I spent a few years fumbling around. I submitted bad manuscripts. Then I took one of Bob Mayer’s workshops and read his book The Novel Writer’s Toolkit and a whole new world opened up to me. It had to be the biggest light bulb moment I have ever had. Since then, I have been focusing on craft. Learning all I can about how to put together a great story. I know I have good ideas, but as Bob says, Idea is not Story.

I think the biggest lesson I have learned through this process of becoming a published author is that you always have to learn, but more importantly, you have to apply what you have learned. As a conference chair for an RWA chapter, I have seen many writers get excited about a topic or new technique a speaker has brought to the table. They will talk about it with other writers, explaining what they have learned, yet, they never really apply it to their writing. I do find it hard to break some habits. I tend to beat the reader over the head and foreshadow too much in the opening. Sometimes I can’t see it, other times it jumps out at me. I really have to look for my weaknesses and then do what I can to correct them.

Ironically, my current project experiments with a narrative that blends banal and economic/evocative language to create a unique voice. Rules are there to be broken (but only if you know why / how), right?