What I've Learned About Writing and Where I Go From Here

I put this in my newsletter but then I decided to put it in my blog too because, fuck it. Why not?

I’ve been working on the outline for my latest novel which will be a southern gothic horror Young Adult/Adult crossover. It is set in rural Louisiana and follows two different timelines, one in 1957 and the other in 1982. I don’t want to give too much away as I am still fleshing everything out, but I can tell you that there will be some cult activity and supernatural elements.

I pulled Locust Creek from submissions because I decided that it was not quite ready to be published. It happens sometimes and, from what I’ve heard, it’s all a part of the process. I’ve sent it back to beta readers and will be making my edits once I’ve received all of their feedback. Am I disappointed? The short answer, yes but it is what it is. This is my first novel, and I’ve learned a lot from it.

One thing I’ve learned, about myself as a writer, is that I tend to jump the gun on my projects. I’ve learned that I need to slow down and take my time during the outlining and development process. Even though I've gone through what seems like a billion editing passes, Locust Creek still needs at least one more. The point is, when you think you’ve finished, go ahead and give it at least one more look. Beta readers are a blessing, take care of them. They are lifesavers.

I’ve also learned that querying is not for the weak. If you’re a seasoned writer, you probably already know. If you aren’t, you better grow some thick skin because you are going to get a LOT of rejections whether your manuscript is good or not. You will start to question yourself and your writing abilities and there will be days that you want to set your fucking computer on fire. Don’t.

It’s the same for most of us, even the good writers get rejected. I know it’s hard to stay positive when you are swimming in a sea of, “Dear (insert your name here) I’ve read your manuscript and I’m sorry to say…) but you have to. You have to because someone needs your book.

Another lesson, find a good editor. Make sure you check their credentials and look to see what other books they’ve edited. When you find one, find one who edits your genre. This will make life so much easier. Editors that edit in your genre know the industry standards for your genre and the most common tropes and how to use them and how not to use them, etc. Trust me.

Have patience, like a fucking ton of it. I think this is the hardest part for me because I’ve been writing for years now. Yes I’ve published a few short stories and poems and yes that was fun, but a writing career takes years to build. YEARS.

It doesn’t happen overnight. Now, I’m not saying it can’t happen overnight, some people are just so fucking talented, and all the damn stars align and they find their agent on the first query and they sacrificed their soul to the dark goddess and . . . yeah, their shit blew up in what seemed like overnight. That’s awesome but it doesn’t happen like that for the majority of writers, even the good ones.

I know a lot of this advice has probably been said over and over but I’ll keep saying it because it’s good advice. Take it from the writers who’ve been there. We’d all love to see our queries accepted by our top choice agent and our books picked up by one of the big five and make The New York Times’ best seller list.

We’d all love a six-figure book deal and movie deal and enough royalties that we never have to work our day jobs again. That's the dream right? Some of us may work hard and be lucky enough to achieve that dream. Some of us may work hard and only a handful of people ever read our work. The industry is a fickle bitch that way.

What is my dream? I’d love to make enough money to quit my day job. I don’t have to have millions. Just enough so that I never have to work for someone else ever again. Even if that doesn’t happen, I just want people to read my writing, especially women and girls. I want to make a difference in someone's life. I want to be the author that thirteen or fourteen- or fifteen-year-old me needed back then.

I want to make others feel less alone, like they belong somewhere. I want to let the other weirdos out there know that it's okay to be weird. I want to let young girls know that it's okay to be unconventional and that they don't have to conform to the patriarchal norms. I want middle-aged women to know that it's okay to have wrinkles and love handles and a fupa and not weigh a hundred and twenty pounds. I want them to know it's okay to divorce your abusive husband or boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever.

My goal is to help women and girls find their courage and maybe through my writing find more myself. I want to learn everything I can and become a better writer every day. I want to write something that makes you cry and curse and scream and throw the book across the room. I want to burn down the patriarchy with my fucking words.

In short, I want to find freedom through my writing, and I want every other woman and girl to find the same.