Just Over Here, Keeping it Real…

Okay – so many of you know already, but for those who don’t, I’m furiously working on getting ready to meet with publishers in 2 weeks. I wanted to share with you that there is all kinds of shenanigans behind the scenes of writing books and publishing.

It’s exhausting really.

Between the proposals, the blogs, the one sheets, the platforms, the query letters, the elevator pitches, the marketing/design, blah, blah, blah… I get exhausted thinking about it.

Oh and we can’t forget the actual writing of the books. (But DETAILS.)

In summary, it is way more than just sitting at your computer and typing out some crap on a word document you hope will be binded and sold to strangers someday. (Okay – it’s not “crap.” Well… some days.) I have a number of articles published online and in print, but zero books. And this, ladies and gentlemen, THIS is a whole different world than what I’ve experienced before. It is exhausting and I don’t even have a book in print yet.

In fact, it is overwhelming. And there’s lots of “talk” about how to go about everything. Everything is related… your blog, your book, your social media, your choice of salad dressing, everything.

(Okay, not really on the salad dressing… but I’m sure that’s coming soon.)

In the blogging world, there is all this talk about “what’s your ‘niche?'” Or “what’s your ‘writing style?'”

For me (and it’s kind of depressing), but I am not sure I have a “niche” or a certain “writing style.” (Do fragmented and run-on sentences count as a “style?” I sure hope so…)

In the publishing world, there is also all kinds of talk about “credibility.” Michael Hyatt even discusses different types. There is formal credibility you gain from degrees, education and all that jazz. Then there’s experiential credibility and the newest type, social credibility.

I don’t have credibility (except maybe in hunting honey badgers). Though, if I was to say I have any type of credibility, it would be in the ‘Keeping It Real’ department.

I’ve tried, but I can’t do anything else.

Sure, I (try to) write meaningful devotionals and use this blog to share my faith some, but I don’t speak churchy or beautiful, poetic language like the Ann Voskamps of the world. (Let’s be real – I barely understand it, let alone speak it. I’m pretty sure I’d screw up using “thou” in a sentence. So I won’t even try.)

I don’t blog about deep, analytical interpretations of politics such as…. well, I don’t even know who. (But honestly – who wants to read more about how our political system is jacked up? Not I. #JustKeepinItReal)

And I definitely don’t speak awesomely creative gardening and/or homemaking language like the amazing Down to Earth Dietitian or A Bowl Full of Lemons. (You have seen the plants in my house, right? Reference picture.)

But I can share real life. In the messy, funny, ugly, and exciting ways it happens to me.

So while other bloggers and writers are out there being totally awesome and smart in their deep, meaningful and inspiring (I’ll keep striving for this, I promise!) posts, I’ll be over here, just keeping it real with my run-on sentences about how I hate vacation, am of the less intelligent variety and can’t control my animals while I turn on on my of mixed playlist of Casting Crowns and Snoop Dogg. #RunOnSentenceLikeAChamp