It’s happened. I am a published author. I can “honestly” say I’m a writer without feeling like I’ll be hit with a stack of books, even though EVERYONE says, if you write, then you are a writer. But now, well, the realness of it all has sunk in. And what a delicious feeling to see my name in print with my words under them. Lots of words I put together myself.
Well, not entirely… the prompt for Choose the Hammock came from Sue Reynolds … that first phrase when contemplating a photograph: In this one, you are… And I believe that prompt came originally from Pat Schneider…
It’s a terrific prompt. I love prompts. They are like the first push on the swing, or the hands that steady you on the bike before you set out on your own adventure. Prompts rock. We had lots of those for the Novel Approach course and we have many offered in the day of Sanctuary once a month with Sue. So that when I look over my manuscript for Weather Vane, I find dozens of scenes that were inspired by prompts. It may take a village to raise a child, but for me this first go-round, it’s taken an entire community to get this baby raised.
I am so happy right now. Can you tell?
I sent my first chapter to a contest in the UK. I’ve sent a poem I wrote in Pat Schneider’s retreat to the Montreal Poetry contest. And some other pieces have gone out. I think now that rejections won’t sting so badly. (Does everyone say that?)
I’m off to another workshop with Robyn Read about approaching publishers, and that just adds to my general happiness.
Love the Carte Blanche story. Congratulations on your publication. It’s a beautiful, enigmatic and gorgeously written piece!
Thank you, oh gracious mentor… You are the diving board beneath my feet!
I really enjoyed reading your piece, Deepam. It’s very easy to see why it was chosen. I was looking at those photographs with you.
While prompts can start us thinking and lead us places we hadn’t thought of going, remember that everything after the first sentence is all you. You did it and I knew you could. Congratulations!
Thank you so much for those generous words. I was thinking about that whole prompt thing… it isn’t just the prompts – it’s the writing together that bumps it up… all that shared creative energy when writing together seems to take it up a notch or two.
I was saying to James yesterday that the prompts from A Novel Approach, without fail, always applied to Echoes. I thought about it last night and after reading this I think I’ve figured it out. When the story is strong inside you, the prompts are like little portholes that let it escape onto the page.
Congrats Deepam!