Thursday, January 14, 2010
Group Blog Thursday: The Journey
**NOTE: I will be interviewing Richard Doetsch, author of The 13th Hour, this Sunday! If you have any questions you'd like me to ask, please post them in the comments or email me by Saturday night!**
Charting Your Journey is the theme for Stephanie's Group Blog today. You should read her post. She talks a lot about her journey toward finding the right career path idol and her years of pursuing publication. It's good stuff.
When I was 7, I wanted to be a teacher. Because I was obsessed with writing on the chalkboard hoped to have as big an impact on kids as my second grade teacher, Mrs. Draper, had on me.
At age 10, I peppered my cat Fluffy's--
(What? That name sounded perfectly original when I was 8!)
--veterinarian with all kinds of questions about school and veterinary medicine because I knew I was destined to be a vet. Until I found out about that whole having to put animals to sleep thing.
By the time I got to high school, I had finally figured out my educational and career path. I was going to graduate at 17 (which I did), graduate from a 4-year University at age 21 with a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice, go on my mission, come home, graduate from law school at 26 and then think about possibly getting married.
Some of that happened, but not necessarily in that order. And some of it...well...isn't going to happen at all.
Although I've had many different answers to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" there has always been one constant.
I have always wanted to become an author.
I've been writing, or at least telling, stories for literally as long as I can remember. I filled countless notebooks, binders and folders with hundreds of pages of short stories and attempts at novels and character descriptions and outlines and research. In fact, I still have a box of some of that stuff somewhere. I should dig it out and share. That could be fun.
(Or frightening.)
Once, while I scribbled away in a spiral-bound notebook at my grandmother's kitchen table, she said to me, "When are you finally going to finish something?"
Certain that I was in the midst of penning a future bestseller (though I was merely an over-confident 12-year-old), I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled something about not putting a deadline on genius and went back to work on yet another novel that I would never finish.
Next month, I will be 33, and I have never completed a novel.
I've written several. They have beginnings and middles and endings. A couple of them even have pretty decent plots and characters that I fully intend to revisit someday. But I've never stuck with it and gotten through revisions and prepared to query agents or editors or even the next-door neighbor of anyone in the publishing industry.
But that's changing.
Over a year ago, I wrote a novel for NaNoWriMo with which I fell in love. Totally and completely. I love my characters. I love the story. I love the setting, the style, the themes. I love this novel. And, for over a year, I've been working away at revisions and rewrites a little at a time. I'm not there yet. It still needs work. And I have made it a goal to complete it this year. To the point that I'm ready to query. I know there will be plenty of work to do if and when any publishing house ever deems it worthy of publication.
But I'm working at it. I'm determined. I'm motivated. I've publicized my goal and I've worked to surround myself with people who not only support me, but understand me, too.
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I've learned that when you feel that way about a novel you've written, you have a winner. That's the book readers will bond with and feel that same love for once it's in their hands. How nice that you knew you wanted to be an author since childhood. I loved to read but I never had a teacher encourage me...not until my senior year of high school. That was when I began to get an inkling that I might have some talent.
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of writer's blogs. And I wish I could have the same passion about writing as you and they do! I have never been a writer. I am like a late night comedy show writer.
ReplyDeleteBu I admire those who continue to follow their dreams!
YOU CAN DO IT! This is the year, Karen. This is the year.
ReplyDeleteMy dog's name was Buffy. I can't say anything.
ReplyDeleteI've never been able to figure out what I want to do when I grow up either. But deep down, I've always wanted to be an author so I could pretend to do all the other careers I never went after. The power of imagination.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you fell in love with some of your work and I know you'll do a fantastic job with it.
But, I do want an autographed copy of your first novel. Just sayin'. And I'd be happy to share my non-educated, inexperienced editing...but I'm a really good soundboard.
Sometimes, I feel like one of the only bloggers that doesn't want to be an auther. I love to write...but I never had or have any intention of doing anything with it.
ReplyDeleteThe passion that you describe your novel with is amazing. Best of luck with finishing it! You can totally do it.
And I second Jennee. I would love a signed copy when you are published.
That is a great goal and one day you will get there you just have to stay motivated.
ReplyDeleteYay Karen! You will do it.
ReplyDeleteYour first novel will be our first book club book by an actual book club member.
I can't wait!
Yes, I definitely feel that you'll meet your goal this year. When you feel that passionate about something you've written, it's bound to be a success!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help but giggle reading about all the careers you thought you might have someday. When I was 8, my dad took me to work with him one day and I thought the secretary's typewriter was SO cool. All I could talk about was how badly I wanted to be someone's secretary someday when I was older.
My dad was like, "Yeah, right...I'm gonna break the bank paying for college so you can be a secretary? You should just scratch that one off your list now"
I can totally relate to your unfinished novels, I have boxes and boxes full of unfinished novels (back when I wrote everything longhand) and plenty of more on my computer's hard drive. I think I have become a more focused writer lately, but it's hard because I still keep coming up with ideas and I want to drop everything I am doing to start on my new idea right away. By the way, my far more practical grandmother, when she learned I wanted to be an author, said, "Well, you'll never make any money doing that." Perhaps some day I can prove her wrong.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have a moment, please check my comment to yours on the recent post about High Speed Rail. Hipe you are doing well!
ReplyDeleteSoeur Peterson, so fun to find you here. Count me in as one of the people who will support you in this process!
ReplyDeleteI'm very eager to continue to hear of your progress!! And to read that novel! I want a signed copy, first edition!
ReplyDeleteOk, I am posting on your Group Blog Thursday,
ReplyDeleteDoing a Follow Friday on a Sorry Saturday.
pot.com/2010/01/follow-friday-ok-saturday.html
I am here to follow you for Follow Friday.
I am just a little late, so I will call it Sorry Saturday.
mommiesgotfivechildren at hotmail dot com
Rebecca
Stick with it, Karen. I finished my first manuscript just over a year ago and the sense of completion, whether it was ever published or not, was a feeling of accomplishment that runs a very close second only to the birth of my children, no exaggeration. To be able to say, no matter what, "I wrote a book," feels amazing. It's a very small handful of people who ever do that. You should put yourself in that club.
ReplyDelete