Owning it

Hello friends! I haven't blogged since January. I'm not even sure I know how to do this anymore. But I'm back, and I'm ready to own it.

Here's the thing---I stopped blogging because it's time consuming and I felt like I could reach an audience in other ways. And it's true, I can. I did. In my time off I've successfully garnered a few teen fans who even made up a fandom name for me. (The Sunbaers. Look up the Korean word Sunbae and it might make sense.)

When it comes to platform building (i.e. the entire reason I started this blog) I think I found the best method. You know what it takes to have an awesome fanbase? You have to write great stories.

So why am I blogging when blogging no longer suits my platform building needs? Focus.

Yep, I'm owning up to it. Ever since I've stopped blogging I've lacked the focus I need to drive me toward my publishing dream. So I'm back, for selfish reasons. I'm here to find my focus again.

Guess what? I'm a writer. I understand things better if I write them down. If I really want to reach my goals, I have to blog about my journey or I lose sight of my purpose.

A Writer's Journey, I find that theme haunting me time and again. It's time I came back to the path.

Here's what's up with me right now. I've made a few decisions that may or may not be good choices in the long run, but I need to put them on paper or I'll never know how they'll work out.

1. I'm writing a fantasy novel right now. It's a novel I've already tried (and failed) to write two other times, but now I feel like the plot is going to be solid. I also made another choice to go along with this, which brings me to point two --

2. I'm writing the entire series before I query the first book. I can't tell you how many times I've told people to not do the very thing I'm planning on doing. So why am I breaking my own rule?

a.) If I leave characters I have a hard time going back to them. The choice to write all three novels at once will make my story stronger.

b.) Should there ever come a point when I decide to self publish I'll have everything ready to go and I'll be able to publish fast.

It's not the choice for everyone, but it's the best choice for me.

3. I'm going to publish my romance novels under a different name -- Jennie Bennett. Not right now. I'm not ready, but I'm thinking if I get an agent, maybe we can work both angles. Maybe if I get an agent with my fantasy novel, I'll just self publish my romance novels. Either way, I'm going to have two brands from this point forward. I intended J. A. Bennett to be a fantasy name from the start, so I'm sticking to it.

I can't tell you how good it feels to write this all down and put it out there. I'm already finding my focus and drive coming back to me. Thank you to everyone who's shared this journey with me so far. I can only hope for more good things to come.