The Road So Far

Though my dreams of being a professional writer have been going strong for over 12 years, I didn't truly begin making them a reality until this year. I think it was my impending university graduation that lit a fire of urgency under me and made me dump the rocks out of my pants and start working. I spent years thinking about the questions that surround my career choice. Where do I start? Who should I talk to? Where can I put my work where people will read it? Will I actually make it? The last question will only truly be answered in time, but the answers to the others are endless. Everyone who has made it in this profession has followed their own process and done things their own way to get where they are. Here's what I've done so far.

I started in the place I feel most comfortable: the internet. My logic is that if I can get a wide enough internet fan base then when the time comes for print publication and e-book sales I'll at least have a handful of people willing to buy them. First step on my cyber-crusade was to make an account on Patreon.com. Six months ago I had no idea the site existed, however, when a friend suggested it and I did my research, the premise for it struck me as the perfect way to launch my name and my career. Patreon is a site that continuously funds people who create work over time in the same way that GoFundMe and others like it fund one-time projects. My goal is not for Patreon to be my main source of income forever, or at all. I want to make enough money from my account there to pay for entry into writing competitions across the nation. The prizes for these writing competitions are often monetary, but more importantly many of the prizes include publication or publication within a larger collection or literary magazine. (To see a list of some of the available competitions click HERE.) This page is also where I have been showcasing and posting my writing to the public for the first time. I began a new story specifically for the page and have been working on being more routine with my writing by setting myself post deadlines and making a schedule for upcoming posts. (I don't normally do well with strict schedules, but it's definitely something I'll need get used to!)

Once my Patreon page was launched my next step was figuring out how I was going to get traffic to the site as well as convince people that they want to support me in my venture enough to give me money. Thus the Stationary Brain Vacations blog was born. This blog is the place I hope to connect with my readers and let all of you have a place to chat with me directly. This was also the reason behind me creating the Stationary Brain Vacations Facebook page, as well. A close friend was generous enough to buy some temporary ad space on Facebook to advertise the page to increase traffic to it.

Overall, the point in creating the three pages at the same time is to increase my overall visibility. Anyone who finds any of the three can (and hopefully will) make their way to my Patreon to read my writing.

That's it. That's as far as I've made it. To be fair, though, I have only been working on these things since Jan 6, 2016 (the release date for my first post on Patreon) and in that time I finished moving into a new house, began my senior semester of college, and have been maintaining some semblance of a social life. That, however, is the subject for tomorrow when I'll be talking about balance between "work" (in quotations because I truly love all that I've been doing and it doesn't much feel like work), school, and life.

Do you all have any suggestions for me as I continue forward? What things have worked for you relating to starting out in a career field, steps to make it as a writer, and possible ways to increase visibility?