Today was one of those days when The Universe conspires to send a message. On Facebook, I read a post from a writer who bashed the ability of well-known authors. She felt they should be cast aside to make room for newbies. Her frustration came through loud and clear even if I don't agree with such posts.
Later, I watched 60 Minutes. Reese Witherspoon spoke about the difficult time she went through after her divorce. Despite receiving an Oscar, she was having trouble finding projects that she was passionate about. Her career floundered. She was probably as frustrated as the writer on Facebook today. Reese finally decided to start her own production company and optioned two books before they were published. (I assume she received advanced reader copies.) She wanted to make movies that mattered to her. The first movie she produced was Gone Girl. Her new company made millions.
Reese reminded me that I need to write books that mean something to me, not just books that might get published by the big guys. Traditional publishers are going to stick predominately with the authors who sell millions. They are in business to make money. I don't need to be another Carol Higgins Clark or Nora Roberts to be happy, although it would be nice. I just need to know I am tapping into my creativity, using my voice, and putting out a quality product. Today, authors are fortunate. There are many avenues we can take to publish our books. We don't have to sink money into a production company to share our craft with the world the way Reese did. I don't know about the woman on Facebook, but I plan to focus on writing what makes me happy and not worry about who publishes it or how much money I make.
Until next time,
happy reading and writing.
Tina Swayzee McCright
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