My middle-grade novel, The Mystery at Moz Hollow (first in a series of three) is making its way into the big, wide world of editors and publishers – the great “out there.” It’s polished, shined, and ready to be presented to the world. It reminds me of historical novels where a young girl has her “coming out” party – where she is presented as an eligible and desirable member of society. Yes, moose play a significant role in the story!
So, now I have my feet in two camps. I’m querying, submitting, and sending. I’m also outlining the second book and grabbing the ideas that are swirling around in my head for the third. Some days I question moving forward until I hear about the fate of the first. I sink into that defeatist thinking – if they don’t want the first one, what’s the point of continuing on with the other two? But the writer in me can’t rest, so I focus on moving forward while I fantasize about the fate of the first book.
As I question my abilities and the fate of the first book, and outline/dream about the next two, I give myself small, guaranteed writing successes in the form of blog-writing. It may sound trivial and “fluffy,” but it’s a reaffirmation and confidence-booster for me. I have this WordPress account where I can write about anything that I want, for as long as I want. It’s a great writing exercise, I know they will be published, someone will read them, and perhaps provide some feedback to what I’ve written. I just finished one about the bookshelves in my house. It may sound like a weird topic, but it ended up being a thought-provoking, emotional piece. Sometimes you never know where your writing will take you. I love that about writing.
I also blog on Twitter. I pick and choose what I tweet, and to whom – I’m not a random person. But the interesting thing I’ve learned through tweeting is how to condense my thoughts and reactions to 140 characters. It’s great editing practice! It helps me get to the point in my longer works.
I write blogs for the Outlander Cast Blog. Any Outlander-obsessed fans out there? These pieces are more structured and go through an approval process, so I am focused in a different realm, with a different set of criteria. Right now I’m working on a collaborative piece, which I’ve never done, and am really enjoying.
I guess the point I’m trying to make (I’ll make this statement about myself because I can’t speak for anyone else) is that I am a writer and I can’t stop writing. Sure, it would be easier to just turn off the computer, work on other things, or just watch TV. But there’s something inside me that won’t let me rest until I’ve gotten whatever it is out of my brain and shared with the rest of the world.
Every Day Writer 