Welcome to Cindy Rae Writes

by Cindy Rae

Dear Reader,

Welcome. So glad you’re here!

I am finally emerging from survival mode due to personal circumstance and am in the process of rebooting my life as a writer. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Or, if you’re new, thanks for taking a look.

I am an aspiring novelist. While my first series, Salvage, is science fiction, I write across genres and even dip my toe in nonfiction waters from time to time.

Reading is embedded in the fabric of my life, and I like to connect with other readers who enjoy a good story.

With a curious mind, I like to learn — about the craft and business of writing, about how the mind and brain work, about full-time remote work, and so much more. You can read some of my blog posts for writers here.

Salvage:Book 1
Salvage:
Book 1

The start to a coming-of-age saga of a girl plagued by nightmares and thwarted by circumstances in a perilous interstellar world 

Salvage News
Portfolio
Professional

My thoughts on the craft and profession of writing

The Writing Profession
Personal
Personal

Personal news, my interests, background, and life

Personal Posts

Thanks for stopping by.

Cindy Johnson

Writer and Owner of Cindy Rae Writes

P.S. If you’re looking for a software developer, you can find my tech alter ego over at CodeOnward.com.

Summer Hiatus

by Cindy Rae

Life happens.

Clichéd but true.

We’re in the middle of some major transitions here in our household.

So, there have been and will be a dearth of posts here on this blog. I anticipate in a few months the dust will settle on several of these transitions, and you’ll be able to read some longer posts here once again.

Check back in often, and feel free to contact me by email or Facebook or whatever. I’d be glad to hear from you.

by Cindy Rae

“Hurts,” she tried to mumble. The surface beneath felt hard. The bright lights, even through her eyelids, inflamed the sparks of pain shooting through her skull. Her stomach felt worse.

“Doctor?” her father’s voice, anxious and worried, came from somewhere on her right.

“Oh, she’s fine. The medication keeps her sedated.”

“But…”

“I said, she’s fine.”

“Perhaps he could give her some water,” Aria suggested.

“I don’t need your help,” snapped the doctor. “But, yes, yes, he can do that much. Bottle and straw there.”

Her head pounded. She tried again to speak. No one noticed.

“Here, Kaylah.”

She felt a straw inserted into her mouth. She tried to swallow, her tongue thick and dry.

“Come on, drink it, honey,” said her father. He gave the bottle a squeeze.

The rush of water was too much. She started choking.

5 Ways Your Business of Writing Will Change

by Cindy Rae

Your business of writing will change. To help you as a writer, here are 5 tips centered around the fact change happens.

1. The Unknown Becomes Known

  • You don’t know what you know until you know it– except…
  • You discover what you like
  • You discover what you don’t like
  • You discover you have more talent for one kind of writing over another
  • You understand the industry better
  • You learn more about the business of writing
  • Through experience and feedback you learn better of not only how to “level up” your writing but also of its quality

2. Your Circumstances Change

  • You have more time to write
  • You have less time to write
  • You go through a trial that informs and shapes what you want to write
  • You go through a trial that changes your physical or mental abilities
  • You have one or more of life’s major stressors going on

3. Connections Change

  • You learn how to engage with others in your field
  • You learn how to find your readers
  • You get to know one of your writing heroes
  • You get in touch with others in the same writing boat, online or in-person
  • You connect with others who train you to be a better writer — critique groups, podcasts, conference speakers, etc.

4. Market Changes

  • The market changes for what you are writing, like cross-pollination
  • You discover market demand for something else you’d like to write
  • Demand surges for a particular format (audiobooks)
  • Demand surges overseas for your market
  • You learn in what market segments demand is growing for your writing
  • You learn to that “marketing” isn’t a dirty word, the difference between publicity and marketing, and how much marketing depends on engaging with others

5. The Industry Shifts

  • Major publishing houses condense further (or expand, but not likely)
  • Independent bookstores rise in popularity
  • Amazon totally changes their ebook strategy, and you flourish (or perish, depending)
  • Different distribution channels appear or disappear in the industry for your supported formats (a channel allowing easy access to ebooks in libraries, for instance)
  • Technology impacts drive production changes, or publication changes, or popular formats, or revenue models

Platform Re-Org Upcoming

by Cindy Rae

A platform re-organization for this site will happen soon.

I’ve felt for some time this blog is not focused enough, covering too wide a variety of topics. In revising my business plan for 2020, I’ve figured out my audience for my platform, including the blog:

Venn diagram of writer's platform audience to use in platform re-org of the blog

Since I’m unpublished, this, in turn, can be simplified to focus on an audience more specific to my work-in-progess, Salvage:

  • SF Readers
  • SF Writers
  • Industry Pros

I’m considering readers as potential buyers, writers as peers, and industry professionals for the business side, although all three are potential buyers. And, all three are groups filled with people I’d like to get to know better.

It’s not all about the buying.

Engaging with other readers to share enthusiasm, growing with other writers, and learning from industry professionals are all elements crucial to my author aspirations. I want to give something to my tribes out there, not just take to make money.

I’m hoping once the platform re-org for this site happens, I can spend more time finishing the draft of Salvage, Episode 1, but personal circumstances may dictate a much slower progress on both writing fronts than I want.

Time will tell, and life is filled with uncertainty.