Welcoming my second guest from the TTC VBT: Catrina Taylor Rudd

Music and my Muse 

I'm a lively and often social kind of person. I am energized by music, people and life. Often when I write though, silence is my best friend. Odd as that may sound, my most productive days writing are spent in silence. No children, of which I have two that I adore (aka distraciton), no music because I enjoy dancing to it, and no internet, well I'm sure you understand why. Distraction free writing is the only way I find a productive rhythm. Each person enjoys a different venue, but I enjoy simple uninterrupted silence.   

On the rare occasions that my muse and I pull up music during work time, it is typical to put a specific mindset about the scene being worked on. During the actual writing process though, the music typically ends after a song or two. As productivity being key, music and my muse rarely meet. 

About the Author

Catrina Taylor is a dynamic author with a passion for science fiction and her children. She strives to create on going worlds developed to tantalize the imagination and encourage readers to dance through the story. This character driven author can be read at http://Xarrok.com or found on facebook at http://Faceboook.com/Xarrok and on twitter as TheLadyWrites

Currently available are two free short stories, Below the Surface and Change by Design and her debut novel: Birth of an Empire is on sale right now through all major online retailers.

 With Love Project:
With Love
The Dawn of Indie Romance - With Love continues

Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Catrina Taylor Rudd 

Thoughts

Thoughts

Siggy asked me to write a short topic for her blog. I looked back through what I had and didn’t see anything that really struck my chimes. Basically it was like a timeline of our journey to becoming a writer. It showed our beginning by posting some bits of stories we had written to what we were trying to do to help get our name out there. It seemed the further I tried to talk about us the less people noticed. I tried to follow a writer who made the newspapers and a million in her first year of indie publishing. In other words, I was trying to be someone I was not. I am not Amanda Hocking. Trying to follow in her footsteps is fruitless. I can use some of her ideas but I have to make my own way, just as every other writer has had to do. We can learn from others and improve ourselves but in the end, we have to make our own way to becoming published authors.

We have found that we are good at customer service type jobs. Helping other people helps us. We found a place where that is personified tenfold in a woman named Kim Mutch Emerson. She created a group on MasterKoda where others are drawn in and love to help each other as well as make themselves known. Each and every person there has helped others without asking for anything in return as well as been helped from time to time.

Mellisa Neal is another person like Kim who created Buggie 4 books. She helps too is a kind and giving person who loves to help others even though she has her own troubles that could weigh anyone down to a level where they would only think of themselves. But they don’t they think of others and help others.

“Why do we do it?” I have been asked by those outside of the internet. Why would you help others if there isn’t any money in it for you? Why did I interview all those new and indie authors without asking for anything in return? These are some questions I have been asked. One gentleman was truly perplexed as to why we did it. I just thought to myself. I don’t know if he would understand how I feel when I help others. I like it! It helps them get the word out about their book and their name as well as help get our blog out there too! It was a definite win/win situation. MasterKoda also has the same ideas and the same beliefs. Help each other and not ask for anything in return.

Does that mean we work at jobs for free? No. None of us have a direct pipeline to fort Knox. We work; we look for work while we help others. All of us know how it is to be broke and need help or want to achieve a dream. That is why we help each other. We have a desire to help others succeed as well as ourselves.

I am adding this to the blog as another chapter to keep looking forward and learning more each and every day. Things change, times change and so must we. Learn to adapt or be left behind as some have said. At MasterKoda and groups like it, we help each other learn and keep up with new technology and our own writings.

To sum it all up, why we help each other is because we want to see indie authors become better than what has been portrayed. We want to help each other and show that we are not as cut throat as our time has shown time and time again. There is still good in humanity, there are still good people willing to help others without asking for anything in return. We are not lost as the news has us portrayed. So hang in there everyone! We will make it!

 

Sincerely,

Wendy Siefken
Charles Siefken

Twitter: @wendyandcharles
http://siefkenpublications.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Kais-Journey-World-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0067RJZS8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329688112&sr=8-1

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kais-journey-charles-siefken/1107727489?ean=2940013524996&itm=2&usri=kai%27s+journey