Becoming Published, Part I by Stacy Hoff

I’m looking back on my road to publication. The (newly released) print edition of my second book, LAWFULLY YOURS, has made me nostalgic. And grateful. It’s been a very long emotional journey. How long? About twenty years!

LAWFULLY YOURS is the very first story I ever wrote. Yes, even before my first published book (DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES) was a thought in my wacky, quirky, crazy little head. LAWFULLY YOURS did not start out as a story, though.

I had written little vignettes based on my own life as a young female lawyer. The scenarios I wrote were made up for purposes of comedy. Not just to make other people laugh, but to make myself laugh, too. Being a lawyer, and especially a female one who looked about fifteen years old, life for me was tough. Not much laughter anywhere. Yet in an ironic twist, no one took me seriously, either.

The male-dominated field was tough to break into. I had no connections with whom to network since I came from out-of-state. I went through the motions (pun intended) of my legal life desperate for a mentor. I didn’t even find a friend in the field to whom I could ask questions. During this time I felt not only alone, but that I would never fit in.

I decided to take up writing as an emotional outlet. The humorous nature of the stories helped to lift my mood. The chance to be creative gave me a sense of freedom. I was happy again, like my days back in my college creative writing classes. Of course, like a bat, I only came “alive” at night. (Is there such a thing as a writing vampire?)

As my emotional search for positivity within the legal field continued, so did the relief I felt with every fictionalized word I threw onto a page. I found that my characters were taking the journey with me. I took solace in that. I finally had companions to share my professional struggles with, even if they were fictional. Regardless, they were alive and well to me.

What have you done to help you cope with a tough situation? How did you find your release?

Part II of this post continues next week – December 18, 2015.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorStacyHoff

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

AMAZON LINK FOR LAWFULLY YOURS by Stacy Hoff:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7U2WCC?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00U7U2WCC&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES by Stacy Hoff:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NFSMCYG?creativeASIN=B00NFSMCYG&linkCode=w00&linkId=6PCZIZBWKBWUSNHI&ref_=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR HOT SEDUCTION (box set contributors: Jamie K. Schmidt, Stacy Hoff, Holly Roberts, Theresa Hissong, Susan Griscom & Leia Shaw):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014RQX8GU?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B014RQX8GU&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR SEASON OF LOVE (Box set with Stacy Hoff):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X3ZAR3E?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00X3ZAR3E&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

 

Filed under: A writer's life, Characters, Emotions, Life, publishing, romance, Stacy Hoff, Writer's Life, Writing