Skip to main content

My Writing Journey

I began this journey in 2014. I know from reading about other authors that there is a tendency to feel like a fraud unless you are a successful author. Over and over again I would tell myself that J.K. Rowling was a writer before her first Harry Potter story became a hit ( not that I am comparing myself to her in any way) and that Jane Austen too was a skilled writer long before she was validated by a publisher and the public.
In May of this year I attended my second LDStorymakers Conference (now called Storymakers). Jennifer A. Nielsen author of The False Prince was one of the keynote speakers and her talk kind of changed my life. She likened writing to climbing Mount Everest and told us to decide what our definition of 'success' in our writing was. Was it to make it to base camp or was it higher? She said that once you reach your goal, let's say it was base camp, you can look around and see other levels to climb. Then you can decide on your next goal or mountain peak. This analogy was so incredibly helpful. Of course, to a relative newcomer like me, she seems to have reached the summit of her writing career but then she showed us the pile of rejection letters she received before The False Prince was published and I finally really felt like,"I can do this!"
Writers in Utah are so collaborative. They are so willing to help other writers. They are an amazing resource. I am a member of the Utah Valley Writers who offer critique sessions and education lectures. I have learned SO much about the writing and publishing process from them. Invaluable.
If you are beginning this journey just know that the day you start writing you are a writer, an author. When people ask you what you do, proudly declare, "I am an author."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First sub-edit from editor

I have written about this before but it's worth mentioning again. I feel like a fraud. And it's not just me. A niece recently shared a NY Times article  (https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/your-money/learning-to-deal-with-the-impostor-syndrome.html?_r=0) about this very topic and according to researchers, pretty much everybody feels this way at some point. They call it the 'Imposter Syndrome'. Famous writers have experienced it, a renowned marketing expert and even US presidents. The key is learning how to deal with this feeling. We can acknowledge it and cower, allowing it to stand in front of us like a club bouncer, denying us from moving forward, or we can recognize it, tell it, "You don't scare me!" ( even though it scares our pants off ) and push past it. It makes me wonder how many people with amazing potential have been frightened off by it. How many wonderful creations, thrilling inventions or new strategies have never seen the light of day becaus
2 comments
Read more

Bookclubs

I'm back from traveling to Europe and about to leave town again so I thought it was time to add a post to my blog. Since the release of my book I have been invited to share my thoughts at three book clubs with another planned for after Christmas and it is so much fun! I am loving the interaction with people who have read my book. We have had some great discussions about prejudices, adoption, nasty relatives and the writing process. In life, when we step out of our comfort zone and try new things it can go one of two ways; success or failure. But for me there has been additional path: it has been an unexpected delight to experience positive, unintended consequences such as meeting my readers. Little did I think when I was tapping away on my computer two years ago that the publication of my book would lead me to meet so many new friends. Comforts zones are safe places, which is why we like them, and not every new venture will end in success or great unintended consequences, but s
Post a Comment
Read more

Trying a New Genre

Though I write Regency Romance (and children's historical fiction), my very favorite genre to read is the "Whodunnit", the classic murder mysteries of Agatha Christie fame. It was her books, in fact, that made me into a reader as a child. These mild mysteries, that have had a following since Ms. Christie's days, seem to have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity of late under the genre name of Cozy Mysteries. The thought came to me a few months ago, "Since you like them so much you should try writing one!" So I am. I have created a dynamic duo, to borrow a phrase, who snoop out clues and help the local Bobbies. They are rich, beautiful and from the upper classes - because for some reason that's often how we like our heroines to be. This book will not reflect the politically correct culture of our day, but will try to capture the essence of life in the 1920's, while solving a crime. I think it will be a lot of fun!
1 comment
Read more