Stir the Writing Fire in Your Belly

Once upon a time, if you asked me if I believe I could write a novel, I would have said, “No.” That changed when I started “Picture Bride”, a book I have now completed after working on it for two years. Determination was the single most important factor for my finishing this project. But how do you get this fire in your belly?

For many years, I had this vague notion in my head that I would write a novel. It was just a seed, blown about and unable to take root as life kept happening and other priorities would uproot this little sapling. When I finally decided that I had a book in me, the seed grew and took hold this time. If you’re contemplating whether you should start writing a book, and you need assistance in motivating yourself like I did, here are some of the things you can do.

1. Take a writing course. The positive feedbacks can leave you glowing with pleasure and wanting more. I took an online program and thoroughly enjoyed working with my coaches.
2. Turn the internet into your friend. The resources online are limitless. When my writing bug first nibbled, I couldn’t find anything helpful in the bookstores and the libraries—the internet was only just emerging. The best I could lay my hands on was a book that put me to sleep each time I attempted to read it. Needless to say, I never finished it. 
3. Read about the writing craft, advice from bloggers, books…anything that helps you improve your art and teaches you about the publishing world. 
4. Join writing forums, the ones that allow you to post your stories and poems for other members to critique in a constructive environment. I found writing.com to be extremely helpful in fuelling my creativity during the early part of my novel.
5. Join social media. I was hopelessly lost on Twitter during my newbie attempt and turned away for a long time. When I came back, I was determined to figure out what the buzz was all about. What I discovered was a whole new universe where writers and others are more than happy to share all kinds of useful information. Follow the links on some of the tweets to find out what other writers, social media gurus, and sometimes, unsavoury characters—you can skip these, are doing.
6. Attend a writers’ conference. When I attended my first one, I received the biggest boost to my writing side…I can’t begin to quantify the benefits.
7. Create a writing routine and stick with it. Make your goals achievable so you don’t come down hard on yourself with the guilt trips. My target was not word count…that was too difficult given that some days my left brain was more active than the right.
8. Write short stories and poems to take breaks from your book. It’s like flexing the smaller creative muscles to feed the bigger ones.
9. Find out if there’s a writer in your community or amongst your contacts. Befriend him or her. Somewhere along my writing journey, I was introduced to one. She not only fanned the sparks that sometimes threatened to fizzle, but we’ve become good friends too.
10. Buy a tablet or an ebook reader. It’s so easy to download books and they cost a fraction of the printed ones. Sometimes they cost nothing! And you’re supporting the writing community in the process.

So write on.

Euphoric Over Completing My Novel

Image courtesy of sattva / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Two years ago, right before NaNoWriMo, I started to write my first novel, Picture Bride. I wasn’t delusional about finishing it in a month, not even 10,000 words would be possible for me. I have now received the final edited manuscript back from my editor. The home stretch no longer yawns like a never-ending winding road. I can sprint to the finish line now. Oh, what a feeling!

Many years ago, I read a book—I don’t remember its name—that suggested making a bucket list. We all have one of those in our heads, right? But the power of the list is in writing it down. That’s when it becomes real, like a contract you make with yourself. Well, you guessed it. I will be placing a check mark next to one of those items with the greatest satisfaction and sense of accomplishment in the not-too-distant future. This has to be one of my most satisfying achievements, right up there with becoming a Certified General Accountant and finishing my Master of Business Administration degree.

So what’s next? I’m not celebrating—not yet. The first finish line only applies to the writing part. As any writer knows, there’s another long mile or two ahead. Throughout these past couple of years, I have kept myself informed about the publishing world. So now I’m at a crossroad. Should I pitch my book in the traditional model or should I publish as an independent author? A part of me says I should find an agent, and yes, I have heard all kinds of horror stories about how daunting this process is, and that’s only the beginning. It doesn’t scare me. But the entrepreneurial part of me says to go all out and become Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur (APE) as suggested by many, not the least of which is +Guy Kawasaki. Okay, granted he wrote many books before he went APE and he’s got more followers than I can count…and I’m an accountant.

No matter which path I choose, no one can take away this euphoric and intoxicating feeling that I can do anything I set my mind to. The completion of this novel is testament to that tenacity and resolve. Yippee!