Welcome to Blogging A to Z! My theme this year is Going Indie. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to check out the other participating blogs.
I always intended to be a writer. My definition of what that means has shifted many times across my life so far.
As a child, I was pretty sure writers were some kind of zany hermits. The kind of people that Raold Dahl might've made up. They somehow still had money to live in interesting places and just create, though.
Coming up in academia, I really thought there was one right way to do it, and that involved traditional publishing through established routes, winning awards and building acclaim, and writing literary achievement kinds of things that would earn me gold stars from my teachers.
Looking back now, that seems kind of silly. Literary fiction is only ONE of the kinds of things I read (I'm a omnnivore when it comes to books)…and if you read a lot of it, there's a sameness to it after a while that gets boring. And the stuff that is innovative is often smug, pretentious, and precious about it. Where's the fun? Where's the joy? Where's the creativity?
So, each of these zags in my path led me to where I am now, a hybrid author (traditionally and indie published) who writes in several different genres, living her best life and having a great time.
Thanks for coming on this A to Z ride with me. I hope you found something interesting, entertaining, or educational in all these posts and I wish you the best of luck as you zig and zag on your path to whatever it is that you want most.
I've self-published eight books. None are bestsellers (either due to lack of advertising or...they suck). In any case, I thoroughly enjoy writing for its own sake, not for the money (if was about the money, why would there even be a Penwasser Place? Blogger doesn't even pay in potato skins or chicken wings). So, you go, girl.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You too!
DeleteHappy Z day! All the Zed and Zag to you.
ReplyDeleteTo you as well!
DeleteWriting for the love of it is the only way for me. When I tried to do it for money, I quickly became discouraged 🫤
ReplyDeleteIt does put a lot of pressure on a creative endeavor and that can kill a spark.
DeleteCongrats on making it through the challenge. I've never understood the appeal of literary fiction. It's all so depressing to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was an English teacher, I was always fighting against the curriculum of death--like a work can't be worthy of study if it's not a tragedy?
DeleteCongratulations on reaching Z! (And on the book, of course.) I've had quite a few zigs and zags in my life, too, and I think they just make the present point richer.
ReplyDeletehttps://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com
Agreed. A straight line is kind of boring, honestly.
DeleteLooks like you have managed to get it going for you, both ways. Congrats on finishing this year. Here is my last post!
ReplyDeletehttps://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/2026/04/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-2026-women-in_30.html
Thanks for visiting! And congrats on getting there, too!
DeleteI've enjoyed your posts, Samantha. This one way to be a writer was "established science" until Amazon blew that wide open with their Kindle. Since then, writers have come a long way zagging toward independence, thankfully.
ReplyDeleteYes! More options is wonderful…and sometimes awful. LOL.
DeleteI was a little sad missing the A-Z Challenge this month with everyone, but I hope it was an awesome time! (We spent 90% of the month sick or getting people healthy.) I'm with you on being an omnivore of books. And I love that term. Haha!
ReplyDeleteSorry you all were down with the sickness. Hope things are looking up now!
DeleteCongratulations on completing your 2026 A to Z Challenge! Good thoughts about writing and all.
ReplyDeleteLee
Thanks! It was a lot of fun.
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