Is Something Working?
Writing can be a lonely process (except for maybe the voices in your head, characters vying for attention). However, none of us are truly alone in this endeavor. It reminds me of the first line of Meditation XVII by John Donne: “No man is an island entire of itself.”
As I trudge along on this journey to increase the number and quality of my published works as well as the quantity of people who have enjoyed my writing, I benefitted from the expertise of fellow BWS member Cyndy Miller. After I wrote the latest blog for my personal website, I enlisted her aid to determine the best tags. She waved her fingers and magically came up with five suggestions.
Which one to use? Hell, I used them all. And the results on my personal website remained…zero. However, when I put the link on my public Facebook Author page, I received more responses and interactions than I ever have before. https://www.facebook.com/JCCrumptonAuthor/
Have I found the magic pill to sprout the giant beanstalk taking me up to the clouds of publication? Or was it just a fluke? Understanding the skepticism I naturally possess, I knew it was the latter.
Then I went to the 2023 White County Creative Writers conference in Searcy, Arkansas. Of the writing contests I entered, they awarded me with two first place finishes for the stories “Granny Said You Saved Her” and “Little One Hush,” a second place for the essay “I Am Insignificant,” and a third place for the story “None Will Let Me In.”
Picture provided by Gary Rodgers and WCCW.
Flush from the wins, I posted a picture of the certificates on my Facebook Author page. Not the prize money—that goes into my book purchasing fund. Again, I received more comments and engagements than I expected. This is amazing.
Now, I must keep up the momentum. One of the things I am learning is that I have to write to be known as a writer. I cannot just sit back on my laurels. As I was coming back from a break to hear the next speaker, some new writers at another table stopped me. Their spokesperson said, “We know you are an award-winning writer. How do we get there?”
I gave them the same advice that I received and that I am trying vigilantly to put into practice: write what you love, have it critiqued by people who want you to put out the best material, attend conferences and readings, don’t be scared to talk to other writers, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
This advice came from the writer Phillip Drayer Duncan. He loves to tell other writers how we met. At a series of conferences, he would see me in the room scribbling down notes and asking questions of the panelists. One day, I finally just asked him some questions. As a result of befriending Phillip, I met J.H. Fleming, writer extraordinaire, and Tommy Hancock, publisher of Pro Se Press. Phillip even asked me to provide a blurb for one of his books.
Book #3 of the Blade Mage series by Phillip Drayer Duncan
Check out this episode of Future Best Seller in which they invited me to participate.
What have I learned from all this? Don’t be afraid. I don’t want to be remembered as someone who worked at a job. I want to be remembered as a writer. First step, remember I am not an island. Visit and befriend other writers, publishers, editors, and agents. It takes a tribe. No…that seems too small. It takes an army, and we’re going off to war.
