SAFE WORDS has it's first REVIEW on Amazon. It is positive. 5 Stars! It is not a reviewers post. It comes from a regular reader. I'm grateful. I'm very grateful and proud. When someone says to you that they like your work enough tell other people about it, you have to be proud. BTW, she said she loves, loves, loves my book. In the review she (the reviewer) said that she had also posted the review on Goodreads. I kind of want to find her on there and ask her to be a friend but I'm afraid it might seem a little creepy, stalker.
Honestly I saw the review because I was looking for and hoping for one. There is another aspect of Amazon I'm not sure I get... The Amazon Best Sellers Rank. When SAFE WORDS first went up it was listed at 400,000 something. It dropped down, then down again to 90,000 something. Then up again to almost 400,000 then down. today it sits at 160,000+. I guess that is good but I can't imagine that it is selling more than a book or two. Is that enough to make those kinds of moves? I don't know but it is kind of fun to see. It's like my personal stock market.
I was asked recently what I liked about writing and I started to say the things I always do- The pride of making something, the love of creating stories... But I was answering the wrong question. They were asking about the process. They thought it would be boring to sit and type so much.
The honest answer to what I like about the writing process is to say, I like having written. I don't like writing. It's not the typing. It is the pace. I can see and revise and expand a story in my head. I make connections and have new ideas about the characters, in my head. You just can't get anything typed onto the page quick enough. It is frustrating. The worst thing is having an idea for another book or reading something that inspires you to a different kind of story.
The question reminded me again that writing a novel is hard work. As hard as any physical job I have ever had. It requires commitment to push past those moments when you're sure you can never finish this one. It requires a thick skin to be rejected time and again. I always say, it's not just an adventure, it's a job.
So why do it? The easy answer is that everyone does something. The harder answer is to say that I need to do it. Both because I have stories that I want out in the world and because I am trying to build a career to be proud of. The hardest answer is that I am making my joy. I don't believe hapiness comes to us. It never shows up on dragonfly wings carried in moonlight. You go get it. You take the raw elements and stick them into fire then pound them into the shape that fits you. I think we make our lives and Life, returns the favor. Even if we don't like what she throws our way, the joy is not her responsibility.
Yeah I ramble on but I guess that's a nickles worth.
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