We were lucky to catch up with Tim Baker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tim, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I am going to credit my mom for this. She didn’t teach it to me as much as she showed me (and my 6 siblings) what resiliency is.
Long story short…she was left with 7 children by my father (a man with many demons). Her life was a constant uphill battle. Just keeping food on the table was a struggle I can’t even comprehend.
Nonetheless, every birthday was happy and every Christmas merry.
We didn’t have much at all – but we wanted for nothing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an author, and although I may not be a household name (yet) I say that with great pride. My love of books began when I was a child (probably around the age of ten) when I picked up my mother’s copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to pass time on a rainy day. Before I knew it, I was lost in the story and read it from cover to cover, only stopping to eat and sleep.
After that came Treasure Island. Once again the book consumed me.
By the time I was in my late 30s I had read hundreds of books and even though some were better than others, I was in constant awe of the way an author could take me to a whole ne world.
Much like the reason I began reading, I began writing when I was in my mid 40s, because I was living in a new town and had no social life to speak of. So rather than reading another book, I decided to pass time by trying to write one.
It wasn’t long before the thrill of creating a world of my own became an addiction.
In all honesty, I never expected it to be published. I was really doing it for myself.
After some friends and family members read the first draft, they encouraged me to take it to the next level.
And as I said before, even though I am not a famous author writing books from the deck of my yacht, it is so exciting to know that there are people out there who have read and enjoyed my stories.
That feeling can’t be described.
I will be retiring from my day job this year and look forward to having lots of time to write!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
There is no question that in order to be successful as an author (at any level) you must first love to read. My love of books was undoubtedly the driving force behind my writing. Second, I think you really need to enjoy telling stories. I know that sounds like a given, but not everybody can do it. Let’s face it, some people could describe a trip to the grocery store and keep you interested, while others could tell you about the time they thwarted a bank robbery and have you bored to tears. It’s all in how much enjoyment a person gets from the telling.
Finally, an author needs humility and thick skin. Yes, that’s two things, but they go hand-in-hand.
Whenever a person creates something (whether it’s a painting, a song, or a book) there are going to be people who love it and there are going to be people who hate it.
An author needs humility when he/she is told that their book was great. While praise is good for the ego, it can be detrimental if you give it too much credence.
On the other side of the coin, an author without thick skin is doomed.
Getting a one star trashing on Amazon is very disheartening, but it isn’t the end of the world. Learn to take something positive from it and use it to improve your next book.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Time. Writing a novel is more than just sitting in front of the keyboard and banging out 75,000 words.
It’s something a writer thinks about constantly.
There’s a saying in the writing world…”A writer’s time is spent in two ways. Writing – and thinking about writing.
I wrote many books while simultaneously working a full-time job, but that sort of schedule is exhausting after a while.
Once I retire from my day job – writing will become my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blindoggbooks.com
- Instagram: @blindogg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlindoggBooks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blindoggbooks/
