You don't have to take it literally, though I have the past three mornings. I've set my alarm, got up and planted myself in my office chair for three hours in order to get the day's wordcount in before I work on editing.
If you don't take BICFOK literally, it stands for doing the work. To have a writing career, you have to do the work. You have to learn your craft, and you have to write an entertaining tale. All the fabulous covers, witty blurbs, and marketing money in the world only gets your reader's foot in the door. To keep them there, you've got to write a damn good story.
I see too many new writers burning themselves out gaming the system. Oh, they don't think they are gaming. They aren't bookstuffing or clickfarming or any other weird shenanigans that are designed to rip off the money-paying public.
No, they write stuff only for the money. Following trends. Writing books that they hate in genres they don't respect. And they wonder why they aren't making any money beyond their obscene ad spend.
It's because a good story is about more than the tropes and formulas. It's about the way your characters make the reader feel.
And I honestly believe if you're not feeling the feels when you're writing that story, your audience won't either.
I say this because I finished the first round of edits on Sacrificed late Sunday night. And I was sobbing as I saved my files.
DH had already gone to bed, but I was still sniffling when I climbed under the covers. He asked me what was wrong, and I told him. He didn't belittle me for identifying so closely with my characters. He simply held me until we both fell asleep.
And since he's my alpha reader, I'll probably have to hold him tonight when he finishes reading the book.
Isn't that what you want from your audience?
To laugh along with your heroes, cheer for them, and when shit happens, cry with them?
All the money for covers and ads in the world can't buy those feelings. You have to earn them
By placing your butt in that chair, your fingers on your keyboard, learning your craft, and writing a damn good story.
