The Aha Moment of Writing and Writing for a Living (and Publishing a Book)

Writers all can say there is a time and a place when they has this “aha” moment and that they realized that they not only can write, but they can be writing for a living.  It is a moment where they need to decide to either continue on the path that they have chosen or to dabble in the craft.  This is a big choice for many.  It can mean leaving a day job that they enjoy.  It can mean that your finances will be a bit tight for a little while.  this might be at the moment when you publish a book.

So what does this aha moment look like to most people?

1) It is when the money that they make from their writing is building to a point when they begin to say that the full time job they have, can be cut back.

2) It is when the book they have been writing is finally about to be published.

3) It is when people stop asking what do you do other than write?

4) It is when you can actually say no to some of the writing job offers that come your way.

5) It is when you notice more of your mistakes and can know hot to correct them.  In other words, you have learned to become a better editor.  In other words you have gone beyond spell checker, and read your writing as best you can.

6) You realize that the first bit of work was not all that good, and you are willing to fix these up.

7) You can see both sides of the coin, which means that you are willing to look at both traditional publishing and self-publishing as options.

8) you have learned to care about your community of writers.  They are out there.

9) You know more writers that are willing to comment on your work, and they are not afraid to tell you that, well, your writing is in need of improvement.  As a writer research is important.

10) You have actually published a book and are in the process of marketing this book.  This also means that your book is making you money and you are in business as a published author.