Ronald Cutler's blog

Memoir of a first-time novelist...

For thirty years my dream was to write a novel and I finally did it. After more than six thousand hours of writing and more hours in research than I can count, I've reached the point where I'm now doing most of the marketing, promotion and advertising on my novel, The Secret Scroll. I still have hair on my head, albeit a little less than when I started my novel writing adventure nearly five years ago.

My blog won't be yet another how-to on the craft of writing, thank goodness. There are many good writing books out there-most of which I have read-and in a future post I'll tell you which were my favorites. Instead, my goal is to take you along on the thrill ride as I share with you nearly everything that happened, both the good and the bad. Hopefully, I'll not only entertain you but also teach aspiring novelists and readers what it's like to write, publish, and promote a novel. This blog is dedicated to all struggling writers and aspiring novelists. It is also meant for readers-on whom we writers rely-so that they, too, can experience what many of their favorite novelists have gone through.

If you want to write a novel, then you probably also hope to one day finish it. Believe it or not, though, most people never get to cross the finish line because they lack the discipline, passion, enthusiasm, and love of what they are writing to follow through. Perhaps they don't have enough time? It's a common enough excuse, but if you want something badly enough you make the time. I had a story to tell and that's why I wrote The Secret Scroll. Why else would I lock myself in my office from 4am to 6pm on average six days a week to write my first novel without really knowing what I was doing? Call me obsessive and you're right. But when you have a passion for something it takes control, and discipline and the hundreds of obstacles you encounter can be hurdled.

In my next post I'll tell you how it all started; and for those of you who aspire to write a bestseller-or those of you who read them-I'll tell you in a future entry about the main elements that all bestsellers have in common. I'll share most things that I've experienced when writing, researching and promoting The Secret Scroll, my biggest obstacles, and how I overcame them. Most of the time I won't name names of many of the people involved on my journey, but I will acknowledge those who had a positive influence. I'm currently spending more than seventy hours a week working on the marketing and promotion of my novel, but I will try to post at least one new entry a week. And as my book is released in the coming months, I will reveal many of the secrets I use to sell The Secret Scroll against overwhelming odds.

Until next time, all the best,

Ronald Cutler