Hi all,

You know, book therapy is every bit about staying with your writing as it is teaching the craft.

I’ve asked MBT member and retreat faithful, Patricia Bradley, to share her writing journey and inspire us all! — Rachel

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Do you ever think about giving up on your writing dream?

When I was 35 years old, I had these people who came and lived in my head. At first I didn’t know what to do with them, but since I’ve always had trouble sleeping, it was kind of nice to have someone to keep me entertained in the wee hours of the morning. Except, they weren’t content to entertain me. They wanted their story told.

Problem? I didn’t know how to tell their story. So I bought a how-to book and a subscription to Writer’s Digest magazine. And I began writing their story.

Now, when God was passing out confidence, I’m sure He gave me a double portion. I finished the 3500-word manuscript and mailed it to Woman’s World. Bear in mind, the word count for a mini-mystery at Woman’s World was 2,000 words.

They bought it.

I was on my way to being an author. My five-year business plan included having at least two books published. Publishers would be knocking on my door, begging to buy my manuscripts.

Okay, you can quit laughing now.

Thirty-four years after those people came to live in my head, my first book, Shadows of the Past, will be published by Revell/Baker Books. Thirty-four years and enough rejections to fill a five gallon bucket.

I was often asked why I kept writing, and I’ve thought about that a lot lately.

It was a God-thing from the get-go. Who, other than God, would give you characters living in your head to keep you company at night? And that first story. All God. The editor later told me Woman’s World typically received a thousand submissions a month.

She picked mine and revised it, cutting 1500 words from it. Looking back, I know only God could have accomplished that miracle. Selling that story to Woman’s World gave me the confidence to keep writing.

The Lord knew I was going to need it.

Other than two more short stories that WW bought, everything I sent out came back with a rejection note. How hard was it to keep writing when no one seemed to want what I wrote? Actually, on one level, not hard at all.

I reasoned that if I had chosen to be a brain surgeon, it would take years to become qualified. Writing was no different.  Besides, the rejection letters were getting more encouraging.

I did the hard work. I sat at my computer and wrote even on the days I didn’t want to. I bought books, I joined My Book Therapy, which is the best thing I ever did.

In 2009, I invested in my writing career with a paid critique from Susan May Warren, and it changed my writing life. I went to writer’s conferences, the Deep Thinkers Retreats.

I.Learned.The.Craft.

Do I wish I had been published when I was 35…or 40…or 50, even? Only if I could take what I know now and go back to those years. Because if my earlier work had been published, I would be so embarrassed today.

Is being an older writer harder? In some ways it’s easier.

I’m retired, so I don’t have to go to a job each day—some days I don’t get out of my pajamas until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

My children are long out of the nest.  Another thing I’ve noticed—there doesn’t seem to be any age discrimination in the publishing world. If you can write, no one cares how old you are.

What advice would I give to someone who wants to write? Give your writing to God.

Do the hard work.

Learn the craft. Make time for writing—it’s a discipline you have to practice if you want to be successful.

Wait on God. In His timing, He will bring about His purpose for your life.

The last thing I would advise—don’t give up. I began Shadows of the Past in 2007 and rewrote it for the next five years.

I could have given up any number of times, but I didn’t. I believed in myself, and I believed in the story, and on October 26, 2012, Revell offered me a three-book contract.

Bio:

Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum and workbook. But her heart is tuned to murder and suspense. Patricia’s mini-mysteries have been published in Woman’s World, and her debut novel, Shadows of the Past,  will release February 1, 2014. Until then check out her last short story in WW, “Blood Kin”.

 

When she’s not writing or speaking, she likes to make jewelry or throw mud on a wheel and create odd and unique pottery.

 

Places to connect with Patricia:

www.ptbradley.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-Bradley-Author/310231559090148?ref=hl
Twitter: @ptbradley1