FEELING PRESSURE

FEELING PRESSURE

 

   Contrary to what many think, nothing about being a writer is easy. Not everyone has it in them to write a complete novel. For those that do, it is a major accomplishment. To have said novel, published is an even bigger accomplishment. But what happens after your novel is out? What happens when you start the process of trying to build a career as an author? I don't know how it is for others but I can share my experience.

   After seeing the successful publication of my debut novel, Goddess of Legend, I became even more motivated to pursue my love of writing. I spent months re-writing my second novel, Siren's Choice, and finally felt ready to submit. After giving my previous publisher first dibs and receiving a rejection I was devastated. And so begins the hard process of finding someone to accept my vision and love it as much as I do.

    Right now, I'm pretty frustrated. I remember the hell I endured trying to find someone to publish my first novel and I'm in no hurry to experience it again. I'm feeling under a lot of pressure. What if it takes forever to find a publisher willing to accept my novel? What if I can't find a publisher willing to take a chance on this novel? What if I have to try and attempt to publish on my own? But worst of all, what if by the time is out, my readers have forgotten about me?

   Let's face it. I'm a new author with 1 novel out. I do not have a built in fan base. I'm still trying to get people interested in me. Time is a luxury I cannot afford. In order to build a fan base, I need to keep myself on the forefront of their minds when they're thinking about buying a new novel. But in this, I'm helpless. I can't make a publisher look at my submissions any quicker and were I to decide to self publish that too would take time. So I'm stuck, waiting and under pressure.

  But the waiting game is not the only source of pressure I've been feeling. I take note of what's popular in the writing world. The genres and things that seem to be selling well. And getting the unexpected rejection for my second novel made me think about it more. I started to think, maybe I should take a stab at something I know will guarantee a publisher picking up my story. Why don't I try a romance with shapeshifters? Why don't I try a ménage? Or what about a male/male novel? My mind has been in turmoil. Do I? Or don't I?

   Let's face it. I don't have an established fan base. I probably could venture out and try something else.  I'm sure I could write a novel with the above mentioned things, but I probably wouldn't enjoy it so why do it? I'm not going to. Despite the pressure I feel I'm going to stick with writing the things that I love. There's no point in me trying to write a book I personally wouldn't want to read. Besides, there are enough writers out there doing those other genres. They don't need to add me to the mix.

   When I decided I wanted to become a serious writer, it was because I wanted to carve my own path in the writing world. I want to write novels that people may not have thought about before. I want to write my way. So no matter how much pressure I may be feeling I have to remain true to myself. After all, if I don't want to read it, who will?



MY WRITING INSPIRATION (PART ONE)

MY WRITING INSPIRATION (PART ONE)

 

 

        I have always loved to read. In school, I discovered that I was also a pretty good writer too. But I never seriously  considered being a serious writer until I discovered Jackie Collins.

 



 

 

  The first Jackie Collins novel I ever read was Dangerous Kiss , A Lucky Santangelo Novel. At the time I read Dangerous Kiss, it was the most recent in the Lucky Santangelo series. I fell in love with Jackie's writing. It was descriptive, interesting, and to top it all off, she'd created a female character who was so tough she could kick anyone's ass! Lucky didn't take crap from anyone and to top it all off she was a gorgeous, business savvy mob princess. Call me biased but I think Lucky Santangelo is the greatest female character ever created.

 

      After devouring Dangerous Kiss, I read the rest of the books in the Lucky Santangelo series before moving on to reading every book Jackie had written at the that time. Today I own them all. I love how Jackie would always tell aspiring writers that she was a reform school drop out with no writing background. She just sat down one day and decided she wanted to do it. And that is the same advice she gives to her fans. If you want to write, stop talking about it. Just do it.

 

      So I took Jackie's advice and I did it. I wrote my first story ever, One In A Billion. It was about a young woman who won a contest to spend a month with her favorite male singer who ultimately left his girlfriend for her. I can honestly say that the story was so bad and so cheesy I ripped it to shreds (literally) and threw it in the trash. It was terrible, not the idea itself but some parts about it were. Still I was encouraged. Years later, the idea for my own mafia series was born: Mafia Marriage. I have written 17 chapters of the first novel in the series, For The Sake Of Convenience. Interestingly enough it is the first novel I started as an adult. One day I hope to finish it. That is if I can stop coming up with new ideas for new novels.

 

    Without Jackie Collin's simple, but yet very important advice, I probably would've never kept attempting to write a novel. Because Jackie's kick ass writing has always shown that women can do anything, I'm doing just that: following my dream of becoming a published author and continuing to write so that I can share my stories with the world.