Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
The awesome co-hosts for the November 5 posting of the IWSG are
Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!
Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!
November 5th question - When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?
I began writing only because I wanted to write my personal history and didn't want it to be a cure for insomnia for my descendants. lol So, I thought I'd try to see if I could even write something of any length. I'd heard about NaNoWriMo but too late for that year, so I did my own in January. And wrote 80,000 words.
And I was hooked! One of my sons kept pushing me to see about selling it to a publisher, but I resisted for a long time. I did eventually sell it (after 20 rewrites), and it's still one of my bestsellling books.
I never have gotten back to my personal history.
My second book came from NaNo.
ReplyDeleteFunny how things turn out, isn't it?
Totally!
DeleteI love it! What better motivator could there be for writing? (I've been keeping journals since I was 14, but one of these days I'm going to have to condense the library down to a readable summary. Haha!)
ReplyDeleteI've decided my will be creative nonfiction, if I ever write it. lol
DeleteHow cool that you wrote your first book during NaNo.
ReplyDeleteAnd managed to sell it! lol
DeleteWhat did your family think of the personal history told in it? Did they like it?
ReplyDeleteI haven't done it yet. When I do, I'll call it creative nonfiction since I'm sure the childhood I experienced won't be the same one my brother did. lol
DeleteI looked you up on Amazon and was thrilled to see all those books, though I wasn't sure which one was that very first book! Congratulations. I'm looking forward to reading more! Maybe your blog could have a link to your Amazon page? And congratulations on becoming a USA Today best seller. Not all authors achieve that. Looking forward to learning more about your writing journey.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beth! There's actually a label at the top that says Donna K. Weaver. I can see I need to edit that to add books!
DeleteMy debut was inspired by a middle-grade story my daughter and I read while I was homeschooling her. Inspiration can come from unexpected places.
ReplyDeleteRight? And it can be SO fun!
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