There’s nothing more exciting than starting
a new story. Reading, writing, it’s all the same - embarking on a great
adventure. Not knowing your exact, final destination until you arrive at “The
End.”
Before we get to the end, let me take you
back to the beginning.
Thanks, Jessica, for hosting me this week.
This blog is an introduction on me – Maya Tyler, novice author.
When I was a child, I dreamt about becoming
a writer. I even looked into journalism programs before I went to university.
My life took another turn and I studied commerce instead. I've been writing
stories and poetry for years now; I always had a story to tell. Silly short
stories when I was a child; moody poetry when I was a teen; partially completed
manuscripts as an adult. I always scribbled ideas in notepads and started
stories, but I was never able to finish one. I even took a continuing education class in
creative writing about seven years ago. It was a great class and I thought of
lots of ideas. I even wrote a few short stories and started a novel. Started,
but never finished. In fact, I’ve started to write a novel many times, but I
never finished one. Until now.
When I was home on maternity leave, about three
years ago, I picked up writing again. I wrote a few short stories and I started
entering contests online. It was an eye opening experience. There were many
wannabe authors out there. I was not alone. My dream to write had been rekindled.
Writing was always a great outlet for me. I found it again at a time in my life
filled with great uncertainty and stress. I had two children under the age of
two and my husband had been recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Needless to say, it was a difficult time. Life has not gotten much easier. My
husband has had several relapses although he is currently holding his own. I
went back to work. My boys are growing up and someday we’ll have to explain
“Daddy is sick” and it will be the hardest conversation of our lives. I have
tried to write about it. Even started a story about a disabled husband and a
wife with two small children, but it was too close to home. I’ll stick to the
“once upon a time” stories with the requisite happily ever after, thank you
very much.
A couple of years ago, I found a Facebook
group for writers. This interactive and supportive group inspired me to set a
goal - actually complete a manuscript. That meant getting past the "this
is stupid, no one will ever read this" point and trusting someone to
provide honest critique. Once I had a completed manuscript, I set a new goal.
Publication. I submitted my first full-length novel for publication and
received a polite rejection email. I never tried to submit it anywhere else. It
sits on my hard drive and maybe someday I’ll look at it again.
I was rejected, but not dejected. I wrote
another story, a science fiction novella. I worked with my critique partners
and made improvements. I read it over and over, edited it, tweaked it. For
almost a year, I worked to polish my novella. Then I started to submit it for
publication. Rejection. Again. This time I didn’t stop trying. I asked my
writing group for suggestions on other publishing houses. Then I started
emailing them.
It took time to find the right publisher,
but on Christmas Day 2013 there was a contract in my inbox! A real live
contract. It was an amazing feeling. I didn’t tell anyone, even my husband,
until Boxing Day. I kept my good news a secret because I just couldn’t believe
it at first. It was surreal, like I had entered a whole, new world. A part of
me would be out there, exposed. I signed a contract, I filled out forms for
cover art. I created an author identity. I started a blog. Now it was official.
My story was going to be published. I would be a writer. It was the most
exciting (non-family related) event of my adult life. My dream to become a
writer would come true. I am still undergoing intense rounds of editing so the
publication date is TBD.
So, currently I’m working through the
editing process for my novella and I started writing a new novel. This one will
be more contemporary and I’m aiming for the 50k mark. I enjoy reading many
different genres so I’m experimenting with writing them. I consider reading
good research for my writing. Or, that’s a great excuse I use to catch up on my
summer reading!
The possibilities are endless. If you have
a dream, you must believe you have the ability to make it come true. I dream of
happily ever after. The End.
You can read more of my “musings” on my
blog. I post weekly on Fridays and I love company.
E-mail mayatylerauthor@gmail.com
Thanks, Jessica, for hosting me this week! I look forward to your visit on my blog in August! :)
ReplyDelete