“The only way to truly fail as a writer is to stop writing.”
–Jacob M. Appel
This is my first book, and writing it has been a 9 year journey. I started writing in November 2012 with Nanowrimo.org — National Novel Writing Month, using ideas of settings and plots that had percolated in my head for many years. The premise of Nanowrimo is to write 50,000 words without editing in one month, November. Just let the ideas flow! I joined writing groups at my local library, and wrote almost every day, whether I wanted to or not. I successfully accomplished that goal for November, but had many more words to go. Over the next several years, I continued to write until the book reached over 100,000 words. I find it difficult to write directly to the computer, so I wrote with pen and paper, re-read and edited the previous day’s work, then typed it into the computer.
I next used a program called AutoCrit to help me edit. I highly recommend this program. It points out common writing pitfalls such as passive sentences, too many adverbs, repetitious phrases, etc. Editing is a tedious, but necessary process.
A developmental editor I hired pointed out areas of the plot that needed work. It’s scary to let someone criticize your words! But she made good observations, resulting in another year of writing and more chapters. Her second look at the manuscript was encouraging, and I utilized many of her suggestions.
I am told that publishers these days only want to print sure-fire best sellers and that most of the publicizing of a book is done by the author. Writers no longer can submit a manuscript directly to the publisher and must first find an agent to accept the their work. Then the agent shops the book around to publishers. The process can take years, and there is no guarantee the work will ever be published.
So, I chose the route of self-publishing. The writing of this book is a bucket-list item for me. It will be my only book, and while I hope people enjoy it and it sells well, I am happy to say I have reached my goal and can cross it off my list. In reading the proofs before the final publishing of the paperback book and the eBook, I asked myself, “Did I write this? It’s pretty good!” Obviously, my opinion is biased.
I hope you like the book. Thank for your interest!
