As of October 21st, 2020, I've been a writer for five years.
This is a crazy accomplishment for me, and it doesn't feel like it's been that long since I started. It seems more like a fever dream than reality. I've grown so much over the last few years and have been given so many great opportunities, and I couldn't be happier with my career thus far. To celebrate, I want to use this week's post to talk about some of the best lesson I've learned about writing for each year of my journey. This is stuff anyone could find helpful, whether you've been writing forever or you're just starting out, so I hope you enjoy! Year 1: Just finish the story. When I was writing my first book, I started writing a couple more along side it. I was able to keep them straight in my head, but every time I divided my attention between all of my other WIPs and whatever new one I started, I felt another small strain on my creativity. I'm not saying starting a new story while working on another is bad. There's nothing wrong with doing that, especially if you're feeling burnt out with your current idea. I recommend doing it sparingly, and write the story you're passionate about. Year 2: Writing as an act of escapism isn't bad. Toward the end of my second year as a writer, I started writing the first Dynasty River Mystery. I thought I wanted to write it to remember my summer working at camp. Now that I'm older and a little wiser, I was writing it out of escapism, not because I hated my job, my bosses, or the people I worked with, but because of one person in particular. I thought it wasn't okay to cope with what I was feeling through writing for a long time. I was very wrong. If I didn't try to understand what I felt through the written word, I don't know where I would be today. It is healthy and therapeutic. Year 3: Kill your darlings. I'd written a Disney adventure book and handed it to a friend in my major to look it over. When she handed back what I'd finished so far of the second draft, she looked at me and said, "Yeah, you need to cut the first three or four chapters." That stung. I'd slaved over this book and put in hours of research and writing time, only to get it thrown back in my face. Now that I'm older, again, I know that it's the second draft. Of course, there are a ton of edits that have to be made. And, now that I'm thinking about it, I really want to work on that manuscript. I might do that when I have time later this semester. Year 4: Be bold. I went to my first writer's conference. At the time, I had six manuscripts under my belt and was shocked when people thought it was weird and impressive that I'd written so much in a short amount of time. Even the editor I'd talked to said it was impressive! What? And, in my boldness, I approached him and showed him the first Dynasty River Mystery (the first few pages of the third draft, to be exact.) And he offered to edit the first chapter of the manuscript! Even now, that still amazes me that he saw potential in my little mystery book. Year 5: Persistence. July 2020, I helped out with Taylor's Professional Writer's conference. It was so much fun, and I got to see some friends in the process. We also had enough open slots for one-on-ones, so I was able to talk to an agent who was there as a lecturer. She and I hit it off very quickly, and I loved talking to her. She wanted me to send her my proposal for Dynasty River Book one, and I did. She said it wasn't quite ready, but she's willing to look at it again. I still can't wrap my mind around it. She wants to see my work again. I'd been pushing this book for a while, and she's interested. Always keep trying, because it will pay off eventually. Looking back over this list, I still can't believe it's only been five years. I wouldn't have gotten to where I am without Taylor's Professional Writing program. If you're interested in learning more about it, click the link here. (It's a shameless plug. I love the department, faculty, and students here, and I want more people to hear about us.) I hope you enjoyed and found this helpful! Comment down below if anything helped you! Keep writing!
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Welp, I definitely meant to give my blog new content last week...
Sorry for the lack of activity over the last two weeks. I, along with the planning committee of the PWR department, are preparing for our Fall Professional Writing Retreat. It's going to be great, but it involves a lot of work, especially from the chair and co-chair (I'm the co-chair this year). That's fine! We're fine. :D I haven't done a update post in a while anyway, so here's what I've been up to:
Also, who's thinking of doing Nano-Wrimo next month? Let me know in the comments! Hope you all have a good week! |
L.P. MetzgerJust a girl with a dream, but you already knew that. Archives
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