The ups and downs of writing is a topic that has many meanings, depending on where you are on your journey. Considering I’ve just started down this road, my answer is easy. The best part of writing is having people tell you they love your book. Whereas the hardest part is finding a way for your book to stand out among the million others published each day. However, if that’s the only answer I offer, this blog post would be short and hardly worth the time it takes to read it.
Others have written their take on the ups and downs of their writing careers, and I really wanted to make mine unique. To do that, I’ve pulled from the field I’ve been a part of for almost 35 years in order to compare what I love versus what I tolerate about my new journey.
Separating the tasks is as easy as dividing them into RIGHT brain versus LEFT brain tasks.
The brain, which controls your body’s functions, is approximately the size of two clenched fists, weighs around 3 ½ pounds, and is used in 35,000 decisions each day. The brain reaches full maturity when you are around twenty-five years old. (Now you know why teens and college aged individuals are impulsive and often make rash decisions.)
Currently, scientists believe the brain is continuously changing and developing throughout our life. While it’s true that some cognitive functions do decrease, others actually increase.
One struggle that comes with aging is that our memory for short-term events isn’t quite as sharp as it once was. However, we are still able to recall clearly important events that happened in the past, such as falling in love, getting married, and having children.
On the other hand, the connections between distant brain areas strengthen. These changes allow us to better see relationships between multiple pieces of information and understand the big picture — not only in our immediate environment, but in the world. Yet, these changes also make it more difficult to see the little things. Many consider this to be the foundation of wisdom. If this is true, it also makes the saying, ‘if I only knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have …’ ring true.
Until recently, it was always thought that people were either RIGHT brained or LEFT brained. However, current research tells us it isn’t that cut and dried. While different parts of the brain do dominate when performing certain tasks, there typically isn’t a dominate side.
LEFT brained people are thought to be more analytical, logical, detail oriented, numerical and think in words. Whereas RIGHT brained people are considered to be more creative, able to see the big picture, intuitive and think in images.
For almost thirty-five years, I’ve been using my LEFT brain as a speech/language pathologist.
We give a person a problem, analyze their answer, and make decisions about where to go next. But, when you do the same thing over and over again, it can get boring, which sent me lookingfor something new.
Somehow, during my search for something new, I rediscovered my creative side and my RIGHT brain woke up. With that came the multiple voices in my head vying for whose story would be told first. My 35,000 decisions each day increased exponentially.
But writing a story is easy — at least it is for me. I just listen to the characters and let them guide the way. Sometimes, I write from the beginning to the end. Other times, I write the scenes that are yelling the loudest, then weave them together. The trick is trying to keep up with all those voices. For the first time in years, my RIGHT brain is awake and having a great time.
The problem is you can’t just let your characters do the talking. If you want to have a career as an author, there is much more than just putting the words down on paper. Unfortunately, most of the other tasks are business ones, which means hell LEFT brain.
Building a newsletter, establishing a social media presence, scheduling marketing newsletters, choosing a cover, editing, and anything else you can think of to get your book out involves analyzing and making decisions. Add to that you must learn to format your manuscript, upload your manuscripts, create a website, and deal with finances. Because while it may be ‘free’ to ‘write’ a book, almost everything else costs money. And darn it, money doesn’t grow on trees. Also, darn it again — those are all LEFT brain tasks.
The RIGHT and LEFT sides of our brain communicate through a set of fibers and finding balance is important. However, one side of my brain is MUCH louder than the other. It creates issues when I’m supposed to be ‘marketing.’ Quite often, my characters get pushy and yell. Right now, they’re being quite bossy.
Work in progress 1
The Promise of Tomorrow -New Series June 2023
Maddy signed her name with a flourish and stuck the form into the file. All that was left to do was to make the necessary copies and mail them out, which she would do the following week. Then, she would take a celebration basket by the Connors’ home. After living at Blessed Children’s Home for six months, Julie and Andrew had found a forever family, and she had two fewer children to worry about.
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Work in progress 2
The Lessons of Love – preorder 9/9/2023 – small town mystery series Book 13 “They’re headed your way,” Lee heard through the earpiece he was wearing. “Don’t let them see you.”
“I’m on the roof,” Lee reminded his partner. “Unless they’re bird watching, they won’t see me.”
He inched closer to the edge and searched for the two men the Agency had been tailing for over a month. The men were strolling up Main Street of Swan Harbor, Maine, as if they didn’t care who saw them.
It’s almost more than a person can handle. However, it’s all part of the game. Because just like I can’t have my RIGHT brain without my LEFT brain. As a writer, you can’t have UPs without DOWNs.
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Enjoy reading and know with a new release just out, my RIGHT and LEFT brain is at war.
The Kiss of Love was released on 4/24. It is a steamy, small town, second chance, later-in-love mystery romance. It is Book 12 of the series.
With a kiss … a heart can open
Desiree Desmond Goodwin took her ex-husband for millions. She’s returned to Swan Harbor to reconnect with friends and invest in the Mountain View Lodge project. When a middle of the night warning call sends her underground, she’s left with the words trust no one echoing in her head. Can she trust the man whose porch she inadvertently lands on?
Dawson Phillips left the corporate world for a simpler life. Managing the Siren’s Song and living in Swan Harbor gives him peace. And then — a pair of lips touch his. As he searches for the woman behind the kiss, he’s left with a question. What if the person he’s looking for isn’t the one he wants?
Ensnared in a dangerous web, Desiree must rely on Dawson to help her navigate the questions. When the enemy takes on a surprising face, it’s a race to uncover the answers. Will they have missed their chance when they discover the truth, and the last shot is heard? Or will they find the closure they need, love, and their very own happy ending?
A kiss can open a heart. But love can lead to forever.
About Sophie Bartow
Sophie is a married mother of four who has spent the last 30+ years as a Speech/Language Pathologist working with adult post-stroke patients. Now that her youngest are in college, she’s set out on a new journey.
She lives in Florida with her husband, 1 cat and 1 dog. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel, read and watch T.V. while plotting her next book.
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4 comments:
Sophie, what a great post! And I've found someone whose writing process is similar to mind...I have dreams and visions along with the voices so no plotting in my world.
And Thanks for joining us at Romancing The Genres!
I am intrigued by this left/right brain thing. I always considered myself a right brainer, yet I can be pretty left brained in the business world. There is that meld. Now I get the balance, and boy am I thankful for it.
Fascinating post!!! You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you for visiting Romancing the Genres.
Judith - so nice to 'meet' someone who has bossy muses who never listen like mine. Thanks for reading
Marcia - Business and Writing use both sides of our brains. I would be interested in finding out if these are learned behaviors - or if it's just something we're born with.
Sarah - Thanks for reading.
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