Writer Mama Riffs on Raising A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids

Writer tours may sound glamorous, but the reality is that they are a whole bunch of work, often for limited or no return-on-investment, at least in the short run. However, there are many good reasons to do a book tour, namely to get out and connect with other writers and readers, to spread the word about your book, and share your expertise.

I don’t know about you, but I find that I feel most at ease in social situations that involve gatherings of writers. Whether they are seasoned or aspiring writers, I just feel most comfortable hanging out with my fellow writers.

I usually prefer to go either alone or with other writer friends. In fact, I made a pact for 2007 with two writer friends, Jon and Susan, that we would drive together to Willamette Writers meetings each month, so we can avoid the temptation to ditch at the last minute. Having a carpool works really well for us (and I don’t have to drive from the suburbs to the city, which I truly appreciate.).

I find hand-selling signed books to be particularly gratifying because people will often share why they are buying the book or for whom they are purchasing it as well as why they thought to purchase it for this particular person.

I tell readers-to-be of Writer Mama to let me know how they like the book or to please pass on to the person receiving the gift not to hesitate to get in touch with me. After all, one of the unique aspects of being an author today is how much more accessible we can be thanks to the Internet.

Another perk of book tours that I’ve discovered that I didn’t see coming is that it gets me out of the house, away from my office, the laundry, the puppies, my daughter, and my husband.

At first, I thought this would be awful. Why would I want to get away from the ones I love? Wouldn’t I be lonely on the road? Wouldn’t I be homesick?

But I’m getting used to it.

And my experience, at least thus far, is quite the opposite. Let’s just say that I got to be quite a homebody during the fourteen months I was working on Writer Mama. And I’ve got the extra “body” to show for it.

But all this getting out to book events is doing me (and my waistline) a lot of good. It’s spring after-all. And the sunshine has been beckoning me outside anyway. How about you. Would it do you and your writing career some good to get away?

If you’ve ever felt like the swan in the ugly duckling story, you might want to try getting together with and hanging out with other writers through writing associations, local literary events, and writer’s conferences to boost your morale. I always feel refreshed by any of the above.

I have a really special treat tonight. Guess where I get to stay after my presentation to the Coast Branch of Willamette Writers? The Sylvia Beach Hotel, a hotel on the Oregon Coast devoted to writers.

Yahoo! I can’t wait. I might not even mind the drive.

Here’s a recent write-up about the hotel that Oregonian Columnist Margie Boulé did on March 18th, Beachcombing through 20 years of a hotel’s journals.

Enjoy! And hey, if you’re out this way some time, maybe stop by and check it out. Oregon is a great state for writers. No doubt about that.