Author Insight: What I've learned... (And giveaway time!)

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about yourself in your journey as a writer?

"That I need to have balance.  I'm capable of writing a first draft in 25 days, but it's not a healthy way to live.  :-)  I also know that writing one scene a day as a goal helps me avoid being too wordy and also allows me to have a real life beyond writing.  That was the point of this career in the first place: to be able to pursue a creative career from home that was flexible enough to let me enjoy my real life too.  That didn't happen much in the first two years, and I learned a lot from that mistake.  Writing isn't my life, it's my job.  I need to be out there in the world too." - Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society.

 

"That the ten years I spent writing before publication were not a waste, and were not a mark of failure. I thought I wouldn't be a real writer until I got that dream of publication, but really, I was a writer from the moment I decided I would be one, and started working towards that dream. Success wasn't publication: success was the pursuit of the dream." - Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe.

"I’ve learned that I can take criticism. I’ve also learned that being a published author is not some kind of panacea for life’s problems, worries, and stresses. My life really hasn’t changed much. I’ve actually realized that as much as I enjoy being a published author, I don’t need to be in order to verify my worth. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I could stop writing today and be perfectly content with my life as is, and now that I’ve achieved that goal, I may at some point decide to pursue some other of life’s experiences." - Ty Roth, author of So Shelly.

"That the best writing is done when I shut down my conscious mind and just let it flow. Thinking about things too hard only gets in the way, which is really hard for me, because I’m usually a total planner. That, and I’ve finally found something I don’t completely stink at." - Cynthia Omololu, author of Dirty Little Secrets.

"I am an extrovert under the right conditions. If you put me in a room full of grownups, I’m a total wallflower. I’m just not all that interested in talking about stock portfolios or politics or other 'grownup' things. I tend to tune those things out and retreat into my own little fantasy world. But put me in a room full of geeks or book people, and I miraculously morph into a wisecracking spotlight hogger. It’s my superpower." - Carrie Harris, author of Bad Taste in Boys.

"I can't write what anyone 'suggests' that I write. I can only write what excites me in that strange, unfathomable way. And I'm slow!" - Maurissa Guibord, author of Warped.

"I can be a lot more business-minded than I ever would have guessed!" - Hannah Moskowitz, author of Invincible Summer. 

"I’ve learned to trust myself and to be patient with myself. I sometimes write myself into a corner, and I used to panic when that happened. I also used to panic when I didn’t know how to get from point A to point B in a manuscript. I now know that if I let things be for a while, a solution will present itself. For instance, in On Etruscan Time, my main character had to travel to the past to save an ancient Etruscan boy from being executed for a crime he didn’t commit. I had already set it up that a time-traveler couldn’t speak to anyone or move objects in the past (to get around the paradox of someone, say, killing his own grandmother as a child, thus preventing the time-traveler from being born, which would mean that the person didn’t go back in time and kill his grandmother, which meant that he was born . . . ). I lay awake at night a lot trying to figure out how Hector could help the Etruscan boy. I found that I had already, whether consciously, unconsciously, or merely coincidentally, written the solution for that conundrum into the manuscript." - Tracy Barrett, author of King of Ithaka.

"I’m someone who refuses to talk themselves out of succeeding, and that’s a huge factor in actually achieving success. (Of course 'success' means different things to different people, but I’m talking about my own personal standard for myself.)" - Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Blessed.

"Resilience.  Every time I think there's something in this business that I can't possibly do, I figure out a way to get it done.  It's like problem solving overdrive everyday as a writer!" - Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess.

"That I can do this. Which might sound ridiculously simple, but really, it's everything. Writing is a creative pursuit that takes both discipline and inspiration--both in large quantity, if you want a career. I'm very grateful that I've turned out to be good at handling this as a career and not just a hobby." - Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Between the Sea and Sky.

"I am terminally insecure, but also respond very well to praise. (Go ahead, tell me you love my book -- I'll be forever grateful!)" - Inara Scott, author of Delcroix Academy: The Candidates.

"For most writers, it doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a lot of rejection and heartbreak and what it really comes down to is…how bad do you want it? This has been a long journey for me. Writing was what I always wanted to do, ever since I was a little girl. And I am, let’s just say, MUCH older now. And it definitely did not happen for me overnight. There are trunk novels that will never see the light of day. I could wallpaper my bedroom with rejection slips from my twenties. But I learned a lot about myself, motivation, and perseverance." - Kim Harrington, author of Clarity. 

"I am a lot more persistent and thick-skinned than I ever thought I could be. If you'd told me 15 years ago that I would have written 4 full novels and have one on its way to publication, I would have said you were crazy!" - Sara Bennett Wealer, author of Rival.

"That I really can do the things that matter to me, the things I'm willing to work and fight for." - Stacia Kane, author of City of Ghosts.

 

Come back Thursday to find out what the rest of the authors have learned about themselves on their journey as writers.

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GIVEAWAY

The authors have donated a bunch of books and swag for a few lucky readers to win. Take a look!

• The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson (signed)
• ARC of Clarity by Kim Harrington
• King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett (signed)
• Purge by Sarah Darer Littman (signed)
• Delcroix Academy: The Candidates by Inara Scott (signed)
• ARC of Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
• ARC of Rage by Jackie Kessler (signed)
• ARC of Blessed by Cynthia Leititch Smith
• So Shelly by Ty Roth (signed)(not pictured)
• Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (signed)(not pictured)
• Various swag.

So here's the skinny... There will be three winners.

Grand Prize Winner: Five books of their choice, signed Desires of the Dead poster, and various signed and unsigned swag.

Runner-up: Three remaining books, signed Desires of the Dead poster, and various swag.

Third place: Various signed and unsigned swag.

Fil out the form below to enter. Good luck!