Next, I’ve been invited to participate in a group of
authors that promote each other through Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, any and all
social media. So when you see my posts
about their pages or books PLEASE check it out. They’re a fantastic group of
women and writers and they deserve your attention. Believe me, I’d never promote something I
didn’t fully believe in, so you can rest assured that I’m making solid
recommendations to you.
Lastly, my new work space is still “under
construction”. I had a few days off work
and I made significant progress, but it’s still not done yet. For any of you with spare bedrooms that you
use as a catch-all you can understand how difficult it is to clear it out. Much harder than I thought it would be. But, I’ve certainly made progress and
actually I’ve come across things I wrote years ago that have been kind of fun
to read. So since you all have been so
patiently waiting for me to share more ( I can’t share another part of the book
until I get to 200 “likes” on Facebook), but I can share something silly from my
early days of writing.
I know I was
young and nothing ever came of it, but I used to write country songs and submit them to agents I found in the backs of music magazines. Whenever I got a response to a
song/letter I sent, it was usually positive encouragement that made me feel good. But some really and honestly critiqued my songs and didn't treat me like a kid. I look back on these now and I feel proud
that I was willing to put myself out there, so exposed and vulnerable at the
age of 14. I didn’t have money or the
resources to promote a song, but I wrote and I tried to promote myself. Funny, it’s almost 20 years later and I’m
still kind of doing the same thing, but completely different. This time around I know
what I’m doing…I think?
Probably not, but I had some great people that took
pity on a young girl and humored her with some positive criticism. My favorite quote from a response letter
is, “You have talent, and if you learn and your interest stays high, you will
do well.” Wow, that means the world to me! (And yes, he underlined those words.) He also compared one of my songs to Tim McGraw's "Please Don't Take The Girl" and said with a lot of rewrites he would think of pitching it to him. Well, needless to say, I never went anywhere with my songs. Probably because I have no muscial ability, but I do like to write. I'm much more comfortable and confident with telling a story through a novel. But it was nice to find some of these old things and remind myself that I may be older and have more life experience now, but deep down I'm still the same person looking for the same thing, a way to share a story with the world. Only now, the tools exist to make this a reality. Back when I was submitting my songs we didn't have the internet, much less Facebook, Twitter, or Amazon and Kindles. The biggest complaint that this agent had about my song submission was that I didn't include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for a response! I bet a lot of young people today don't even know what a SASE is. My point is, I know I haven't really changed, but the available technology has, and it might just be possible that my 32 year old self can make my 14 year old self's dreams come true.
So again, thank you for all the ways that you've showed your love and support, both internet-based and in real life. Keep following and I hope you like
Coast to Coast too. I’m nervous about this whole endeavor, but I feel better when
I know I have people like you that are kind and understanding and helpful and
supportive. Thank you all!!!
1 comment:
I also have stuff that you wrote at our house. Remember when you would come to the office with me in the summer and sit at dad's first computer with the amber screen and write? I still have that story on the old green and white striped paper. And of course the story board that you did when you were about 8 years old. Every time I want to clear things out I just can't bring myself to get rid of them because it brings back such happy memories. Keep writing, Love you. Mom
Post a Comment