I am not one writer – I’m two or three writers in one.
Did you know that I have two completely separate Amazon author pages?
Working with my marketing professional last year, we decided that – to alleviate potential brand confusion – I needed to separate my fiction and my nonfiction.
To do that – I created two separate identities. I am MJ Blehart – author of sci-fi, fantasy, and other fiction. But I am also Murray “MJ” Blehart – author of nonfiction books about mindfulness, positivity, conscious reality creation, self-improvement, life lessons, and so on.
The various blog articles I publish tend to lean towards the latter. Those like this – about writing, art, and the ongoing process – skirt the line between them.
None of which addresses my third identity as a writer. I also produce website content, post content, blogs, and other writing work for businesses.
There are, admittedly, multiple challenges that stem from being more than one writer at a time. However – please note that while they are a challenge, this is not about negatives. It’s all about navigation and being where I desire to be in this life.
Exploring the challenges of being more than one writer
First, let me reaffirm that I love to write. This is my jam! Writing is what makes me happiest, brings me the most joy, and gets my overall creative juices flowing.
When I started posting weekly in 2012, it was intended to make my practice of writing more regular. That it evolved into 5-6 blogs a week, plus increased book-writing, met the dream I most desired to have.
I’m an artist. I am a writer. And I have the works to prove it.
But that doesn’t mean there are not still challenges in the process. Allow me to share some.
Brand recognition – nonfiction
I’ve been writing posts on my blog website – The Ramblings of the Titanium Don – since 2010. I started to post blogs at Medium at the end of 2018. Suffice it to say – there are a LOT of articles about mindfulness, conscious reality creation, life lessons, empowerment, and even politics out there.
I also produced a couple of books for Amazon related to my non-fiction. The You are Amazing series is made of old blog posts assembled into topics in a relatable manner to help people recognize that they are amazing.
When it comes to this work there are two purposes. The first is altruistic and (I think, at least) noble. I most desire to help people live to their fullest possible potential, experience life for everything it can offer, and evolve into the best person that they can be.
My deepest desire is to help people recognize that the world is one of potential and possibilities – and that virtually nothing is impossible. The tools are there – within our reach. If we so choose to be empowered with them.
Which leads to the second purpose. To gain recognition as an authority on the topics I cover. And of course, with that recognition get paid more for books, blogs, talks, other speaking engagements, and whatnot.
Finding the paths to that end is an ongoing challenge. And it’s a challenge – rather than a complication – because it’s a reflection of constant growth, learning, and change. You know – the stuff I tend to write about.
Brand recognition – fiction
My first love as a writer has always been sci-fi and fantasy.
From my 50-page, illustrated sci-fi novel Wildfire that I wrote when I was 9 – to the Forgotten Fodder sci-fi series I began last year – I love this stuff!
Since 2020, I’ve ramped up my production. I self-published 3 novels in 2020 and 6 in 2021. My intention is to put out 4 more in 2022 – but that is yet to be determined. I am working on the 5th and final Void Incursion novel now – and have another 10 books in 2 other series planned.
I’m also putting work into publishing the 3rd novel of my Source Chronicles fantasy series. It’s only taken me 6.5 years since I published the 2nd book.
Why have I put so much extra effort out in the last 2 years? Because having more titles is more opportunity to gain brand recognition.
Like nonfiction, I have two ultimate purposes. The first is again altruistic and potentially noble. I most desire to inspire people. Get their imaginations going, open up their creativity. I’d love for my readers to see the characters and situations as vividly as I do – and then go create new works and art of their own.
My deepest desire is to inspire and expand creativity in the world.
The second purpose is to gain recognition as a sci-fi and fantasy author. I’d ideally love to have more fans, develop a following, and get interest from TV, streaming, and film companies to take my work to the screen. It would be amazing to be invited to schools and give virtual talks about the craft and finding and creating fiction.
Just like with nonfiction, finding the paths to that end is an ongoing challenge. And it’s a challenge – rather than a complication – because it’s a reflection of constant growth, learning, and change.
I can work with being more than one writer at a time
Initially, this was a challenge for me. Years ago, I had decided to publish everything under one name as one brand.
However, it was determined more recently that having two separate identities – and being two separate writers – would go a long way towards making my brand recognition less challenging.
Hence the separation between the MJ and Murray author pages. As my marketing specialist pointed out – people going to a sci-fi author’s page and seeing mindfulness stuff (and vice versa) is a huge source for potential confusion. That sort of confusion can interfere with both recognition of my brand and sales of my work.
Thus – now I am more than one writer. Of course, I’ve long been more than one writer. But the acknowledgment of this – and the challenges that exist with it – let me make choices and decisions to work on the brand recognition I desire.
Most of all – this is what I desire to experience in my life. That makes it all ultimately worthwhile. I love my work.
Thank you for being part of my ongoing journey, for joining me, and for inspiring me and my craft.
This is the one-hundred and forty-third article exploring the ongoing creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website. Also, visit Awareness for Everyone to check out my weekly podcasts.
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