I
worked with each of these writers, getting to know their stories
intimately, helping them stay the course. It's not easy, and I'm so
pleased they chose to keep going. Now they each have a beautiful book to
show for it.
Below
are some questions I asked them about their writing journeys. Perhaps
you will recognize your own journey in their story--and come away
encouraged. If you have questions for any of them, please feel free to
ask by clicking the link at the end of this article.
When did you begin writing this book, and why was it important to you to write?
One
day I thought to myself, Maybe I could write a book about it. It was a
daunting thought, and a book seemed beyond my reach. But the
possibility stayed with me and eventually I found your workshop at the
Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, "How to Plan, Write and Develop a
Book."
I came through it a changed person: I learned so much I felt like a book-writing insider!
I
didn't start out with the intent to write a book. I started taking
writing classes with express intent to make these characters go away.
One online class led to three. Four months later, when I still hadn't
succeeded in finding employment in L.A., I took a job back in
Minneapolis. I asked my online writing teacher if she could recommend a
place in Minnesota where I could continue learning how to write.
She said, "You have one of the best places in the U.S. right there in Minneapolis. It's The Loft Literary Center."
After
my move, I began exploring what The Loft had to offer. My characters
were now talking up a storm, and I used their story to help me learn the
craft of writing. I was fascinated to be learning something new again;
and this approach to writing, using islands, fit the way my nonlinear
brain functions.
My
goal had always been to publish commercial fiction. During the
workshop, we talked about popular genres; mystery, of course, being one
of them. With help from other participants, I ended up with a pitch for a
mystery around adoption.
It
was important to me to write this book for a few reasons. Though I
don't have direct personal experience with adoption, I am fascinated
with all the nuances of the complex relationship between a birth mother
and an adoptive mother.
Writing
a mystery allowed me to continue to explore that relationship, but in a
genre that was more marketable. I also wanted to see something that I
had written as a published book!
Any advice to first-time book writers?
Sylvia Gravrock:
Believe in yourself, your characters, and your ability. Take classes.
Most importantly, don't be afraid to mine your deepest, scariest
memories and emotions. Because I wrote Alive in the Storm with no intent that anyone else would ever read it, I could be honest with myself. The most common comment I've received since Alive in the Storm
was published in May is that the reader feels engulfed in the emotions
of the book. That, above all, feels like success to me. I'm overwhelmed
with awe and gratitude. Sounds silly, but it's true.
Nancy Wood:
Don't give up! Keep writing! My other piece of advice is to read as
much as you can in the genre you're writing in. Then re-read, studying
how the author created the story. Call it research! I also found that
listening to books, rather than reading them, was invaluable. As I
listened to books, I often discovered nuances that escaped me when I was
reading.
Nancy Okerlund: One resource that had a wonderful impact on me is Brenda Ueland's book If You Want to Write.
After I read it I gathered up passages that particularly spoke to me
and I still refer to them. She gives me permission to trust myself.
What's it like to have your book out there? What's the reader response so far?
Nancy Okerlund:
It's been seven months since my book came out. I'm very happy about it.
I see it as a contribution to the growing body of information about the
power and beauty and importance of "introvert energy." Reader response
has been very positive. Sales have been modest but steady, in this world
of online book-buying. (Besides several local bookstores, Introverts at Ease is mainly available from Amazon.)
Nancy Wood: I'm
just a few weeks into this, so it's a brand new experience. The
Solstice cover artist designed an eye-popping cover that I love seeing
on my Amazon page! To top that off, my first Amazon review is a five
star one, so I couldn't be happier. I have already connected with a few
book bloggers for reviews and interviews. In truth, I feel like I'm
walking on a cloud!
Any obstacles you encountered along the way?
Sylvia Gravrock:
My biggest obstacle was forging time to write between work and personal
commitments. I believed that writing was a "pastime," and as a result
it was usually the last thing on my list. Even though it was the
activity that gave me greatest pleasure (and still does), it always came
in last. I needed a change in attitude.
Nancy Wood: I was my biggest obstacle--procrastination and doubt were my biggest challenges.
Nancy Okerlund: A
series of serious illnesses and deaths in my family disrupted business
as usual and at some point I officially let go of my intention to write a
book. But my passion about introversion didn't go away. Then in 2007 I
launched an electronic newsletter (ezine) called The Introvert Energizer. Every two weeks I'd write a short essay about what was happening in my introvert lab.
I
discovered it was a good way to crystallize my thoughts. It wasn't
easy. It took the kind of musing, probing, mulling, wondering that
introverts are known for. But I was getting grateful and interesting
responses from my readers. And the ezine became a powerful structure for
me. I felt so responsible to my subscribers that I'd manage to seek
out my writing voice enough to meet my deadlines, even when I had to
gnash my teeth in the process. I published it every two weeks for two or
three years, then shifted into monthly. I continued to get
encouragement about the writing. And I also continued to recognize how
it kept me in a searching, observant place. And that I'd grown to like
this way of writing: brief, self-revealing, informative pieces that
almost always surprised me.
How did you land your publishing contract or make the decision to self-publish?
Nancy Wood: I'd
finished another rewrite and really felt like I'd done everything I
could. The manuscript was as polished and as strong as I could make it. I
sent query letters to agents with very little response. I had a few
nibbles that didn't go anywhere.
I
started looking online and found a marvelous array of Kindle books for
$4.99, $3.99, $2.99. $0.99, and even free. I purchased some of them,
read them, and was impressed with the whole package, from the cover to
the story to the editing. I researched publishers, and found Solstice, a
mid-sized publisher with a focus on e-books. I submitted the manuscript
following the guidelines on the website, and was delighted 12 weeks
later to receive an acceptance email, followed by a contract.
Nancy Okerlund:
I chose to self-publish. I spent a year in a class, designed and led by
John Eggen, which gave me another important structure, of support and
of access to technical information and resources that further normalized
producing a book. One of those resources was CreateSpace.com, the
company I used to self-publish. I found it remarkable for its customer
service, both online and by phone. I regularly had my questions answered
skillfully within minutes of contacting them.
What was the biggest turning point in your writing process?
Nancy Okerlund: It
was a conversation with an experienced publisher that got me back to my
intention to produce a book. He assured me that my collection of short
essays could become a book. I didn't believe him overnight. But once I
did, I began to relate to the ezines differently and it was almost a
pleasure to write an introduction for them. Because I'd published these
pieces over five years in plain text email, I'd been minimizing their
value as book material. But writing them was not a superficial process.
And once I chose to believe the publisher, it felt like a miracle had
happened: I'd let go of writing a book and then, years, later, it
materialized right before my eyes!
Sylvia Gravrock:
By April of 2010 I'd all but given up. Through your coaching, I'd come
to see this story as a potential book, but I was hopelessly stuck and
blocked. I hadn't written in weeks, and was honestly on the verge of
saying, "Well, that was an interesting exercise. Time to leave this work
behind and find the next adventure." (I'm a "starter;" I struggle to
make myself finishing things.)
In
one last effort to see if I would hang up this "writing thing" forever,
I packed up my laptop and notebook and sat in a local Dunn Bros coffee
shop. Staring blankly out the window and into a frosty spring landscape,
I was disturbed by a woman suddenly standing right beside my table.
"What are you working on?" the stranger abruptly asked.
"Um. I'm writing a story ... a book." (Oh dear God, please make her go away.
How rude of her to interrupt my mental block!)
"Really? What's it about?" She set her coffee cup down on the table, not about to move until I answered her.
"Well ... it's about a 10-year-old girl who is abducted, brutally raped, and left for dead." (How quickly can I spit this out so this stranger will just go away?)
"Through
the experiences of her own storms and trials, her grandmother realizes
she's the only one who can reach her granddaughter and help her navigate
the storm she's in to safety." (Whew! I said it. Will you just go away now??)
The
stranger dropped her hands upon my table, stared straight into my eyes.
"That's exactly what happened to me," she said in a hushed voice. "When
will your book be published?"
Alive in the Storm
was completed within the year and published as an ebook on May 9,
2012--two years nearly to the day from my encounter with a stranger in a
coffee shop. I wrote it for this stranger.
Nancy Wood: When
I was working with you, you introduced me to all the elements of a
novel, from inner story to outer story. As a reader, I had always been
able to sense when these elements formed a cohesive book, but I had
never been quite able to translate them into my writing. This was my
turning point.
What would you do differently, based on what you know now about book writing?
Sylvia Gravrock:
I'm working on my second novel now. I've learned a lot but feel like
I'm a novice all over again. This time, I'm using exercises from Your Book Starts Here
and taking more writing classes with the intent for this book to not
take five years and ten revisions. If it's possible, I'm being more
methodical in my randomness.
Nancy Wood:
I have always been a writer who needs to write from beginning to end. I
need to know what I am writing about ahead of time. I need to know
where the story is going and where to plant the clues. That hasn't
changed. What has changed is how I approach each scene. I try to think
of the inner and outer story as I write.
Anything else you'd like to share with writers?
Nancy Okerlund:
While we're socialized to believe the value of published work is in
sales volume, my encouragement to other writers who are considering or
in the process of creating a book is to trust that our voices join a
conversation about life that reaches deep into our collective heart.
To check out any of these books, click on the title below
Alive in the Storm by Sylvia Gravrock
Due Date by Nancy Wood
Introverts at Ease by Nancy Okerlund
Your Weekly Writing Exercise
1. Think of a question you'd like to ask one or all of these writers. Post it below.
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