Just good enough, is not good enough anymore.

A recent post by Kristine Kathryn Rusch served as a real eye opener for me. You can read the full post here if you would like: http://kriswrites.com/2015/04/02/business-musings-the-hard-part/#sthash.AQhcuMq2.dpbs

She talks about a lot of things that directly affect the success and or failure of a writer in these somewhat turbulent times. Turbulent at least for indie writers who have seen their sales drop over the past year. Some of the problems are the result of outside influences that are beyond the control of the average writer. Such as Kindle Unlimited, and the reduced royalties of those writers who chose to participate. That’s an Amazon decision and as much as we may want to complain about it, it is one of those things that are totally out of our control as writers.

What we can control though is what we, as Indie Writers, put out there.

When I first came into kindle and indie publishing around the beginning of 2012, the Amazon gold rush was going strong. There was this sense of get it out there now or lose out for good. I envisioned selling hundreds of thousands of copies of my work thereby allowing my wife and I to get away from the craziness of working for other people who honestly didn’t give a rat’s ass about you.

I got caught up in the rush to just get it out there.

The tides have turned, now just getting it out there is not good enough. All the tricks and gimmicks many had used in the past were just that. For me personally I lost sight of the most important thing to me as a writer, that connection with the reader.

In my rush to catch a wave of my own I allowed myself to accept just good enough when something even better was waiting in the wings had I slowed down to let the story mature in my mind.

But I’ve learned, as I always do, the hard way, that tricks and gimmicks are just that. Nothing will ever replace good writing. I also learned, for me at least, that writing is not a means to an end, but a lifestyle choice. It is not a hobby. Not something I merely dabble in when there is nothing else to do.

It is an integral part of who I am.