First published with EasternPennPoints, The Official Blog of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of SCBWI
Today, we’re so happy to host author Janet McLaughlin! Janet is the author of the Soul Sight Mysteries series, including
Haunted Echo and
Fireworks, and a longtime SCBWI member. She’s here today to lend you some inspiration and courage as you kick off a new writing year!
About fifteen years ago, I met a brilliant, German-born biochemist.
At the time, I was editing and publishing three local magazines with my
husband. I suppose the biochemist thought that if I could edit a
magazine I could edit his book. When he told me it was about getting and
staying healthy, I was intrigued. I said yes.
If a foreign-born biochemist asks you to edit a book, be forewarned —
it’s going to take a long time. Not only is the terminology going to be
challenging, so is the syntax. Sentences are structured differently in
different languages. So, throughout the book, I was changing “Throw Mama
from the train a kiss” to “Throw a kiss to Mama as you leave on the
train,” figuratively speaking.
That experience, which took almost nine months to complete, gave me
the courage to explore the possibility of writing my own book. But what
kind of book did I want to write? To decide, I took an inventory of my
strengths and weaknesses as a writer.
My strengths: I’d been an avid reader all my life, so I intrinsically
understood the structure of a novel. I had a logical mind and loved
mysteries. I’d been drawn to the paranormal all my adult life, as well.
And, in my capacity as editor of our magazines, I had met and
interviewed several psychics, or intuitives as they prefer to be called.
I knew I wanted to write for children. I had direction.
My weaknesses: I’d never written anything longer than an essay or
article. Did I have the talent to write a novel? Did I have the
discipline to finish one? The answers to both were self-evident; I’d
never know unless I tried.
Before I began, I searched the internet for help and advice. That’s
when I stumbled upon the Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators. What a find! I’m not sure what would have happened to my
writing career had I not had the help of the many people I met there,
but I doubt my publisher, Absolute Love Publishing, would be waiting for
me to finish the third book in my Soul Sight Mysteries series.
The journey hasn’t been an easy one, though. I could paper my walls
with the rejections I got. The early ones were especially well deserved.
In those days, despite what I was learning from the SCBWI conferences I
was attending, I still sent my manuscripts out too early. But that’s
okay. Every rejection was a lesson. Every rewrite was a mini-college
course in writing.
I have had the privilege of being a member of two SCBWI critique
groups over the past 15 years. The first group consisted of women who
were mostly at my level — struggling newbies sharing the tidbits of
knowledge we gleaned from our own experiences. It lasted years, but
there was one woman who was the soul of the group. She passed away
suddenly and the group, bereft of spirit, gradually fell apart.
After that, I joined an SCBWI online group. I hadn’t realized at the
time that it consisted of women writing historical novels. It wasn’t the
right fit for me, but I did meet a kindred soul, and we stayed in touch
and critiqued each other’s work online. When we discovered we lived
only an hour apart, we met mid-way for lunch and talked for hours. She
belonged to a critique group that was breaking up and asked me if I
wanted to join a new one that was forming. I’m so glad I said yes. This
association with five talented, exceptional writers who don’t mind
traveling an hour each way has helped me grow in my craft and has
blessed me exponentially.
My online-friend-turned-critique-partner is Augusta Scattergood,
author of the fabulous book Glory Be. She was still a struggling writer
when I first met her. Knowing Augusta as well as I do, I know she’d say
today that she’s still a struggling writer.
Which brings me to my point: When is enough, enough? How long do you
continue to struggle, sending out queries, anxiously waiting for
answers, knowing in your heart that even if you get an answer it will be
a “thanks, but no thanks”? When is one more rejection one too many?
The answer to these questions may be in the asking of new ones. Why
are you writing? Is it a chore or a joy? Yes, you’d like to see your
name in print on the cover of a beautiful book jacket — I get that. But
if it doesn’t happen or hasn’t happened yet, do you quit? Or do you keep
on writing, getting better and better with each rewrite, each workshop,
each critique (and if you can afford it, each professional edit)?
My advice is to never give up the creative activity of writing,
whether you’re the only one who reads your work or it goes out to
millions. The real joy is in the creating. If you have children or
grandchildren who love to read, well, there’s no better audience than
that. And if you’re fortunate enough to find an agent or publisher who
“gets” your work, then you can dream about the other children who read
your work and get a few hours of freedom from the world of technology.
Better still, you might even have a positive impact on a child’s life.
Is there any better reason for staying the course? I don’t think so. Do
you?
