Recently, I discovered that I have absolutely no idea how to share my writing journey.
My husband says my posts are great. No one else has complained about them, but I’m not happy with them. For example, my monthly updates are copy, paste, replace old info with new info, repeat. I think the structure of the post is good, but I’m not happy with the content. With how limited my expression of my journey is.
The problem is, I can’t say too much about what I’m working on, because, in the past, telling too much about something I haven’t finished writing has killed those projects. I’m scared to death to lose the passion for what I’m writing, that when I sit down to share my progress, I freeze up.
Now, I know I don’t need to share my writing progress on my blog. I could just write in a journal or something that no one sees, but making it public keeps me honest. For example, if I’m in a writing slump or have been too busy or just haven’t written in awhile, because I’d rather be doing other things, I can easily ignore a my private journal. It can sit on my desk, gathering dust and be forgotten without consequence. That isn’t true when I start making public statements of my goals and progress. Doing this motivates me.
Also, I crave conversation. I can’t wait until this process becomes a dialogue. I want to have a back and forth in the comments so badly. xD I don’t only want to share what I’m doing, I want to hear how your writing is going. How what you read inspired your writing. What you’re struggling with and how you’re getting through it. Celebrate your accomplishments. I think that will be so much fun!
So, how do I do this? How do I talk about my writing progress without killing it?
I don’t know, honestly.
You know, I told myself I wasn’t going to make this post and just write a writing update post in an effort to fix this issue. Yet, here I am. Avoiding the issue by talking about it. *le sigh*
Oh, well. I’m going to post this. Get it out of my head. Then, maybe I can move on.
This is a strange kind of writer’s block.
How about you? Do you have trouble sharing about your writing? Are there certain things you leave out when you do share? Why do you leave out some things and not others? Let me know in the comments!
And take care!
That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time 😀 Not only did I get to meet my favorite author, Mary E. Pearson (The Remnant Chronicles) but I also got to meet three other amazing authors I need to read!!
Can I just say, I have the most amazing husband in the world? Because I do. He went to the event with me, and sat in the car for three hours, because I had no idea how long it would be and he didn’t want to leave me stranded by leaving me there and being too far away when it ended.
I got to Red Balloon bookstore about 45 minutes early, which meant I got to sit right up front! See the little red bag? That has an ARC copy of Dance of Thieves in it! And those are my toes in the bottom of the frame lol So close xD
The people in line were super nice, too. Made the wait a little shorter chatting with those around me. But when I got to the table, I felt bad I’d ran out of money and didn’t have a book for Tricia and Taran to sign. I bought Maureen’s book when I got there, because I don’t have enough YA contemporary in my library and a story about a food truck?! Umm… YES!
It was cool though. While she signed my tote bag, Tricia and I chatted about Black Sails, which everyone’s been telling her she needs to watch, you know, because pirates, but she hasn’t gotten to yet. lol
Then it was my turn with Maureen, who was so sweet to listen to me prattle on about my book while the line was backed up. To be fair, she asked for it. 😉 I mentioned I was really excited to read her book, about a Korean American girl and family and that I had a character in my book inspired by my Vietnamese American friend. I hadn’t expected to offer anymore, but she kept asking me questions and I basically pitched my book to her. xD Which was the first time I’ve ever had to tell a complete stranger, in person, about my book. Thank you, Maureen! It was invaluable experience.
Finally, I lay my pile of books on the table in front of Mary. There was a question during the Q&A, if the authors had ever met their heroes. Tricia had a story about blurting out that the first thing she said to her hero was, “Your book spoke to my soul!” She was mortified. Funny thing is, this was almost exactly what I wanted to tell Mary about The Kiss of Deception. But not exactly. So I used Tricia’s experience to ease into my experience with Mary’s book.
Then along came Mary E. Pearson…
