#IWSG: Attitude

This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. If you’d like to join, please sign up!

I have a confession. I have had a terrible attitude the past couple of years.

It hasn’t really shown up here (I hope). Mostly because I don’t blog very often, but also because I don’t like getting negative.

And I’ve been very negative outside this blog.

To be brief, I have been telling myself the following lies:

• I will never make any money at writing.
• I will never have enough money to look professional or put out a quality product.
• If I could only type faster, we’d have more money.
• If only I could buy [fill in the blank] I’d be successful.

There’s more, but, with one exception, that’s all I feel comfortable sharing publicly. This one, though, this is the one that was the biggest lie for me, one I even shared with someone else through email, and one that has been harming me more than I realized.

This is just a hobby.

Here’s the truth:

• I have already made money selling my books. True, it isn’t a lot, but that amount will steadily grow as I keep writing and improving and growing.
• My books aren’t perfect, but I do my best and I’ve gotten compliments on how nice my books are. Quality for books, especially in ebooks, means readability, and my books are definitely readable.
• I have nine people in my family who need my attention and deserve my attention. Typing faster may put out more books, but if it means losing that family or destroying those relationships, it’s not worth it.
• Tools only go so far. Knowledge and commitment to quality are far more important. Success is not dependent on money.

Finally, this has always been more than a hobby to me. Just because I’m not making as much as I’d like doesn’t make it any less of a business in my mind.

That said, I can’t expect to get full-grown apples from a sapling. This business will take time to grow and should take time to grow. As long as I’m persistent and stay true to my vision, it’ll become the business it needs to be.

There’s more, but that’s all I have time for at the moment. I hope y’all have a wonderful April. I’ll be back as soon as I can, probably with another snippet from my current WIP.

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