I am participating in the Writing Contest: You Are Enough, hosted by Positive Writer. You may also enter the contest- http://positivewriter.com/writing-contest-your-calling-your-story/
“When did you know
writing was your calling?” I get the question, or some form of it, often.
Honestly, I’m not
completely convinced that writing is my calling, but I know there are
stories in my head and I plan to keep writing until they are no longer there.
In high school, I
was the editor of our school paper. I wrote information pieces. I wrote
editorial pieces. I wrote facts and details. When I found myself in a creative
writing class during my senior year and the assignment was to write something
creative about a picture of myself as a child, I was lost. I’m grateful that my
teacher didn’t just tell me I wasn’t a creative writer. He took the time to
guide me through that assignment until I finally had a piece that could
be considered creative.
Then I went to college,
started teaching, got married, and had children. My love of reading was put on
the back burner. Any writing I did was only in the context of the classroom.
Seventeen long years passed between that creative writing class and the
Christmas of 2012 when I received a Kindle.
I was floored with the
number of “indie authors” I discovered to read on my Kindle. As I devoured
their stories and continually searched for more, a small seed of “I could do
this” took root in my head. A story had been building in my head and this was
the opportunity to prove to myself I could write more than a newspaper story,
more than a brief creative writing piece. I challenged myself to write and
publish an entire book.
Was it easy? Hell, no.
Was it an overnight sensation? Also, no. But I successfully completed and
published a book. A secondary character demanded a story of her own. So, I
wrote and published a second book. Readers loved the stories and asked for
more. I completed my first series with four books. From that point on, I
realized the stories in my imagination weren’t going to be silenced. I promised
I’d continue writing until the stories weren’t rattling around in my head or
until I was no longer having fun writing and publishing.
Since book number one
until present day, I have written and published (both self-pubbed and through a
publisher) twenty-five full-length novels, novellas, and a short story with
four books currently at some point of being written and/or published.
Do I keep writing
because it pays the bills? For me, it does not.
Do I keep writing
because I have contracts to fulfill? No one is knocking down my door to publish
my books at this point in time.
I keep writing because
my characters are very real to me and their stories need to be told. I keep
writing because people I know and love have gone, and will go, through life
experiences and I want to give them a happier ending to some of those stories.
I keep writing because even if I only reach one reader who is touched by
a story, it’s worth it.
I’m not completely
confident in my writing. I do know that today’s writing is a lot better than my
2014 debut release. I doubt my words and stories every single time I sit down
to pour myself onto paper. I doubt my words and stories every time I send them
off for editing or a beta read or an advanced read. I doubt my words and
stories every time I hit publish. But I keep writing because readers tell me
they enjoy my stories. I keep writing because I have a group of author friends
and reader friends who encourage me. I keep writing because story ideas hit me
at random times and random places and I just have to tell the
character’s story. I keep writing because it’s something I’ve grown to love.
Did I think I was
destined to be a writer when I was younger? No. I wasn’t constantly writing
stories as a child. Reading? Yes. But I didn’t grow up penning stories.
Did I dream of being a
writer? No. My love of writing grew from my passion for reading and a challenge
I gave myself. It has continued because there are still stories in my head and
I enjoy what I’m doing.
There is nothing better than hearing from a reader that a character or story touched them, made them smile, made them cry, reminded them of themselves, or gave them hope. As long as readers are entertained by my stories and my head keeps thinking up the words, I will keep at it because it has slowly and surely become a passion.
