How to Get Rich as a Writer in Five Easy Steps

1) Research everything.

2) Read as much as possible.

3) Take notes and give advice.

4) Eat sleep and live your life to the fullest.

5) Stop laughing at the title of this post.

Sure it’s five steps but none of them say how to get rich as a writer, I know. In fact there isn’t a single blog, article, short story, novel, memoir or technical manual mentioned anywhere. How can you get rich as a Writer if you haven’t even written anything?

Yeah, that’s kind of the point. Planning to get rich as a Writer is as mythical as getting into Hogwarts. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be ways to make a living as a Writer. Perhaps that living will turn into riches under the right circumstances. Perhaps not. The goal is to sustain yourself and the life you live through your writing as the vehicle to a steady paycheck. At least, that’s my goal.

And just how do I plan to achieve this feat of seemingly great proportions? By connecting, networking, writing, reading, etc., etc., etc. until I just talk about myself and my work to death. Being a Writer is a great profession for a semi-narcissist like me. You’re always out there talking about yourself and your work. The trick is getting people to pay you to do it. So in the meantime I just keep reading, researching and chatting with my fellow bloggers and Authors.

When I stopped by my friend Chris’ blog this morning and saw he had linked up to a blog hop on The Next Big Thing (then mentioned me by name) I kind of felt obligated to rise to the challenge.

Though it wasn’t really a challenge at all. And honestly I was already planning to answer the questions even if he hadn’t linked me over there. I need to get the word out about my upcoming novella. And what better way than through a meme of sorts, right? Right!

The Rules:

Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog, tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

OK, you all know how I feel about meme rules. You don’t? Well I talk about that in just about every meme I’ve done over on Randomness and Lunacy so check over there and come on back. I’ll wait…

See what I mean? Not a fan of rules. Plus I don’t really know any Authors who would play along with being tagged on a blog. I’m just a sucker for a meme so, like I said, I was doing it anyway. I probably just would’ve tagged Chris. So go, read his blog. After you finish here of course.

Ten Interview Questions for ‘The Next Big Thing’:

What is the working title of your book?

Just revealed yesterday my title is Reckless Abandon.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’ve been writing girl-meets-boy realism romance for decades. When I realized I married someone awesome in real life it occurred to me that I no longer pined for the perfect romance on the page because I already had it in my life. Instead, I needed adventure, excitement and intrigue. I started wondering what I’d do if I discovered Matt was missing when I got home one day. Where would he go? Why would he take off at all? To answer those questions I just wrote the book.

What genre does your book fall under?

Romantic Suspense. I think. It’s not really a bodice ripper so I don’t know if it qualifies in a Romance category. There is one steamy scene and a lot of suspense though so I’m going with that unless I’m told otherwise.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is tough. Very. But I’ll give it a shot.  My main characters are older, almost forty, but have known each other (sort of) for years. The novella has elements of dark and sinister meets upbeat and happy. Yeah, I know it sounds nuts, try being inside my head sometime. Anyway, the main characters need to be everyday types and people who can exude a more youthful spirit.

Shaw McLeary is your everyday girl, thrust into some really, really bad circumstances. A YA fiction Author, Phoenix, AZ native, and former NYC resident I can think of one actress to play her – Ragan Brooks. I mean can’t you see this photo on the jacket of a hardcover book? Hopefully she can act.

JJ Anderson would be brought to life by Dave Annable. He’s adorable and from the imdb photos I saw it looks like he can play ages from about 20 to 45. Perfect for flashback scenes. He’s got just enough manliness to live up to his surname but a sweet vulnerability behind his brown eyes. Kind of like a guy that was hurt deeply years ago by a pretty Writer…

Shaw’s husband, Danny could be played by Joseph Morgan. He’s got an all American boy type of appeal but with a dark side creeping in there somewhere (and since we have no clue what really happened to Danny we need an actor that keeps you guessing). Not to mention, are you kidding me with those eyes? Plucked right out of The Vampire Diaries cast and placed in my movie! He’d have to lose the accent though.

Harold is older and a salty dog native New Yorker type. He’s a Private Detective and in his late fifties. He’s short spoken, gruff and always busy with something. This guy is screaming to be played by Tony Angelo.

Detective Fairbanks plays a prominent role later in the story and may appear in future books in the series. She’s tough and doesn’t take shit from anyone. If the woman can act then the character will be played well by Donna Feldman because of her non-descript ethnicity. And doesn’t she just have that Detective glow in her eye?.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

How far will a woman go to find her missing husband after she rekindles her emotional past?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I want an Agent, a traditional publisher, and all the bells and whistles that no longer come with a publishing contract. With the obvious exception of, you know, the contract.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Four weeks. I took part in CampNaNoWriMo in August and just started writing like a maniac. When I knew how the book would end I stopped writing because it was finished. It wasn’t long enough to be a novel though so it will be a novella.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My novella would be what happened when Nancy Drew grew up and had to break away from her first love (who was probably one of the Hardy Boys), moved to the big city, became a successful novelist, and got married to a plain vanilla kind of guy. Then ends up thrown into the middle of the plot of a Bourne movie.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My mundane existence that I love living but wish I could inject with some upbeat action every once in a while.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

They might want to know I’m aiming to release the book at the end of this month if possible. Otherwise it will come out in November. Also I plan to turn the premise and characters into a series so there will be more to come down the line.

That’s it. And now I’m off to check my PayPal account. The royalties must be rolling in like gang busters by now. Right? Wait, what? I’m not rich yet? And so it goes...