Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A to Z Challenge: J is for Journey



Welcome to Day 10 of the A to Z Challenge

Many bloggers have chosen a theme for the A to Z.  My pledge since becoming a blogger is to post about writing, so for this event, I will being posting about what I've learned about writing a novel.

________

J is for Journey:  passage or progress from one stage to another. (Dictionary.com)

For this post, I’m going to keep it personal; after all, it says a writer’s hopeful journey right up there on my banner.  And oh, what a journey it has been.  Although I was hopeful and I am ambitious and I do work hard, I never actually thought I’d get published, certainly not with my first book.  I know that’s pretty rare.  I figured with the provocative nature of The Mistaken, I would have to at least write one more before a publisher would be willing to consider it, kind of like John Grisham did with his first book, A Time To Kill, which was only published after his second book, The Firm, made the bestseller lists.

Though I did make it, and The Mistaken will be published (on 10/18/12), the journey wasn’t always by the book.  The fact that I’m being traditionally published without an agent is proof of that.  My point here is simple:  Everybody has their own path, their own journey.  Though you might prefer a certain road, you also might find roadblocks that provoke detours, detours that lead to unbeaten paths and open doors you never knew existed. 

So don’t embark on your journey wearing blinders or allow yourself to be steered with someone else at the reins.  This is your destiny.  It’s your decision what works best and what feels right.  Remember, regret is just about the worst feeling in the world.                     

Have you ever considered alternate paths to publication?  

21 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Only the one I took.
And our paths are very similar. Almost scary. First book, small publisher, and even release date - my first book came out on 10-19-10.

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Yes, my path is similar to yours. It is a journey with many ups and downs, and one I hope won't finish any time soon.

Lisa Regan said...

Many, many times. I'm glad that there are so many paths a writer can take to publication now. I think a lot of really incredible stories and writers would remain undiscovered if there were not so many paths now.

Jaye Robin Brown said...

I'm still on the traditional path - have the agent but that's as far as I've gotten. So yes, I definitely consider and will continue to consider if the path I'm on will work for me and what other paths are available.

Survivormama said...

I have yet to finish my book but it has been a journey of ups and downs...congratulations on your book, sounds interesting. Blessings!

http://runningsurvivor.blogspot.com

Author A.O. Peart said...

I like the way you phrased this, "So don’t embark on your journey wearing blinders or allow yourself to be steered with someone else at the reins."
That's exactly my way.
I'm going to self-publish my first novel, Greed, and with the next ones I will be seaking traditional publishing via indie publishing houses. This path makes more sense to me for many reasons.

Annalisa Crawford said...

I took the path with gates, stiles and lots of brambles and deep puddles. I considered the clear, open path but it seemed to easy :-)

Donna K. Weaver said...

I have considered my options. I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst--and I'm not so sure the worse is so bad. =D

I WILL be published.

Liwi said...

Congratulations first of all! And I agree, I feel many writers are just lost as to how to get published though, and some don't 'trust' non-traditional ways of publication, although those are a great option in this fast changing world of communication!

Anonymous said...

Ah, it's so true. "We are the music makers, we are the dreamer of dreams" Willy Wonka ; )

Love that film.

Raymond Alexander Kukkee said...

Nancy, you write beautifully, this is my first visit to your site, it most certainly shall not be my last! I published my first book as an eBook, "Morgidoo's Christmas Carol" late last year.
Congratulations on your work --and your success. Your blog is excellent!
It's really nice to 'meet' you. ":)

k~ said...

I am going to keep tabs on this portion of the journey, for now I am still very much in the writing stages. If I could focus on just ONE of them, it might be easier, but sometimes I don't. It is my destiny and the journey will be shared with some along the way.

Following you now... :-)

A-Z 2012 (#49) - Bloggit Write A-Z 2012 - Poetry
A-Z 2012 (#861) - Bloggit Write A-Z 2012 - Haiku

klahanie said...

Hi Nancy,
I'm really sorry that it's been so long since I left you with one of my much loved, highly sought after, comments.
Heck, I didn't even realise you were doing that challenge that brings further awareness of the alphabet. And here you are on the letter "J".
The really great news is that you will be published later on this year. Well done and much respect, your way. When it comes to my journey, you may well be aware that I always do my own thing and refuse to allow what I do be 'high-jacked' by somebody else.
Wishing you much fun with this challenge and that you make loads of new friends and embrace even more positive interaction. This might surprise you, but you would never get me involved in this challenge. Even though the hosts of it pleaded with me to join.
Take care Nancy and happy writing.
In kindness, Gary :)

Nick Wilford said...

It's never a smooth path, but that would be boring and we learn from all those potholes!

I was excited when you got your deal but I never stopped to think how amazing it was that it was with your first book. That's quite rare!

Tina said...

I haven't thought much about the publishing part, just the writing part. Figured IF I ever wrote my book, then I'd think about that part. Breaking it into finite steps really helps me get stuff done!
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge

Chuck said...

Congratulation on your book! I imagine for all I have read on many sites, that the journey to publication is a difficult one. I think that is one reason I admire you all so much.

Ruth said...

Yay! for getting published. My daughter wants to be a writer. I have never given thought to it, except I know it takes hard work to get there.
Thanks for commenting on my blog and the follow. I am following right back.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nancy,

First off, congrats! As a hopeful writer myself, I can only imagine the excitement you must be feeling as your first book moves towards publication. That is really awesome. :)

I agree with you. The journey IS different for everyone. Sure, there are some similarities here and there, but no two writers walk the same way.

I'll have to investigate your website more. I'm very interested in learning about your bypassing agent representation and getting picked up directly by the publisher. (Wow!)

Thanks for popping over to my "Running Joke" blog earlier today. Appreciate the visit and I'm happily following you back.

Best of luck in the coming year, and I look forward to your "it's published!" announcement. :)

Margi said...

Nancy, congratulations on being published! That's exciting!!

I have to say I haven't even let my brain really go as far as publishing yet. I do have a project in the works that's really in the planning stages right now. I think I'll be coming back here when I move past the planning stage.

Anonymous said...

Thought provoking. It has been awhile since I've considered writing to be a journey, but it is.

Congrats on being published.

Julie @ Blueberry Dreams

Jaime said...

This is an inspiring post. Congrats on getting published.