IWSG: You Always Remember Your First
IWSG: You Always Remember Your First
I’m thrilled to be co-hosting this April’s Insecure Writers Support Group alongside Natalie Aguirre and Jemima Pett, especially because of the question:
Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you're at the start of the journey, what are your goals?
The only thing I ever wanted to be “when I grew up” was a published author. By high school, I was sharing stories with a few friends who always wanted the HEA – but I was more interested in the action/adventure than I was H/H relationship. There was NO romance fiction genre (or ANY genre fiction back then), no mass market shelves for books, just the beginnings of the Big Five and their biggest sellers. And I knew I wanted to be one of them.
We’re talking before the Internet, before writers’ organizations, before genre agents. There were just big books and big dreams. So I took the bus to the library and toted home all the big heavy books I could carry on the topic I was sure would be my breakout novel – a 600+ hand-typed page novel (on a manual typewriter before White-Out or even correction tape!) set against the China sea trade with about 40 characters and subplots. The only reference I had for guidance was an out-of-date WRITERS’ MARKET that only dealt with serious fiction. Obviously, most of the six nicely boxed sets of my novel disappeared. I did get a couple of nicely copied generic, “Does not meet our current needs” letters . . . and I got a request, not for the book I wrote, but for anything else I might have. They loved my style of writing but couldn’t “sell” my setting/time frame.
Back to the typewriter to finish the ever popular (newly popular then!) pirate book, and it SOLD—along with a contract for three more romances. That was 70+ books ago. The rest of it, as they say, was history (and romance and suspense). Now, back to the RS I’m polishing . . . and to the stack of books I’m reissuing.
AND to find out more about YOUR journey!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the April 5th posting of the IWSG will be Jemima Pett, Nancy Gideon, and Natalie Aguirre!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Click Here →
To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group
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I’m thrilled to be co-hosting this April’s Insecure Writers Support Group alongside Natalie Aguirre and Jemima Pett, especially because of the question:
Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you're at the start of the journey, what are your goals?
The only thing I ever wanted to be “when I grew up” was a published author. By high school, I was sharing stories with a few friends who always wanted the HEA – but I was more interested in the action/adventure than I was H/H relationship. There was NO romance fiction genre (or ANY genre fiction back then), no mass market shelves for books, just the beginnings of the Big Five and their biggest sellers. And I knew I wanted to be one of them.We’re talking before the Internet, before writers’ organizations, before genre agents. There were just big books and big dreams. So I took the bus to the library and toted home all the big heavy books I could carry on the topic I was sure would be my breakout novel – a 600+ hand-typed page novel (on a manual typewriter before White-Out or even correction tape!) set against the China sea trade with about 40 characters and subplots. The only reference I had for guidance was an out-of-date WRITERS’ MARKET that only dealt with serious fiction. Obviously, most of the six nicely boxed sets of my novel disappeared. I did get a couple of nicely copied generic, “Does not meet our current needs” letters . . . and I got a request, not for the book I wrote, but for anything else I might have. They loved my style of writing but couldn’t “sell” my setting/time frame.
Back to the typewriter to finish the ever popular (newly popular then!) pirate book, and it SOLD—along with a contract for three more romances. That was 70+ books ago. The rest of it, as they say, was history (and romance and suspense). Now, back to the RS I’m polishing . . . and to the stack of books I’m reissuing.
AND to find out more about YOUR journey!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the April 5th posting of the IWSG will be Jemima Pett, Nancy Gideon, and Natalie Aguirre!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Click Here →
To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
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