By
Sandra Wilkins
Recently, a friend complimented me on having three published books. I
tried to blow it off—after all I’m only a home schooling mom without a
college degree to my name—but she stopped me. She was fascinated and even
slightly daunted by the fact that I had actually begun a story and completed
it. That made me wonder what makes a published author different from a
wanna-be author. The only thing I could come up with is that I wasn’t
afraid to try. I wasn’t scared to write it. And, I wasn’t put off
by the rejections that came my way when I first tried to find a
publisher.
The empty, white, first page of a book isn’t unnerving for me. Instead,
it’s a blank canvas on which I can create a new world. I’m not one who
has the entire story plotted out when I begin, but I know my characters and I
have thought of scenes here and there. As I try to connect the dots, more
and more ideas surface. I won’t say that every day these beautiful scenes
unfold effortlessly. There are times when I have to take a break from the
story to regroup and get more ideas. It does take determination and
dedication to keep plugging along.
I want to encourage anyone who wants to be an author, to just get
started. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It won’t be. Get your
ideas written down. Edit later. Add content and take away what
doesn’t work. You might be able to use it another time. All you
have to do is begin…and polish your little gem until it shines.
Sandra Wilkins is busy writing another series while home educating
her two daughters. Ada’s Heart, Rose’s Hope and Gwen’s Honor
are her first three published wholesome historical romances. Go to www.sandrawilkins.com to find out more about
her and her books.
This is an excellent piece of advice. Thank you for the encouraging word to us wanna-be authors. :)
ReplyDeleteSandra, I couldn't agree more. Perseverance is the key. Writing skills are built like muscles. You use what you have and push them a little further every day. I know when I let life get in the way and don't write for a few days (sometimes longer), it's so hard. I have to admit I am a little unnerved by the blank page/screen at the beginning of each chapter, but I've learned to start putting words there - any words. They can always be changed.
ReplyDeleteYes, persistence is indeed key. Thanks for sharing your excellent advice.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, I was assigned to introduce a lovely (and very important) publishing person at an event. When I got her bio from her assistant, I had second thoughts, but, of course, I couldn't back out. Minutes before I was supposed to step onto the podium, I confessed my misgivings to her. "Here I am," I told her, "a nobody with my little high school diploma and a couple of romances under my belt about to introduce YOU, this dynamo with half a dozen degrees from the world's best universities, houses in major cities all over the world, and more accomplishments than I can ever hope to achieve." She took my shaking hands and said, "Never put yourself down for what you don't have or didn't do in life. Because you do something I can never do. You tell wonderful stories! I'm in publishing because I love books, but I could *never* write one. I envy you that talent." I never forgot that advice. Every time we put words on the page, we do something many people will never achieve! It's our calling, and it's something we should be proud of. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteThe saying is something like - writing is staring at a blank page until beads of blood accumulate on your brow. How true.
ReplyDeleteBut then again my Dad, the smartest man in the universe always told me keep trying. If you are trying, you haven't failed.
You folks - and this blog - just make my heart smile! What a lovely group of people and from one homeschooling mom/writer to another homeschooling mom/writer, I KNOW what you accomplish in the course of a day. You ROCK!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes find it hard to believe I have three published novels. The most fun I have writing is when I've written a chapter that I think is not-so-good only to read it over the next day with a fresh eye and find that it sounds pretty darn great. Enjoyed your blog.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly my writing style too, Sandra. I jump in with a few half formed ideas and a character or maybe two, and go for it. Book 15 is coming out in May so it works for me.
ReplyDeleteI've met a number of wannabe writers over the years who seem to be almost suffocating in the weight of 'how to' books and writing technique books, grammar books and advice books. Apart from a natural desire to write stuff I've picked up my knowledge along the way, dipping into books in search of something specific but mainly attending RWAustralia conferences and other writing workshops here and there.
My lack of knowledge didn't stop me pouring words onto the page for my very first book though. One last thing I will say is I always finish the book I start which is why, when I was published after 6 years of trying, I had a big backlist ready for tweaking and firing off to my publisher.
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ReplyDeleteYes, yes, and yes, again. I think you've put your finger right on the difference: persistence, a willingness to experiment, and the refusal to let rejections defeat you!
ReplyDelete