Evolving as an author-
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of any creative artist would be accepting our own work, expecting change and growth, and there being a purpose for every stage of our development. When I was approached by Fonthill Media about becoming one of their authors in the new at the time abandoned series, the only writing experience I had was blogging. I had some natural ability, though the thought of being a published author was overwhelming. Because my books are photography-based and only have limited amounts of writing content, that makes it ideal for me. Though naturally, I still want to do the best job possible, make the best use of space and make the books as interesting as possible.
How have I handled evolving as an author and made changes throughout my journey? When I look back on my first release, Abandoned Tennessee, I remain very proud of it. There are some amazing abandoned treasures in the book, and many I know are not standing any longer. What has changed between then and more recent releases? What would I do different? That book turned out exactly how it was supposed to, with where I was at that point of my author journey. I will list some changes I have made to my approach.
-More basic history research on places I explored and getting personal stories from locals (as opposed to strictly online search, more personalized)
-I make better use of my space and photo captions to keep the story flowing.
-I am more picky about what goes in the books. What you don't use as as important as what is used.
-Of course improved vocabulary and writing happens with time.
One thing remains the same. I love the hangout style of writing that includes the reader on the adventures, as if they're right with me. Of course humor and random tidbits help personalize the books. That will never go away.
