I suspect I may have writer's block now and then but I get up and move around, clear my mind, do something else, or read a bit about the topic I'm interested in, and the words flow again.
I may have something called Reader's Block, though, because I'm not reading what I'd like to and there are so many ebooks on my Kindle and print books on my shelves that I doubt I'll get through them before the Second Coming. And there are more I'd like to get. Puddles of Ithaca is a charming children's story written by an author I correspond with, and I must download Puddles of Ithaca. Puddles was the author's dog when he was a boy, and Ithaca, New York was his childhood home. Sounds very charming and I'd love to read it. I'd like to get it in print but it's a bit pricey, I thought.
I do spend a lot on books, ebay and Amazon.
As a child I read voraciously to escape from reality, I think, and later read for enjoyment and knowledge. It's important to get a good grounding in literature and I read all the classics I could as well as popular and nonfiction -- for some time reading more nonfiction than fiction, which isn't a good idea for a fiction author.
As I have my own home based business since 1999, and got that established without any knowledge of how to do it, basically, I did read a lot of marketing and business books and talked to people. I try to help out those who are just starting out if they show promise. I struggled on my own for about five years before succeeding so I could support myself without outside jobs, and I have empathy for those just starting out who perhaps don't know the ins and outs of business yet.
I've had numerous calls and conversations with people, though, primarily women, who think that working at home is a piece of cake. I don't know how many times I've heard someone say they'd like to work in the morning in their pajamas when they felt like it. How unrealistic is that! I try to steer them straight in their thinking how hard it is, and how hard I worked, from seven or eight in the morning until midnight seven days a week most weeks, and getting dressed to meet clients when they came to the door, in those days before everything was digital. I try to tell them clients can tell if you're dressed and ready for business by your voice when they talk on the phone. I try to tell them the marketing and promotion necessary, the need for professional business relationships, the organizational skills needed and the discipline. Not to mention the money needed to see oneself through the first five or six years of not breaking even. I spent all my savings on my "baby" -- my medical transcription business.
I'm a sole proprietor, have associates I talk to and consider friends, and refer to, but don't employ anyone directly. I like it that way. Probably could have done better if I had employees but I don't want the hassle of paperwork, hiring and firing, supervision, and the risk involved. I did hire a transcriptionist many years ago on a contract basis and she was excellent. I don't think I could have easily replaced her when she moved to another city, and I didn't try. But she was excellent, honest, and hardworking. I did appreciate her as an employee. I realize that excellent employees are hard to find and don't want to push my luck.
Now I'm a senior and slowing down somewhat. I won't retire before I'm 80. Can't afford to retire, anyhow, and my health is good and I enjoy working. I'm branching out into writing more and more, but my business clients are very important to me and I don't want to neglect them. I'm guilty of hinting that I want to retire to a number of them, and regret that, as I have no intention of retiring. I was delusional, I think, when I started writing a lot, and didn't see how I could have the energy to do both.
Certainly it's working out and I'm balancing both worlds, the medical transcription and the authorship, not taking on any new clients at the present time for transcription, but the faithful original clients are still with me and I'm very grateful for them.
Humans make the business. Let me never forget that. If you don't like people, stay out of business. Maybe hide in a cellar and eat worms.
As far as I know, none of these early adopters I tried to advise have ever succeeded. Most haven't even tried after a desultory attempt at entrepreneurship.
Guess it isn't that easy, eh?
Remember this! Those authors who won't take guidance.
