By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep
For years I was a creative writer instructor, which has its pros and cons. It also has its own special kind of drudgery like answering the same questions over and over. I see a lot of young writers commit the same writerly crimes time and time again, so I figured, hey, why not blast my spiel to the world at large? Or at least to wannabe authors. Here, then, are 5 nuggets of sage wisdom.
Read
One of the best ways to become a great writer is to read great writing. What goes in eventually comes out, if you persevere and work at it. And don’t give me that line about you being too busy to read because I’m not buying it. Cram reading into your schedule with a shoehorn if need be.
Enjoy
Stop wishing away your pre-publishing life. This is the time for you to enjoy your exploration with words. You can write whatever you feel like writing because no publisher has harnessed you with a bit and bridle yet. Run free, little stallion, and laugh at the wind in your hair.
Perseverance
Some days writing will be magic but others it will be just plain drudgery, like cleaning the toilet or vacuuming up dog hair. You just gotta do it because it needs to be done, know what I mean? Don’t wait for your muse to show up because some days that muse has packed its bags for Morocco.
Focus
There are naysayers out there who will rain on your writerly parade with their negativity. Don’t listen to them. Don’t even look at them. Keep your eyes on the prize of your art. This is you, not them. You do you.
Finish
It’s easier to start a new story when the one you’re working on stalls out. Don’t give in to that temptation. Finish what you start. You can’t submit 14 half-finished manuscripts when the requirement is a full.
There. See? Not so hard, eh? That’s right. . . you CAN do this writing gig. Trust me, if I can, so can you.
Detective Jackson Forge can hardly wait to marry the street-sly swindler who’s turned his life upside down. Kit Turner is equally excited to wed the handsome detective, and what better way to show her love than providing him with a gift any man of the law would love? She determines to bring to justice the men who years ago maimed his brother despite Jackson’s warning to leave the past in the past. As she digs into the mystery of what happened, she unwittingly tumbles into her own history and endangers her future happiness with Jackson.
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the Christy Award-winning author of historical romances that both intrigue and evoke a smile. An Anglophile at heart, you’ll most often find her partaking of a proper cream tea while scheming up her next novel…but it’s probably easier to find her at www.michellegriep.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
And guess what? She loves to hear from readers! Feel free to drop her a note at michelle@michellegriep.com