Hey, Readerland. The Ogre is back and feeling better than ever. I'm inspired and determined to reach that goal I've been striving for for a while: going from struggling writer to becoming a published author. This is probably going to be kind of a long entry, so let's get started.
First off, let me start off by making a distinction between 'writer' and 'author' for me. A 'writer' is someone who is working and working hard on getting published by hasn't quite reached that point yet. An 'author' is someone who has actually gotten published. I am a writer. Stephen King is an author. That's the difference for me, so if I use one term or the other, you'll know what I mean.
Secondly, I'm going to use the phrase 'my author' a number of times throughout this entry. What I mean by that is the author that runs the writing group I'm a part of. I don't want to use their name without permission.
So, I went to my first MileHi Con, which is a writing convention, at the beginning of October. I've been writing, off and on, for about 20 years. And I've been horrible. In the last year, give or take, I've joined a writing group, headed by a published author. I've gotten better. It's good to have honest, critical feedback when you're an artist of any stripe. If you're a writer and you don't have a writing group, find one. If you can't find one, I'll go ahead and put myself out there and say get a hold of me and I'm willing to look over whatever you have so I can help you the way I've been helped. I can't promise that my help will turn you into the next James Patterson, but hey...I'm willing to help. If you want to send me something, email me at SkredlitheOgre@gmail.com and let me know that you want to send me something. I check that email multiple times a day, so I'll get back to you.
Back to Mile Hi Con. Instead of going to a session on my anthologies are important, I went to an author meet and greet. I wasn't expecting much, but boy, was I wrong. It was set up like speed dating, where you get so much time with each author. They weren't too strict on this, which is good. Within a minute of entering the room, my author introduced me to a publisher who prints anthologies, which is perfect for someone like me who writes short stories. So, I've already met a business contact at this point, not counting the editor/publisher who is friends with my author and came in for the con. This editor/publisher is now a friend/business contact of mine.
The highlight of Mile Hi Con, for me, was meeting Glen Cook. He's one of my favorite authors of all time. He's written The Garrett Files (my personal favorite), The Black Company, Instrumentalities of Night, Dread Empires, and numerous standalone novels. I got to shake his hand and got a personalized autograph from him. It was a total fanboy moment for me. I basked in it for as long as I could.
So, the big thing I took from Mile Hi Con, other than meeting Glen Cook, was this sense of inspiration. The publisher I was introduced to at the Meet and Greet publishes anthologies and her company is getting ready to do a steampunk anthology with a submission deadline of January 1st. I kind of shook my head because I couldn't get anything written and edited and REwritten and RE-edited (etc., etc.) by then. I just couldn't.
And then I realized: Every time someone ELSE tells me I can't do something I try my hardest to do exactly that, so why should me telling my SELF that I can't do something be any different? I decided it isn't. So now, I'm on my fourth draft of my steampunk story. We're having an extra writer's group meeting this coming Sunday and then another two weeks from then. That's two more chances that I have to make this story the best I can, with face-to-face input from my group.
So now, I am determined to have this story rewritten and re-edited as many times as I can between now and the end of December, because I'm taking that big step: I'm going to submit it for publication.
Before now, I would never have submitted anything because of the usual reasons:
1) it's not good enough.
2) Everyone else's story will be better than mine.
3) It's not the right fit for the publisher.
And so on and so on. Every excuse that's out there, I've probably used.
You know what? I don't care for excuses anymore.
Whether you're a writer, a musician, a painter, a sculptor, or whatever kind of art you personally practice, there comes a time when you have to take that next step. You have to make yourself vulnerable to criticism and rejection and maybe, just maybe, acceptance.
So, for the past three weeks, I've been writing my little behind off, trying to get this story as polished as I can, while also trying to rewrite a story that I wrote five years ago, because it can be made better. Maybe I'll submit that one too, if I can find the right place.
"Look. If you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it? Or just let it slip?"
Time to stop letting it slip.
Until next, be awesome to each other. #WWWYKI
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