Writers Write

Today I am thinking about my older sister Julie. Today is her birthday, and she is someone I really look up to. We weren't that close during most of our adult life. She and her husband lived in Europe and I was busy with my large family. But after she came back to the States and went through a divorce, and my kids were older, we had time to bond again.

That's when she made a statement that changed my life.

One day on the phone I was moaning about my career or lack of one. Should I go for a master's degree? Should I teach?

"What do you want to do, Karen?" she asked me.  Without a moment's hesitation, I said, "To be a writer. I only want to write. It's what I've always wanted."  And she said, "Then why go back to school? Writers write. They don't keep going back for degrees. They write. If you want to be a writer, you have to write."

At that time, I'd finished Farm Girl and felt there was hope for me completing a novel. After my conversation with Julie, I resolved that I would finish the novel I'd been working on for ten years and I'd get other projects lined up as well. Whenever I wavered and worried about money, thinking I should be supplementing the family income with a guaranteed paycheck instead of  spending time writing with no guarantees, I thought of Julie's words.  

Writers write.

There's really no other way, is there?

Like all my family Julie's a really good sport about seeing herself show up in my stories. She is who I based Marcie's older sister Linda on. One reader said this about Linda-- "I especially loved Linda, Marcie and Cindy's sister-- I do wish we got to see more of her. She was fun!"

Happy birthday to my wonderful sister, Julie! Who I'm sure won't mind if one day Linda gets to be a main character in her own book.

Julie has always loved laying out by the pool to work on her tan. (She's the one sitting on the edge.)

Riding that Train to Publication

Why a train? Not a plane, that's too fast. Not a car, that's too comfortable. Not a bus, that's just gross. A nice Amtrak train, that's how I see it. If you've never ridden Amtrak, you should try it at least once for the experience.

Now that we are settled into the train to publication let's play that traveling game, "I'm going on a journey and this is what I'm taking." It's supposed to be alphabetical, where everyone goes round in a circle taking something on the journey with the next letter of the alphabet, but I'm changing the rules because I'm one person playing alone hoping you will join me if you can. And the word alphabet stresses me out ever since April.

So here goes!  I am going on a journey to publication, and this is what I am taking---

imagination           persistence         time       dedication           procrastination             frustration           hard work       

my laptop!   

   pens and paper         books!     

quick and easy meals         long walks        naps

 commitment        determination            the internet   a positive attitude           

writing friends

and don't forget those unwelcome passengers on my journey-- 

depression          disappointment         discouragement             despair           doubt   disillusion

Who are these people, and why do all their names begin with D? They must all be from the same family. They should be banned from the train. They make the journey so unpleasant, driving others away with their misery. Go away D- people!

Let's play! What will you bring along on your publication journey?

Do you REALLY want to be a writer?

If you want to be famous then run for office and be a politician

If you want to be rich then become a plastic surgeon.

If you want to have people know your name then be a teacher.

If you want to make a difference in someone's life then have children.

If you want to work alone, feel like a freak, be misunderstood, wonder what the point is, always come up short of time and money, while writing stories that bubble up from within about characters you have never met but are strangely in love with, then be a writer.

Today--Writer or Editor?

Today I'm going to the BYU Publication Fair in Provo to represent WiDo Publishing as an editor. Along with another WiDo editor who is also a writer. So today I guess I'm an editor. We'll be meeting writers who may be anxious about:

*the pitch

*the submission

*meeting an editor

*their talent or not

*the company-- would WiDo be a good fit for them

*rejection

So today I'll be an editor. But I'm also a writer who's been there. (Well, not at a conference or a fair like this, lacking opportunity AND guts.)

So today of all things I hope I will be kind. And pleasant. And not let the fatigue and boredom show on my face. Hmm, that doesn't sound very nice, does it? I'll work on that.

Fantasy Pen Names

If you're like most authors, you always wanted to do this and so you made up cool writer names for yourself. Patti Pinecone (nature writer) or Taralee Ann Ford (romance writer) or Kathleen Joneston (literary genius).

If you could name yourself, what would it be? What would be the ideal author pen name? I mean, think of JK Rowling. Would Harry Potter have sounded as good written by Joann Rowling? Truman Persons was Capote's real name. Truman was thinking ahead when as a young man he chose to take on his step-father's last name.

I'm not a fan of the maiden name combo. I like the first and last. Period. The 3 name combo just sounds too la-de-da. I'm jealous of Southern author Carson McCullers. What a cool name. Why couldn't I have a tag like that? Her parents give her an awesomely interesting first name, then she marries Mr. McCullers. Bingo-- an ideal author name.

My real name was Karen Jones. Awful, awful pen name, thought I, too plain and boring. I kept trying to change it and come up with more clever, creative versions (see above paragraph). My married name turned out to be not much better, Karen Gowen. When you say it out loud, there's not much of a ring to it, so I ended up with the maiden name combo of Karen Jones Gowen. It's okay, but does it measure up to all those made-up pen names written over my school notebooks? Not really. Still, it is my name so I may as well go with it, right?

Okay, I've admitted it. I'm not crazy about my author name, but there it is. It's my name and I'm sticking to it.

How about you? What kinds of gymnastics did you go through to settle on your current author name? Do you like it, love it, hate it, plan on changing it? Or maybe people don't think too much about this, and I'm a freak who overthinks everything.