Praise the Lord, it's almost Spring Break!
It's reaching that point in the year when teachers don't want to teach and students don't want to learn! I'm in the middle of my lesson plans for next week and it is a real struggle.
It was a pretty chill week, overall. One of the reading specialists commented on how much progress my students have made in their writing since the beginning of the year, and I'm very proud of them! I also had an observation that went really well; my observer commented on how she liked that I compared my students' writing from earlier in the year until now to see their improvement.
Which led me to thinking.
I have a few completed manuscripts; I haven't finished anything since 2009 (the year I started college - coincidence?), but I have a lot of works in progress.
My dear best friend has been sending me ideas and brainstorming and encouraging me to get to writing so that I can accomplish my dream of becoming a published author. She sent me an article with a list of suggestions, and one of them was publishing a serial of sorts online to let people get a taste of your writing and get feedback.
I do have a couple of stories that I'm very proud of that I started considering: would these be good to publish? I need to go back and edit of course, and read with a critical eye. My writing, as I compare them, has gotten much better; just like my kids' writing. However, the foundational plot(s) are solid.
I'll have to admit that I'm a little hesitant, though. It's one thing to have your siblings read your work (my brother is notoriously terrible with feedback, answering questions about the story with a "I don't know," "I guess," and my favorite, "It's good"); it's another thing to let strangers or friends that you're not as close with to read and give feedback. I know it's necessary, but it's still scary.
It has been said, though, that you have to take risks for your dreams to come true; maybe this is my first step.
Reading over some of my old work is both daunting and amusing. I still have the very first story that I wrote; let me tell you, it's absolutely terrible. But when I use it as a timeline of sorts, I can remind myself of how far I've come. I've grown so much as a writer since I began writing at 11; now, at almost 26, my work has developed depth and coherence at a level that my 11-year-old self could only dream of. I've also revisited some of my writing inspirations, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Frank Peretti. I'm reminded of how much I wanted to write like them, to create stories and worlds that allow people to escape from their everyday lives.
This has only served to motivate me more.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm straight terrified to have others read my rough work. All artists leave a piece of their soul in their work, and it's hard to hear someone critique it. However, I know that this will have to happen multiple times, both before and after I get my work published. So I'll grin and bear it and get 'er done.
So now I'd like to hear from you; would you like to see me publish a serial? Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!
“A writer must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid. ”
― William Faulkner
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