A Cauldron of Cats - Day 7

Basically done!

Two thousand words today – Chapter 14 and Epilogue – and we’re calling it good. Well, all except the final final fifty words or so. Not happy with the exact ending quite yet, so will sleep on it and finish tomorrow.

But today, I celebrate.

Overall, I’m very pleased with my first real multi-day effort at being a full-time writer. In a relatively short amount of time, I saw Cauldron go from an opening scene to a full-blown novella. One week’s worth of writing. This encourages me and gives me hope.

I can really do this thing!

It’s part of why we moved to Puerto Rico. My wife and I are starting a new chapter of our lives, and this next chapter for me (if you’ll forgive the literary metaphor) is to give this writing gig the time and effort I think it needs for me to earn a living.

I know that sounds a bit mercenary, but as a writer I’m providing a product (my book) and a service (entertainment) which has value to many people. The better I get at my craft, the more value I can provide, the more readers I can entertain, and the more income I can earn.

So here’s my year and a half plan to earn a decent income as a full-time professional writer. I don’t want to presume upon the future. One cannot control what happens tomorrow.

But as God allows (James 4.13-15), I’ll meet the following goals…

·         Write a book or novella every month for a total of 18 completed projects by the end of 2023. That’s about one million words (60,000 words/month x 18 months).

·         Publish each of those books within a month or two of completion and start the work of promotion, whether it’s through advertising or via my social media platform.

·         Since many people like to read books in a series, I’ll focus in on my particular niche (magical cat cozy mystery) and expand my offerings there. Meaning, I plan to write at least 6 novellas in my Mister the Cat series and 6 novels in my Ma Tutt & Mack series.

·         If these prove popular, I’ll continue to add to these series while completing other projects I’m interested in writing. My hope is to have a number of books in a few different genres using my three pen names: Lyn, Lyndon, and Garth Perry.

Ambitious, I know. But I just finished a 20,000 word novella in seven days. If I can do that, I can finish a short novel in two or three weeks. As I always say…we’ll see! But like I said above, I’m encouraged and hopeful. Excited to see what stories emerge from my inner storyteller this next year and a half! Hope you are, too.

Today's Writing Tip...

If you provide a product or service – and writers provide both! – don’t feel bad about earning an income from your efforts.

Progress...

Writing: A Cauldron of Cats by Lyn Perry
* Introduction - Becoming a Full-Time Writer

* Day 1 - 2,400 words, story is at 4,200 words

* Day 2 - 3,400 words, story is at 7,600 words

* Day 3 - 3,800 words, story is at 11, 400 words

* Day 4 - 3,600 words, story is at 15,000 words

* Day 5 - 1,000 words, story is at 16,000 words

* Day 6 - 3,100 words, story is at 19,100 words

* Day 7 - 2,000 words, story is at 21,100 words

~*~

Follow along each day as I post my progress in writing A Cauldron of Cats, Book 2 in my Mister the Magical Cat Series (available for pre-order now; affiliate links used throughout). You can also "Tip a Buck & Get a Book" and I'll send you Book 1 now, Cat Potion No. 9. 

Lyndon Perry is a speculative fiction writer living in Puerto Rico. He's a former pastor and current husband, father, coffee drinker, and cat-wrangler to Charlie, a 19 year old orange and white tabby who serves as the inspiration to Mister the Magical Cat. You can find him a variety of places online. Check out his various Linktree Locations and say hello!