Dawn Wilson Writing as Dawn Wilson

 

“Writes as Dawn Colclasure.” For a while, this is what I put on all of my profiles that had the name “Dawn Wilson.” (Wilson is my married name.) I was published under the name of Dawn Colclasure before I got married, and after marriage, I didn’t want to change that. I would have to start all over again and I didn’t want to. So I kept getting published with my maiden name, even though it bothered my husband at first. These days, he understands.

 

After I got involved in publishing, I used my married name. I was happy I could FINALLY have something going on with this name! And, of course, my married name was used when I worked jobs outside of the home.

 

So, for a while, I was Dawn Wilson the editor and Dawn Colclasure the freelance writer, columnist, book reviewer and author.

 

Then came the opportunity to have my children’s books published. Until that time, I published children’s books under the name Dawn Colclasure. This was before I started writing horror. Then I started getting published under that name in the horror genre. When I had a publisher interested in my children’s books, I expressed my concern about being published under the name of a writer of horror. What if the parents of kids who read my children’s books saw that and didn’t want their kids to read my books? So my publisher suggested that I use the Wilson name for my children’s books.

 

Then that publisher shut down before the books were published. And the unpublished children’s books manuscripts I was going to have published with her were in limbo.

 

After that happened, I decided to self-publish these books instead. In fact, I have a whole series that I had an illustrator for and I didn’t have much faith in finding a publisher for these books – or my other children’s books, either.

 

After making this decision, I changed my mind about using the Wilson name for these books, figuring that I could be the kind of author who writes children’s books AND horror. I mean, I’ve been doing that all along, right?

 

A few days ago, I was looking at the children's books page on my author site. I noticed there were not many books. Well, that’s going to change after I get my series published! Once I realized that, I thought of something else: Why not use the Wilson name for these books? After all, “Wilson” would be easier for kids to remember, as well as pronounce, than the last name “Colclasure.” I mean, I should keep my audience in mind for this, right? Wilson is an easier name for kids.

 

Once I decided on this, I made the decision that, yes, I will go ahead and use the Wilson name for my children’s books. It’s not like I have a TON of children's books to change the cover or interior files for this! There’s just a few of them. That’s not too much.

 

And it’s not like I’m known for writing children’s books under my maiden name, anyway. Really, I’m not. None of those books are bestsellers, or anything. So this name change won’t affect sales at all.

 

When I first entertained the idea of using the Wilson name as an author, I had one concern: What if this difference in name was being dishonest? Like I was trying to hide who was REALLY writing those books, or something? It’s not that way at all. I am not trying to hide – just make it easier for kids to remember and pronounce my dang last name! I would never hide my identity from people; I’m proud of my identity and got no problem with saying that, YES, I DO write horror in addition to stories for children. I am flexible like that.

 

But then I realized that using my married name for these books is not a form of dishonesty, but a form of rebranding. Authors rebrand themselves lots of times! Nothing wrong with it.

 

So, that set my mind at ease. And, anyway, I have the name “Dawn Colclasure Wilson” for my emails and some of my social media accounts. (I had to add my married name after I took on the position as editor, as well as proofreader.) Both names are there to let people know that I am one and the same person. I’m one person with two names. Ha. I will answer to either or both names. And both names will still be in those children’s books, on the copyright and “About the Author” pages. Just not as the author listed on the cover.

What Do Authors Want? Their Books to Be Published, Somehow!

 

Posing with my poetry book, Touched by Fire. I was thrilled when it was published!

This year has not been a good one for me author-wise so far. Not only did I receive the news that two publishers were shutting down, but books I was hoping to get out earlier in the year did not get released.

 

But like every good author, I’ve been picking myself up by my bootstraps and pressing onward.

 

The first thing I did was make a list of which one of my books was going out of print, and which publisher they were from. Up until then, I was able to keep this list in my head because there were only two books by two different publishers that were out of print. But recently, that number shot up to the double digits, so I had to write everything down.

 

Then I studied this list. After some thought, I selected which of my books would be self-published and which ones I would submit to a publisher who is willing to republish a previously published book. (I know of a few.) And I have been working on making that happen.

 

I have been posting about my ongoing quest to get my books back into print on social media. While I’ve been working on finding the right method to do so – such as getting books reformatted and either getting new or fixing up old covers for them – I have seen posts on social media from other authors way ahead of me in the game running into some problems. And it has really gotten me worried about running into those problems, too! Which is why I reached out to them to start a conversation on what sort of problems they were having and what’s being done to resolve these problems.

 

And while all of that has been going on, it has got me thinking about all of the things that we authors have done and are doing to get our books back into print.

 

See, when you’re a writer trying to get a book published, having a publisher accept your manuscript for publication is the best thing ever. Some of us are willing to sign with ANY publisher; a Big Five press, a small press, an independent publisher, or a hybrid publisher. Heck, even going through a POD service is not out of the picture – nor is self-publishing our books.

 

Whatever it takes to get a book published, that’s what we authors willing to make such concessions are willing to do!

 

Because then, our book will be published!

 

I know of one author who works with a publisher who doesn’t exactly do business as a publisher by the books, but he STILL publishes this author’s books and gets them out there. When I asked the author if he was okay with the way this publisher was doing business, he said he was just happy that his books are being published.

 

For many writers, that’s what they’re after. That’s the golden egg: Publication. And for many, they’re willing to get published no matter what it takes (well, outside of sacrificing their firstborn, of course).

 

Of course, some of us can only do so much to get our books published. There are many of us not willing or able to part with hundreds or thousands of dollars to get our books published. (Sadly, many authors are, and realize too late that they have been scammed.)

 

The reality is that there are many independent publishers out there willing to publish an author’s book without charging them an arm or a leg, but the author who is usually taken for a ride by a scammer is either not aware of them or they don’t do enough research into the many publishers that are out there. This isn’t to say that all of them are really gullible – scammers can be really good at what they do to get cold hard cash from a newbie author – but taking the time to really do some research on publishers is worth it if an author does not want to be scammed.

 

While I understand that many authors really want to get their book published, it’s not worth it if you get scammed. Do your research. I know that getting published is important, but getting scammed by a so-called “publisher” will really sour the experience of getting your book published if you’re out thousands of dollars in the process. (I recommend consulting Writer Beware and subscribing to WritersWeekly. The Horror Zine also maintains a list of reputable publishers.)

 

Aside from this unfortunate pitfall in an author’s quest to get published, today’s technological advances means there are unlimited possibilities for an author to get their books published. Even getting a book published as an audiobook is an option. Books can also be published as installments on sites such as Substack or even through blog posts. Podcasts may also be helpful for the author trying to find a way to get their book published. There are just so many choices available.

 

On the other hand, getting a book published digitally is not the same as having an actual book you can hold in your hands. Many authors prefer this, so they do what they can to make that happen. I strongly recommend that such authors proceed with caution and do their research to find a reputable publisher for this if they do not wish to self-publish their books.

 

Most authors are willing to snap up the best method of publication that works for them, even if some people feel it is not the right one. But as long as their book is published, or back in print, the author will be happy that they have accomplished that goal. And for such authors, that’s all that really matters.

Stepping Away from the World to Get into the Zone

 

Photo Credit: Ron Lach via Pexels

Sometimes, the world is just too loud.

 

I don’t mean loud on an audible level. I’m Deaf, so noise doesn’t bother me. I mean loud on a mental level.

 

There are all of these things constantly going on: Social media feeds, emails, TV, outside distractions and books. Especially books!

 

And sometimes, I just need to step away from it all in order to write.

 

But before I can write, I need to get into a zone. If I know what I’m going to write, then I focus myself mentally and, if needed, emotionally for that particular kind of work.

 

In other words, I get into a zone.

 

“Being in the zone” typically means that you get so caught up with the work you are doing that you start to hyperfixate on it. You can’t focus on anything else until you are done with the work.

 

This will happen to me sometimes, but there is another kind of zone that I get myself into as well.

 

The zone that helps me to write.

 

Like I said, knowing what I need to write will help me to figure out what kind of zone I need to get into. But if I don’t know what I want to write, only that I WANT or NEED to write, then I shut down. I don’t look at my phone, read anything, check email, make any phone calls or go anywhere. No, I just sit in a place where I won’t be disturbed and get myself into a zone where I will be able to write something.

 

All of the stuff that we are exposed to every day – phone apps, TV shows, movies, music, videos, hobbies and activities – tend to distract us from tuning into our creativity. We get so caught up with these things and so distracted that we forget who we are: Writers. And we forget what we must do: Write.

 

So for this reason, it’s a good idea to occasionally step away from all of those things and focus on our ability to write.

 

This is why I often write first thing in the morning, before I do or see or read anything else. I put myself 100% into the task of writing and be 100% present for the work. I’ll put my phone upside down so it won’t distract me, keep the TV off so that it won’t distract me, and sit down to write in a place where I won’t be able to pick up a book or magazine to read. (One of the desks I write at is next to a bookcase, but all of the books on there are reference books, so I won’t pick one up to read unless I need to look something up – though I often use Google for that!)

 

But on the days when I don’t write first thing in the morning, I’ll still make sure that, when I need to write something, I get myself into the zone for writing first. That’s when I’m not available for chats or to answer emails or … whatnot. No, I’m focused on the work that I must do, and I must not allow myself to be distracted by other things.

 

This has helped me to get quite a bit of writing done far more effectively than other strategies. Sometimes, I just need to step away from everything going on in the world and all around me to get into the right headspace so that I can write. Doing this has also helped me to write on certain topics or in certain genres that required my full attention.

 

Some writers try to achieve this by changing their environment, routines, clothing or writing space. And all of those things can be very effective to help writers get into the zone to write. But, for me, all it takes is shutting down, being where I am not interrupted and without distractions, and telling my muse, “It’s time to write.”  

Pushing Forward and Pulling Back

Photo Credit: Elisa Ventur on Pixabay

 

“Don’t push yourself.” This was advice I gave to a friend who wanted to go for walks in spite of her ongoing bouts with dizziness.

 

It’s advice I had to follow this week, as well.

 

Writers are known for pushing forward in order to meet a deadline, finish writing a WIP, or to get to that next chapter. We go without food, sleep, water, exercise, and social gatherings in order to meet these goals.

 

And that has been something that I have been doing this week, as well.

 

For the most part, I had daily writing goals to meet: Work on at least one of my WIP, get some writing done in a certain article that is due at the end of the month, work on the SPARREW Newsletter. And so far, I met those goals.

 

But it was rough going.

 

Part of the recovery process from my eye surgery includes using eye drops several times a day. At first, it was four times a day, and with three different eye drops to use at five-minute intervals, that took some time out of my days. Now it’s three times a day for just two of them. They still require some time away from the work I am doing. Even so, I am certainly investing that time in the post-op care for my eye, as it is very important and contributes to the overall healing process for my eye.

 

I also had to take time to rest when I was dealing with headaches. (Yes, unfortunately, I’m still having those darn headaches! I guess they weren’t a result of my vision problem after all.) There was also a day I had a really bad dizzy spell, which also required rest.

 

These are times I pulled back from my drive to Get Things Done. I was out of commission. Unavailable.

 

But there were times that I pushed forward, too, in spite of everything going on. I pushed forward to get writing done in books. I pushed forward to read manuscript submissions. And I pushed forward to finish writing one thing or another.

 

Yes, as writers, we tend to push forward to meet obligations, but sometimes, we gotta know when to pull back too. If at all possible, pull back if you need to. Your health is more important than the writing or attending a con. Your mental health is especially important and should not suffer all for the writing cause.

 

Make sure you know when it’s okay to push forward and when you need to pull back. And if you really do need to pull back, then do so without guilt. Step away, slow down, and rest. We aren’t machines that can operate 24/7. We need breaks, we need rest. But, ultimately, we need to take care of ourselves. If we don’t take care of ourselves, then the writing suffers. So push forward if you are able to, but pull back when you need to.