“Be persistent. Editors change; tastes change; editorial markets change. Too many beginning writers give up too easily.” John Jakes
I am simultaneously eager and terrified. In a few weeks, I fly out of The Valley of the Sun (where it has been raining continuously this week) for San Diego and the Southern California Writers' Conference.
I spent my previous professional life attending scores of conferences. But, this one . . . this one is different. This one is me starting all over again in a different profession. Me, the newbie author, attending conference presentations by published fiction writers. Me, the newbie author, meeting one-on-one with two agents and an editor who will critique excerpts from three of my novels. Me, not an expert at the conference whom others wish to hear. Me, the neophyte, scared spitless that I am not as good as I need to be in this new profession.
But, it is my profession. I have been working hard at it since "transitioning" (i.e., retiring) after 39 years as an educator. I take classes, attend workshops, join associations, and read journals, books, and magazine articles. I WILL make it. I WILL publish fiction. I WILL continue to write because I cannot NOT write.
Of course, I hope that one of the three meetings will result in a request for a full manuscript. But, if nothing comes out of this conference, something will happen at another one or in between conferences. I know that both persistence and resilience are key to succeeding in my new profession.
This blog will be a periodic reflection of my writing life and thoughts. But do visit my website, too. I have plans to post excerpts of my work there as well as to engage with other writers in numerous ways. Write Away, Reader! Sharon
