by Sade Hunt

There are few things that I love in this world and writing falls at the top of that very short list. Before writing became part of my routine, I was, and still am, an avid reader. This plays a huge role in my creative process. Without reading, I am not as aware of what is being written and produced around me— which is important to keep an eye on. Reading keeps my creative juices flowing with easy access to the inner workings of my mind.

One aspect of being a writer that has immensely helped me, and other authors as well, is a great critique partner. Once you’ve found someone you click with, they become a type of lifeline. If you get stuck and need help working out a plot, they are there to help in any way that they can. They can also help hold you accountable and stay focused. My CP (critique partner) is not one that I can meet in person (we are located in different parts of the world) so we rely heavily on messenger/emails to stay connected with each other.

Writing in general can have its setbacks, but being an indie author comes with a few more daunting tasks. When it comes to finishing up a manuscript, I am left depleted. It usually takes me a few days to figure out what comes next and what I want to do. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my writing— which isn’t always a good thing. I like to send my finished manuscript to my writing group for them to comb through and give me their thoughts. This allows me to recharge and take time away from an all consuming project. After receiving feedback, it’s time to dive back in. This is usually the time that I face massive writers block. Navigating a block can be extremely difficult, but this is really where having a group comes in handy. I struggle once I’ve hit that block and it shows in my writing. My best advice would be taking a step back and filling that creative well with a different joy (e.g. going to the movies, taking a long walk at the beach, meditating, going to a dog park, going to a cat café, etc.). This helps take my mind off of my writing and gives me perspective— my best ideas and plots usually come from these periods.

I am a perfectionist when it comes to my writing— which isn’t always a good thing. I like to send my finished manuscript to my writing group for them to comb through and give me their thoughts. This allows me to recharge and take time away from an all consuming project.

After rounds of edits and rewrites, I am then faced with the decision to publish my work. For a while I was dead set on going the traditional publishing route, but I don’t necessarily like the lack of creative control that comes with. Now, I am all for independent publishing for this reason. I want to make sure that my baby gets the best treatment, and there’s no one better for that job than myself. Independent publishing comes with a few caveats, money being the number one deterrent. Research is very important at this stage: finding the different routes to self-publish, aligning cover art, deciding on format (e-book, hardcover, paperback), and most importantly the cost. For me, discovering how expensive it can be to self-publish shocked me, but when I looked at it closely, I found that the cost doesn’t matter much when I can get my work out the way that I see fit. Having that control is important to me because I want to feel as connected to my writing for as long as possible through the publishing process. I came across KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) through Amazon and found that it has the best of both publishing worlds. I can have full creative control with the help and guidelines that KDP has to offer. I highly suggest looking into this if you feel the same as I do when it comes to creative integrity of your work. Every author will feel differently about how they want to see their work out in the world, but we all connect with our love for the written word, no matter the genre.

Although I have yet to have anything published for world consumption, I have written a few novels that I am holding close to my chest. My most recent work is still in progress, but it will be the first novel of mine that I want to see in the hands of strangers. You can be on the lookout for my work, available on Kindle, in the not so distant future!

About Sade: My name is Sade Hunt and I work full time as a nanny to a sweet 7 month old baby girl. Writing is a long-founded passion that I look forward to turning into a profession. I’ve written a handful of novels (to be published soon) and have many other ideas to begin new adventures. There’s nothing that will stop me from letting my imagination run wild! When I write I’m accompanied by my very aloof fur-son Theo; he’s my one and only cat. I read out loud to him and he never fails to share his opinions.

Find Sade on Instagram here (personal) and here (business). She is also on X (formerly known as Twitter): @sadealexandraa.

If you’re an indie author and you’re interested in guest posting on this blog, email here.