Being a Writer
The most surprising part for me is that I know how to write. For many years, my life was shadowed by the sadness of having no innate talent for writing. I’m not being modest — I really couldn’t write a novel or anything worth reading except for some snippets of poetic thoughts.
When I decided to write a novel despite that lack of talent, I set out to learn everything I could about developing a readable story. Most of the how-to books confused the heck out of me — the authors would talk about rising conflicts and motivation/reaction units, and I didn’t have a clue what they meant. It’s only recently that I realized I actually know what I’m doing.
Here are some responses from others authors about the most surprising part of being a writer. The comments are taken from interviews posted at Pat Bertram Introduces . . .
From an interview with J J Dare, Author of False Positive and False World
The most surprising aspect of being a published writer is the positive feedback I’ve received from readers. Only a few weeks ago, I had a reader ask when the third book in the Joe Daniels’ trilogy would be coming out.
From an interview with Smoky Trudeau Zeidel, Author of “On the Choptank Shores”
The awe that some people display when they find out I’ve not only written a book but written several! Really, I don’t tell people I’m an author to stun them! It’s what I do, just like some people are gardeners or bank tellers or forest rangers. But there is something about being a writer that makes other people think you’re pretty cool — even if you aren’t!
From an interview with Sheila Deeth, Author of “Flower Child”
I’ve surprised myself by finally learning to tell people I’m a writer — maybe that’s what I should have said has changed since my first book was published.
From an interview with Beth Groundwater, Author of “A Real Basket Case”
The amount of non-writing work involved! There’s the contracting process, research, promotion, networking, and all of the other ancillary activities that are part of having a writing career, but that takes precious time away from the writing itself.
So, for you, what’s the most surprising part of being a writer?
The most surprising thing about writing a book is its longevity. By this I mean I am 74 now and busy promoting the books I
wrote in 2008. It gave me purpose and introduced me to a new career I never thought possible. I am busy everyday and my pain, depression and other worldly problems fade into the ozone.