In My Words: Looking for Signs Along the Writing Road

When I think of the writing life, I think of a road. One complete with curves. Speed limits. Bumps. Unexpected detours. And, as my writing friend author Jody Hedlund pointed out in her blog post, the occasional traffic jam.
I had a plan--a road map, if you will -- when I set my sights on pursuing writing. Let me rephrase that: I wasn't pursuing writing, I was pursuing publication.
I learned quickly that publication was beyond my control. Pursuing writing -- bettering my skills -- now that was my responsibility, and mine alone. I had to see the writing road as an open road -- not as a series of impassable obstacles.

A possible road sign reminder?  

 No parking. Why? Success requires forward motion, not sitting for so long that my writing attempts are non-existent. Do I want to waste so much time that I could be designated an abandoned vehicle in a tow-away zone? (Okay, work with me here. It's a rough analogy, but you see my point, right?)






There's another lesson I've learned along the writing road: You have to know the difference between learning technique from a more skilled writer and believing the (false) idea that there's only one right way to do things.

A possible road sign reminder?

Here's two: This Way or One Way. "This Way" is what a mentor says when she shows me how to dig deeper into my character. A skilled teacher shows you the "how" and then lets you adapt it to your voice. Consider the words "One Way." How limiting. Only. One. Way. No room for voice. No room for flare. No room for your personal interpretation of how to craft dialogue or develop characters.



In Your Words: What signs have you seen along the writing road? If you had the chance, what sign would you post for other writers? 

In My Words: Where are You Along the Writing Road?

I often refer to the writing life as a journey along the writing road. I mention the bumps and the roadblocks, the bends and the unexpected detours. I've even asked other writers what road signs would they post along the writing road. (That's another blog post. If you have a suggestion, email me at beth@bethvogt.com.)

When I first set out along the writing road, I knew where  I was headed. My destination? Establishing myself as a nonfiction writer. My market: magazines. And, with the tried and true method of submissions + rejections + acceptances = real writer status, I "arrived."

Then the road took one of those unexpected turns and I wrote a book. Before that, I had no intention of writing a book--ever. But there was a felt-need for a book on late-in-life motherhood. And I knew that topic, up-close and personal, thanks to an unexpected pregnancy at 41. So I wrote Baby Changes Everything.

And then there was another surprise waiting for me around the bend: I landed a two-book contract for my novels. Me, an avowed I-don't-write-fiction writer.The writing road had taken me somewhere I'd never imagined--and I was thrilled. Flabbergasted, but thrilled.

Enough about me. Let's talk about you.

In Your Words: Imagine with me that your writing life is a journey along  a road.  Are you where you want to be? Have you encountered some bumps along the way? Any detours? Discovered something surprising around the bend? If we were looking at a map together and I asked, "So, where are you headed?" what would you tell me? What's your ultimate destination, i.e. dream or goal, as a writer?