A funny thing
happened on the way to publication. That’s this month’s writing prompt. Well…for
the life of me, I can’t think of a single “funny” thing that happened.
Perturbing, frustrating, heart-breaking, humiliating, wonderful, unbelievable,
holy-cow-I’m-gonna-explode-I’m-so-happy—now those
words come to mind when I look over my writing journey.
For me, the main
message that emerges when I think back is that if you want to be a writer, you
better be resilient, cautious, adventurous, selectively inquisitive, and patient.
And perhaps, most important of all, don’t expect your writing experience to be
like anyone else’s.
Before my first
book was published, I tried for years (seemed like eons) to find an agent. I
got enough “I just don’t feel a connection to your story” letters to wallpaper
my entire house—twice. But then, I finally received a rejection where the agent
told me, “You don’t need an agent for this story. Submit to some of the small
presses and go ebook with it.” Bless her generous advice-giving heart! I
submitted the book to The Wild Rose Press and after a bazillion revisions under
the tutelage of a wonderfully talented and patient editor, they published it! Beyond
a Highland Whisper was born.
Then I won RT Book
Review’s Writing with the Stars contest and published Eternity’s Mark with
Kensington. That process was a rollercoaster ride of gut-wrenching highs and
lows. But I learned a lot.
Then I heard about
Loveswept, a digital only imprint for Penguin Random House. I’m an Outlander
fanatic aka time travel back to the Highlands addict and I had an idea for this
series…so I pitched it through Loveswept’s website and they loved it! That’s
how my four book Highland Hearts series found a home.
So far, I’ve
worked with three publishers: one small press, and two traditional houses. I
still don’t have an agent. After being laid off from my day job of twenty-nine
years, I’m toying with some other writerly options to pursue.
I guess what I’ve
really discovered along this bumpy road is that everyone’s writing path is
different and the only time that’s a bad thing is when you compare your path to
someone else’s and get upset because your results aren’t the same. Stay focused
on your path. It’ll keep the “nauseating crazies” away and let you write the
stories that can only be written by you.
Maeve’s Bio:
No one has the
power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them. That’s Maeve
Greyson’s mantra. She and her hubby of nearly thirty-eight years were stationed
all over while in the U.S. Air Force before returning to their five-acre wood
in rural Kentucky where she writes about her beloved Highlanders and the sassy
women who tame them.
Find out more about Maeve at these places on the web:
7 comments:
Great advice, Maeve! I enjoyed your post.
I love this blog and all the interesting authors I am meeting. Some great advice.
This is very sage advice, Maeve. Writers often drive themselves to distraction comparing themselves and their careers to other writers. This is a crazy business. We need to focus on our own careers instead.
Very well said, Maeve. I think the writer's natural fear of "I'm not good enough" get's the best of them. And they feed that fear by comparing to others. Good timing on this as the new year begins and so many writers have their hopes very high.
Thanks for sharing your journey. A fellow author was the one who directed me to try small presses for my work too.
I totally agree with you, Maeve. We each have our own journey and the truth is we can do something exactly like another author and not get the same results. Staying focused on writing the best book we can using the writing process that works best for us is the most outwardly peaceful way forward. I say "outwardly peaceful way forward" because I do believe that we need to have emotions within ourselves as we write. Those emotions drive our story forward and bring our characters to life.
Glad you have the time to pursue other writerly pursuits.
Wonderful advice! It's hard not to compare yourself to other authors, especially if most of your writing friends have gone on to be published and you're still toiling away with your first novel.
I'm trying to focus on the journey of writing the best novel I can, rather than stress myself out over getting published as quickly as possible.
Thanks for sharing.
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