While
attempting to declutter my office--to make room for more necessary things--I
came across a box of cassette tapes of workshops given by some of my favorite
authors. There was a time when I
did not get in my car unless I had a cassette to listen to while driving. Times have certainly changed for me
because now I get in my car for silence.
The beautiful, though temporary, silence. That box of cassettes got me thinking about what else has
changed for me as a writer. I
began writing in the early nineties--not that long ago, I know--but I work so very differently now.
See if you can relate to any of these obsolete activities.
1. I knew librarians not only at my branch
but other branches, too. I often
asked for help locating material for a topic I was researching. (Well, I still know my local librarian's names but they don't point me in the same direction they once did). Back then, the source for research
usually started with one of the big sets of encyclopedias. Now libraries don't carry these bulky
sets.
2.
I typed on a typewriter that had ribbons that needed to be replaced when the
ink ran dry. We were poor (which is why I had an old typewriter) so I
always rewound the ribbon and gave it a second, sometimes third, life before I replaced it. Read fellow
author Sheila Claydon's experience about typing her first manuscript.
3.
I befriended the copy store staff.
I even had an account because I made so many copies they gave me a
discount. Don't forget we didn't
have multifunction printers in our homes.
Copies of chapters for critique groups, contest entries, and manuscripts
had to be made at a copy store.
4.
I befriended post office staff. In
those days manuscripts had to be mailed along with an SASE (self-addressed-stamped-envelope). The post office staff always inquired
on what I was writing and mailing out, and I put one or two of them in my
stories.
5. Another
thing I did was wait for the telephone to ring. Email wasn't invented yet so writers either got a rejection
letter by mail or an offer by telephone.
This hopeful writer waited by the telephone, not the mailbox.
6.
I never had to think about book promotion. This is a state I miss most about the early days of my writing
career. I just focused on
writing. What a novel
concept.
7.
I had a drink. If a rejection
letter did arrive I would have a cocktail such as a frothy, salt-rimmed
margarita and I called a dear friend for moral support and to commiserate with. Oh, wait. I still do that.
Popular
romance author Leigh Michaels shares the nostalgia of her first home office (clickhere). How about you? What has changed in your writing life
since you first started writing? Share in the comments below.
Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted
to be a writer. She loves telling stories and she's
happiest when creating new characters and new plots. She is also the
writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries. Avalon Books and Montlake Romance
published Victoria's fiction debut, The
Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist). Her other fiction book is a
collection of romance short stories titled, The
Substitute Bride. Visit
Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com
for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page at http://amzn.com/e/B0046CG6PQ or connect
with her on Pinterest at: http://www.pinterest.com/ByVictoriaJ
and Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ByVictoriaJ
