged into his creative live wire.
♥
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| NEWEST BOOK! Plan Your Novel Like A Pro
This book will help you get excited to plan your novel. The tools shared here are designed to spark your muse and give you confidence when you sit down to write your story. Plan Your Novel Like A Pro: And Have Fun Doing It! is for organic writers and pansters who want a roadmap to follow, so that they can let their creativity loose.
** Is this you? => Are you a podcaster or blogger and would like to feature PLAN YOUR NOVEL LIKE A PRO on your channel? Review copies available. Please hit reply and let me know. Thanks!
♥
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Welcome!
You may share this content intact and with no changes with this attribution:
Not sure which program or course is right for you?
BTW, I'm a working novelist too, with two series published in two genres, and more on the way. :)
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| | ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany is creativity coach for writers, a teacher, workshop facilitator, and speaker, who helps fiction writers experience clarity, so that they can write and polish their novels, and proudly publish them to the delight of their readers.
Owner of the Barany School of Fiction, an online training hub, Beth takes great interest in how humans learn, create, and grow, and includes all her students’ life experiences, including the ancestors, into the moment.
Want a course to help you prepare to write your novel? Check out the comprehensive Plan Your Novel course here, co-taught with award-winning, bestselling thriller author, Ezra Barany.
She's also an award-winning novelist and writes magical tales of romance, adventure, and mystery to empower women and girls to be the heroes in their own lives.
Check out her Henrietta series here (YA Fantasy) and her Touchstone series here (Fantasy/Paranormal Romance).
beth@bethbarany.com
Barany School of Fiction
Writer's Fun Zone blog
Photo Credit: by c. 2018 Arianna Golden
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