Friday's 5 with Patricia (Lynne) Josephine

Patricia Lynne never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes new adult under the pen-name Patricia Josephine.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.


1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) Late 2011 when I was writing my first YA novel, Being Human. It struck me as a story other people would enjoy. I started researching writing and publishing, eventually put the story through a slew of beta readers and editing, and published it myself. It was like opening the floodgates and now I can't stop writing!

 http://www.amazon.com/Snapshots-Patricia-Lynne-ebook/dp/B008O7VYPG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Getting myself to focus. Procrastinating is so easy. Sometimes I have to force myself to sit down and write. Once I do that, I find it hard to stop writing.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) Terrified, excited, amazed. Honestly, I never thought of myself as a writer. I really thought I sucked at it and had a college essay graded D that proved it. But I worked hard on my first story and learned everything I could (still learning too!) and people have enjoyed the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Path-Angels-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00UGKD2AO/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) Is this a trick question? I think character would be more important. If they weren't compelling, I might stop reading a book. But then again, if the story is boring, that could make me put it down no matter how interesting the character is.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  If I work at the day job, I get up, check email, Twitter, Facebook, read blogs and reply to comments on my own. Then it's off to cook tasty food and pies. Home and I usually take a nap. I have a fatigue problem I'm in the process of diagnosing. Dinner and then it's time to write, but not always. It depends on how tired I am. I wish I could write while tired, but I've tried and I can't string a sentence together.

Now, on my days off... I. Will. Write! Like a madwoman. If I get a good streak, I can crank out 5,000 words or more. I've learned to take advantage of days off and get as much work done as humanly possible.

Patricia can be found at the following links.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/plynne_writes

Website: http://www.patricialynne.com

Amazon Page for Patricia Lynne: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005JOZQME

Amazon Page for Patricia Josephine: http://www.amazon.com/Patricia-Josephine/e/B00UH7GAK0

Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/patricialynne07

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13460894.Patricia_Josephine

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.