Here I sit, my head itching like something horrible crawled in there and died (it’s actually just henna in my hair), my hands caked with paint residue, and every inch of me aching. But it’s a good feeling. Why would I say that? Because after months of preparing, tomorrow I head off to slay the convention known as Dragon Con. If any of you happen to be there, you have to go through Sheraton to register. Step upstairs (two full floors) to the Grand Ballroom and ask around for me. I’d love to chat, but understand I’ve got a room to set up for four days of programming so it will be a bit short. (unless you catch us while we wait for the riggers to do their jobs lol).

I just wanted to drop a line before I vanished from reliable desktop computing to say thanks for all the support. Copies sold have soared past 120 and we’re approaching 80 readers in all. That goal of 1000 is creeping ever closer and it’s thanks to you (yes, I know I pestered many of you with private messages; I appreciate your help even more because of that ;-) ). I won’t be completely out of contact while I’m at Dragon Con, but the hotels are notorious for eating cell signals so my connection will be tenuous during the day. Nevertheless, I encourage you all to keep recruiting more readers (some of you have even come back having earned more credits for your referrals and ordered more copies! You know who you are and you are amazing!) using the same method I used with you. If they’re new and they get followed, FREE BOOK! What’s not to like about that!? If I see an email come through saying “You’ve got a new follower” or “Rise has a new follower”, I’ll find a way to get to reliable signal and follow them back as quickly as I can manage. But you can, too. Just go to the page, click on the “### Followers” and a list appears. Usually, they are the more recent ones at the top. It doesn’t matter who follows them, just so long as someone does. 

Speaking of all the new attention, I owe you guys two more chapters, but I don’t have the time to add them to the PDF before I leave tomorrow. So I promise I’ll post them as soon as I get home next….week. Hopefully, I get to post more than just two chapters. We are almost at 80:-) Maybe we’ll cross the 100 reader mark. You never know. I am going to a convention of 65,000 geeks. Who knows how many people I’ll find that want to check it out.

Next update, I’ll be highlighting some other authors I’ve found on here that are worth consideration when it comes to spending those credits you’re going to earn referring people to Rise :-)

Two weeks down and four to go, and what have we learned? How about the difference between means and ends?

My impression is that many, if not most of the writers who have entered the Inkshares/Nerdist contest are making their writing public for the first time (many with their first written novel). They see the contest as an end in itself: win and you’ll instantly become a wealthy and successful writer.

As if.

For those who win, (I presume) there will be months of intense editing. After that, there will be months of intense promotion (reviews, interviews, maybe even some public appearances). All you’ll be winning is the chance to do a lot of hard work.

But, wait. There’s more. Because then you’ll have to produce a second novel (they are notoriously difficult to pull off). Wash. Rinse. Repeat. And, if you’re lucky, more novels will come over time. When I submitted my second novel to my publisher at Elsewhen Press, I said, “Here’s my next novel.” His response was: “Wait until you have several under your belt and you can say, “Here’s my latest novel.” Some people will find the possibility exhilarating (I have, and my experience has shown me that he was right); others will find it the scariest proposition they have ever heard.

What if, as the vast majority of us will, you lose? Do you have a plan for what to do with your novel beyond that? Are you ready to make the rounds of publishers (with all the delightfully soul-crushing rejection that implies)? Are you willing to polish your story until it shines brighter than a star…and then start the whole process again with a new one? If you’re tempted to give up, you probably weren’t cut out to be a writer. That may sound harsh, but I believe it was Richard Bach who said: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

For my own part, being in this contest has proven in my mind what great friends and family I have, no small feat in itself given my generally timid and distrustful nature. In forcing me to get outside of my comfort zone and ask others for help, it has pushed me to make contacts which may help me in my career beyond the contest. Finally, my poor showing so far is a reminder that a career in the arts is a long slog full of hard, hard work; there are no shortcuts to success.

My advice would be to remember that the Inkshares/Nerdist contest is not an end in itself, it’s a means to the end of furthering your writing career. I think a lot of the writers here might benefit from that perspective.