SO YOU WANT TO WRITE

7. February 2010 by admin.

Writing is a lonely profession. When I started writing, back in October 2007, I was employed fulltime, had watched one son graduate college and the other survive a stint in Iraq. I hadn’t planned to write fulltime. I am a voracious reader. Harlequin paperbacks filled my library.  Mystery series by Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich joined them. But it wasn’t until the week my youngest son came home on leave that the floodgates in my mind opened and a story tumbled out.

My first attempt at writing a ‘real’ book turned out to be a contemporary romance. It took one month to write. Boy was I naive. Like a fish out of water, I bought a book on formatting (Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger) and a book listing agents and publishers. I could have learned so much more by joining ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA (www.RWAnational.org).  I submitted my self-edited, formatted by-the-book manuscript’s query letters to several agents and Harlequin Publishing (www.eharlequin.com). I remember the feeling of shock and awe when Harlequin requested to read my full manuscript. Their letter soothed my reaction to dozens of earlier rejection letters.

Unfortunately, they also rejected my book. I stashed it away. Did I stop writing? No. Did I still see a future in it? Yes! What I did next was join the Romance Writers of America, and write another book. I attended a local chapter’s all-day workshop featuring two well-known authors. Due to my work schedule, I was never able to attend the chapter’s monthly meetings.

Then we sold our home in central New Hampshire (right before the bust) and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. By November 2008 I had completed three full manuscripts. I now reside only eight miles from my local RWA chapter’s meeting place( www.heartofcarolina.org ). The members have helped fuel my ambition and get me excited to succeed. I also joined an on-line writing group for mystery, suspense, and crime-fighting novelists (www.SistersInCrime.com).

Writing does NOT have to be a lonely profession. There are various groups out there, including dozens available on-line. Having someone to talk to, to listen to, to ask questions of, to respect your opinions, etc. is priceless.  I plan to post more chapters relating to writing on this blog with more writing tips and useful websites. Have a question? I invite you to either make a comment or e-mail me.

Nancy Lee Badger

Posted in my thoughts | 5 Comments »