Catching Up...

After weeks of not adding to my work in progress due to lack of time, quiet, a stuffed up head and a second chest infection, I was really worried that I would find it difficult to get back into writing my contemporary romance, especially as I'd left off writing mid-chapter, with my heroine having to make decisions that could be good or bad, dependent on what she discovers...

I was surprised how quickly I got back into the flow.

Going with the 'write it and see' method has not suited me, and the contemporary romance will certainly need much more work in the second draft.

Even when I plan I'm flexible. Sometimes ideas expand or new ones emerge as I'm writing my historical romances, and they seem to fit in easier, whereas at the moment with the contemporary these additional bits seem to stick up like nails that haven't been hammered in properly!

I'm also anxious to get back to the Nottinghamshire novella too- the characters have started reminding me they are still waiting for the rewrite, and when will I start?

Along with a few ideas for shorter pieces- inspirations that have been percolating, and now keep popping up when I'm not expecting them to- usually when I'm meant to be cooking dinner, are distracting.

It's great there are all these ideas, but it doesn't help me get anything finished!

So I'm going to put some serious time in during the next couple of months, and try to be more organised.

There are short, mid and long term plans that I can dip into as and when needed.

I'm determined...

Writers' Earnings - Not Good News...

Still not quite over the recent late spring bug, but my head is now clear enough to put some thoughts together on the news reports about writers' earnings that came out today.

You may remember that last summer the initial findings of the ALCS's survey on author earnings revealed that for professional authors- those who earn their income from writing rather than another job- their 2013 income was just £11,000. (In 2005 this figure was £12,330.)

The full research has now detailed how the income is spread, and for the average writer it is not good news.

The top 10% of professional authors (defined as those who spend more than 50% of their time self-employed writing) earn 58% of all the money that's earned by professional authors.

Now I'm not going to begrudge any writer for all the years of hard work they've put in, they've earned it. But would they be able to get to that same level of income if they were just making that leap into full-time writing now? In the current climate facing writers I very much doubt it.

One of the panels I attended at the recent Writers Conference was about earning a living as a writer. While few of the audience were shocked at how difficult it was to do so, it was probably the insights into how varied the other means of earning an income have become: teaching, mentoring, workshops, and other creative writing opportunities were sited as other income sources.

Back to the results:
As for the bottom 50% of writers (professional and those for whom writing is not their primary occupation- which will be most) they only earn 7% of all the money earned by writers put together...

The worrying figure is that 17% of all writers did not earn anything during 2013. Also 90% needed to earn money from other sources. Bills still need to be paid and food bought...

While these headline figures are worrying, there's a lot more to be concerned about for many writers who are emerging in the current world.

• Too many expect writers to work for nothing, whilst claiming it will help your profile (!!!! I stopped believing that a long time ago. It's not that I wouldn't do something for free, but that would be my choice because I supported a cause or was happy to help in some way, or a particular writing credit would be useful...)

• Contracts that demand more, or all rights (including moral rights) in any media with no additional recompense- an issue with a number of magazines. 

• No reversion clauses. Admittedly many publishers will have them, but others won't, and how can any contract be fair if all the advantages are on one side? Yes, you can turn the contract down, but regrettably you lose out.

It will be interesting to read the full report, as it also looked at copyright, contracts and the authors' bargaining positions.

To read the various articles here are a few links you might like: Bookseller; and the Guardian.