I don’t write to be famous, I don’t write to be known, I write because I am and I want to be read. How sad to fill a room with paintings no one sees or play music no one hears. Writing is talking without sound, singing without score and dancing without movement and yet, it is all of them. It is a solitary art conjured from thought and expressed by the need to communicate.

HEAD SLAPS, SPEED BUMPS and LIGHTBULBS, one woman's WTF, oops and ah-ha moments of life.

They were published once, and as every writer knows, once is not enough.




Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Easter, the real DEADLINE


On a well known agent’s blog recently, I promised a group of online writer-friends that I would finish my on again, off again novel (which has a great premise) and have it ready for querying by Easter this year.

Will I live up to my promise?

Hell no!

Am I disappointed, am I a slacker, do I feel like a failure?
 
Absolutely not.

I’ve been working on that ball and chain, and fitting in my promise to finish it as best I can, and I am not enjoying a minute of it. Recently I figured out how to handle a huge stumbling block regarding background and truly got excited about sailing through to the next port. And then…waves, undertow, sand in my grannies, I wasn’t loving it. No joy, no pleasure, it felt like a huge anchor weight and waste of time.  

It’s shelved.

Confession time.

I have always believed that in order to be a successful writer, I mean a really successful writer, traditionally publishing novels is the best path between the lines to the end of the pool and a place on the winner’s stand. Because  I meander my words by drifting, I’ll never be a novelist.

Nope never.

Don’t wanna be. It’s not in me and boys and girls that’s okay.

I remember reading an article many, many years ago written by the great Mr. King. To paraphrase, he said…write what you are best at writing. He added that he wanted to write the great American novel but knew that horror writing was what he did best. Duh, ya think! So that’s what he did.

I am an essay writer.

I am a writer of columns and articles.

Yes, I am a storyteller but the stories I write are about me. They are about my family and the collective family I call all of us.

I have been published hundreds of times in newspapers and magazines. My life has literally been an open book, written as validation that we all share the same angst, anger, love, compassion and confusion.  We struggle, we fear, we excel, we feel joy and drink in support like a parched camel with a hump drained dry. (Author’s note: I know camels don’t store water in their humps but I liked the comparison.)

Nope, no more fiction for me. It’s non-fiction all the way to the (tiny) bank (account).

Because I recently retired my column, which ran in eight newspapers, I now must find a place to place my (HUMBLE) brilliance. Workin’ on that. Maybe by Easter this year. Yeh, Easter that’s a great deadline. Did I ever mention that my mother, a lapsed Catholic girl, died on an Easter Sunday? (God’s last laugh.)
 
Now that’s a deadline.

6 comments:

  1. I just read this in Stephen King's ON WRITING (I'm on my 6th annual read-through of this classic):

    "In terms of genre, it's probably fair to assume that you will begin by writing what you love to read--certainly I have recounted my early love affair with the EC horror comics until the tale has gone stale. But I did love them, ditto horror movies like I Married a Monster from Outer Space, and the result was stories like "I Was a Teenage Graverobber." Even today I'm not above writing slightly more sophisticated versions of that tale; I was built with a love of the night and the unquiet coffin, that's all. If you disapprove, I can only shrug my shoulders. It's what I have."

    Those last few lines came to mind when I read your article. If fiction's not your thing, then for goodness sake don't waste time trying to write a novel! Thankfully, you've been doing your thing for years already with your column. And from what I've read, you are good at it. So go for it 2Ns! And let us know when it's available for pre-order. :D

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    1. Oh Colin, bless your kind words. Much needed my friend. Thank you.

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  2. 2Ns, that is a huge and amazing achievement, to recognise where you fit in the writing world and to embrace it. I look forward to checking back in at Easter to find out where your place is =)

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    1. AJ my only regret at this point, that I did not embrace sooner.

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  3. Novelist or not, there's one thing I'm sure of: You are a wonderful writer, Carolynn! And I admire you for being so honest and brave, dear friend! <3

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