Hey, Hey!
How's everyone's week been going? It's the end of the school year and I am closing in on a deadline! I also have started #kindlevella which has me writing a completely different story, chapter by chapter. It's times like this where planning my schedule is essential. Not only for getting things done, but for not spending every waking moment working. I need to binge my shows too!
Writing Career
The origin of my writing career began in 2018. I won't bore you with the mundane details; instead I will give you the Cliff Notes version!
I was working as a teacher's assistant, and had some time on my hands. So I decided to start writing to pass the time. Then decided I was going to publish when I got far enough in the story. I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. I was over the moon when my manuscript was accepted by a publishing company. However, I was very naïve and am grateful that I didn't sign with them. The only reason I didn't was the cost was too much for me at the time.
However, there was a lot (everything) about the industry I did not know. I COULD have been taken advantage of. I decided to go the self publish route. Which I was also naïve about and made all the mistakes when I first started.
Over time, as I researched and spoke with other new authors, I learned more of my craft. I started changing what I was doing for the better. I have only been on this journey three years. I consider myself in the beginning stages. There is a lot that I have to learn and do being a self-published author.
Inspiration
When I was younger, I read urban fiction books. Granted, for a 14-16 year old, those books were too old for me to be reading. I binged them seriously into my 20's. My taste in reading started to broaden. I wanted to read other genres and struggled to find authors of color. At first, I wasn't looking in the right place.
Then, I began reading #cynthiseden and #shelleylaurenston and fell in love. I flipped back and forth between paranormal and romance books until I discovered thrillers and mysteries. I read from #KarenRobards and #Karinslaughter and later on #BlakePierce. I dove right into them; lost in the worlds they created.
I tried to emulate the way these authors wrote in my short stories and journals. The plot pulls you in and you become emotionally connected to the characters. The suspense that keeps you turning pages. You want to skim to get to the good part, but you can't because you miss all the good stuff! This genre of books and the authors writing style were a huge inspiration for me and definitely influenced my writing later on.
I still was staying away from authors of color thinking they only wrote urban fiction. There was and is nothing wrong with that genre of books. However, I was tapped out. I felt like the plots were too similar that I didn't get enough variety. The media coverage on authors of color that didn't write urban fiction or romance was non-existent.
Joining different Facebook groups like #blackgirlsreadtoo really helped me. These groups opened my eyes to the variety of books like authors of color write and helped me solidify my desire to write women of color as main characters. The field is definitely there but it is lacking in the quantity, social acceptance, and therefore the visibility.
So what does that mean?
For me, that means there is never just one big moment. I don't think "AHA!" moments exist. I think it is the end of a collection of little moments on a journey you are on. I didn't catch all of my little moments but I am grateful (in hindsight) for the journey.
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