Friday, July 15, 2011

The Turning Point

I feel like I've reached a strange turning point.  I am at the point where I can see the completion of two of my novels.  I know I will finish them and that they will be polished by the end of the calendar year. 

I accept my predilection for short novels and novellas - both writing and reading them.  I move forward with perhaps just under or just over 50K words.  I am unapologetic about it.  I can think of no novel I love more than 'The Great Gatsby.'  I can't count the number of times I've read it.  It's under 50K words.

After reading your comments and blog posts about getting published, I accept the fact that I will need to work hard to market my work and perhaps change my internet presence a little, maybe a lot, before I publish even a short story.  The cool thing is that I can see the path I need to take, and it actually sounds like it could be fun. 

The tricky part I think is transitioning to the pseudonym I plan to use.  My stories are not my life stories, but I admit some of my characters and plot points have at least a seed of truth from my real life.  I don't like the spotlight on me - I never have.  So I don't mind publishing my work without anyone knowing it's me.  I don't need validation from my family.  I was extremely successful in my first career and don't need to prove anything to anyone with my second one, writing.  How lucky am I to be able to change careers at 40 and go for the kind of success I really wanted?

The project manager inside of me that worked very hard for the last twenty years is busy planning the route I will take - Twitter, Facebook, a new web site, book covers, etc.  Luckily my daughter is fabulously artistic and can give some input on the visuals.  And although I have lost my programming skills over the last 5 years, I can probably throw together a web site that doesn't look like I did it myself. 

The tiny light in the far distance is much closer now.  I can see more than just a glimmer of light this morning.  I can see the horizon in the distance just enough to be excited about it. 

Thanks to all of you who have pushed me along and shared your experiences - especially my writing partner who detailed through forty pages with me last night.

4 comments:

  1. Good for you! Hugs and smiles, too!

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  2. Fantastic News! I hope everything works out just like you want it. Fingers crossed.

    I am so happy things are looking up for you.

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  3. This is great, Tonja! Happy for you.

    And you are going the pseudonym route? Well, you KNOW my opinion on that. :)

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