The older I get the more I recognize the value of small pleasures. The big ones come rarely and are often fleeting. To get the most out of life you need look for joy in every moment. My dog taught me this trick. All she needs is a stick and room to run, and she radiates pure joy.
I was thinking about simple pleasures when I read a recent post on Greg Pincus’s Happy Accident. He was saying that you need to know why you want to launch a project, what you hope to get out of it. So I asked myself, why do I want to self publish my book?
The answer for me is simple. To connect with other people. Some of my greatest pleasures have occurred while sharing my writing at workshops or critquenics. (“Critiquenics” are The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) critique/picnic gatherings. Very fun and very helpful! If you write for children and have never been to one, join SCBWI and find one today!)
For me, traditional publishing seemed to be standing in the way of what I want out of my writing. I want to tell a good story and have people all over the world be able to read it if they want to.
I have a day job. I don’t need more tasks I dislike. I write because I love to write. I gladly work hard on my writing, attend classes and workshops, read blogs and books on the topic of writing or any other topic I find interesting. I enjoy working with my writing group and getting their feedback on what I’ve done right and where I’ve missed the mark. Plus I get to read their fantastic works, and learn from their example, as well.
I don’t want to research editors and agents into the wee hours of the night. I don’t want to spend weeks or months trying to find the right person and write the perfect query letter tailored to that person’s love of cats, or the Lakers, or peanut butter. And I don’t want to wait months or years for their response, if it comes at all.
So, why do I want to self publish my novel? I want the simple pleasure of connecting with people through my writing. I want someone to read and enjoy my work. I know everyone who reads it won’t love it. Some may even hate it. That’s the way we humans are -- all kinds of different. But that’s a good thing! Our differences are what make life interesting.
So I plan to grab all the simple pleasures I can, and I hope you will to.
I was thinking about simple pleasures when I read a recent post on Greg Pincus’s Happy Accident. He was saying that you need to know why you want to launch a project, what you hope to get out of it. So I asked myself, why do I want to self publish my book?
The answer for me is simple. To connect with other people. Some of my greatest pleasures have occurred while sharing my writing at workshops or critquenics. (“Critiquenics” are The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) critique/picnic gatherings. Very fun and very helpful! If you write for children and have never been to one, join SCBWI and find one today!)
For me, traditional publishing seemed to be standing in the way of what I want out of my writing. I want to tell a good story and have people all over the world be able to read it if they want to.
I have a day job. I don’t need more tasks I dislike. I write because I love to write. I gladly work hard on my writing, attend classes and workshops, read blogs and books on the topic of writing or any other topic I find interesting. I enjoy working with my writing group and getting their feedback on what I’ve done right and where I’ve missed the mark. Plus I get to read their fantastic works, and learn from their example, as well.
I don’t want to research editors and agents into the wee hours of the night. I don’t want to spend weeks or months trying to find the right person and write the perfect query letter tailored to that person’s love of cats, or the Lakers, or peanut butter. And I don’t want to wait months or years for their response, if it comes at all.
So, why do I want to self publish my novel? I want the simple pleasure of connecting with people through my writing. I want someone to read and enjoy my work. I know everyone who reads it won’t love it. Some may even hate it. That’s the way we humans are -- all kinds of different. But that’s a good thing! Our differences are what make life interesting.
So I plan to grab all the simple pleasures I can, and I hope you will to.
