Sometimes I think people have an idea that the life of an author is easy, glamorous, and exciting. On the RARE occasion, it is all of these things. But most of the time it’s like today.
I’m sitting in a nightshirt and sweats. My back is starting to hurt a little and my booty is numb. My cereal bowl is perched on the edge of my desk and my cold coffee is on a column beside me. (Heaven forbid my coffee cup actually sit ON my desk, oh, no, no, no. I’m much too clumsy for that!)
I’ve yet to comb my hair (uh, you can imagine) and my feet are cold. Now that I’ve got you picturing the glam-it-up look I’ve got going on, let’s continue!
Most days start at 5:15 for me. (It’s not that I’m so dedicated, my hubby leaves for work at 5:15, so after seeing him off, I stumble into my office.) I’m an early morning writer. I don’t stop until an 8:00 a.m. alarm goes off. That’s the signal to wake-up my teenage son for school. Uh, yeah, I’m so lame I have to set an alarm … otherwise, I’ll drop into my story and forget he’s home until he comes out of his room around 10:00 a.m. TERRIFYING me because I’m thinking there’s an intruder when really it’s only him. It’s very difficult to send a tardy note that says,
Please excuse Isaac. He overslept because his mother was busy flittering around a fictional world with half angel teenagers.
At 9:00, I’m back to my computer and cranking out the pages. I usually work until noon or one or two. It all depends on how things are going in the story. Usually by one I’m ready to tackle emails and such. Sometimes when my brain needs a break, I handle those things throughout mornings, but I prefer to reserve 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. for writing words.
I had a photo shoot yesterday for new publicity shots. It was fun and I like doing that because photographers are like authors, telling a story with cameras not words. Here are two of the shots.
These will be sent to Zondervan and will go in my file for marketing and promotion and such. I’m enjoying the writing life, but since the Halflings sold, I must admit, it’s more fun than before because I know people are going to READ my STORIES. It’s also quite humbling. It’s a huge responsibility to know people will invest their time and money into the words I say. And that’s something I refuse to take lightly. So everyday I’m thankful. Thankful for the air I get to breathe, thankful for my supportive husband and two boys, thankful for my awesome team-Jenn, Jacque, John, Diane, Mel, and Lynn who take me to task when it’s not quite right. And really, really, really thankful for readers. You are the backbone of what we do. When someone says to an author, ”I like your book!” It means the world. Seriously, it means the whole world!!!
Okay, so you’ve gotten a glimpse into the writer’s life as told by Heather Burch. I left out a ton of details like workshops, editing, conferences, networking with other writers, and the like. But now you know how I spend most days. It’s not too glamorous or easy or exciting and I wouldn’t change it for anything!
Halflings will release in February, 2012 from Zondervan Publishing. It is the first book in the Halflings Novels.
Donita K. Paul
Michelle Knudsen
