By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

There are a lot of downsides to being a writer. Low sales. Rotten reviews. Trying to sign that ever elusive contract. But who needs all that negativity? No one. So how about today we focus on the bonuses of being a writer? Here’s a baker’s dozen that’ll make you glad you gave up your day job to pen the Great American Novel.

1. You don’t have to dress up for the job. In fact, you don’t even have to wear pants if you don’t feel like it.

2. You get to rub shoulders with other authors, and if you’re a freakish reader like me, that’s a big deal. Yeah. Once again, my apologies to Frank Peretti for stalking you at a conference.

3. Research. It’s a great tax write off. Dang. Did that just flag me for an audit?

4. Some people think you’re pretty cool if you’ve got a book out. Most will think you’re possibly psychotic, but not all, and that in and of itself is a good thing. Right? Anybody? Can I get an amen?

5. You get paid to make stuff up.

6. You get to read lots of great books before they’re even published from all your writerly connections.

7. You can blame all your stupid mistakes on plot development. “Oh? I shouldn’t have mixed bleach and vinegar? Well…I was trying out a new plot twist, you see.”

8. You can kill off as many characters as you want, in brutally horrific ways even, and you still won’t get slapped with a felony. Win, win.

9. You don’t have to deal with stupid people. In fact, you don’t have to deal with people at all.

10. Eavesdropping counts as working.

11. You can garner sweet revenge by making a character out of that certain someone in your life that annoys the bejeebers out of you. Or you could just kill him. Again, no felony.

12. You can make up words all in the name of fiction, which basically means that if you have a typo, you can say you meant to do it.

13. People expect creative people to be eccentric. Use that to your advantage, my friend.

See? Lots of things to be grateful for on your writerly journey, so kick those doubts and fears and angsty-thoughts to the curb and relish the blessing of the writing life.

 

---

The House at the End of the Moor

What Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common?

Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house. Escaped convict Oliver Ward is on the run to prove his innocence, until he gets hurt and is taken in by Maggie. He discovers some jewels in her possession—the very same jewels that got him convicted. Together they hatch a plan to return the jewels, clearing Oliver’s name and hopefully maintaining Maggie’s anonymity.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, and A Heart Deceived, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.