By Andrea J. Wenger | STC Associate Fellow
Like many writers, I’ve dreamed of being a novelist all my life. I spent years perfecting the craft and began my publishing journey in 2014. Indie publishing is a perfect fit because I can control the process.
My technical writing skills have proven invaluable. The number one rule of technical communication—know your audience—applies equally to fiction. Too many creative writers believe that fiction is about self-expression. In fact, it’s about telling a story readers want to read.
Even though the writing styles are different, both fields value clear, concise, specific language. Storytellers don’t want readers to trip over the words and wake from the fictive dream. My goal is to make my stories effortless to read.
Thanks in part to the Photoshop skills I developed as a technical writer, I’m able to design my own covers. My skills don’t compare to the top designers’, but in some genres, my covers are comparable to those of the bestsellers.
Understanding document formatting is also a critical skill for indie authors. Properly formatted documents upload seamlessly to vendor sites. Formatting problems can delay publication, which is especially bad if you’ve got promos scheduled.
Over the next eighteen months, I’m hoping to take some marketing training that will help me in my technical writing job and as an indie author. Anyone studying creative writing should also study marketing. Even in traditional publishing, all but the top authors are expected to market their own books.
In addition to those fundamental skills, achieving work-life balance is important to me. My publishing schedule is rigorous: a novel or novella each month. So time management is critical. And since both of my jobs require computer use, having a fitness routine is also a priority.
Like many fiction writers, I live in my head, so taking care of my physical needs requires conscious effort. I have a stationary bike with an attached desk, and that’s where I draft most of my fiction.
I write for 45 minutes first thing each morning, and start my tech comm job with my energy and creativity flowing. The morning writing session also nets me about half my day’s word count. I put in a second session before dinner, then spend a couple of hours in the evening on editing and marketing.
Maintaining that schedule is key. It’s easy to fall behind when you have to average 2,000 words (about eight pages) every day. Staying up late to finish is unproductive and drains your energy. Good sleep and frequent breaks during the day nourish the body and the spirit.
All the hard work and discipline are worth it when the positive reviews from fans start coming in. Knowing that your book has moved a stranger to laughter or tears is a feeling like no other.
My head is full of stories. I love words, and I love the craft of creating a fictional world. And the extra income is nice, too.
Today is the best time in history to be an author. You can go the traditional route, letting someone else shepherd the book through the process, or you can indie publish if you want to control the decision making. Many authors do a little of both.
If you’ve always dreamed of being an author, what are you waiting for? Your skills as a technical writer give you an advantage. Now is the time to make that dream come true.
ANDREA J. WENGER is an STC Associate Fellow and a senior technical writer at Schneider Electric in Raleigh, NC. With more than twenty years’ experience in technical communication, she specializes in grammar, style, and fitting the most information in the least space. A past president of the STC Carolina Chapter and the Women’s Fiction Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, she’s published about thirty novels, novellas, short stories, and collections. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, scuba diving, and hiking active volcanoes.
