Such are the fears of the writer. They’re no different than the fears of anyone embarking on a new journey or dream. The difference, though, is that these fears often continue to stir long after one has achieved success. The book market has been flooded with writers dreaming of becoming famous authors. It seems like everyone wants to write a book. Everyone has a story to tell. As an English teacher, I can’t lie—I find this to be a beautiful thing. I do believe everyone has a story to tell. But, as an aspiring author, the question can become: how do I know if I should even try? What makes MY story so special that it deserves to be published? The answer? You won’t ever know. But how, then, can you know if writing your novel is something you should pursue? Call of the Book
There seem to be so many reasons not to write that book. I know I struggled with them myself when I was writing Voice of Innocence. I felt like I was wasting my time, hours upon hours, on a project that might never see the light of day. I tried to let the excuses creep in, tried to rationalize why I shouldn’t write my story.
But the thing was, I couldn’t just stop. I mean I literally couldn’t. I decided to abandon the book…and it would creep in when I was taking a walk. The characters, the story begged to be finished. I felt like I’d abandoned friends, leaving them hanging in limbo with an uncertain future. I continued to write and then abandon, write and abandon Voice of Innocence for years. All of the fears above wormed their way in. But the call of the book, the need to tell the story, it always won out. I had a student recently talk to me about having a book idea but struggling with whether she should write it. I asked her how and when the idea came to her. It turns out, she came up with it months ago and she just keeps expanding on it in her mind. I told her she should go for it. There is no easy answer to deciding if you should write the book. I can’t give you a formula or an equation or a survey. All I can tell you is that if the pull of the book is strong enough to make you think about it, to make you wonder about it, if it is strong enough to last months if not longer, then go for it. Will you be successful? Will your biggest fears up above come true? It’s possible. But a true writer can’t let that get him or her down. A true writer’s eyes aren’t on the money or the fame. They’re on the story. They’re on finding relief from the uncontrollable stories bouncing around within, leaving him or her restless. So You've Decided to Write Your Book
Congratulations! You’re going to pursue that idea. You’re going to spend hours upon hours crafting your tale. You’re going to send it out to publishers or agents. You’re going to open it up to the world.
The fears, the reserves, they’re gone, right? I’d like to say yes. I’d like to say that once that last word is typed, the fears melt. But they don’t. Writing is a very introspective craft. To put that introspection on a platter and serve it to the world, whether it be to your friends, family, beta readers, publishers, or agents, is tough. In fact, I think once the book is finished, the fears increase tenfold. Suddenly, you’re thinking: 1. Did I write an interesting enough story? 2. Will people pay for my book? 3. What if people think the characters are based on my real life? 4. Do I want people knowing my perspectives on these issues? 5. What if I have typos that are caught? 6. What if no one ever publishes my book? 7. What if the reviewers hate it? 8. What if people make fun of me for this book? 9. What if people don’t get it? The list goes on and on. I’ve had three books published now, and I can say that confidence does come with time. But these fears do still infiltrate my psyche from time to time. They do sometimes taunt me and my writing career dreams. Being a writer is a tough path. There are always questions and doubts, fears and hesitations. But once you commit, once you leap that first hurdle of actually writing your book, I can tell you: it’s worth it. You might never become a bestseller. You might not have thousands of fans. You might not have dozens of five-star reviews. Then again, you just might. Telling a story no one likes or no one buys or no one cares about is not a failure. The only failure in writing is not telling your story in the first place. For more inspiration or to decide if you have what it takes to be a writer, I recommend Stephen King’s On Writing.
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A year can change so much.
One year ago, I'd only been a published author for less than a month. I'd seen my debut novel hit Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I spent countless hours staring at the book on the shelf, Voice of Innocence, that had my name on the cover. A year ago, I didn't call myself an author. I preferred to say, "I'm a writer," or "I like to write," or just smile. Lindsay Detwiler was not synonymous with author, at least in my mind. The word author was reserved for people like Nicholas Sparks or Janet Evanovich or Liane Moriarty. Not small town girls like me. A year ago, I was terrified when someone said they were reading my book. What if they hate it? What if it's not good enough? Doubt plagued me. A year has gone by, though. Now, I'm getting ready to release my third book. I've come into my own of sorts, found my small chunk of ground in the author world. Do I have it all figured out? Hell no. Not even close. Do I still doubt myself? Do I still suffer from a lack of confidence? Sometimes. But in the past year, I've grown so much as a writer, a person, and everything in between. Voice of Innocence was my "Holy S***! This is happening!" book. Without You was my "Holy S***! I can do this for real!" book. Then Comes Love is the book I've always wanted to write. It's the one I've always wanted my name on. As I prepare to share this book with the world, I've been thinking about how much I have changed, about what I've learned. I am the same writer I was, the same girl who wants to show that love stories and women's fiction is powerful. I want to make people laugh and cry in the same book. I want to show the real side of marriage, womanhood, and love. But I'm different too. A year in the publishing world will do that to you. Lessons Learned From a Smalltown Author1. Love the words you write
A year ago, I was so afraid to share my writing with the world. I didn't even tell anyone I'd written a book until it was about to hit shelves.
A year later, and I'm definitely more confident. I don't feel like I'm going to vomit when I think about my book in someone's hands. I've learned to toughen up, to take criticism and grow from it. I've learned that if you write a book every person loves, it's probably not genuine. I've learned like anything in life, some will love you and some will hate you. Ultimately, you have to write for yourself. I don't write because I want to impress anyone. I simply write the stories that beg to be told. I tell about characters who I come to know and love, if only in my head. Do I hope the world loves them and connects with them? You bet. But if not, it's okay. It's not like I have a choice anyway. These are the stories I've been given, these are the stories I have to tell. I couldn't tell them any other way. 2. Success isn't only measured in sales
People love to ask how many copies I've sold. I get it. We live in a society that thrives on quantifiable measures. We thrive to know how many, how much.
But I've learned not to tie my worth as a writer to my sales. We all would love to be bestsellers, it's true. At the end of the day, though, I've had strangers read my stories. I've had people laugh and cry over characters I invented. I've had people in other countries read my words. How does one measure that? How does one say that doesn't matter? I've learned to find solace, to find motivation in elements other than just dollar signs. I want to succeed. I work on marketing and do everything I can to keep my sales up. However, I also don't let them define me. The beauty and power of writing is the ability to connect with another human being through words on a page. If each book only impacts one person, I still feel like it was worth it. 3. To help another is the best part of writing
I think the most wonderful part of this past year deals with the connections I've made because of my writing. I've connected with people in my hometown and in other countries I never would have met if it weren't for my writing. From readers to bloggers to other writers, I've come across so many inspiring people. I've found advice, comfort, laughter, and reassurance in so many people. It's been awesome to see my world grow but also to see it shrink, too.
Moreover, the best part of this journey has been helping to inspire others. Some of my favorite moments in the past year involved talking to teenagers who want to be writers. I've talked to students who want to know what it takes to be a writer. I've talked to teenagers who have been inspired by the fact that little old me, a nobody from a small town, got a book published. I'd like to think I'm able to show them that crazy, wild dreams do come true. It's been great, too, to have a perspective on publishing and share what I've learned about being an author. No matter what field you are in, giving back and helping others is an awesome feeling. I've been blessed to help inspire other young writers around me to go for their dreams, put their pen to paper, and just go for it. I hope that as my journey continues, I can continue to help even more people achieve their writing goals. 4. You can't do it alone.
Many writers are introverts by nature. We look internally for comfort and companionship.
I've learned, though, that writing might be an introspective activity, but being an author is not. You have to come out of your shell. From book signings to just talking to someone on the street who wants to know about your book, you have to be a little social. It's been good for me, though. It's forced me to come out of my shell. Because of this, I've also been able to find what drives people, what connects with people, what resonates with them. I think it's made me a better, more realistic writer. More importantly, though, I've realized how blessed I am to have such an amazing support system. My parents come to every event, put signs up in their yard, and tell everyone about my books. My husband puts magnets on his truck and wears his T-shirt about my book everywhere. He's there to reassure me when I feel like a failure or on those hard days of criticism or rejection. I have so many friends who have been there for me. From attending author events to being the first to review my books to simply believing in me, I am so blessed to have such a great support system. Thank you to all of my friends, co-workers, and fans who have helped me grow as a writer and gain confidence. I couldn't do this without you. In short, I've learned in this past year that writing is truly a roller coaster. There are certainly times when it is frustrating, when you ask yourself if it is worth all of the late nights and tired eyes and second guessing. In the past year, though, I've learned that for me, it is, without a doubt, worth it. I've lived my wildest dreams this past year. It hasn't been perfect, and I still have a lot to learn. But I think anytime you're living your wildest dream, it's worth it. So I keep writing. Apparently, our shower has writing power. I had signed the contract for my first novel Voice of Innocence and was standing in the shower one summer day. Between the shampooing and the rinsing process, the idea for Without You came to me. Fast forward to the next summer. Again, I found myself in the shower, perhaps conditioning this time. As the steam filled my lungs, the character of Charlotte came to me. I imagined her to be a mixture between my own late grandmother—who was obsessed with bingo and cats—and a spunky Betty White. She loved yellow and, despite her age, was super outgoing. From there, the idea to write about Charlotte as well as her daughter and granddaughter came to me. I always write in multiple perspectives, but usually only two. Why not three? Then Comes Love was born. From the beginning, I knew this book would be different. I wanted it to have the same realism I pride myself on, but I also wanted there to be a touch of humor. If you’ve ever spent time with the elderly or in some sort of community for the elderly, you know humor is definitely a part of the life. My grandfather is currently ninety-three…and we have had many humorous moments with him. Life in an assisted living center, a retirement community, or even a nursing home can be a crazy experience.I wanted to focus on that. I also wanted to focus on the idea of identity and loss. My characters in this book are thirty-two, fifty, and eighty, but all three are struggling with figuring out who they are at their respective life stage. So often, we believe that by a certain age, our lives become solidified. We expect a smooth sailing, routine path. This is often not the case. No matter how old you are, you will face doubts, changes, and struggles to figure out what you want. My three characters experience all of these feelings. Finally, I’ve written a lot about first loves. This is probably because I married my first love. I have absolutely no experience with second loves. So that was why I wanted to write about second loves. I have friends and loved ones who have had second loves. I’ve heard about the conflicting emotions, the complications in opening your heart again. Whether you lost your first love by choice, by death, or by other circumstances, moving on to a second love brings its own set of complications. I wanted to highlight that second love is sometimes more difficult than first loves…but also sometimes more beautiful. Voice of Innocence was my pipe dream, the book I thought would never get published. Without You was my confidence booster. It allowed me to see that I could really do it again. Then Comes Love is the book I’ve always wanted to write. Thanks to Hot Tree Publishing, I will now get to share it with you. I cannot wait to share these characters with you. Don’t tell my other books, but this one is truly my absolute favorite. Check out my Facebook page to stay up to date on cover reveals, contests, and release information.
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