Breaking All of The Rules!

A few days ago, I published a post entitled, “It’s Officially  Time to Celebrate” The post was written in celebration of one of my greatest accomplishments: self-publishing my first book, “Every Day Isn’t Perfect, Volume I: Change Begins With You First.” After publishing my book, I started to think about the answers to some pretty interesting questions. As I thought of the answers to more and more questions, I knew that I had to share the answers with you! I do believe they will help you to get to know me better.

Why did you decide to write, “Every Day Isn’t Perfect?” With so much negativity in the world, I wanted to put something positive out into the world. I wanted to help
make a difference. I wanted to give people hope. I wanted to write something that would change/impact people’s lives. I personally know that words can change a person’s life…because words changed my life.

What lessons did you learn along your writing journey? My book uses a combination of inspirational short stories and prose (poems) to teach life lessons. It is an anthology (a collection). Prior to writing, “Every Day Isn’t Perfect,” people told me that anthologies were dead. Some of those same people agreed that poetry was dead. You will be surprised at the number of people who said, “You shouldn’t write poetry, because that is not what people love to buy/read. Now romance is where the money is at.” And I did give their opinions some consideration. When I first started blogging, I decided to turn one of my short stories into a romance novel. But I quickly discovered that writing a romance novel did not make my heart flutter the same way writing short stories and poetry did. Sometimes, after reading one of my short stories or poems my mind is like, “Wow! You wrote that!” I would encourage a writer to write whatever makes your heart happy. Write whatever makes your heart flutter. Write a story that you are proud of! Write a book that makes your mind say, “Wow! I wrote that!”

What is the most important lesson you have learned? Writing has the power to change, impact, and touch someone’s life through the use of words! Words have power! The power to heal people.

Where do your ideas for your short stories and poems come from? People are my inspiration. Insight comes from observing, listening, and feeling others as well as myself. For me, writing happens only after reflection.

Did you follow all of the rules and recommendations of other writers? I have read many blogs/articles that say, “You should write at least a MILLION words a day or just try to keep writing even when you are experiencing writer’s block!” (Hint of sarcasm). But, I don’t have time to write every day, I have a full-time job! Over the past year and a half, I have tried to write something new pretty consistently (every two weeks). But honestly, there have been many weeks that hasn’t happened. Sometimes, I get tired of writing and just need a break from it. It is after a break, that I begin to miss it. Whenever writer’s block happens, I usually take a break. I see writer’s block as a my body’s way of telling my mind that it wants to do something else: NOW! For some strange reason, the best ideas tap me on my right shoulder and wake me up in the middle of the night. 

Can you tell us more about “Every Day Isn’t Perfect”? It’s a short read. It’s divided into five chapters: Chapter 1: Faith and Purpose, Chapter 2: Wisdom and Philosophy, Chapter 3: Friendship and Community, Chapter 4: Forgiveness and Love, and Chapter 5: Family and Hope. I didn’t want it to be too long. I wanted to write something that people could quickly and easily reference back to during different stages of their life. Every chapter may or may not apply at the present moment. One person may want to know more about improving their love life, while another person may want to know more about accomplishing their dreams. I do believe it’s a total life changer! I may be a bit biased. Lol! Just a bit…

How do we purchase your book? If you are interested in checking out “Every Day Isn’t Perfect, Volume I: Change Begins With You First” click here:    amazon.com/author/iamklregister. It is my hope that you enjoyed reading this. Whatever you do…never stop writing…your story needs to be read.

 

With Love, K. L.❤

Photo: Jimmy McSalters

Makeup: Justina Ford