Okay, so it's not the cream puff recipe that I promised...

Once again, life has gotten completely crazy with work, being the assistant coach for my son's baseball team and trying to get editing done on the book.  That leaves weekends to clean and do laundry.  I think I am taking a "me" day on Saturday, to focus on editing and also post the cream puff recipe I promised a couple of weeks ago.  In the meantime, here is an update from my writing world:

Ever since I came back from the writer's conference, I have had a lot of ideas and tips swirling around in my head, but one in particular kept popping to the forefront. One of the speakers encouraged getting out into your community, whether it be a local library or arts center, and asking if they would be interested in getting a creative writing class going. They encouraged us to look past the most common obstacle that we, ourselves, might put up, which is, "What makes me qualified to teach a writing class?" Their answer was, "You've already written a book. That is already more than what can be said about a large majority of the population." Without trying, I have thought of different ideas for individual classes: writing prompts, short stories, writing a different spin on popular characters, etc. Well, today I took the first step in that direction, mostly with the gentle nudging & encouragement from my good friend, Michelle. I sent off an email to The Arts Center, laying out my idea and asking if they would have any interest. Not only do I think it would fill a void in this community, but it would be beneficial to me, as well. Just being involved in something like that is bound to keep the creative juices flowing, not to mention that it would look great on my author platform (in bios going out to agents I am trying to land). Wish me luck!

Let me share a little bit...

When I last posted, I spoke of something exciting coming up, but wasn't ready to share completely.  Well, now I'm ready to spill the beans.

I have a confession to make - for 4 years, I have been guarding a secret that only a few have known. I have been writing the first book in a series of six, and finally finished it in early March. The reason that I have held this endeavor so close, not willing to share, is because it's an extremely personal matter. I've poured my heart and soul into this project, and couldn't bear the thought ...of people thinking I was crazy to envision it published or delusional to imagine it on bookshelves everywhere. Worse yet would be telling everyone about it, only to find years upon years of rejection. Even though I have had a small circle of people reading the book and giving it good reviews, I still let the little voice of doubt rent space in my head. But, just a few short weeks ago an email arrived that set a change in motion. The email was for a Writer's & Creativity Conference in New York City. There was something about that conference - it wouldn't leave my mind. I was almost in tears, wanting to go, but thinking it was impossible. Then, a couple of things fell seamlessly into place at work, making it suddenly very possible, as if it was meant to be. After the support of my wonderful husband and children, that conference became a reality. On April 11th, I flew to New York and pitched my book idea to an editor at the conference. Mind you, they were not offering contracts, but evaluating your book idea and giving tips where you need them, or if there is or isn't a market for your work. After giving my pitch, and answering several questions about it, the editor told me that she loved my concept and that I would not have a problem selling it. Her only tip was that I research agents carefully & query those representing other authors writing similar style books. During the rest of the conference, I was able to visit with several other aspiring writers, an agent, marketing rep and even a multi-published author, who gave me the same response as the editor. I visited with the author for a while, and she told me that publishers really like the idea of a series, and my unique idea was a good one. She finished by saying, "It will sell. It will sell." The immense validation that I felt, getting this kind of response from professionals in the writing field gave me the confidence boost to finally share my secret. It renewed my commitment to get the polishing and editing complete so I can market it. One of the speakers talked about following your passion, and it resonated with me. Writing has been my passion since I was in the fifth grade, I just forgot it for a number of years, while I became a responsible, bill-paying adult. Now I want to follow that passion. I love writing. I truly feel it is what I was meant to do. I came home feeling refreshed & with a renewed purpose. Not only have I decided to share my aspirations, but I am trying to follow some good advice given at the conference, which is to have a social media presence. I have created a Facebook page & Twitter account to follow my journey in getting published, as well as giving excerpts from the book and other little snippets. It will also hold me accountable - not letting me slack, as I have in the past.  Here are the links to each:  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anita-Roberts-Soupir/715073628544102?ref=hl and Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnitaRSoupir

 

I recently spent a solid week working on re-writes & now think I'm pretty happy with the manuscript.  On to the ever-so-fun task of editing.  It is my least favorite part of the process, but a necessary one.  I hope to land a literary agent soon - so fingers & toes crossed, everyone!

 

I came across a couple of writing quotes that really speak to me & thought I would share them with you.  "To write means more than putting pretty words on a page; the act of writing is to share a part of your soul with the world." - unknown author.  "There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway.  Both are so very true!

 

Oh, & on a cooking note, I will be posting a wonderfully easy recipe for homemade cream puffs this weekend, so check back for that.

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

Anita