Should I? Should I? Should I?

All right, Readers, I need your input.

For about 2 years I've been playing with the idea of writing a book. Nothing fancy, just a self-pub through, say, Amazon or something. I got the idea when a friend of mine (Drew Williams) brought it up. At the time, I was so on the move - not in a good way, but in a running-from-a-crazy-relationship kind of way.

Once I got back to Anchorage this last time, I'd hope to get on my feet (money-feet, job-feet, maybe find-a-love-feet) and give writing another try. Yeah, well, my health had other plans. Didn't consult with me at all beforehand, just knocked me on my ass with this nasty Sarcoidosis.

Well, the Sarc is still here, I'm still not really on any of my "feet," and life is just as messy as ever. Here's the thing, though: I realized that life is always messy - sometimes good-messy or sad-messy or fun-happy-odd-messy. Life, at least my life, is never going to be "normal" or set. I have to work with what I've got from where I'm at.

So. A book. Not the big trilogy I worked on for around 3 years. Not anything that will bring a Pulitzer committee around - shoot, probably not anything to bring a free magazine subscription in! But, still, a book.

I don't need to feel important or smart or even sane to anyone other than the people I care about and who care about me. I just want to make people smile and feel better about life. I want to be the writer you think of at the same time you think of the real and ordinary and good and sad and bad of everyday life. I just want to write things that will be read.

And, because I am also so broke that all the king's men might not be able to put me back together again, I need to make some kind of money out of it. Not big money, not Bentley or Maybach money. I'd be happy to make pay-ATT-and-the-doctors'-bills money. I hate this feeling of poverty and financial helplessness I'm living with. (Do you know that there were moments when I thought of setting up a private family-only begging site? Not that my family isn't helping me as is, but I wanted to have like a solid plan of income! lol)

I am going to work through the Sarc. I think that since I am going at my own pace, I can manage.

So.

I want to write. I want to know if anyone has any idea about how that works. Is Amazon's self-pub a good way to go? Are there better ways to go? Anybody have any advice, ideas...? I'll take any help I can get.

By the way, I have a lot of material started. I plan to use my new blog to give previews as I finish sections and I will put up a link here when it's ready to start viewing. I will want a lot of feedback from you, my G+ pals. You all have been a huge source of encouragement these past weeks.

For those with serious information, please contact me at trudymconway@live.com

Peace
--Free