My thinking when I started this blog was that I am new
enough in the writing and publishing world I could be transparent about what I
experience. My hope was to expose the ins and outs of what I am doing so others
would be encouraged to write their own novels.
How limiting!
How could I think everyone has this deep desire to write a
book? If my only appeal is to those who thought they might be ready to write
fiction, I might have an audience of two or three. Quite a few people have an
idea for a book, but few are ready to take that plunge.
And there are all types of writing out there.
Write what you know. Write what is near and
dear to your heart.
Want to write down all of your favorite family recipes? That
cookbook
may be the ideal gift for your soon-to-be-wed daughter. Add a family
tree to the front, sprinkle in a few family stories and pictures and you have
written an award-winning cookbook. Well, at least your family will praise you.
Have you traveled the world? Or a small part of it like,
say, Florida? Maybe you’ve camped in every national park. Load your pictures
and write a blog detailing your adventures.
Can’t find a good book for your teenage daughter to read.
She might like to read about when you were a teen. Write a daily “diary” account of
your own experiences growing up. She may find it interesting to learn you
didn’t always agree with your parents, either.
Turn your work into something
more? Maybe.
Rose Chandler Johnson
began writing her life experiences and linking them to her own Bible study. The
result? A wonderful devotional called God,
Me, and Sweet Iced Tea was born. Here’s the link:
K. Sol Warren
began writing down the stories his mother told him about her family. He began
researching family history, carefully recording his findings. Though he
prepared a genealogy for the family, his research led him to publish A History of Knox County, a book still cited by the Knox County, Kentucky
historical society as a definitive work.
Sue Austin, a
friend of mine from high school, decided at age 59 to visit all fifty states in the US
before she turned 60. The result was a whirlwind tour of the United States,
reconnecting with long lost friends, and a lifetime of memories. She turned her
experience into a book, Never to Old for Adventure and is working on her second book
recording her zipline experiences across the country. Check out this link to her first book:
And one more…
Marianne Jordan wrote a play for the youth at her church to perform at Christmas. This past year she published the story as her first novel. (You knew I would somehow get back to "novel" mode, right?) It is called A Miser, A Manger, and a Miracle: The First Christmas Carol. The innkeeper makes a believable, greedy Scrooge and the book makes a wonderful read. After reading it you will never think about Easter or Christmas the same way again. You can find it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Miser-Manger-Miracle-Christmas-Christian-ebook/dp/B00GHO23OO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392768500&sr=1-1&keywords=a+miser+a+manger+a+miracle
The point is this: You don’t have
to write a novel to engage in the writing, editing, and publishing process I
describe in this blog. But if you do have one of those “I wonder what would
happen if” kinds of stories brewing in your brain and playing out in your
dreams like a Technicolor movie, then maybe….just maybe, you are ready to take
that “novel” plunge.
Breathing
on Her Own will be released March 25, 2014.
Would you like to meet some of the characters? Starting next week,
I will be sharing four vignettes featuring characters from the book. Invite
your friends. This will be fun.
And to sweeten the pot,
I’m having a drawing each week for
everyone who shares the posts. Hey, wouldn’t you like an extra $5 gift card in your wallet?
ReplyDeleteThese people know something
about your past that even you probably don't.
==> Start Here
The good part is, I think you'll like finding out what it is.