Hey everyone! I've been scrolling and viewing some pasts few post and most post genuinely caught my attention because behind every meaningful piece of writing, there’s a deeper story, the spark that brought the idea to life, the personal experiences that shaped it, and the unseen challenges that come with turning imagination into something others can connect with. I was curious about your journey: when you began writing, did you expect the creative process to be the biggest challenge, or did you discover that building visibility and reaching the right audience became an entirely different chapter of the journey? I’ve been exploring how authors are creating stronger connections around their work, and I’ve noticed some fascinating patterns in how stories gain attention and build lasting relationships with readers. I’d genuinely love to hear your perspective, what’s one approach, lesson, or discovery that has made the biggest difference in your writing journey so far?

I preface this from my viewpoint in The Biz, with a couple of Songs! "By Myself" by the legendary Judy Garland, and "I'm Still Here" by Yvonne De Carlo...(please go check the videos out on YouTube!) I have always been self-sufficient and a survivor. When I moved to my current house, I bought a 12' trailer and made Many trips, 75 miles each way, and hauled everything from a two-story house...by myself! And now, with my completed book of over 800 pages (all done by Me, no AI or help from anyone else!) I find the hardest part to be all the necessary work After the pen is put down! (Yes, I Did take the advice offered here to turn the book into a Series, so I am Not Completely unreasonable and hard-headed!) But, I Don't Like relying on anyone for anything, if I can help it, and have been trying to do all the formatting, editing, etc. alone. I have found some free editing programs online that I may try, before I even consider paying someone to do it, but would welcome opinions on going this route. But really...go watch those videos! Amazing! 😁 Thanks! Bruce Wayne

I worked in the Entertainment Industry in the 70s, 80, and 90s, but just Walked Away from it in 1995 when Politics destroyed it and it was no longer Fun! Since then I have had the Idea for a book about my time in the biz, have jotted down so many notes, and have told stories here and there, and got so many questions that I finally sat down at the end of 2024 and Really Wrote! I ended up with 550 pages! Stories of People, Places, Events from Hollywood and Beyond! My initial confusion and frustration came from Not finding the answers to my basic question--How Do I Start?! All I got were sales pitches! And So Many Opinions! I Just Wanted To Write! It Needed to be written, after so many years just taking up space in my Head! But, I got it all down! Pictures and all! Still, along the way, I had more and more questions--about the Process. The more I looked, the more Contradictions I got! Use This...no, Use That! Do This...no, Do That! So, I just continued to Write! And I Finished! Almost! There were 4 Specific Pictures that I made spaces for throughout the book, that I have Yet To Find! I sat down a couple of days ago to continue working on the almost-finished product, only to find a Major Mistake! When I Began I set the Size of the book to 6" x 9"...so I thought! Not till I Finished did I realize that the setting Never...Set! I saw that it was 8.5" x 11"! So...I adjusted it...and now I have Over 800 pages!!! And Every Picture is Out Of Place! I have Gone Back to Page One! I'm Fixing Things as best I can! So far I have done 46 pages! Ha! And...I Know that there is No Way I can put out an 800-page book! I already had planned on a Sequel, as I had Many More Stories Left To Tell when I thought I was pushing it at 550 pages! Now it's just a matter of finding a good place to split and end the First One! Oh, boy! Anyway...after so much confusing and conflicting advice from Other "self-publishing" sites, I found myself Here. I liked what Julie had to say in some of her videos, and here I am! Hopefully, I can find the help I need...I haven't even started on Front and Back Matter! I just feel that the stories need to be told, so People and Moments in Time are Not Forgotten! It's Not about Me, but what happened Around me, that Affected me! Such as..."Eve Arden Saved My Life!" And..."Then There Was The Time I Was Under a Table With Roddy McDowall!" I worked with some amazing people, but when I look them up on The Internet Movie Database, they don't even have Pictures of them! That's just not right...they Mattered! So, I want to do my little part to illuminate those lives that touched mine. That is my main reason for the book!

Writing a book is one thing… Turning it into a real author business is another. I’m curious — Where are you currently stuck in your journey? • Writing / finishing the manuscript? • Editing & structuring the book properly? • Publishing process confusion? • Marketing & getting readers? • Building authority or platform? Sometimes the hardest part isn’t talent it’s clarity. Drop where you are right now (or your biggest challenge). Let’s learn from each other. And if you’ve already overcome a stage, feel free to share what helped you someone here might need it 👇

If anyone has an author website that they’re particularly proud of, can you share a link? I’d just like to see some good examples in order to get some ideas for my own page. Thanks in advance!