Tag Archives: career

Revenge of the Birthday Resolutions

09 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by in Rants, The Future, Writing

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Today is my birthday. And five years ago, it was also a day when I couldn’t think of anything to write about. My blog was just getting off the ground and I knew I needed to write about something to keep myself in the habit and grow my small audience. I was drawing a blank, so I decided to take a risk and talk about something more personal. For years, I’ve been making birthday resolutions instead of New Year’s resolutions and that year, I shared my resolutions with the blogosphere. Five years later, that first blog about how I wanted to grow and change is one of my most viewed posts.

Most of us make resolutions this time of year. We want to lose weight, cut back on the amount of time we spend on Facebook, put more money into our savings, but most of those resolutions are quickly abandoned.  It’s hard to change the course of a river once it’s found a course and human beings are no different, in my experience. Perhaps it’s no surprise that 88% of resolutions fail.

Historically, I have struggled to keep my resolutions (except for that one time when I resolved to move across the country — that one worked out), but I’ve found more success when I limit myself to one or two, put them down in writing and hold myself accountable by telling people what I’m trying to accomplish.

So, as I mark another year of wandering around this crazy world, I’m making one resolution. Just one. Possibly the most ambitious pledge to myself that I have ever made and the one that will have the most potential impact on my literary career. In light of that, I have also resolved to give it the time it deserves, by setting myself a three-year deadline.

Okay, enough build-up. Here it is:

I will complete a final draft of a novel by the time I am 30 years old.

I have tip-toed around writing a novel for the better part of a decade and have little to show for it. Half a dozen unfinished (read: barely started) novels are cluttering my hard drive, but I have never devoted the time necessary to seeing any one of them through to a final draft.

Writing a novel is big. Bigger than any writing project I’ve ever embarked upon. But I think that now is the time. I think I’m finally up to the task. I am fortune to have a loving spouse and a supportive web of friends and family to urge me onward. I’ll be documenting the ups and downs of the process from the initial idea to final draft right here — and I’m grateful to have you along for the ride.

The clock is ticking. Wish me luck.

 — 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer and soon-to-be novelist in Tacoma. You can find him on Twitter.

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Why I Don’t Self-Publish My Writing

24 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by in Writing

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We live in a time when the planets seem aligned to give everyone the power to self-publish their own book. Between ebooks and print-on-demand services anyone with a story to tell and the time or money to format a manuscript and slap together some cover art can publish their own work without any help from traditional publishing houses. Despite the potential to take charge of my own publication destiny, I have (thus far) chosen not to.

In 2014, an estimated 458,500 books were self-published in the United States, representing a 437 percent increase since 2008. That is a huge, mind-boggling number or titles. Everywhere you turn, stats and anecdotes seem to be pointing toward a self-publishing utopia just over the horizon. You have the power. You are author, editor, cover artist, publisher and publicist. But for all the hype, I’m still not convinced it’s for me. Here’s why:

  1. Quality

There are a lot of excellent books that are self-published. I’ve read many and plenty of people I know have done it. But for every good self-published title, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of terrible ones. You know the ones — clip art covers, typo-ridden text, indecipherable plot, wooden dialogue. The trouble with doing it all yourself is that you don’t have anyone to tell you that it isn’t ready. That is partially the fault of the online self-publishing culture, which encourages you to crank out the books as fast as you can, with no regard for the quality of the finished work.

I don’t want to be published for the sake of being published. I want to be published because I spent years at my craft, writing the best novel the world has ever seen. To do it right takes years and input from test readers and editors with different perspectives. And though I could probably create an acceptable cover on my own, I’d much rather leave it to a professional. That’s time better spent writing.

For all their flaws (and there are far too many to list here), traditional and indie publishers still serve an important role as gatekeepers and as a quality control mechanism for the reading world.

2. I’m Building a Career

My dream is to make this writing thing a full-time gig. I want to be a novelist/playwright/essayist and pay the bills with words. And I could jeopardize that goal by jumping the gun. I have that luxury. I’m at a point in my career where I can afford to take my time and get really good at what I do. Sure, Fitzgerald was a year younger than me when his first novel hit the shelves, but Mark Twain didn’t publish Tom Sawyer until he was 41. There’s no need to rush.

My tune might change in the future, but for now, I just don’t think I have the resources or the skill to go it alone. Other writers do it well, but I’m just not that confident…yet. I would be interested to hear your thoughts in the comments. Is self-publishing really a good choice? I leave it up to you.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer in Tacoma who sometimes disproves his thesis even as he’s making it. This blog, of course, is self-published, as are many flash fiction pieces on this website. You can also see my unfiltered, unedited thoughts on Twitter.

Supporting My Writing Habit

11 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Writing

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This week, I read a very interesting roundtable article by Liz Entman Harper on The Morning News. In it, seven published writers talk about how they continue writing while still having a full-time, 9-to-5 job. This is a question that has plagued me since I started working: How can I follow my dreams of being an author and still keep the stability of a traditional job with an office and a regular paycheck? For years, I thought my ideal career would be as a full-time novelist, but now I’m not so sure.

“Overall, I love my job, but I also love the writing I do on the side. It can keep me going when things aren’t going well or I’m feeling stuck. My job also directly influences and impacts the content for my personal writing projects and gives me credibility with my audience. I also think my personal writing helps me be a better leader and a better creative at work. In other words, I need both.”

Reading this article reminded me that we don’t all become overnight sensations. Waiting around to become the next J.K. Rowling is impractical. It is far more likely that my writing career will have to coexist with my day-to-day, pay-the-bills career. And that’s okay.

For nearly two months last year, I worked as a freelance writer. I was working from home and it nearly drove me crazy. It turns out that I’m not cut out to be a hermit. I need human interaction. It gives me material for my work and gives me a break from the boredom of sitting at home alone trying to think of something to type.

The upsides of regular work — steady paycheck, ability to hold one’s head up high as a productive member of society — also come with downsides. After a long day at my 9-to-5, I’m often too tired to write when I get home. A lot of my creative energy gets siphoned off at work, leaving little left over for personal projects.

But those limitations can be opportunities. Limited time forces me to skip over writer’s block (there isn’t time to not write when I should be writing) and get straight to work. It forces me to focus my efforts into concentrated ingots of golden prose. It’s what the writers in the article termed “pushing an elephant into a Volkswagen.” This huge and important thing only gets a little bit of space, which gives you the incentive to be creative about how you balance both worlds — the personal and the professional.

In the long-run, I’ll probably always have a day job in addition to my writing. It may not be as glamorous as famous bestselling novelists, but it gives me balance. And even if I breakout and become a bestselling writer someday, I don’t think I’d ever be inclined to give that balance up.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writer with a day job that helps support his writing habit. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Next Project

31 Monday Mar 2014

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Writing is 90% rejection and 10% deciding whether or not you'll let it get to you. Photo by Jonny Eberle.

This week, I got an email from a literary journal. They were reaching out to let me know that they were not interested in publishing my story. The news probably would’ve hurt, but I honestly couldn’t remember which story they were talking about. I had to dig through my submissions spreadsheet to even remember which contest I’d entered. It turns out, I entered four months ago.

When I first started submitting my work for publication a few years ago, I spent weeks agonizing over rejections. My writing process was different back then. After laboring to produce a short story, I’d send it off to a handful of journals and wait. And wait. And wait. I wanted to be published so badly that it started getting in way of being a writer. When the rejections started rolling in several months later, I had nothing to show for my sleepless nights.

I learned that you can’t wait around for success, no matter what you’re trying to accomplish. If you want to run a marathon, you have to get on the treadmill. If you want to be a writer, as I do, you have to put your fingers to the keyboard. Getting your big break takes most of us mortals years of numbing defeat. Like Sisyphus pushing his boulder forever uphill, we are crushed over and over by people who tell us “no.” If I’m going to survive rejection, I need to be constantly creating — reminding myself of why I love to do what I do.

So, when I finish a story, I leap on to the next one. Instead of waiting and worrying, I’m moving forward to the next project. I’m at a point in my life where I’m not in school, I only have part-time work and I have a long daily train commute. Never again will I have this much time to devote to my craft. When I finished a novella last fall, I headed straight into writing a play. Now that the play is done and submitted to a theatre company, I’m fleshing out the plot of a novel.

It’s easy to get burned out when you face rejection over and over. By diving into what I love instead of waiting, I’m happier and more productive. I’m more confident now than at any point in the past that someday I’m going to get that boulder to the top of the hill.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a writing machine in Tacoma, WA. Please comment below and/or follow him on Twitter. Thanks for reading!

Name In Lights

03 Thursday Oct 2013

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This is not my first byline. I’ve been published many times before. But it is my first published work as a freelance writer and the first article I’ve sold since moving to Washington two months ago. Maybe that’s why it feels different.

I think all writers are a little egotistical. I love the writing and I love informing people, but I also like seeing my name under the headline. I love the recognition of being a writer; the validation of seeing my work featured prominently. No matter how many things I write and sell, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that feeling.

For me, these articles are about more than paying for my utilities. They’re proof that my education taught me a valuable skill. They’re also the fulfillment of an impossible dream. These articles are built upon the work of the very talented journalists I’ve used as sources, but in a small way, I feel like one of them. I feel like a writer. And I’ve got the publishing credentials to back me up.

Sure, this isn’t The New York Times, but it’s a real step toward my career goals. Writers write and determined writers show their writing to the world. This is not my first byline, but I guarantee it’s the first of many.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a freelance writer in Tacoma, WA. He’s a staff writer for Grey Cell, a news site covering foreign policy and conflict areas. Click the links below to read his first batch of articles and follow him on the Twitter machine.

Egyptian military coup puts U.S. relations, democracy in jeopardy
Sectarian tensions rise in Iraq
U.S. steps back from brink of launching air strikes in Syria

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Fears of a First-Time Freelancer

12 Thursday Sep 2013

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The last few days have been tense. I’ve been checking my email and PayPal account obsessively. You see, last week I wrote a freelance article for a new website and after a few days of not hearing from the editor, I was starting to worry that I wasn’t going to get paid.

For every story of a writer who turned their passion into a living, there are a hundred horror stories about a poor sucker who was taken advantage of. The Internet changed the way writers work. On the one hand, it opened the floodgates of global exposure for your work. On the other hand, it cheapened the craft. More than a decade of free online news dragged the market price of a superbly written article down to zero. And when everyone expects your words for free, it gets hard to make a living.

So, for five days, I worried that my paid gig wasn’t going to pay off after all. That’s the trouble with online freelancing — you put in a lot of hours on the promise of . But if you want to be a writer, a real, published writer, it’s the risk you have to take.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I found a reliable client who honored our agreement. And she liked my work on the first article enough to hire me to write regularly for her site. I’m a long way from being a full-time freelancer, but one article leads to another. That’s how careers are built.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a freelance writer in Tacoma, WA who will gladly edit for food. Follow him on Twitter or find him on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading!

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The Writer and the Dollar

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Rants, Writing

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I’m at the most financially stressful part of the pay period. At any moment, my property manager will cash my rent check, draining my bank account of all but five dollars. I’m hoping that it won’t happen until tomorrow, when my paycheck clears, but there’s no way to know for sure. For now, I live on the edge.

It is this ongoing struggle to pay the bills that makes me nervous to take on writing professionally. I love it, but I know that it is not profitable and embarking on a career of words inevitably leads to a continuation of this cycle.

Sure, some writers break out and sell millions of copies of their books. But for every Stephen King, there are hundreds of writers you’ll never hear of. Maybe my hang-up about diving straight into the world of short stories and novels springs from my fear that I’m not good enough. What if I can’t sell my work? What if I can’t pay to keep the water running? What if I find myself in the same financial rut in 10 years?

It all comes down to doing what you love. I love to tell stories. It’s true, I may not make money doing it, but the money isn’t the point. The point is to express myself and make my contribution to the ongoing human experience. That’s what is most important. I’ll find some way to balance my checkbook.

I don’t have any answers for the more practical questions, but what else is new? All I can do for now is keep working, keep writing and wait for payday.

— 30 —

I’m a writer holding down multiple “real” jobs in Flagstaff, AZ. Are you supporting yourself doing what you love? Tell me how you do it! Leave a comment or find me on Twitter: @jonnyeberle.

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Torn Sleeves: 5 Things I Learned About Writing in 2012

20 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in Writing

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This was a big year for me. I graduated from college, moved into an apartment by myself and tried to sell my fiction. This was a year of major successes and humbling failures. I hope you will learn from my mistakes (and I hope I do, too). So, without further ado, here are the top 5 things I learned about writing in 2012 — because everybody loves lists.

5. Writing Doesn’t Pay Well

Earlier this week, I was rushing off to work, throwing on shoes and socks in a mad frenzy, a half-eaten bagel held in my teeth, when I noticed a tear. The fabric on my right sleeve, just above the cuff, had given up its long struggle for survival. The shirt was used when I got it and one of the few dress shirts I own that fits correctly. A replacement will not be coming any time soon.

This is the life of a writer. Most of us are not Stephen King, J.K. Rowling or even Stephanie Meyer. We don’t make bank selling our work. To survive in this business, you have to struggle. You have to hold down a day job or three to support your passion. You have to tear a few sleeves.

Last January, I thought I could sell a few stories and cash some checks with a few zeroes on them. But that’s not how it works when you’re just starting out. In the beginning, sometimes getting published is enough. If you’re passionate and persevere, money may follow. Or it may not.

4. First Drafts Are Supposed to Suck

I’m a perfectionist and it’s killing my writing. I edit as I write. You should never, ever do that. I get so caught up in making my writing polished from the first draft that it’s paralyzing. Nowhere was this more apparent than in my draft for NaNoWriMo. I was supposed to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days and I barely eked out a 6,000 words. Why? Because I edited as I went. I censored myself.

Creativity needs the freedom to suck. And the truth is no one writes a great first draft. You just have to get the story and the characters out in your first draft. Don’t worry about it being any good or making sense. You can and should deal with that when you revise. Let it be bad or it will never have a chance to be good.

3. Don’t Give It Away in the Cover Letter

In April, I submitted a short story to a major literary journal. I waited for weeks before getting a form letter rejection. At first, I didn’t know why. My story was brilliant, tragic, a metaphor for the sluggish American economy and our collective denial. How could they not like it?

Then, I reread my cover letter. There, in the second paragraph, after introducing myself and my previous publications (namely my newspaper work and this blog), was the sour milk that made the whole fridge stink. I told them what the story was about. I ruined it. Before they even read the story, I spoiled it. I’ll bet they didn’t even read it.

Editors want to experience your story without an preconceived notions about what it’s supposed to be. Like a great magic trick, it’s no fun if you know how the illusion is accomplished. A cover letter is a place to introduce yourself and your writing chops — not to give away the ending or preach the “moral of the story.” Doing so is not only pretentious, it destroys the illusion.

2. Learn to Love Rejection

This year, I was surprised to learn that I’m not the second coming of Ernest Hemingway. Okay, maybe I wasn’t entirely surprised, but I’ve spent most of my life being told that I’m a great writer. This year, I learned that there are a lot of great writers out there and a very small percentage get published. Even less make money.

Rejection isn’t bad. It’s part of the process; how we pay our dues. And every time I get a rejection, I put it up on the bulletin board in my study, right where I can see it. It reminds me to never be complacent. Some rejections even include helpful advice on how to improve your writing. Rejection isn’t the end of the world — it’s a step in the process.

1. There Is More to Life Than Writing

Writing is my love and my passion, but if it’s all I do, I’ll burn out or run out of material. Probably both. It’s important to stop writing every so often. Life is a wealth of plot points and and settings and characters. You have to go out there and live it. Eat new foods, get lost in a strange city, date people who tell good stories, answer ringing pay phones, spend all night talking to a friend at a 24-hour diner, tear your sleeves.

The more you experience, the more you’ll have to write about. The world is your notebook and life is your story.

— 30 —

I’m a writer, photographer and filmmaker in Flagstaff and trying to make it as a writer with a day job. If you liked this list, please like, comment, share or follow me on Twitter: @jonnyeberle.

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