Today I get back to the business of writing after allowing myself to be distracted and sidetracked by moving and settling into my new digs.  It’s going to be hard, but it is more important than ever since the main purpose of my move is to spend the next two years seeing what success I can achieve when I don’t have to work around the time restrictions of a full time job.

One of my Facebook friends posted a link to the article below that I hope to use as my inspiration.  Stephen King is one of my favorite writers and while I can ever expect to reach his level of success, I can still apply the principles highlighted in the article.  Please click the link at the bottom to get the full explanation of how King accomplishes these points.  What I’ve done here is insert my “pledge” to myself about my own goals.

Learn your craft:  Having two books published by New Libri Press gave me the confidence that I have learned a lot about my craft and also proves that the act of writing itself is the best teacher of all.

Be prolific: I have four published books now when you count the two put out under Deb Donahue by PersonalNOVEL and my self published Chasing Nightmares.  But the point here is the sitting the butt in the chair each day and treating the writing as a business which means putting in the time to earn the dime.

Be real: My Street Stories novels work so well because they convey the reality of what it’s like to live on the streets.  For my new project, a cozy mystery series, I hope to incorporate the reality of life in small town Midwest with all its quirkiness and joys.

Have a personality: This is the scary part, because I don’t have a lot of confidence that many people will like my personality, but the article equates personality with writing what you enjoy and are passionate about.  That I can and have been doing.  Even though the Deb Donahue books are shades lighter in tone than the Debra Borys ones, they both reflect who I am and are written in the genre I most enjoy reading and writing: mystery/suspense.

Be fearless: I know there are some who do not like the bad language, stark themes and grisly details in my Street Stories novels, just as there will be some who think my cozy novel contains nothing of importance except to provide a little light entertainment. So be it.

Try new things: This one will be fun.  I like trying new things.  I’ve been published by a small press, a German company that personalizes every novel it sells, and self-publishing.  I will continue to follow publishing trends and remain open to pursuing opportunities that show promise.

Do many things simultaneously: The article talks about King’s involvement in many types of media and multiple projects.  I want to not only work on both series and find editing and writing clients, but to diversify my personal activities to soak up as much as I can of family, friends, nature and life.

There are seven key lessons you can learn from Stephen King, and the way he conducts his business (the business of writing). And for those of you who are offended by my saying “the business of writing”… perhaps if you thought about your writing as a business, you wouldn’t be so easily offended. Food for thought.

via The Stephen King Guide to Writing as a Business | Ray Edwards.