I'VE GOT A CONTRACT!!! YAY!! Part Deux

So, what's the next thing you do after telling everyone?

Hey, I've got a contract. I'M A WRITER, A REAL WRITER!

I'M GOING TO WRITE MORE BOOKS! And they're all going to get published!

Go, baby, go!

Suddenly ideas are bursting, and that backlog of stories you've been piling up has new life.

Write. Dance. Enjoy. (Reality pops up a few lines down.)

Take advantage of it, wallow in it. Now all those years of sacrifice have been justified. If you're lucky and you have people who support you, you've still had to fit your writing in where you could, around birthdays and anniversaries, your day job, scheduling time to write. Even then,sometimes you may have found yourself feeling guilty for time you don't spend with them as you follow your dream, or the time you haven't spent following your dream to be with them.

If you haven't been that lucky, it's been even harder. I was told many times how difficult it was to be a writer, and why did I think I could be one. My father used to send me articles on how most writers can't make a living on what they write. True story.

On a personal level it cost me my previous marriage. But then I met my current husband, who supports everything I do. He truly loves me and I thank God for him every day.

So, write. Now you can hold that contract up to everyone and say "I'm a writer!"

And, you are.

You've taken that first step and actually published your first novel.

Be prepared.

There is no guarantee that the next one will be any easier to sell. Unless your first book sells off the shelves (Even that is no guarantee, I had a friend who was told her writing style was too difficult,that they weren't certain they wanted to take her next book) and your second book is a sequel or in the same style, they still may not take it.

Tomorrow - so, now what?

I'VE GOT A CONTRACT!!! YAY!! (Back on topic)

Okay, so you've sold your first book, you've got your contract in your hot little hands, so what do you do? You run around and tell everyone!

Be prepared, while some people (your mother, maybe) will congratulate you, others will be a real downer.

Unless you sign with a major house, some will say they're not a real publisher. If you don't write the kind of books they like, you're not a real author.

What is it with people? Why can't they just be encouraging? And what's so hot about reality? If it's so great, why are most people trying to escape it? Why not just let people dream a little? So, when it's your turn, remember this, whether in life or love, let people enjoy it. Reality will arrive soon enough.

So ignore them and hang around your mom or your spouse. Don't let the bastards get you down!