A feng shui consultant might say my bagua was balanced.
Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, would probably tell me my vibrations manifested themselves to attract success.
A Buddhist would tell me it’s karma, plain and simple.
A skeptic would say I’m just lucky.
I’m talking about The Moment things changed for me, when I switched from being an aspiring maybe-someday-I’ll-see-my-work-in-print author to someone who is now holding her very first publishing contract in hand (thank you Crissy and Samhain!)
I can pinpoint it almost exactly, to the summer of 2006: the August day I created a website for myself. Up to that point, I’d been writing on and off for about 6 years. I’d joined a writers’ group and RWA, entered some contests (with varying results), finished 4 novels and queried all of them (totaling well over 100 rejection letters).
But I’d told very few people, outright, that I was a writer.
So I don’t know what made me think I needed a website. I knew nothing about HTML. I didn’t know how to set up a blog or why people kept them. But I sat down that August day and I bought my domain name and a site template. A few hours later, I had a rudimentary website. The following week, I started a blog.
And something happened in that moment. By calling myself a writer, by choosing a pen name and putting it in large letters next to my picture for the world to see, I laid claim to my belief that I was one. I couldn’t back out. Other people would see my site and know. My identity shifted that night, and what happened in the next four months turned out to be truly remarkable.
I won a short story contest.
I e-published an article on character development.
I signed a contract with Samhain for my very first full-length novel, One Night In Boston.
Four months. 120 days.
What changed? I think it was as simple as stepping up to the plate and committing myself to the identity of “writer.” Of consciously deciding that I wanted to be published and that I was good enough to achieve that. It was a scary moment, to be honest, but exhilarating too.
Have you experienced that moment yet? Can you look back to the time when you decided to commit yourself to the identity of “writer” and all that comes with it? Did it thrill you or scare you? And what happened next?
Allie Boniface
One Night in Boston (July 2007 release)
Allie’s Website
Allie’s Blog
I’d say it was talent and timing… I already knew you were talented and couldn’t understand those silly agents/editors turning you down. I’m thrilled to see that someone saw how talented you are!
Can’t wait to hold the book in my hands (darn it, why do we have to wait?)… autographed, of course.
I’m sure I’ll buy the eBook as well. I don’t think I can wait for the print to come out!
I can’t wait to read your book, One Night in Boston either. Since I’ve read some of your excerpts, I know it’ll be great!
I think my turning point was when I reached a certain age (no, I’m not going to tell the age when all of you are so much younger than I am) and decided I had to get serious about my writing and make my dream of becoming a published author come true.
For me it was when I decided to join the RNA, the Uk equivalent of the RWA. It cost me money I didn’t really have so I had to justify spending it to myself. Part of the RNA membership for unpublished writers is you get a critique of a full manuscript by a published author writing in your genre. It is amazing value for money and it’s no wonder the scheme is already full for this year. By joining I was commitingmyself to becoming a professional writer, to me it meant I was ready to take that step. My first ms The Cinderella Substitute was bought by a publisher and my second, Things To Do was acquired by Samhain. My bok, Marrying Max is coming out in the summer and has been shortlisted for The Romance Prize 2007, all of this is because I took that step and joined the RNA.
That’s such wonderful news, Nell. Congratulations on your successes! That’s exactly what I’m talking about…
How exciting for you, Allie! I remember the moment I heard my first book would be published, too, and I was just as thrilled. This is just the beginning for you—enjoy and appreciate every milestone!
As a Buddhist, I have to say it was karma. But karma isn’t just fate, it’s a matter of cause and effect. You made a cause to be come a published author when you put up that web site. You made multiple causes when you wrote, submitted your work, and joined the writer groups.
The effect you received (publication) was the result of all the causes you made…and you didn’t give up. Congratulations on your contract with Samhain!
I haven’t had THAT moment yet, but I guess I have come close. It’s all baby steps with me. I started with short stories because I couldn’t finish a novel (computer and typewriter issues mostly). Before I knew it, I had a collection about a central character and a novel in progress. I knew the stories wouldn’t get published (short stories don’t have a huge calling) and also that it could take years for my novel to be polished….so I took the collection to Publish America in an attempt to have tangible proof that Xavier existed in 2006. BUT PA does not give me the right to call myself a writer because they will publish anything! Then I decided to take it upon myself to commission book covers for the books I wrote so I could create e-books for friends and crits (wanted them to look real). And I had a few galleys made to hand in to my professors who are teaching the subject matter I used in my first novel.
Nope—never held a contract that mattered, never held my book in my hands and said “I’m a writer” and do not feel worthy of the shingle yet, perhaps I never will.
But I have awesome covers for my own benefit……Barb
There’s a quote often attributed to Goethe which goes … “until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.”
Congrats, Allie! Looking forward to reading your book
You are absolutely right. Sometimes you find yourself doing things that you think are way too early, but some internal clock is saying the time is right. Follow your instincts and go! See how well you’ve done so far? Gia
Love the quote, Tricia. Thanks for sharing!
It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up … but a writer was up there. I’d tried off and on for years but it wasn’t until 8 years ago that I sat down and wrote a 600 page novel. LOL. Cutting that puppy down to a more manageable 400 pages was a challenge and one that paid off. Samhain just recently purchased it.
I’ve always felt like a writer, but it became a reality last October when I sold my first book “Forget About Tomorrow” to Samhain. It’s an exciting feeling.
Congratulations to everyone on their sales. Looking forward to reading them.
Loved the quote by Goethe, Tricia.
For me it was the death of a much-loved (although cantankerous) Aunt. We used to swap romances and then shred. . .um. . .discuss them afterwards. We always said we would write one someday. When she died, I realized that “someday” would never come, so I sat down and wrote one anyway. My July release will be dedicated to her.
OMG, Allie, I was nodding as I was reading your post. I bought my domain name and set up my website in June (at the time I had five manuscripts out to five different publishers, just trying to find somewhere my writing fit.) I sold my first book to Samhain in September! You definitely have to take yourself seriously in whatever it is you want to achieve. Loved the Goethe quote – another one I have on my cork board is “Preparedness + Opportunity = Success” We have to be ready when an opportunity arises so we can take advantage of it.
Great post, Allie.
I was sitting her cheering for you through that whole post. I think you accepted ownership of your future, of where you wanted to be, and claimed it as part of you. And then set about getting there.
Congrats on that first sale! May it be the first of many.
My first moment came not that long ago, January 5th, 2007 to be exact. That was when I finished my first full length novel and solidified my shifter world in my head.
I’d spent two years on a co-writing site with two friends building a world in progress that helped me hone my adult voice. The long term committment of an ever expanding world in progress made a novel seem well within my abilities. Once it was finished I turned my attention to learning everything I could on how to begin the transition of writing for myself to writing for others.
In that research I came across Samhain and the Midsummer Night Steam open submission. I’ve never felt the short story to be my strong suit and chose to tackle both brevity, writing under a deadline, and writing for another all at once.
I set the story in the same world as my novel and just went for it. I didn’t make the anthology but the story Shifting Passions was picked up by Laurie M. Rauch (hi Laurie) and is coming out tentatively winter of 2008.
I feel everything in our lives if a matter of going from the Dream stage, to the Goal stage, to the final Decision stage of our lives.
I dreamt of being a writer since I was nine. When different things sidetracked me it was nice dream but just a dream. When I found my writing site I set a goal not to let it fall away and become something I got sidetracked on by stress and other committments. Once I reached that goal, I made the decision to put those two years of practice into action and have made steady progress since.
It’s good to meet everyone and congrats to all who have reached and made that decision.
I have definitely experienced that moment! It was terrifying! But it’s also been the biggest boost in my personal life as well as my career. The moment I thought I was good enough, I suddenly was.