Legit Author Bullsh*t Step One

So you wanna be a writer? That’s awesome. Me, too. But where do I begin? With the story, of course! You can’t be an author without a story.

But who’s gonna read that story? Better start building an audience.

How do you get an audience? Guess I need a platform and author brand. Facebook, Twitter, WattPad and on and on. I have to let people know I’m out here and what I’m all about.

How can I make people care about my brand and follow all my social media posts? Oh, right. I need a story.

Back to square one.

And it is a square. Or a cube, perhaps. Because you can’t have just a great story, or just a great audience, or just a great platform. You need all of them at once. It’s daunting, anxiety-inducing, gut-twisting. It’s enough to make you quit before you even begin.

Don’t.

Or do, it’s up to you. But I’m determined to stick it out, to keep trying, keep pimping my name like a shameless you-know-what of self-promotion and attention-grabbing. That’s what I tell myself, as I look at my media feeds and see my pitifully small following.

I’m okay with my small following, for now. Each and everyone of the lovely people who stroke my ego with their likes and retweets are beautiful and I’m grateful to have them. One day, I’ll have more, just like I’ll have more publications under my belt, more awesome stories to put forth.

It takes time and perseverance. It will frustrate you, make you cry and rip your hair out, but it’s worth it. If you have a dream to get your words out there, don’t give up. It may take weeks, it may take months, and you may never attain the fame you desire. But every satisfied reader makes all the pain and effort worth it.

So where do you really begin on this author journey? With determination. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Share a seat with me.