Day in the Life- Guest Post by KK Hendin~ 2013 Debut Author

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You may have seen I've been doing debut author blog posts the past few weeks.
I've asked many 2013 Debut authors to write a "day in the life" type post about their life
learning to write their very first book.  

I'm easy- so I gave them the artistic freedom (bc as a creative person myself, I LOVE freedom) 
to pretty much do or write what they wanted!

Today I have

KK Hendin 

I love Day-In-The-Life-Ofs.
I also like to know what people have in their closets, in their designer handbags, in their kitchens, workshops, offices, sheds, tents, RV’s, and igloos.
Partially because I don’t think any of those things in my life are particularly interesting, but mostly because I’m incredibly nosy.
So when Michele mentioned that as a possible topic for a blog post, at first I was all, “YAY! A Day in The Life!!” And then I realized my average day didn’t consist that much more than of working at the day job, going to grad school, doing homework, and writing. (And spending time on public transportation, hanging out with super excellent friends, and drinking all kinds of coffee.)
Now, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound particularly fascinating, nor does it sound the least bit glamorous.

There are so many solid ideas people have about writers. About what they look like, what they do, how they act. And a lot of times, we feel like we aren’t ‘real’ unless we follow the protocol of being A Writer.

Now, to some people that means becoming a crazy mean drunk and run around town yelling at impressionable Southern college gals. (Yes, Faulkner, I’m looking at you) Other people think that it means to hole themselves up in cafes, drink multitudes of coffee, smoking dubious substances but not TOO much so that their creativity doesn’t shrivel, and hopefully, neither will their brains. The old image of sitting at a writing desk with a quill and paper.
The time and space to write out your thoughts.

One of the most incredible things about being a creator is this.
Since you are the one who is creating it, you can do whatever it is you want, and however you want.

There is no need for you to sit at your computer feeling like a caged monkey, surrounded by men in lab coats who are waiting for you to start writing Shakespeare, if that’s not what you want, or if that’s not what works for you.

I write in bed. Sitting up, against the wall, surrounded by pillows and blankets. I have the same song on repeat. I write at night, because that’s when I’m home, and that’s where I’ve found my space and time to write.
And there are times that I’ll go to the library and write.
And there are times that an idea comes that is just so wonderfully brilliant that I scribble on the backs of extra work papers, on post-its, on the notepad on my iPad, in the drafts section of my email...
There are times that I don’t write for days. Like when I go across country and have my laptop disappear into the black hole known as I don’t know where my luggage is, and I don’t have it.

It doesn’t make me any less of a writer.

Writing two words a day or twenty two hundred words a day, or even? Twenty thousand (Holy ow, you must be a MACHINE!) words? Writing is writing is writing is writing.

There is no right way to do any of it.
Except for sitting there, taking your hands, turning your brain off and letting the words flow out.
Whether you’re doing that at a posh resort, or in between milking cows, it all counts.

The same thing holds true with reading. Reading is reading whether it's 50 Shades of Gray or the encyclopedia. Whether you read ebooks or paperbacks or scrolls or hieroglyphics. There is no language, there is no genre, there is no piece of writing that won't count as being read.

Part of being a writer is being able to be honest with yourself in bearing your soul on the page. In writing, and writing, and writing. And then rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting some more. A few "OHMYGOD WTF AM I DOING?!?!?", interspersed with "Nobody's ever going to want to read this crap!" and "Why isn't this chapter GOING ANYWHERE??" (A lot of caps lock. A LOT.) Wailing may be involved. The consumption of too much chocolate, wine, coffee, fill-in-substance-of-choice-here. Why so many neuroses? 
Because bearing your soul and facing your fears? That's terrifying. It's thrilling, it's magical, and it makes most of us want to throw up, and hide under our covers.

Rolling down the window, I sniffed. "It smells different here," I said.
"It smells like freedom," Grayson answered as he honked and waved to a man with long hair sitting on the side of the road, 
strumming a banjo. The man looked up and waved back. 
"Peace, Brother Gray!" he warbled, bobbing his head in time to his strumming. 
I sniffed again. It smelled like cow poop and incense. 
I didn't think that was what freedom smelled like. 
-The Best of What Might Be

I was going to end this post off with this lovely little teaser quote from the current WIP, entitled The Best of What Might Be, and discussing part of the drama that has spawned from it. But it's a long story, so I will spare you. (Should you really want to read it? www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com/2013/02/100-twitter-peoples-and-book-title-eep.html)  Release date has yet to be finalized, although hopefully *crosses all fingers and toes* December 2013. And then came the self-doubts.

'But I'm not even finished the first draft yet (see, Lost Luggage). I just reread most of it, looking for a good quote, and OH MY GOD, what kind of CRAP did I WRITE??? Who would even want to READ this stuff? I should just quit while I'm ahead, before anyone ever sees any of it, and go back to just dreaming about getting to the magical words The End.'

Hi, Self-Doubts. I was wondering where you disappeared off to.

Writing isn't just putting words on paper. It's swallowing your fear and letting other people read those words. Even when you'd rather hide under the covers, possibly crappy writing hiding with you. It's finding a way to share what you've written, even if there are going to be people who won't like it. Who will decide they don't like you. 
The best any and all of us can do is to keep trying.
To stop thinking so much, and to just write.

Deal time now, okay? 
I'll keep writing. Through the self-doubt, through the writer's block, through the sometimes truly hideous sentences that I watch forming on the page. Through rejection letters, and missing electronics. Through bad day jobs, and through sleepless nights. But on one condition.
You keep writing too.
Keep writing even though sometimes, you won't want to. Sometimes, you don't think it's going to be worth it. When you read articles about how difficult it is to publish a book. When you see people acting like they never left high school. When you wonder how the heck THAT piece of crap is on the bestseller list, and your book has only sold four copies this week.

Come on over and say hi. Nothing makes writing easier than when you have people who get it. Who have your back. Who will moan with you about line edits, who will celebrate with you when you finally, finally get to The End, who will send you chocolate when necessary.
And who appreciate pictures of shirtless, attractive men.
(Because really. Who doesn't?)
Find your people. Write your story.
Rinse and repeat.

BIO:
KK has been writing stories since she first picked up a story. Before then, she just talked a lot. But never has she actually gotten to the magical words THE END. In a cliched fit of inspiration, she decided it was all going to go down in 2013, and she dived headfirst into the swimming pool of indie publishing, clad in a cute bathing suit (the kind that you can only find in fiction). When she isn't writing, rewriting, or freaking out about said writing/rewriting and drinking many cups of coffee, she can be found blogging, attempting to review books, spending WAY too much time on Twitter, attempting to figure out Goodreads, or people watching on the subway. 

LINKS:
Goodreads: KK Hendin
Book Reviews (the ones not posted on the blog) www.bookalicious.org

How amazingly awesome is this post?? 
Thank you SOOO much KK for stopping by and sharing your day in the life/ pep talk
about writing.

I am looking forward to following KK's process as she finishes up 'The Best of What Might Be'
I will be beside her drinking coffee, cursing line edits and eating chocolate (another other vices), because one thing I have found is that this Indie book world is better with friends!

Show KK some love people and connect with her, and all my Debut authors, at their various spots.