Catherine Stine's IDEA CITY

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Monday, May 19, 2014

How I Found the Write Path blogfest, letters to a younger writer self

If you could write a confidential letter to your younger writer-self, helping ease the way forward or providing some important insights, what would you say? PK Hrezo and Carrie Butler have come up with a great idea: have authors write letters like these, create a How I Found the Write Path blogfest, and also an ebook anthology to help aspiring writers. Awesome, eh? Here's my letter to my nineteen-year-old self:

Dear scared younger author self,

I know you’re eager to write but terrified of spending so much time alone in a room creating stories. You think it might even drive you over the edge. I know
Me at 19
you feel you have much to offer but are shaky because you have no road map to go by, and no mentors yet. You’re brimming with stories, yet unsure of whether to keep doing your drawing and painting, which you were always praised for, or try this writing thing, which no one expected at all.


Let me be your mentor, after the fact. Others will talk with expertise about their amazing business plans, their early credentials. What I can do is clue you in on two extremely helpful things I learned: to trust in my gut instinct and to build community. People aren’t meant to do it alone. Not even writers. Yes, we sit alone in our writing studios and tap out our tales. True, unless you write for TV you don’t write by committee.

Find and build community. There are a myriad of helpful communities to tap into. First of all, I have my writer’s group, a trusted group of fellow authors who workshop each other’s manuscripts. This group provides a sense of joy, camaraderie, confidence and direction—and savvy revise notes! I also belong to a writer’s space. There, I hear others tapping away on their keyboards, which spurs me on. I can take breaks from work and chat in the cafĂ© area. Participation in member readings is another perk of being in this community.

Then, there’s my team of publishers. I’m a hybrid author. This means big and small publishers have published me, and I’ve indie published. The traditional team consists of an editor, publicist, and agent. The indie team is not that different, except that I get to hire the experts I want—to custom create my team. So, find your perfect publishing community and don’t settle for less. 

Then, there’s the book blogging community. You need these good folks to review your books, and to spread word. Giving back is essential. I frequently promote authors on my blog. I’ve even partnered with like-minded authors in a group blog. We cross-promote and discuss issues, successes and trade questions. Alone, but never really alone after all!

So, decide what you need in community. Then find and build it, and make sure to give back to it. Take your time to find the right ones. This brings me to the second important lesson I’ve learned. 

Follow your gut instincts! I was too shaky when I started, to live by this adage. I put certain writers, editors and agents on pedestals. I had people I barely even knew, much less trusted, reading and critiquing my manuscripts. I did too many changes, according to this or that random comment, without asking myself what I thought. What I truly felt deep down. Ultimately, a writer must listen to his or her gut. Without this prescient instinct as a rudder you can easily drift off your path.

Case in point: the first time I followed my gut on a serious professional level was when a big publishing firm (Random House) offered me a chance to revise one of my early novels on spec. I was still months away from graduating an MFA creative writing program, thus I was hugely flattered and excited by the possibility of being offered a contract. At a meeting with the senior editor and VIP of the company, no less, they ran down items they wanted me to do in a revision. But then they started to disagree with each other, and even to argue over how I should end my novel! (Refugees)


My studio table with my Chinese
good luck dragon, my grandma's
glass shoe, a glass cardinal
and a vintage beer stein
(Baubles help me think!)
Needless to say, I was frozen in fear, and barely managed to scratch out notes. I shook their hands, and ran out. Not only did I disagree with one of them, I vehemently disagreed with both of them on how to end my novel. I consternated, and meditated on it for days. And then, something clicked inside. I knew I had to go with my gut instinct, and keep the ending I wanted, while making other tweaks that I did agree with. I sent the manuscript back, literally quaking. 

When I got a call two weeks later that they were offering me a contract, I felt deeply relieved . . . and vindicated! That was the beginning of always making sure I followed my gut. 

So, good luck, be brave and celebrate being alone in your studio. Your characters will keep you company, plus all of the wonderful people in your writing community and mentors that you’ll find on your way. You have your sixth sense to guide you.
(Carrie and PK, I say yes to inclusion in the anthology :) )

Here's the link to read other writers' posts. But before you hop away, how would you answer this?
What one piece of advice would you have loved to give your younger writer self?

38 comments:

  1. Smart to stick with your gut on that ending. Maybe that was part of the test?

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  2. Sounds like you did the right and smart thing following your gut. I think that is a great piece of advice.

    For me, I'd remind myself to persist and envelop myself in the passion of writing so I don't lose myself in all the other things that come along with publishing.

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  3. Such a good letter!! I'll admit that I'm not very good at listening to my gut...unless it tells me I'm hungry ;) (And I totally forgot about this blog hop, so I'm glad I saw this and remembered!!)

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  4. Hybrids are the best. Well-rounded and clever writers. Congratulations on being one of them.

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  5. I love your two pieces of advice. Going with our gut is so important but hard to do when "experts" are telling us what's "right."

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  6. Loved your advice about finding and building a community, Catherine. Well done!

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  7. Great advice! It sounds like you had the ideal scenario - you went with your instinct, and it paid off!

    Community is such an important part of writing/publishing.

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  8. Cat, I love the remembrance in which you followed your gut and didn't cave to the bickering pair who disagreed as to how your novel should end. I also really like the fact that baubles help you think. They are houses for little things, like genies that want out and into your ear. Well done for listening.

    I also really like that pic of you at nineteen. Just looking at her face makes me want her success. :)

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  9. Aww, Suze, you are sweet! And heck, yah, it was sooo intimidating to even be IN that VIP office in the first place, much less have the audacity to disagree. Alex, wow, I hope that wasn't a test... Theresa, even the "experts" sometimes give us horrid advice. Lee, I like hybrid plants too (ha). Angela, well said: PASSION! It fuels me.

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  10. "I put certain writers, editors and agents on pedestals. I had people I barely even knew, much less trusted, reading and critiquing my manuscripts. I did too many changes, according to this or that random comment, without asking myself what I thought."

    This!

    I can't put my finger on the very moment it happened but I'm on the other side of the shift--at the place where I know better which pieces of critique advice to take and which to ignore. It's a significant turning point in one's writing career.

    Great post, Catherine.

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  11. Melissa, yes, isn't it totally freeing to be on the other side of that tipping point?!

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  12. Great post. I learned to go with my gut too. =)

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  13. My gut has some big responsibilities: digesting and sensing. Always hard at work...

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  14. I'd tell myself that it's okay to write a few terrible books that will never see the light of day because they will lead to finding my voice and books that will be published.

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  15. Wow, Catherine. Good for you for sticking to what you felt was in your heart in regards to the ending of your manuscript. And what an accomplishment to have a contract from Random House!
    I agree about give, give, give! Giving reviews and sharing our input and critique on others' work is essential in our own growth and learning. We'd be surprised about how much we can learn from both the mistakes and milestones of others.
    Glad to be connecting through the blogfest and thanks for sharing your letter.

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  16. Two wonderful tips of building a community and following your gut!

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  17. Kelly, yes, it's a rite of passage to write couple of semi-crappy books! Gina, yes, a contract from RH was a feat, yet a contract from a smaller house that I just got, and even my own creations feel huge. It's all good! Cherie, thanks for chiming in. You are certainly a person who's doing impressive things in the writers' world.

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  18. I didn't know about Refugees. Why don't you advertize it here? Perhaps you got thrown in the deep end a bit too quickly, but anyway, your letter has great tips. I don't trust my gut, and that's probably a mistake, but we all go down the road as fast or slow as we're capable of. Have a great week, Catherine! :)

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  19. Excellent advice! I'd tell my younger self not to get so discouraged by rejections. I stopped submitting for a decade and a half because my skin wasn't thick enough.

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  20. Lexa, yes, Refugees is up on my right side banner. And yes, I got thrown to the wolves early on. Christine, a 10-year hiatus due to feeling bad from rejections is too long for a writer of your talents! I'm glad you jumped back in the fra
    y.

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  21. Yes! I've always felt the right to give advice had to be earned. I've had a few critique partners who didn't work well with me. They loved to give certain advice but I found that same trait lacking in their own writing. We parted paths quickly. Gotta go with the gut!

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  22. Loni, well said. I've also had crit partners who just want to drink coffee and gossip, or use the time as a therapy session. Yoiks! I'm no shrink.

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  23. Hi, Catherine,

    Following our instinct is so important. It's good that you stuck to your guns and everything turned out all right. A friend of mine made so many changes to her MG novel for a publisher and eventually they didn't buy the book. She self-published and made a hit of the series.

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  24. Finding the community and following your gut, both so important. Not always easy though.

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  25. I'm not sure how I'd feel if someone tried to change my ending. I have the endings in mind from the start, so it would be a huge deal.

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  26. Wonderful letter to your younger self. When I started writing years ago, I knew nothing about writing communities and blogging and did everything alone. It's much better now. :)

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  27. I think it's great that you went with your gut feeling about your ending, and that it worked out with the publisher. You have to trust your instinct!

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  28. I love what you say Catherine. Learning to follow our guts comes with age. I totally agree with putting some pros on pedastals as if they know it all. And I love the choices we have now to take the reins.
    Glad you went with your gut that day! And thanks so much for participating!!

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  29. Follow your gut. Great suggestion. There are so many directions you can go, but I think deep down we all have instincts that guide us to the best one. Lovely advice.

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  30. You capture the paradox of writing so perfectly here! It's such a solo venture, and yet we can't do it alone. So true. Great advice, and great insights into your journey. Thank you for sharing this!

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  31. Trusting your gut instinct is really important, otherwise you're not being true to yourself as a writer. Yes, others' advice is essential and sometimes they can see things we can't, but you still know what feels right. Great letter!

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  32. Wow! That experience with the editors must have been super challenging, and you handled it great! Way to think things through, meditate, and then go with your gut instinct. I think we all know the direction our books need to go deep down inside. Wonderful letter!

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  33. Learning to follow our instincts is an important lesson. When it cost me a good chunk of cash, I started giving more credit than I used to.

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  34. If only we could mentor our younger selves. It would make things so much easier. We probably wouldn't have listened even to ourselves!

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  35. it's so important to celebrate even our littlest success!! great letter :)

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  36. Such wonderful advice, Catherine! Thank you so much for participating. :D

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  37. The writing community can be a life line to the solitary writer tapping away in their little room. It sounds like you have found some wonderful people. Congrats.
    Elizabeth Hein - Scribbling in the Storage Room

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  38. Trust your instincts. Yes! This! Publishing is filled with voices and in the end, your gut is the best guide for you. Great post. :-)

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