Category: Confessions of an Author (Page 1 of 3)

Pushing Back Against the Hustle Culture as an Author

November 11, 2025 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s been awhile. I know. I’ve thought about posting, and I have many topics I’d love to write about, but things come up and more things come up…and here we are. Me posting about not posting.

A view of a tree-lined yard from a hammock. The book When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson nestled into the hammock, a thumb just visible from a hand holding the book.

Part of that is a deliberate choice, despite the fact that I think of you often. Some of you have been with me from the beginning of my blogging journey. This was the first place on the Internet that I expressed myself in writing. I like keeping in touch with you, albeit in a one-sided kind of way.

Here’s the thing: I’ve grown weary of the hustle. I got my very first job when I was nine, delivering newspapers door-to-door to my neighbors. Then it was baby-sitting, cashier at the local hardware store, physical therapy assistant, puzzle magazine editor, and author. Not to mention parenting three kiddos, which I wouldn’t call a job so much as an all-hands-on-deck contact sport that involves advanced logistics.

I’m at a point in my life where I’m seriously evaluating where my time and energy go. And go they do…at a more rapid rate than I care for. I’ve also come to appreciate the impact of working locally and making a bigger impact there, not only as an author but as an activist.

And it’s not just about time and energy. Pushing back against hustle culture in a world that only seems to value capitalistic ventures feels revolutionary. I don’t make a living on my writing. Most authors don’t make a living off their writing. The system isn’t set up for us to be successful at financially supporting ourselves (see “Authors Guild of America Author Income Survey Seems to confirm ALLi Author Income Findings”).

So I’m writing what I want, on a timeline of my choosing. I’m lucky I get to make this choice, and I’m publicly recognizing my privilege here. I’ll post here when I feel like it, I’ll send off my author newsletter when it feels important to do so, and I’ll post on social media as it suits me. Take that hustle culture!

I’ll also be reading, taking walks, gardening, volunteering in my kids’ schools, fulfilling my role on the Library Board, speaking out against books bans and other injustices. You’ll see some of that online but not most of it.

In the meantime, here are some old posts on topics that are still relevant:
“Heartstopper by Alice Oseman Should Not Be Banned From Middle School Libraries”
“A Guide to Standing Up to Book Bans for Banned Books Weeks”
“Young Adult Literature Should 100% Be For Teens”
“What Nonfiction Picture Books Teach Us About How Rich A Billionaire Is”
“Let’s Stop the Billionaires from Controlling Space Exploration”

When a Writer Doesn’t Have Time for Writing and New Books from Katie L. Carroll

October 13, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

I have been longing to get back into creative mode. I’ve got a revision of my YA psychological thriller Hamlet retelling that has been inching along so very slowly. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts in a few weeks, and I really want to draft my next YA during November.

However, with two book releases this fall (and approximately a thousand soccer games for my kids), there’s been little time for the actual book writing and revising. It’s a case of the writer not getting to actually write. The fact is being an author means marketing our books, and being an indie author means producing our books as well. I’ll get back into the fun stuff eventually.

The good news is that WITCH TEST is out in the world and spreading all kinds witchy, crow, Halloween vibes. It recently hit #1 in all its categories on Kobo, so that was super exciting! Thank you so much to all who have read, reviewed it, or shared it. Posting reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other book retailers is so helpful to authors because it increases the chance of new readers finding it.

MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS comes out in 12 days! It’s available for pre-order at all the usual places, like Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Kobo. I’ll soon be getting the listing up on my Purchase Books page for those of you who are interested in signed copies. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS makes for a great Christmas gift for any moms you know. I still can’t get over the beautiful illustrations by Phoebe Cho.

Here’s a little video I created for it. How’s your fall going?

@katielcarrollauthor
Mommy’s Night Before Christmas by Katie L. Carrol with illustrations by Phoebe Cho is the perfect gift for all the moms (and the kids). #mommysnightbeforechristmas #picturebook #christmasbooks #giftsforher #booktok
♬ We Wish You a Merry Christmas (music box) – yostimar

Confessions of an Author: Creative Gap

January 26, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve had some wonderful event and workshop opportunities come up for this year (more details to come on those!). With preparations for those in full swing, plus a couple of sick kiddos, a crazy blizzard on the way, and my regular writing and editing duties (Does anyone else snicker when they see the word “duty”? …No, just my infantile mind.), I’m dipping into the archives for today’s post. Stay safe all of you who are in the path of the storm!

Confession #7: The creative gap that exists between what an author imagines in her head and what ends up on the paper inevitably leads to a certain level of failure.

As a writer, I have certain images, ideas, nuances, themes, characters (and any number of other things) in my head when I create a piece of writing. It’s not that I necessarily have a set agenda–this is especially true when drafting and the story and characters are still taking shape–it’s more that I have a clear vision for a piece. I wouldn’t call it a message (because who wants to read a message-heavy piece of writing)…for a lack of a better way to describe it, let’s call it a creative vision.

Inevitably, the words I use to try and achieve my creative vision never quite live up to what I see in my imagination. This has nothing to with my ability as a writer; it’s more a failure of the medium of the written word. Writers have to rely on words to paint a physical and emotional landscape for a reader. We create not only worlds and characters, but ideas and feelings that need to come alive through words because a reader can’t see into a writer’s head.

Even now, trying to explain this creative gap is a frustratingly futile attempt. The words you read here are not exactly what is going on in my head. There is a creative gap between my brain and what you’re reading.

English users even try to steal words from other languages to help overcome the creative gap. A word like “umami”, taken from the Japanese, is roughly a pleasant savory taste (tomatoes are said to possess this quality), but really it’s a taste or sensation that can’t really be expressed in our language.

Then there are words that are so complex and subject to a person’s individual experiences and emotions. Success. Peace. Love. A writer can use these words, but has no control over how a reader will interpret it. Words are simply an inadequate form of communication sometimes.

And this creative gap isn’t unique to writers; it crosses all types of creative media. Films, though more visual, lack in different areas than books. When watching a film, a viewer can’t be in a character’s head and hear his/her direct thoughts (except for the occasional voice over). Artists can paint or draw what they see in their head, but there is no commentary to go with it. A person looking at a painting has to draw his/her own emotional context out of it.

So what’s a writer or creative person to do? Give up because our creative vision will never be fulfilled. Create a failure and despair over it. Nope! We accept that the creative gap exists and use all the tools we possess to convey our creative vision to the best of our ability.

Because something magical happens when our (inadequate) words are read. The creative gap works in reverse. Readers brings their own creative visions to the writer’s words. And they fill the gap, not as the writer would have filled it, but with their own imaginations.

In the end, the creative gap does not create a failure, but a piece of work that is unique to each individual who consumes it. A work that is full of images, ideas, nuances, themes, characters (and any number of things) the creator never could have imagined. And that is certainly a wonderful exchange.

Confession of an Author: Prolific Writers

November 10, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Confession #9: I hate prolific writers.

Yes, I’m using the word “hate,” a word–you guessed it–I hate (it’s so unimaginative and really when you think about it, rather vague). It seems every other author I’ve ever heard of is a faster writer. Yeah, I know, it’s not a good idea to compare yourself to other writers and their processes or successes because to each his own and everything, but, man, I wish I could just write faster…and that I hadn’t heard of all these other writers who have a million books coming out all the time.

Seriously, my writer friends seem to have books releasing every day. I know about all their new books because I’m constantly hosting them here on this blog and reading their amazing stories. They post about their huge word counts (I’m happy to get a couple hundred words in a day, and I don’t even write every day…not even close to every day) and they do NaNoWriMo and write, write, write. And I love these writer friends of mine, but I hate them too. Why? Because they are so prolific and I am, well, not.

And I know what you’d say to me (because you, my dear blog readers, are a wonderful, supportive group of people). “Katie,” you’d say. “You have a preschooler and a baby, you have your editing, a husband who does housework, and a wonderful, full life.” And I’d say, “Yes, that is all true, and thank you for saying so.”

I do have all these wonderful things in my life, but I only have two published books and one collaborative work on the way, and I want more published books. I want more work to put out there. I want more time to write and when I do have time to write, I want to write more. Bottom line, I want more! “Wah, wah, wah,” right?

Then I feel guilty because there are other writers who are struggling to have anything published, writers who deserve to be published. Because I remember having that kind of wanting before ELIXIR BOUND came out, and that is a whole other kind of longing.

Back on topic, even this blog post feels like it’s taking forever to write. Why can’t my brain just get the words out of my head and onto the page in a manner that doesn’t feel like losing a 100-meter race to a slug? I’m a fast typist, so that’s not the problem. I’m a fast thinker, too. I think part of the problem is how much I have to think about things before I write them down. My process is part of who I am, not just as a writer but as a person. That’s hard to change.

I have to have a really good sense of what I’m writing before I even begin to put it down on the page. And then when I do start to get it down on the page, it spawns all these other thoughts and ideas that I have to rein my brain in. Wait, I think that means I think too fast, so it’s hard to focus on the writing and just get it on the paper. My brain moves too fast for my fingers. Plus, I’m a deliberate person. I don’t just do things nilly-willy (not saying prolific writers do things this way…only a comment on myself); I need to be ready to do things before I do them. I’m not sure there’s a way to circumnavigate that.

Okay, now I’m thinking out loud on the page, and boy, that’s a scary thought because who knows what will come out next. Let me gather my focus again. I am not a prolific writer and I may never be one because it’s just not the way I work. So all you prolific writers out there, just cut it out already! 😉

Confessions of an Author: Dress Code

October 15, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Life is proving to be busy (hubby and I are celebrating our 9-year anniversary today…yikes, makes me feel old!), so this week I’m digging into the archives for this post. Enjoy!

Confession #3: I sometimes wear my pajamas to work.

You know that advice that you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Well, if you want to be an author, dress in your pajamas. Seriously, fess up you pajama-wearing writers…I know I’m not the only one out there.

So my typical outfit this time of year (winter in New England) is a t-shirt with a sweatshirt or sweater over it (sometimes both); pajama pants or sweatpants; thick, fuzzy socks; and slippers. I get cold pretty easily!

Now, when I’m out in public as a writer—say at a conference or school visit or accepting a prestigious award (okay, maybe this last one is only in a fictional world)—I dress professionally. I would call it business casual.

And I have a sort of personal rule about not wearing sweatpants in public. The only exceptions this are when if I’m working out or have just come from working out and make a stop on the way. I don’t even like to go grocery shopping in sweatpants…kind of makes me feel like I’ve given up on life.

But when I tapping away at my laptop keyboard…comfy clothes all the way! Okay, what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve worn out in public?