Straight Talk on Writing: Committing to Sincerity in Literature
I'm spilling the beans here, 'cause I've got a shit-ton to confess. The past nine goddamn months have been a God-awful struggle, but ya know what? It's all been worth it for my writing development. Growing up, I'd spout off about wanna be a published writer, but I never did sh*t to make it happen beyond scribbling half-assed stories that I'd never finish or even bother to edit. In adulthood, I got myself a Creative Writing degree, started schmoozing at writing conferences, and even landed a gig at a magazine, but I was still fuck-all close to finishing a full manuscript or making any real progress towards publication. I was all talk and no action, baby.
At the end of 2017, I was about done with feeling like a failure, and I knew I'd never publish my goddamn fiction unless I made some serious changes. So, I decided it was time to get off my ass and make things happen.
I started submitting my work left and right. Won a "first chapter" critique service from the badass author, Michaelbrent Collings, at the end of that year. Winning that critique service was one of the best things to ever happen to my writing. Submitted my work-in-progress, The Wielder's Assassin, and saw a massive improvement in my craft as I applied his feedback. Carried his redline packet with me for months, using it as a handy guide every time I sat down to write.
I fiddled with a few more things after that. Threw a flash fiction story at Young Writers of the Future the following summer and didn't make it to the winner's circle, but it felt fucking fantastic to take a risk and actually submit something. Continued work on The Wielder's Assassin before getting distracted by a shiny new project for National Novel Writing Month 2018.
I missed the mark on completing National Novel Writing Month in 2018. But, I wasn't really trying that hard to make the word counts either. I was newly wed and super excited to be married to my best friend. Got a good start, though, with an awesome beginning and an incredible idea. Committed myself to continuing to work on my story through the coming months.
Storymakers First Chapter Contest
Came across an advertisement online for the Storymakers first chapter contest happening in May the following year. After some sleuthing, I learned everyone, winner or not, received feedback on their entry from the contest judges, who were editors from some of the publishing houses attending the conference. Remembering my experience with Michaelbrent, I wanted that same feedback for this manuscript.
Got brave and decided to get some feedback on my first chapter from trusted pals. Worked my ass off revising and incorporating their feedback. Learned a lot about what my first chapter was communicating and the promises it made to my audience. Ultimately, didn't win anything in the contest, but getting a taste of the beta reader experience was fucking enlightening. Also received some super encouraging feedback from the judges overall and it helped me feel confident and excited to finish my story and get published.
The Storymakers Writing Conference
To enter the First Chapter Contest, I needed to attend the Storymakers Conference for at least one day. Signed up for a bunch of panels on the final day so that I could be at the awards luncheon the conference put on.
The panels were great, but what really hit home was a critical aha! moment during a class taught by author Jeff Wheeler, a prolific writer who churns out multiple books a year. In his panel, he compared writing to laying tile in a kitchen. When laying tile, you need to work on it little by little every day, or you'll never get it done. A lot of days, it's a drag, repetitive, a pain in the ass, and you don't have the motivation to do it, but if you don't put in consistent work, the kitchen never gets finished.
This shit resonated with me. One of my main problems with writing had been developing that fucking critical writing habit. I'd write sporadically when I could fit it in and never made time for it outside of NaNoWriMo. Swore to myself that I'd stop that shit and actually fucking finish a novel this time.
It took me a while to get my shit together on the writing habit, but by August that year, I'd made some significant progress. Had written most days and felt like I was making progress on my manuscript. Knew I was really close to finishing part one of my story and needed a little push to take me to the next level.
So, I took my first stab at outlining.
It was fucking scary, messy, but I slapped some spaghetti on the wall and hoped for the best. After that, it was a lot easier to see how close I was to finishing part one. Made a goal to finish part one by October 31st so I could draft part two during National Novel Writing Month.
Tried like a mofo to finish part one in that amount of time. Felt like the universe was working against me, but I managed to fucking do it. Finished the narrative for the rest of part one and left myself open to write part two.
Already talked about my experience during NaNo last year, but I wanna drive home the biggest lesson I learned: I am capable of more than I think I am. Had some goddamn shitty moments throughout that whole thing, but somehow the plot progressed. The end of NaNo brought significant progress towards the ending of my story and I was left thinking, I might actually finish my first goddamn manuscript next year.
This journey has not been easy. Has been loaded with self-doubt, tears, anxiety, writer's block, and occasionally depression. Have to fucking fight to keep that shit at bay.
But I'm doing the fucking thing. The thing I've been talking about for years and years and YEARS. Gonna finish this goddamn manuscript. So, here's my commitment to you: My goal is to have my manuscript done by the end of March and be able to share some fucking details about what I've been secretly working on for 18 months.
Stay tuned!
What's a dream you've wanted to chase, but haven't been able to bring yourself to do it? Let me know in the comments below!
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Participating in novel writing and education-and-self-development opportunities contributed significantly to my personal growth. I realized that I needed to take action towards my dream of becoming a published writer after realizing my lack of progress despite having a Creative Writing degree and attending writing conferences.
In addition to writing regularly, I sought feedback and guidance from knowledgeable individuals, such as Michaelbrent Collings and trusted pals, for career-development purposes. Their input was crucial in honing my craft and improving my novel writing.
