READING DOES THE WRITER GOOD....

Previously, I shared that I had finally been met with writer's block! I just sucked it up and accepted the fact that I wouldn't be a true writer if I didn't encounter this at some point in my journey of writing my first novel. So, during my 'downtime' phase, I've been reading. I figured if I couldn't write, the least I could do was read!!! I went down to my local library and spent a great deal of time reading excerpts from books by some of my favorite authors, Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, & Debbie Macomber. It's funny because now when I read, I notice things that I didn't notice before. For example, I paid attention to how dialogues were exchanged between characters in each book. I read descriptions of given scenes to see how they were crafted.

Reading books has taken on a whole new meaning because now I am a writer to be. I want to be the next Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks. And if I'm gonna achieve their kind of success then the best way to do that is study their work.

In addition to checking up on my favorite authors, I also visited the non-fiction side of the library and looked at every book they had to offer on writing. I browsed a few and ended up checking out about 6-7 to bring home. One book of particular interest that I've been glued to is called Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. Now whether you are a first-time novelist or seasoned veteran, this book is a great resource to draw from no matter where you are in your writing career. The great thing about it is it has given me an opportunity to find out if what I've written to date is falling within the guidelines and suggestions in the book. At first glance it would seem that without any formal training in the world of fiction novelists, that I'm at least close to the mark. However, the real test will come when I begin pitching my story idea & manuscript to agents & publishers next year.

So...that's about it for now! Hopefully, by next post I'll have shaken off this 'writer's block funk' that I've been in for the past week. I sure hope so because I've got 5 chapters left to write and they won't write themselves!!!!

HELP!! MY PEN IS STUCK!!

It was bound to happen sooner or later! I finally hit that brick wall that I've so often heard talked about that happens to writers. These last few days I've been dealing with a mild case of writer's block.

I'm down to my last 5 chapters and I know basically what those chapters will consist of. After all, I've outlined them for crying out loud and there should be no excuse for this. But of late my flow has been off. The past two nights I've sat down to write and my normal 'words are flowing from me with ease' routine has been halted. The words just won't come. Maybe I'm getting too anxious to finish & I'm pushing myself unnecessarily. I know from my experience of writing over my lifetime that I don't write effectively or very well when I try to force the issue. It never works for me. Some folks can take a writing prompt and off they go, writing to their heart's delight. Not me. I have to FEEL what I'm writing or it just doesn't work.

As I get closer to THE END, I have found myself growing anxious just thinking about the unexpected....the editing process, the feedback I'll get from a few selected readers I've chosen to pre-read my book, and then comes the proposal letter and pitching to publishers, hoping one of them will like my work enough to want to pay me big bucks for it so others will have the opportunity to read it! My heart is literally racing as I write this! I have a funny feeling I have yet to discover the rollercoaster of emotion that will be revealed as this whole process unfolds.

I think I'll take a few days downtime away from the computer to allow myself the opportunity to recharge and re-energize in hopes that it will get the creative juices flowing again. It's important to take care of me first...or there will be no final chapters. Who knows maybe I'll have the remainder of the book cranked out in no time. Stay tuned....

AND SO IT BEGINS!!

Hi! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dawn and I'm an aspiring writer. I use the word aspiring loosely because I have yet to become published. I haven't quite gotten my head around the fact that I transitioned from being an aspiring writer about thirteen months ago when I first put words on paper and began writing my first novel.

My first effort at being a writer came to me when I was a young child, around the age of 9 or 10. I found that I would get 'inner promptings' to write and those urges would not be quelled until I spelled out on paper what dwelled within me. Through the years, I have been told many times that I have a way with words, that I missed my calling, or I should have pursued writing as a career. I never took the accolades or myself too seriously. Maybe it was the fact that life simply got in the way or I never buckled down the way I should have and just tried my hand at it. I had no idea that the day would come when I would be forced to write like I never had before.

That day came in August, 2007. I awoke one morning and literally within minutes of my feet hitting the floor, an idea for a book came to me. It came to me completely out of nowhere. Most any morning the only thing clouding my thoughts upon getting up was my need to use the bathroom and my need for that first cup of coffee, so this completely came from left field. Initially, the thought was just an idea, and like all those times before, I casually put the thought out of my head and proceeded to the kitchen for that cup of coffee I, so looked forward to each and every morning. But that 'inner prompting' bugged me until I had no choice but to finally sit down at my computer (after my 1st cup of coffee) and enter in my thoughts. Those first thoughts or sentences weren't much and I had no idea if they would even lead to anything.

In the days that followed, I could sense a story forming in my head based on those initial thoughts. I always said if I wrote a book, it would be one of those self-help kind, because Lord knows, I'd had enough life experiences of my own that could certainly be shared with others. But contrary to my own beliefs about what I thought I would eventually write about, I found this piece was quickly shaping up to be a literary piece; a novel.

The only thing I had to draw from to create a story was my own life or at best the folks that had graced my life throughout. I truly had no idea outside of those first thoughts, how the story would unfold. I feared I would be at a loss for what to write, but to no avail. The words came, and came, and came. Those first words turned into sentences, that turned into paragraphs, that turned into pages and then chapters.

The amazing thing through this entire process is I have totally felt that I have been a vehicle through which to write this story because of the way it was sent to me. It isn't like I had been contemplating sitting down to write a book prior to that morning back in August, 2007. And as I would write chapters to the book, I never once had to concern myself with how the story would play out as it unfolded. There was no map or outline for future chapters. I just wrote and the words poured out of me to create the story at hand. So, deep within me lies the belief that this book was sent to me from God. I know of no other way to explain it! I say this because of how this has played out from its inception. I've never stressed or wondered about what comes next as it didn't take long once I started writing to realize that each element to the book would come in its own time. After all, my philosophy quickly became if the idea for this book was presented to me, then the rest of the book would be too. All I needed to do is write and be patient. If I had always been prompted to write my entire life, then I would know when it was time to pick up where I left off and continue writing.

Now, I am five chapters away from being through with my very first novel. I read somewhere recently that it was a good idea to blog about your writing. This was suggested for those who have trouble staying on task or fear they won't finish their book and blogging is a way of keeping one honest and accountable in front of the whole world. I dare say I haven't needed a blog to persuade me when I've had prompting from a Higher power keeping me on task! But, I did think it would be fun to blog about my experiences with the whole editing & publishing process. I try not to get nervous about this aspect of the writing process. I have to keep reminding myself that if God gave me the idea for this book & has since given me the idea for a sequel to this book and another book beyond that, then He must have a plan in mind for me to do something with all these ideas beyond just putting them to paper as I have over these last thirteen months. I refuse to believe otherwise. Just as the words have come to me, the rest of the process will to.

So, in the meantime, while I wait for the next part of the process to be revealed to me, I am working to complete the final chapters of my book. I'm so close, yet it feels so far away! Won't you join me in this journey of trials & tribulations over the coming months to becoming a published author. Once my novel is complete, I'll have the battle half won. Now when it is all said & done, if I can just win over a publisher and become the next big name you hear & see in the bookstores....