Into a Writer's Head

So you want to be a writer...

I bought a latte this afternoon (in and of itself not a momentous occasion) and was reminded once again that there is a higher power out there. Starbuck's (yes, i went to the evil coffee company giant) has started printing quotes on their cups. The quotes are from famous people of all types: musicians, artists, writers, politicians. You name it, they have said it. Today's cup read: "The Way I See It #24 When I began writing, the words that inspired me were these: 'A writer is someone who has written today.' If you want to be a writer, what's stopping you?" - J.A. Jance At first I kept the cup because I thought my many writer friends would love to hear the quote. Then I started thinking harder about it, and I realized how important this one quote was. In the last month, two of my dearest friends, and fellow writers, have signed contracts with major publishing houses. Serena has two books coming out starting in May '06 for the YA market (the first is Braced2Bite), with the third one as yet untitled. Shannon recently sold her novel Venus Envy to Tor and it will be part of the launch of their new chick lit line in '07. With so much great news, and even greater positive energy, I have recently found myself biting down the "When is it my turn?"-voice whispering in my ear. One good friend has been wearing her tiara (yes, we all have one) around, hoping that the "tiara magic" will spark and she'll get The Call (see Single City Chick).
Many of the writers I know (me included) pray for the day when we will get The Call. We fantasize about what we will say, how "cool" we'll act, who the editor will be, how much we'll be offered, and the list goes on. One friend pointed out that you cannot push the timing on this. Another has blessed us "unpubs" with the Soon it Will be Your Turn magic fairy dust. And you know what? They are right. All of 'em. And so here are my promises (to myself and to you):
1) I will be published. I don't care how long it takes or how many books I have to write before I sell.
2) I will celebrate every mini-victory (from 4 pages written to finishing of my current WIP)
3) I will wear my tiara whenever possible (not because it will bring me good luck, but because I can!)
4) I will promote the hell out of my friends (because what are friends for?)
5) I will keep writing (even if I never sell a book)
6) I will be a Writer. Hell, I AM a Writer.

posted by Erin @ 10:56 AM