After two years, I couldn’t come up with how to think about my current writing life. When I started back in 2000, I didn’t know that I would write and publish books. There was just a story swirling in my head. The scene and characters wouldn’t quiet down until I wrote what I saw in my mind. Some time passed, then I took a creative writing class. That led to other classes, an impromptu writing group, and then finally the completion of my first manuscript.
I was a victim of fraud by the publishing company. After that, I decided I would self-publish. I had a printer rep, then found out I didn’t need one. I was doing sheet fed printing, then POD came along. My website was rebuilt three times. I expanded the genres I wrote in. I attended conferences, belonged to writing groups, and found joy in my projects. I got more involved in marketing, in-person events, and found technology that allowed me to do more of the process myself instead of hiring others. Then I changed book cover designers. And website designers. The writing groups dismantled. I found myself meeting with one other author, then that ended. Lots of stages in my writing life!
I didn’t think about it that way until someone pointed out that I’ve moved through different stages with my horse life and with my teaching life. Why don’t I think about this current “place” in my writing life as just another stage/phase? Ah! Simple words that helped me create the perspective that I’ve grappled with for two years.
In this stage of my writing life, I have two writing groups that serve very different purposes. My goals/intentions are vastly different than what they were in the past. With this perspective, the angst I’ve felt has melted away. As I work on my daily writing habit, allowing the joy in the process to return, I can again view this part of my life with a smile. Has there been a time when someone said something simple and it changed your perspective?
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