(I'm dedicating this blog to every writer who complains about getting started or maintaining your current pace...)
I recently attended my 30th high school reunion this weekend. The big question I got from classmates, what do I do for a living? I kinda cracked up because most people who attended the reunion had seen my articles in our newspaper, read my column in another newspaper, and heard about my books. Yet, they still couldn't believe that I wrote for a living.
I had a classmate who asked me how I could do it. I explained to him that you have to make the time. As a mom of two (almost) teens, I told him that usually means I'm writing for two hours in the morning or writing after 10 p.m. He told me that other projects consumed his time so he couldn't do it. I replied, "If you want to finish your book, you're going to have to make it your priority."
See a book won't write itself. Besides writing, it is important to read. When I write a novel, I'm usually reading a writer in my genre and I'm reading/study the work. How sentences are written, the novel's flow, and studying characters.
I also read books about writing.
Over the summer, I get up earlier than my kids and write for about two-three hours every morning. I sometimes dream my character's dialogue. I keep lots of paper by my bed. I read lots of magazines looking for catchy or beautiful words and phrases.
I write women's fiction/romance. I love it, but I've made my stuff more modern. No one is in distress in my stories. The women are strong and aren't afraid to show their soft side; neither are the men. In my mind, when I say I'm going to write for two hours...I do. I know I won't get this time back.
Writing isn't a sprint ...it's a marathon. Crafting, tweaking, editing and rewriting are what you have to do to win the race. Each day, I chip away at my task. My first book took me 2 1/2 years to finish and six years to publish. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I gave birth to my first literary baby. I'm expecting my third baby next year. I already know it's another girl and have her name picked out, Pin Pals.
Writing is not for the faint of heart. It's the toughest thing, I have ever done. I'm doing it again. I know the course to take and have an idea how long it will take. The only thing I can't take... being classified as a Harlequin Romance Writer.
Posted By: Marsha Jones
Wednesday, October 6th 2010 at 11:04AM
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