Between Inspiration and Beginning
Hello again,
In the first blog post, I shared with you that two instances ‘sourced’ my journey into writing and publishing children’s adventure/mystery stories. The first from how deeply moved I was by my first international travel experiences; later forged into a “calling” after an unexpected layoff and premature retirement during pandemic times.
The two instances happened a few years apart. At the first inspiration, my plan was to write the books once I retired. I’d then have the free time to study the craft of fiction writing and changes in the publishing industry. That was eight years from my planned retirement. And the time delay didn’t bother me. The second instance, being “grabbed by the heart”, occurred a couple of years ago. Now, delaying the start of writing my books was no longer comfortable.
My life timeline had also changed, with my layoff and retiring three and a half years early. I have to say, retirement was far busier than I expected. I was working hard... mentally. Spending 7-plus hours on most days, for months, to complete the restructure of my personal finances, reallocate investments, and keep up with the reading and briefings from 20-odd financial and investment subscriptions. The focus was toward making ‘best decisions’. Then, having to repeat the same process--was exhausting. The financial markets were a horrendous mess. My other plans for an area-by-area decluttering of my garage and house—were cut short. At least I worked through one third of the garage.
Even with the additional financial work necessary, the journey of crafting myself into a fiction writer could begin in several months, not years. Because the work was done in retirement; at home, in my space, and my time choices.
“Then February happened”. What does that mean, you ask? In early February, I saw a Facebook Ad for a “Women in Publishing Summit”. Women in publishing! That caught my attention. Publishing had long been predominately men and a persistence of several "dated" processes, without apparent interest in revamping those processes. In my nonfiction publishing days, years ago, women in positions of decision were few, and far between.
I scoured the website for information on the summit; it sounded amazing. I could learn much at this event. I needed new information on publishing. And to hear it from women in publishing had my full attention. And it wasn’t expensive. The info mentioned it was an annual event. I didn't know about this summit; how could that be?
I tempered my excitement. Ok… I need to stay focused on financial matters, including preparing for income taxes, until mid-summer. The event is in a few weeks. I don’t have time to spend four days away from my ‘financial work.’ I’ll attend it next year. But the information kept tugging at my mind... and gut. What if the event doesn’t happen next year? Attending it this year, I can have writing-focused information ‘under my belt’ when starting my mid-summer writing work. This mental tug-o’-war went on for several days. Something within me would not let go of the thought "I should attend this year". After a few more days of internal skirmishes, my “gut” won. I gave in and signed up for the summit.
It takes a lot time to write and publish books. Far more than you expect when creating your first manuscript. I know; I have “been there, done that”… in material I knew intimately. Now I’m called to write material that I don't yet know how to create. In fiction-writing, imagination generates every bit of your material: the characters, what they do, where they come from, where they go; what they want in their life, the encounters they experience; the setting in which they live. My first fiction books will, doubtless, take longer than my first nonfiction title.
In the first blog post, I shared with you that two instances ‘sourced’ my journey into writing and publishing children’s adventure/mystery stories. The first from how deeply moved I was by my first international travel experiences; later forged into a “calling” after an unexpected layoff and premature retirement during pandemic times.
The two instances happened a few years apart. At the first inspiration, my plan was to write the books once I retired. I’d then have the free time to study the craft of fiction writing and changes in the publishing industry. That was eight years from my planned retirement. And the time delay didn’t bother me. The second instance, being “grabbed by the heart”, occurred a couple of years ago. Now, delaying the start of writing my books was no longer comfortable.
My life timeline had also changed, with my layoff and retiring three and a half years early. I have to say, retirement was far busier than I expected. I was working hard... mentally. Spending 7-plus hours on most days, for months, to complete the restructure of my personal finances, reallocate investments, and keep up with the reading and briefings from 20-odd financial and investment subscriptions. The focus was toward making ‘best decisions’. Then, having to repeat the same process--was exhausting. The financial markets were a horrendous mess. My other plans for an area-by-area decluttering of my garage and house—were cut short. At least I worked through one third of the garage.
Even with the additional financial work necessary, the journey of crafting myself into a fiction writer could begin in several months, not years. Because the work was done in retirement; at home, in my space, and my time choices.
“Then February happened”. What does that mean, you ask? In early February, I saw a Facebook Ad for a “Women in Publishing Summit”. Women in publishing! That caught my attention. Publishing had long been predominately men and a persistence of several "dated" processes, without apparent interest in revamping those processes. In my nonfiction publishing days, years ago, women in positions of decision were few, and far between.
I scoured the website for information on the summit; it sounded amazing. I could learn much at this event. I needed new information on publishing. And to hear it from women in publishing had my full attention. And it wasn’t expensive. The info mentioned it was an annual event. I didn't know about this summit; how could that be?
I tempered my excitement. Ok… I need to stay focused on financial matters, including preparing for income taxes, until mid-summer. The event is in a few weeks. I don’t have time to spend four days away from my ‘financial work.’ I’ll attend it next year. But the information kept tugging at my mind... and gut. What if the event doesn’t happen next year? Attending it this year, I can have writing-focused information ‘under my belt’ when starting my mid-summer writing work. This mental tug-o’-war went on for several days. Something within me would not let go of the thought "I should attend this year". After a few more days of internal skirmishes, my “gut” won. I gave in and signed up for the summit.
It takes a lot time to write and publish books. Far more than you expect when creating your first manuscript. I know; I have “been there, done that”… in material I knew intimately. Now I’m called to write material that I don't yet know how to create. In fiction-writing, imagination generates every bit of your material: the characters, what they do, where they come from, where they go; what they want in their life, the encounters they experience; the setting in which they live. My first fiction books will, doubtless, take longer than my first nonfiction title.
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