Writing conferences can be invigorating. I recently just
returned from Left Coast Crime in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I always come
home from gatherings like this feeling like I can hardly wait to sit down at
the keyboard and get to work. To me, a
writing conference is a wonderful way to rejuvenate yourself.
Why?
The answer is simple.
It's always fun to meet other writers -- like best selling author Craig Johnson.
And it's not only fun to listen to the processes some of the others writers
use, but it always interesting to hear their publishing success stories. And
who wouldn’t want to listen to an award-winning, best-selling suspense writer like
Laura Lippman talk about why she thinks women writers deserve more credit for
their work? That discussion was
inspiring on many levels.
For instance she noted that the book, “A Tree Grows in
Brooklyn” deserves every bit as much acclaim as “Catcher in the Rye.” That was
a book many young girls still read and can relate to. She’s right. It stands
out as one of those books that inspired many young women. She says it was the
book that made her want to be a writer, and I’ll bet it inspired a good many
other young writers as well.
It was also interesting to listen to Craig Johnson, who has
reached a high level of success with his Longmire mystery series. It features
longtime lawman Walt Longmire who keeps law and order in a Wyoming county. The
series is being made into a television drama series by A&E. He told us
about starting to research his series many years ago, talking to a sheriff
about his story idea. Ten years later the sheriff came up to him and asked him
how the story was going. Well, he hadn’t finished it. But he did. He went back
and began writing and eventually was able to finish and get his work published.
Ten years!
But some writers take longer, as many published authors will
attest to. How many writers start out and then shove their book in a drawer and
never come back to it? But how many do come back? And how many eventually
succeed? Those kind of stories are inspirational. You don’t fail if you keep
trying. Perseverance and hard work and continued drive can often make the
difference in whether you succeed eventually.
I started out writing as a teenager and it took years before
I considered trying the publishing world. When I did, I was immediately sent
several rejections. I still have them. What bothers me most about those
rejections is what they said and what I didn’t understand at the time. The
editors liked the story. They even said they might look at my work again, but
it needed work. All I saw was the part that said they didn’t want this story. I
put it away and it’s still in a drawer somewhere.
Years later I tried again. This time when I got a rejection,
I read it more carefully. It said my work lacked polish. That was some of what
the other editor said. She kept questioning my POV – I didn’t know what POV
was. But this time around, I was determined to find out what “lacked polish”
meant. I went to a writing group. I went to writing classes, and I kept
writing.
This time I was much more determined. And eventually it
happened. I got short stories published and eventually a novel.
My success has not reached that of Craig Johnson or Laura
Lippman, but my determination is there and I won’t quit writing this time. And
I heard similar stories from other writers at the conference as well. We’re not
best sellers – yet – but we’ve got stories to tell and we’re going to tell them.
And sell them!