We recently connected with Keith Deininger and have shared our conversation below.

Keith, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Since the early 2000s, my primary goal was to become a published novelist. As I partied my way through college, making that time in my life more about experiencing things and discovering myself than any sort of academic pursuit, I began to write fiction on a regular basis.

The first novel I wrote from beginning to end was a sprawling 300k words involving no fewer than eight POVs, loosely inspired by Stephen King’s IT. I wrote it mostly late at night, using Adderall (which, even then, was becoming a popular and easy-to-find “supplement” on college campuses) to fuel my frenzied all-nighters.

In the end, the novel was a mess, a disjointed series of scenes without focus. But I did learn a lot from the experience. One of the major lessons was understanding the importance of story arcs and putting characters into challenging situations that force some sort of change and growth.

I also learned a lot about editing, and what that nebulous word is really about. I began to understand that editing, true editing, was the ability to assess a piece of fiction writing for its narrative strengths and characters, to improve the overall reading experience. Effective editing involves re-writing scenes, moving elements around for more rewarding storytelling, and cutting everything that does not serve the overall narrative or theme.

Writing that first novel changed my approach to creating a novel. And as I continued to develop my craft, structure became one of my strengths. So, I forged ahead. And this is where risk taking comes into the equation…

After graduating college in 2007, I landed a job at the university bookstore, and one of the benefits the job offered was the ability to take college courses for free. So I began considering graduate school, to get that MFA in creative writing.

The problem was, although I enjoyed the creative writing courses I’d taken in college, I’d become disenchanted with the elitist focus on “literary” fiction–endless discussions about symbolism and theme, rather than on story and what makes a narrative compelling.

In the end, I decided I’d be better off using my time to write what I wanted to write, rather than whatever some MFA program told me to. So, I took the risk, and did my best to incorporate writing time into my life. And, although life was challenging for a while, I managed to write three more novels (bringing the total up to four), the first two rejected (understandably) by every publisher I submitted them to, until novel #4 caught the attention of a small publisher focused on the horror genre, DarkFuse.

My first novel was published in 2013. And for a time, I was even making some solid money from the title. Over the following few years, I pumped out another two horror novels for DarkFuse, and wrote a number of novellas and short stories. It felt, at the time, like I’d “made it.”

Nevertheless, like many aspiring writers, I was under the impression that once I finally managed to get a novel published, I would be able to build a career as a fulltime fiction author. But, of course, that’s not how things went. It’s a familiar story–a “tale as old as time.”

Despite some small advances and royalties, I was nowhere near where I’d need to be to quit my “day job.” And so, with a new perspective on writing, I shifted my focus and my goals changed. My revised goal was to “become a fulltime writer.”

My new approach was larger. To build income, I would need to branch out, learning everything I could about different types of writing. And just like I’d taught myself how to write fiction, so too would I do the same with copywriting, content writing, and editing.

Before long, I was starting my own company, Meridian Publications, under which I do a lot of freelance writing, editing, and publishing (including some of my own novels, like my Game for Gods dark fantasy series).

I have been a fulltime freelance writer for several years now. I’ve worked with and for a lot of different companies over the years. And I am, indeed, a Fulltime Professional Writer.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

“Hi, my name is Keith, and I’m an alcoholic… er, writer.” Same thing, really. Okay, okay, just kidding.

Believe it or not, I’m not much of a drinker anymore. After I had kids, I was done with all of that.

In reality, I’m a writer, and a creative. I always have been.

I have managed to scrape a living together by playing to my strengths. I’m a quickstudy and I know how to write. I’m also enough of an introvert that I don’t mind working on my own, by myself, day after day. I thrive on it.

I’m the kind of guy who enjoys learning new things, and I have the ability to do so from books and articles. You might not think that’s a big deal, but I learned quickly during my short stint as a teacher that everyone learns in different ways, and being able to sit down with a text, read it, and then synthesize concepts and understanding without discussion or activities of any kind, is a true gift.

This gift enables me to write authoritative articles about things that I’ve not previously known anything about. Over the years, as a freelance writer, I’ve written about everything from the latest CBD strain to camping with a baby to WordPress themes to Stephen King to gardening to sleep training babies, and everything in between.

Oh, and I’ve been noticed as something of a David Lynch expert for the articles I’ve written for ScreenRant. I landed a couple of solid gigs with Netflix because of some of those articles.

In addition to content writing, I’ve ghostwritten several books. And I’ve done a lot of editing, of both fiction and nonfiction books. And, of course, I’ve written my own fiction, including horror title such as Ghosts of Eden and Within, and dark fantasy titles A Game for Gods and The Blood of Talos.

Currently, I continue to freelance through my company, Meridian Publications. And I also work as an editor and book promoter for MK Editing, a small but growing company run by Martha Reineke, a talented editor in her own right, who also has a knack for bringing talented people together.

That said, I’m always on the lookout for new clients. If you’ve written a book, and you’re unsure about it, and you need an editor, I’m happy to help. I can certainly help with the technical stuff (grammar, etc.), but can also provide some advice on narrative structures, character development, and other elements. For nonfiction, I’m all about organization and how best to present information.

Ghostwriting, editing, copywriting, content writing, press releases, ad campaigns… I’ve done it all! And if all goes well, you’ll likely be seeing more of me online as I present my new Dungeon. Crawler board game, a project that I’ve been working on for most of my life. Stay tuned!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Personally, I value my creative work over everything else. I’m constantly turning over ideas in my head, writing snippets and exploring concepts. Fans of my fiction work often comment on how creative and imaginative my books are.

At the end of the day, my ambitions have always been to find a way to make a living using my skills as a writer and a creator. Although the road has been a bumpy one, I’ve found that persistence and the realization that failing is all part of the process, really do pay off. With a simple goal, and the willingness to work hard and shift my strategies when I find something isn’t working, I’ve discovered that there’s always a way forward, and true dedication to your work really does lead to success.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

I think most indie authors can tell you how vital it is to harness as many variable income streams as possible. In addition to writing and publishing quality fiction, many authors branch out with multiple income streams coming not just from book sales, but other things like being an Amazon affiliate, running a Patreon page, editing, cover design, and more.

In addition, some writers (myself included) turn to other kinds of writing and editing work to maintain a steady income stream. Personally, I view my efforts as an author (writing and publishing fiction) to fall under the same umbrella as my freelance work as a content writer, copyeditor, and book promoter. I bundle everything within my title as a Professional Writer, managing my business, Meridian Publications, as a contractor, publisher, and author platform.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meridianpublications.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keith.deininger/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-deininger-63906660/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/keithdeininger