Meet Billie Rae Bates

We were lucky to catch up with Billie Rae Bates recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Billie Rae with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I definitely get my work ethic from my family. I was raised by hard workers, and on both sides of my family, that work ethic has always been there, back generations. I was taught to do an honest day’s work, to not slough off. It’s actually difficult for me to be idle sometimes.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have been a writer all my life, from a very young age. Writing is like breathing for me, very easy — I’ve never gotten writer’s block. I spent 10 years in the daily newspaper business, and my bachelor’s degree is in journalism from Michigan State University’s accredited journalism school, but I’ve worked my writing in all kinds of other environments in my career — the corporate world, the ministry world, and now in federal government. Besides print work, I’ve also done quite a few side hustles in the broadcast journalism arena. I worked for a TV show based in Washington, D.C., and one based in Detroit (on actual TV, not Internet, LOL), centered around the world of comic books and other geeky pop culture stuff.

While focusing on writing (and a whole lot of editing and communications / publication production) in my regular daytime career, I’ve always worked my writing in my off-hours. I’ve always had several writing projects going on at any given time — many of them books. The result of that over the years has been 12 print books and lots of e-books. This has been a major creative outlet for me, the kind of low-pressure, fun writing I have always wanted to do. I’ve concentrated in the pop-culture area, writing about television shows I grew up with and loved, and I’ve taken that a step further into a couple geeky web series on collectibles. To me that’s all fun, not like work at all. I do a series on YouTube called “Terrific TV Toys” and then a spinoff called “Terrific non-TV Toys.” My brand is at BRBTV.com. I’m just a big TV nut, and I’ve always loved the sociological aspect of television, how it teaches us more about who we are, how it reflects our societal values, and how it changes (evolves) over time. And having a background in the comics world, I (of course!) love cons and occasionally cosplay.

Beyond all the geeky stuff, I’ve written a few novels (three of them that would be considered chick-lit, and another that is science fiction geared toward younger readers), and I’ve done two true-crime books on Detroit cases. I’ve got a couple new books planned under the BRBTV brand in the near future. After that, who knows! I want to go where the Lord takes me.

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?

No. 1 would definitely be the work ethic. You have to have that if you’re going to produce anything at all. Everyone can have an idea. I’ve met oodles of people who say they want to write a book. But the difference between having that thought and actually sitting down and doing it, even when life gets in the way, is often a huge chasm. If you want to do it, apply your work ethic, or develop a work ethic if you don’t have one.

No. 2 I would say is determination, related to the above! The media world we’re living in right now is saturated. It’s overburdened, really. Flooded to the max. Getting your content out there is one thing. But how do you claim that market share — how do you get those eyeballs on your content when there’s so much other noise competing for the attention? Keeping-on-keeping-on is vital, even if you don’t seem to have an audience, along with emphasizing what is special about what you’re doing. What is the “hook”? Why are you even out there? It shouldn’t be about just making noise, and it shouldn’t be about your own vanity and seeing yourself.

No. 3 is to have the Lord in your work. Nothing is really going to happen unless He blesses it. A lot of people charge off on their own steam without really knowing if their plan is right for them. Then you get into spinning your wheels. What you’re doing doesn’t produce good results. So I would say, knowing more about your purpose, the Lord’s plan, or just knowing what’s in your soul if you would prefer, is crucial.

I would also throw in, expertise in the area in which you’re working, and you might argue that’s got to rank higher, probably at No. 1. There are, however, folks out there who become really successful without any real talent, LOL. You could certainly argue that. But you really should start with an adeptness, or at least a willingness to grow, in your area of choice!

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Related to my previous response, I’m actually trying to figure out my own purpose, moving forward at this point in my career. I’m at a place where I’ve produced a lot of content, and I’m happy that I have. I’ve loved every bit of it. But I’m also trying to hear from the Lord about what’s next. Continue on with the pop culture stuff? Continue on with the true crime? Take up one of the other projects I had always planned, which are really sharp departures from anything I’ve written thus far? I’ve always planned to live to be 100, and I’ve always known I will continue my writing as long as I possibly can. Well, I have hit the halfway point, LOL, so I’ve been struggling with that a bit, to be honest. So I’m doing my own soul-searching!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Rob Allstetter, Comics Continuum
Ulysses Campbell, Fantastic Forum

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