I’m a passionate about normal people intentionally creating a unique life that they love. The Creative Life interviews are a place to dive into the stories of people in the process of creating inspired lives for themselves- whatever that means to them.

Today I’m excited to take you inside the life of my friend Holli Moncrieff. She’s a full time writer, and is leading the way in the big new literary trend by blogging her new novel, Lost. Want to know what it’s like to be a writer working full time? Curious about how to network, make connections and make it as a freelancer? Holli has been there and done that. As if that doesn’t make her a superhero already, she’s also a muay thai fighter. Let’s get to know her!

Please tell us about yourself, your blog, and how you became a full time writer.

I’m a passionate, creative person who loves to travel and is proud to be a crazy cat lady (I have three of the fuzzy minions). I started my blog A Life Less Ordinary to hold me accountable and track my progress towards three lifelong goals–fighting in the ring, publishing a novel, and moving to a tropical climate. It’s evolved as one passion or another has taken center stage, but the basic premise–to live the very best life I can–has remained the same. I always write with the hope that someone else can relate to or take something useful away from my experiences.

“The two best things I did when I started freelancing? I was persistent, and I was reliable.”

I’ve been writing books and telling stories since I can remember, so it just made sense to make writing my work. I’ve tried working for other people as a publicist, a marketing director, and a communications specialist, but jobs that require me to conform and fit into a 9-to-5 box aren’t a good fit for my personality. I need a lot more creative freedom than that to be successful. Stick me in a cubicle and my soul dies.

You have a fabulous new project going where you’re blogging your novel – so tell us what your novel is about, and why you’re blogging it!

I decided I would publish my book Lost electronically to hopefully start building an audience while I worked towards traditional publishing deals for my other books. I commissioned a cover but never got around to putting Lost up for sale. Then I heard about “book blogging”, which is a huge trend in Japan. Many Japanese writers make their living that way. I thought Lost would be perfect for that kind of experiment. Plus, I’m a huge Dickens fan, and he published many of his books as serial fiction. In a way, this is my homage to him.

Lost is about a lot of things, but it’s basically the story of how a small town deals with a terrible tragedy. A young girl goes missing and everything changes for all of my characters, particularly the town’s police chief, who happens to be dating the missing girl’s mother. I used to say Lost was a “multi-genre epic of man’s inhumanity to man” when I felt like being a smart ass. People tended to not ask too many questions after that! ;)

How did you first start to recognize your passion and that it could be something more? Was there a turning point or “Ah-Ha” moment for you? 

I’ve had a passion for telling stories since I was five years old, back when I used to create picture books about a family of fish who lived in terror of a bear stalking them under the ocean. Shockingly, these remain unpublished. I always had big dreams. From the time I was very small, I wanted to write a classic–a book that would stand the test of time. I’ve never really questioned that I was a writer, or thought about it much–I can’t imagine being anything else.

Take us through a day in your life.

Do you want a day where I actually do what I’m supposed to, or the majority of my life? :) An ideal day starts with a nice, healthy breakfast and a three-hour fiction writing session. I always light a scented candle when I work on my novels, and I’ve started to write on the living room couch to separate my dream work from what currently pays the bills.

Once those three hours are up, it’s time for lunch. When it was still warm out, I spent that hour working in the garden. Now I’ll mostly likely spend it reading.

Then it’s time for my journalism work. I usually have three to twelve articles I’m working on at any one time. All of these are commissioned work. I’ll spend two hours writing or conducting interviews over the phone, usually with a 15-pound cat on my lap and the kitten attacking my feet.

After my deadlines are met, I try to spend an hour marketing. Soon this will include submitting my novels to agents and publishers, approaching national and international magazines with article pitches, and some social media/blogging. Lately it’s been a lot of Twitter pitch contests, which can be tons of fun and a great way to network with other writers.

I try to finish my work by 5:30, or 3:30 if I’m going to muay thai class. Evenings are spent reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends or my long-time boyfriend, playing with the cats, answering emails, and blogging. I usually write my blog posts at night. I’m an extreme night owl, but I try to get to bed by 2 a.m. at the latest, as my alarm goes off at 8 a.m. most days.

Now–that is a perfect work day, but I’ve also been known to spend entire days immersed in an awesome book or in a DVD marathon. I’ve dropped everything to head to the beach with a friend or plant a million bulbs in the garden. It’s one of the great perks/dangers about working for yourself.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a writer? Are there any networking tips, ways to stay sharp or in touch with the community that you’d recommend?

Advice for other writers. Make it the top priority in your life–write every day, or most days, no matter what. I haven’t done this consistently enough throughout my life, but I’m trying to make up for it now. Do not edit as you write–give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft, and go back and fix it once it’s finished. Otherwise, you won’t get a good momentum going.

Social media is important, but only to a point. It can also be a huge time suck that keeps you from writing. If you’re not already active on social media, I’d suggest waiting until you have a book you think is ready to be published. If you already are active, limit the time you spend. Do your fiction writing first, and use social media time as a reward. I also use an online timer and only look at social media until the timer goes off. Otherwise, entire days will vanish and you’ll have nothing to show for it.

Marketing your work is just as important as creating it. If you don’t work hard to get your stuff out there, you may be writing but you won’t get published. This goes double for self-published authors, who have to do all of their own marketing. For every two hours you spend writing, try to spend at least one hour marketing until you’re established. James Patterson is still flogging his books on Twitter. I’m not sure that’s necessary, but most writers have to do their own marketing these days.

Oh, and blow up your TV. And don’t show your first draft to anyone until it’s done. Trust me on that.

You just got back from a writer’s conference – is that something you’d recommend for other writers? How have conferences helped shape your experience as a writer? 

I imagine all conferences are different, but I love the one I attend. The Surrey International Writers’ Conference is such a warm, welcoming environment. I made friends there that I’ll keep in touch with for the rest of my life, and while I didn’t get an agent through the conference, it’s such a great boost to the self-esteem to get requests from agents and editors. There are tons of workshops, panels, masterclasses, blue pencil sessions, and pitch meetings–I always learn so much when I’m there. I return home super inspired, which is the best feeling for a writer. It’s nice to be surrounded by so many people who really get you. It’s a very supportive community.

How do you stay balanced, or get back to centre when life happens?

I need two things in order to stay balanced–I need to write, and I need strenuous exercise. Aside from swimming, which isn’t really practical where I live, muay thai is the one physical activity I’ve found that I genuinely love. It keeps me physically and emotionally healthy. If I stop doing either of these things for longer than a week, I definitely suffer for it. And I’ve had to learn that lesson time and time again, unfortunately.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Kyla! I’ve loved your blog for years and never imagined I’d be featured on it one day. It means the world to me.

Takeaways

Isn’t Holli inspiring?? She lives in my city and since we met I’ve been fascinated by her stories from the world of writing, and hearing about her passion for muay thai.

To me, Holli illustrates that no matter what your passion is, your daydreamy version of it that lives in your head (and we all have it!) isn’t what making a living from what you love is about. It’s lots of small steps that add up everyday, getting to know people, and working hard at the business of what you love.

And if you can fall in love with the whole process, or at least with parts of it? So much the better.

Click here to dive into Fiction Friday’s
where Holli’s blogging her novel, Lost!

You can also follow Holli by liking her Facebook page for all the latest.