I'm trying out a new bloggie thing and it's having guests over! Woohoo! I just love friends. I'm such a novice at this and I'm sure I'll find my place soon enough, so it'll be a bit unorganized at first!
Let me introduce you to Laura Diamond, an amazing woman of amazing feat--and she has room for writing!
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Bio: Laura’s a psychiatrist, blogger, traveler, and writer of urban fantasy and YA paranormal adventure with aspirations of becoming a published author. Her current work in progress is about a teen who discovers her missing father is a shapeshifter…and so is she.
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Hi gang! Firstly, I’d like to thank Elizabeth for giving me the opportunity to guest blog for all y’all today. PLUS, she’s asked me to talk about one of my favorite quotes. How fun is that?
‘Kay, here’s the quote: “I do not know why I thought I could write a novel, but I hope to eventually get to the bottom of it.”
So, my writerly journey began almost two years ago. On a whim (I’m not kidding), I pulled out an old “story idea” I’d written in a spiral bound notebook while in college (years and years ago!). After about nine months of developing and revising what turned into a literary monster, I figured I was ready to start querying agents (Haha!). QueryTracker was one of the first—and truly the best—sites I found. New to forums, I fumbled around, got to know the other members, and did my best to offer critiques and accept constructive feedback.
Along the way, I found the above quote on the signature line of Nostrabuttus, one of the forum’s more humorous members. (I totally dig the whole dry humor thing, for real.) It really spoke volumes to me. It made me pause. I had to stop and consider what I really was doing all this work for. I mean, really, I have a background in science, medicine, and psychiatry. Sure, I love to read. But what pushed me into thinking I could actually write a novel AND have it get anywhere?
The TRUTH?
I have no idea.
Anti-climactic, ain’t it? But it’s the absolute, for real, cross my heart, hold my hand on a Bible while reciting an oath, truth.
The problem is, now that I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop. Okay, so I take a break here and there—preparing for the oral boards sucked a month of my life away, dang it!—and sometimes I get so fed up that I don’t touch a WIP for weeks. But then something happens.
A quiet whisper. A nagging buzz. A tingle of a sneeze.
You know, those almost imperceptible, you miss it if you blink sort of things, that if you catch it, the booby trap is triggered and it’s only a matter of time before you open that Word document again and start typing. Yup.
I suppose in a roundabout way, it doesn’t necessarily matter anymore why I started this journey because it’s taken on its own momentum. With my personality, I have to see it out to the end, whatever that may be. Even better, I’m having way too much fun to quit! Blogging, beta reading, cheering on my writerly friends who are at all stages of the game, AND detailing fantasies and stories molded from my own brain—man, oh man, who wouldn’t want this?
I suppose I’m bordering on a random babbling now, but I would like to point out something I hadn’t considered until going through this very process of guest blogging. Look, if you had asked me about blogging two years ago, I wouldn’t even know what you meant. If you wanted my opinion on what separated “good” writing from “bad,” you’d likely get a shrug and a “I don’t know.”
Why do I bring this up? Because the amount I’ve learned over the past two years astonishes me. And, really, why does anybody pursue a new adventure? To have a good time, to build relationships, and to learn.
Check, check, and check.
Thanks, Elizabeth, for hosting me. This has really been a lot of fun!!!!
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Aww, thank you, Laura! I am honored to have you over, too! Isn't she one of the funnest people you want to get to know? Hurry over to her
blog and tell her how much you enjoyed meeting her! :)
PS--if you are interested in becoming my honored guest here at my blog, just click
here to find out how! I hope to hear from you soon! ;)
