Jane Atchley's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Great New Review
Just got the Google Alert another five star review for Unbound Heart. This one has a cherry on top! http://www.guiltypleasuresbookreviews...
This is only my second book.I'm not far removed from the very beginning. It might be fun to share a bit of my journey here. I could tell you what I've learned. Maybe answer questions for others about to step out on this road. What do you think?
This is only my second book.I'm not far removed from the very beginning. It might be fun to share a bit of my journey here. I could tell you what I've learned. Maybe answer questions for others about to step out on this road. What do you think?
A Writer's Journey
The ordinary world
I have always worked for small companies. When I say small, I mean 3 to 8 people including the owner. Companies such as these don’t have great benefits packages, but they do offer something large firms usually do not. You get to wear a lot of hats. When I first flirted with writing, I worked for a petroleum engineer. We wrote reserve report for oil and gas wells, and we developed software for the petroleum industry. Doesn’t this sound exciting?
My title was “head broad.” I kid you not. Folks were not so easily offended, and male co-workers could still make jokes without fear of reprisal. As head broad I beta-tested software, and collaborated with a co-worker writing the end-user manuals. I also designed the illustrations for these manuals. Not because I possessed artistic talent, but because my desk sat next to the draftsman, who rented a corner of our office space, and my boss figured I had picked up the skill through osmosis. Photo Shop didn’t exist. You had to do everything by hand. The world does not get much more ordinary.
Remember, storytellers come from everywhere, from all walks of ordinary life. The first step on the writer’s journey is to stop your ears against that little voice in your head telling you that you can do it because you don’t have a college degree in English or some such rot. Step out in faith.
I have always worked for small companies. When I say small, I mean 3 to 8 people including the owner. Companies such as these don’t have great benefits packages, but they do offer something large firms usually do not. You get to wear a lot of hats. When I first flirted with writing, I worked for a petroleum engineer. We wrote reserve report for oil and gas wells, and we developed software for the petroleum industry. Doesn’t this sound exciting?
My title was “head broad.” I kid you not. Folks were not so easily offended, and male co-workers could still make jokes without fear of reprisal. As head broad I beta-tested software, and collaborated with a co-worker writing the end-user manuals. I also designed the illustrations for these manuals. Not because I possessed artistic talent, but because my desk sat next to the draftsman, who rented a corner of our office space, and my boss figured I had picked up the skill through osmosis. Photo Shop didn’t exist. You had to do everything by hand. The world does not get much more ordinary.
Remember, storytellers come from everywhere, from all walks of ordinary life. The first step on the writer’s journey is to stop your ears against that little voice in your head telling you that you can do it because you don’t have a college degree in English or some such rot. Step out in faith.
A writer's Journey- The Call
It comes from all sorts of places this need to write. Maybe you finish reading a less than satisfying novel, and, as you throw it across the room, you mutter, “I can write better than that.” Maybe your kid sister finds the stash of angst-filled poems you wrote in high school, and she tells you how good they are. Okay, maybe not.
For me, it came with a silly little free magazine two girlfriends and I decided to write and distribute. Yep. We were drunk. Wings of Fantasy only published one issue. Warring Heart’s beloved hero, Kree Fawr, first appeared in this little rag. He was sixteen, and I was on my way to a writing career or so I thought. Turns out writing, like shrimpin’, is hard work.
For me, it came with a silly little free magazine two girlfriends and I decided to write and distribute. Yep. We were drunk. Wings of Fantasy only published one issue. Warring Heart’s beloved hero, Kree Fawr, first appeared in this little rag. He was sixteen, and I was on my way to a writing career or so I thought. Turns out writing, like shrimpin’, is hard work.
A Writer's Journey - First Threshold
I’ve neglected posting of late. Life got in the way, but this lapse segues nicely into the next step on this writer’s journey: distraction and dedication. Although I’m a child of the 60’s I missed true hippiedom by a hair. I celebrated sweet sixteen during the Summer of Love and I turned down a trip to Woodstock, thus missing the biggest bang in hippie cosmology.
But all this peace and love was not totally lost on me. It primed me for the next big youth movement. I became a Jesus Freak. Faith colors my perception of things. What does this have to do with writing you may ask? Well, look at it this way. If I want to raise the dead, heal the sick, open blind eyes that kind of thing takes a dedication I didn’t have then and don’t have now. To do those works, a person is probably going to have to want it badly enough to miss a few of their kid’s soccer games and their family will resent it.
Likewise, writing takes a certain dedication. You must want it enough to miss movie-night, Aunt Edna’s birthday, whatever. Your family will have to prepare a few meals on their own and your family will resent it. Stand your ground, because if you don’t take your writing-time seriously no one will.
I have friends with far greater talent than I have. They construct clever plots within perfectly written first chapters, but they don’t finish manuscripts. Why? Life distracts them. There is a scripture that loosely paraphrased reads; the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force. If heaven is the New York Times Bestseller List, I want to be that violent man… er, woman.
Now I have heard stories of fabulous husbands and angelic children who step up and support the struggling new writer in their midst, but they must be as rare as unicorns. I’ve yet to see one. This is the first threshold. Cross it if you dare.
But all this peace and love was not totally lost on me. It primed me for the next big youth movement. I became a Jesus Freak. Faith colors my perception of things. What does this have to do with writing you may ask? Well, look at it this way. If I want to raise the dead, heal the sick, open blind eyes that kind of thing takes a dedication I didn’t have then and don’t have now. To do those works, a person is probably going to have to want it badly enough to miss a few of their kid’s soccer games and their family will resent it.
Likewise, writing takes a certain dedication. You must want it enough to miss movie-night, Aunt Edna’s birthday, whatever. Your family will have to prepare a few meals on their own and your family will resent it. Stand your ground, because if you don’t take your writing-time seriously no one will.
I have friends with far greater talent than I have. They construct clever plots within perfectly written first chapters, but they don’t finish manuscripts. Why? Life distracts them. There is a scripture that loosely paraphrased reads; the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force. If heaven is the New York Times Bestseller List, I want to be that violent man… er, woman.
Now I have heard stories of fabulous husbands and angelic children who step up and support the struggling new writer in their midst, but they must be as rare as unicorns. I’ve yet to see one. This is the first threshold. Cross it if you dare.
Tests, Allies and Enemies –
Let’s talk allies.
My RWA chapter’s 25th anniversary celebration is finally in the books. My position as membership director kept me very busy through April and May, but now it is back to business. Again, this makes a nice segue into the next step on this writer’s journey.
Almost as soon as I sat down to write I realized I didn’t know jack. There is no better place in the world to learn than your local chapter of Romance Writers of America. I’m lucky to have several NY Times bestselling authors in my chapter, not to mention RITA winners, RITA finalists, Golden Heart winners, and Golden Heart finalist. These people know their stuff and they are happy to share their knowledge. Wonderful speakers present insightful programs each month, and the chapter sponsors helpful inspiring programs to help me not only finish my manuscript, but make it the best it can be.
“But I don’t write romance,” you say.
Not to worry, the mechanics of great writing are the same in every genre. Just to prove my point, let me share something that happened at our anniversary party. One of the events was speed pitching. Sort of like speed dating, but with a book pitch. We had two acquisition editors, both from the romance genre, and an agent, who primarily represents legal thrillers, in to hear pitches as well a multiple published authors to practice on. A couple of men came as visitors. It didn’t take me long to learn one wrote thrillers and the other fantasy. Bottom-line, I passed this info to our chapter president, who encouraged these guys to pitch to the agent and to the editor from a house I knew had two fantasy imprints. These guys left the meeting with requests for their manuscripts. They may not end up selling, but they’re closer than when they walked into a “romance writers” meeting.
Find a local writers group and get started. You’ll learn things and make friends who share your passion. Remember to give back to your club, volunteer, and run for office. Clubs can’t provide top-notch programs or last for 25th years without an active, involved membership.
My RWA chapter’s 25th anniversary celebration is finally in the books. My position as membership director kept me very busy through April and May, but now it is back to business. Again, this makes a nice segue into the next step on this writer’s journey.
Almost as soon as I sat down to write I realized I didn’t know jack. There is no better place in the world to learn than your local chapter of Romance Writers of America. I’m lucky to have several NY Times bestselling authors in my chapter, not to mention RITA winners, RITA finalists, Golden Heart winners, and Golden Heart finalist. These people know their stuff and they are happy to share their knowledge. Wonderful speakers present insightful programs each month, and the chapter sponsors helpful inspiring programs to help me not only finish my manuscript, but make it the best it can be.
“But I don’t write romance,” you say.
Not to worry, the mechanics of great writing are the same in every genre. Just to prove my point, let me share something that happened at our anniversary party. One of the events was speed pitching. Sort of like speed dating, but with a book pitch. We had two acquisition editors, both from the romance genre, and an agent, who primarily represents legal thrillers, in to hear pitches as well a multiple published authors to practice on. A couple of men came as visitors. It didn’t take me long to learn one wrote thrillers and the other fantasy. Bottom-line, I passed this info to our chapter president, who encouraged these guys to pitch to the agent and to the editor from a house I knew had two fantasy imprints. These guys left the meeting with requests for their manuscripts. They may not end up selling, but they’re closer than when they walked into a “romance writers” meeting.
Find a local writers group and get started. You’ll learn things and make friends who share your passion. Remember to give back to your club, volunteer, and run for office. Clubs can’t provide top-notch programs or last for 25th years without an active, involved membership.
