Lynda's Blog

Yes, I've Made Mistakes, but I've Learned so Much Along the Way

This month is my Third Anniversary as a Writer.

And I love writing more today, then I did then. 

I struggled in the beginning, and made many mistakes. I had a story I wanted to tell, but no idea how to do it. So I sat down and wrote it out. Once I was finished I felt accomplished. 

 I wrote a story! 

I thought that’s how you did it. Was I ever surprised to find out that was just the beginning, and the easy part.

I needed direction. I thought you wrote a book, celebrated your accomplishment, then sent it to a publisher for a contract. 

Well, a few things from my past came back to haunt me. 

Like ninth grade English. 

Yes, Comma’s hated me, 

They still do, and so did Grammar. I realized that I had 298 pages of horrible grammar mistakes which made my story difficult to read.

After many review courses, and reading a lot of refresher books, my story fell into a publisher hands and a contract was offered. 

I was a happy girl, I felt energized so I dived into spreading the word. I made a blog, a website and joined all the other social media links I could find. I pushed my facebook page, and joined all the groups I could. Spent hours every night building my name. Excepted all the invitations that were sent to me and before I knew it I was falling behind.

I tried to be everywhere, marketing with everyone who would have me. This set me up for missed blog posts, late radio spots and authors who were losing their faith in my ability to be dependable. 

My mistakes were destroying my focus on writing and made marketing harder than what it should have been. I finally saw my numbers drop and knew I needed to do one thing…

I found myself spinning my wheels and not able to write, so I scaled back and took a long, hard look at what I was doing.

I soon realized I stopped doing the one thing I needed to do to get my book noticed.

WRITE THE NEXT BOOK

I was in my second year when I figured this out. I looked back at the newbie mistakes and made some much needed changes. First one was to realize life was a series of juggling acts.

 Everything had to balance. I had to find the right formula to make it work so that my writing fit. I have an active family, very busy job and sometimes life just got in the way, which left me exhausted. I needed to find a way to fit it all into 24 hours without feeling guilty if I missed something.

It’s been three years now and I can finally say I don’t have all the answers, and everyday is not going to go as I planned.

To Quote Else…’I just let it go.’ 

I now spend my days working, and my nights writing. I am more relaxed, and make fewer mistakes. I am re-building some bridges I destroyed when I was trying to be everywhere and I’m loving the fact that I can do now, what I set out to do three years ago….

Write a story.

I have completed three stories, Rescued from the Dark. A romantic suspense

Saving Angel, a contemporary romance in the Anthology, Wild at Heart.

The Christmas Contract, a contemporary romance in the Anthology, A Touch of Winter.   

These are available on Amazon, with other links listed on my web page www.lyndakayefrazier.com

My next story will be out early 2015. If I knew Then, a YA, is a story of a young girl who survives against abuse from hands that should have only shown love. 

Her strength will make you laugh, cry and you will cheer her on all the way to the end.

So Happy Anniversary to me. Help me celebrate my three years with a toast of good cheer, and many more years of doing what makes me happy….

Writing my next story

Until Next time

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