Writing for the Love

I continue to submit my novel, Sprinter , in hopes of receiving word that someone wants to help me publish it. In an earlier post, I talked about waiting. Yes, I’m still waiting. While I wait, I wanted to clarify why I write. Simply put, I write because I love it. I love the actual feel of pen to paper. Especially a really good pen and a new journal with a decorative cover. The cover helps me decide what type of story I will write. I have filled journal after journal, which are now stacked in my bookshelf. Granted, typing is faster, but I enjoy reverting to my pen. I also write because I have a gift, though the gift doesn’t exclude all the hard work of attempting publication. My imagination gives me vivid pictures that beg to spill onto a blank page. Thank you, God, for that blessing. I am a writer, therefore I write. I write as often as I can, and as much as I can produce at a time. I continue to pursue writing as a career, but the statistics have spoken, and many writers stil...

Tonight, I read a segment from Sprinter , my inspirational women's fiction novel, at the Florida Writers Association meeting.  I heard a few very nice comments from listeners, and I look forward to more, whether nice or not.  I want it all! For anyone who would like to comment on my reading, please do so here. It's amazing how practice helps, even in something like reading my writing to an audience.  This is the second time I have stood up front at an FWA meeting, and it really does get easier. We had a wonderful speaker tonight, Nancy, from Books At Park Place.  If you live in St. Pete, I hope you will visit the store in Disston Plaza on 38th Ave N & 49th St N. I failed to follow my once-a-month pattern of blogging, but December was simply too crazy for me.  I'll make up for it by blogging twice for January. One tip that I've found very helpful along the reading aloud lines: be sure to read your own writing aloud to yourself.  It's a great ...

Job 6:11~ "What strength do I have, that I should still hope?  What prospects, that I should be patient?" When the Lord wants to teach me patience, he makes me wait. My response reveals how patient I am, or perhaps how patient I am not.  And I have nothing like Job's excuse. The FWA conference is over, and it was such an affirming and refreshing time, as always. This is my third year attending, and the sessions were wonderful and helpful. I was able to pitch Sprinter to two agents and a publisher. The first agent, it turns out, doesn't take Christian fiction, but I got to practice my pitch and move on. The Christian publisher was interested in my story and took some of my chapters. The Christian agent forwarded my chapters to her new agent who wasn't at the conference, and she emailed me to confirm that she would be reading soon. I'm extremely excited that two people are considering  Sprinter . In the meantime, I am waiting. Part of me wants t...

On Tuesday, I technically finished my novel, Sprinter . I still have editing to do over the next eight days for my pitch at the FWA Conference, but I'm very excited to finally have the story done. The editing will involve tightening up sentences, making sure I don't have loose ends that I left unresolved, and grammar checks. The story as it is will not likely change unless, in the future, an editor/agent/publisher who wants the book recommends it. I'd like to think I'm open to an editor's judgment. I have had the vision of the entire novel in my head for about two and a half years now. When it first came to me, I created a broad outline detailing beginning, middle and end. With the novel complete, I am happy with how the story reads. The trick--will an agent agree? About the book...my pitch in a nutshell: A thirty-six year-old woman named Riley lives an angry and embittered existence fourteen years after Darlene Sprinter, her mother, is murdered at the...

My husband thinks I'm a crazy person. Just at the moment, not usually. Right now, I'm inclined to agree with him. Since the last post, I have been writing/submitting day in and day out. Another rejection came in for the fantasy short story I mentioned a few posts ago. A huge blessing, however, as the kindly assistant editor gave fantastic feedback. And she was right! I'm re-editing accordingly. My nightstand looks shameful to me right now. The stack of reading includes a novel and two literary mags. Two writing journals sit somewhere in the stack, but my Bible is at the bottom. At first, I thought, shame! I obviously haven't been in the Word because my current reading sits above it. Then I realized, no, I don't serve a God of shame. So I picked up the Bible and moved it to the top of the pile where it waits for me to finish posting and come read prior to bed. It's no excuse, but I have been in high gear with no break pedal. I finally signed u...

The St. Petersburg branch of FWA meets at the main library once a month. Our last meeting, we had the privilege of hearing Ron Riekki, author of U.P. (website: http://rariekki.webs.com/) talk about being a writer and being successful. His words pushed me, encouraged me, and made me cringe thinking about what I should be doing, but wasn’t doing yet. He strives to write something (poem, short story, etc), every day. He strives to submit something (poem, short story, etc) every day. When he described the person who submits their one novel, then checks their snail or email again and again, and then becomes devastated by rejection, it sounded familiar. If a writer is submitting every day, he said, the rejections may start piling in your inbox or mailbox, but the acceptances will start coming eventually, too. Then the rejections won’t be so devastating because the writer won’t be hanging in the balance with their one novel. Another recommendation he made for those serious about writing...

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NAS) YES. That blessed word. After three rejections, I finally got to hear it. Reading the FWA email (“Your piece has been selected”) caused the yes to resound in my mind with the accompaniment of bells ringing and trumpets bleating. I had to leap from my seat to let out the yes, raise my hands in victory with the family members present, and we celebrated my first short story publication. As for the three rejections, I mentioned the poetry one in the last entry. Then my fantasy short story came back with a note: “This piece didn’t grab my attention.” Thanks to some friendly advice (Hea!), I’m reworking that piece and will try submitting again. Lastly, a flash fiction piece I entered in a contest did not win. The yes email came from the Florida Writers Association (FWA). I am an active member, and only members could submit to their latest publication. Last year, they put out a collection of sixty short sto...