Welcome to A Writer’s POV. If someone had told me that writing a novel would cause me to loose sleep, gain weight, snap at my husband, pull my hair out, (literally and figuratively) and kick the dog, if I had one, I never would have put pen to paper. But as they say, ignorance is bliss, and I plunged in and began writing my book with the naïve expectation that I’d be finished in a year. Needless to say, five years and seven drafts later, I’m still on my quest for the Holy Grail, a published novel. Although frustrating, I spent that time growing as a writer. Every rewrite, revision and critique taught me something. Every book I read or workshop I attended offered new insights and ways to improve my craft. My goal with this blog is to share with you what I've learned so far. To talk about issues that plague all writers, to talk about the nuts and bolts of writing. Despite the fact that it's all been said before, each of us has our own way of telling a story and hopefully you'll visit often for help, support or just for the fun of it to read the posts written from this writer's point of view.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Chapter Two and Counting.....

In my last post I talked about being "let go" from a part-time job. End of chapter one. Emotionally, I'm over it. And still having friends that work there with news, good and bad, has helped immensely as I move on, or turn the next page.

Although one less job means one less source of income--I guess you could say that was my empty page-- I've been able to handle more assignments from Ocala's Good Life magazine. I love having a column and being a regular contributor, and now I'm free to devote more time doing what gives me the most pleasure and personal satisfaction, writing.

This is very exciting for me because though I knew in my heart that I was indeed a writer, I lacked the self confidence to admit it to myself or say it out loud. But the process of elimination has accomplished what I could not, and now from three, I'm down to one job, as a Writer.

What's more, the perks of the job are certainly the best. I get to meet and interview interesting people for feature spreads and profiles, and I've had the opportunity to ride in an Amphicar, and more recently, a helicopter.  Just click on the magazine cover to the right of this post and read "Come Fly With Me" pages 36-41.

Even quiet, unassuming people who otherwise would live their lives unnoticed, get their 15 minutes of fame, so to speak, like in "A Walk in the Park" on pages 28-30. Then of course, there's my column, "Just My Type" on page 34.

My editor was also kind enough to recognize some of my accomplishments in a few paragraphs on page 10. I have to admit after years of writing about others, It was strange to see something written about me.

So now I'm in my next chapter. I hope all of them are long and many as I grow as a writer, and work towards representation by a literary agent, adding "Novelist" to my list of occupations.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

When Life Hands You an Empty Page, Begin a New Chapter

In my last post, I talked about how I was moonlighting, and had three jobs. I explained why I voluntarily gave up one, but was still moonlighting with the remaining two. I also may have whined about the weekend job that paid the bills while I worked at writing for Ocala's Good Life magazine. Well, life has a way of giving you what you want, even when you're not exactly sure what that is yourself.

Just before the holidays, I was "let go" from the weekend job. The company had been floundering for some time with enough managerial changes, resignations, terminations and lay-offs to make anyone question their job security. So I should have seen it coming, right? But I didn't. I was completely blind-sided. I admit it stung for a while, but I've gotten over the trauma and am now spending more time writing and trying to get representation for my romance novel.

The moral of the story: When life hands you an empty page, begin a new chapter.

Check back soon for "Chapter Two."