Welcome Kimberly Alan

Much like me, Kimberly Alan had been writing for a long time. In her case, twenty years elapsed between her first attempts and her first publication, TRUTHS UNVEILED, which was published by White Rose Publishing. Much like me, she is also struggling her way through a follow up book. Please welcome Kimberly Alan.

Kim is giving away a copy of Truths Unveiled. To be eligible, simply leave a comment here between now and Thursday at midnight my time (Mountain Daylight Savings). She’ll pick a winner. I’ll announce it here and in my sidebar.

Why did I believe that writing my second book would be any easier than the first? For me, having TRUTHS UNVEILED published was the easy part. Finishing it and getting it out the door took all the effort. Nineteen years worth! And now that I think about it, my second book, IMPERFECT JUSTICE, is really my fifth book. But it’s the second book I’ve completed, with THE END printed on the last page. Thankfully, even though I don’t I have a contract, it’s had been requested by an editor.

You would think that would have been sufficient motivation to stop the world’s never ending interferences and speed-type the perfect words to convey the thoughts and actions of my incredible characters. After all, I can see them. I know what they look like. I can even hear them. Their unique voices echo in my thoughts. And I know how they feel. My heart goes out to them in times of crisis. Adrenaline rushes through me when danger lurks. Tears trickle down my cheeks at times of joy or sorrow. And yet, moving them along to THE END seemed endless!

As I pondered this dilemma, I thought about my characters. It’s not like my hero and heroine would face a tragic demise in the end. I write romance. Sure there is some mystery and suspense mixed in. But overall, it’s the happily ever after kind of story. The kind that offers a fabulous, oh so satisfying, oh so good conclusion. It warms a reader’s heart and makes them envision the characters and their families surmounting all future obstacles and growing old happily with each other. At least that’s what happens in my head. So what’s with the delay?

I also constantly had to remind myself that I’d already finished one book. My editor, my friends, even my mother, my aunts and my cousins loved it. The reviewers too. So now I was at work on Book Two. It was a dream come true! What I had been hoping and praying for, forever, it seemed. Everything was in place. It was just waiting to pour out of my fingertips, through the keyboard, then the monitor, over to the printer and then onto the paper. But if that was true, how come I wasn’t able to consistently seize the moment and type at the speed of light to finish this next book?

For me, part of the problem might be that I like my characters too much. I can’t take credit for them. I don’t know where they come from. But I know I like them. Even the bad ones. And quite frankly, I think I have this fear that my words will not do them justice. How awful is that? We’ve been friends for a while now. They have something to say. And so many wonderful, then horrible, then wonderful things can happen to them. To end the book means to end the possibilities. And the possibility of revising, and re-revising, and re-re-revising, to get it all “just right.”

Then there’s the audience. The readers, for whom I write. Will they like the story? Will my words lead them to love my characters as I do? Also, will this Book Two be as good as Book One? Really, I want it to be better. Much better. But if it is, that sets an even higher standard for Book Three, providing of course, Book Two is not a total flop and every editor either deletes it from their in box or tosses it into the trash.

Ugh! The possibilities for awfulness are infinite! So why do I do it? Why do I continue to write? I can come up with a million and one excuses to delay the process. Clean my messy house, take one more divorce case to help pay the bills, spend more time with my kids, wash the car, call a sick friend. Even volunteer at church. My goodness, the list never ends. And then there are all the other outside demands placed on me by others. And many of them are legitimate. But notice how I said “delay” the process. I didn’t say “stop”. That’s because writing for me, and probably for you, is not a choice. It is a compulsion. My writer friends and I agree: we don’t feel “right,” unless we “write.” And so we write.

With this in mind, when you need some inspiration, remember these thoughts:

1. Ideas and that sense of excitement in our minds start the next book. Fingertips on the keyboard and butts in the chair finish it. Jot down ideas for new books as they pop into your mind, but don’t start them until you finish what you are working on. Otherwise, it will be tough to actually finish anything.

2. The house will always be dirty if we look close enough.

3. We can sleep when we are dead.

4. We may never feel that our book is “perfect” but that’s what book clubs and blogs are for. Just write the story the best way you know how.

5. Not every book will be published but there is always the next book because the characters keep coming in some form or another. It’s just the way writers think. We can’t help it.

6. Movies in the theatre will eventually become DVDs to view later, not when you should be writing. Parties can be missed, or you can be late, and good friends will understand that you are “working.” So make sure you are ‘working.” Use these social distractions as a reward, as mentioned in #7 below. Not as a delay or an excuse.

7. Reward yourself. Several years ago, I heard Nora Roberts explain that after writing so many pages at a stretch, she would give herself some type of quick, easy reward to look forward to. Then she would immediately go back to writing. It must work because we all know how prolific and gifted she is. Also, plan something special to do when you finally reach the last page and type: THE END. It will give you something to look forward to.

8. Supportive writer friends help immensely. Don’t isolate yourself. Join a writer’s group and/or loop. Just be careful you don’t become a writers’ conference or email loop junky. There are only so many hours in each day to write. So remember: fingertips on keyboard, butts in chair. Use the fun stuff as rewards.

9. Self doubt is part of the process. We are all “spitting in the wind.” This process isn’t easy for any of us. So believe in yourself, in your desire to tell stories, in your compulsion to write, to be the best you can be, and go with it.

10. Congratulate yourself on your bravery. You have finished one or more books. And you are published. Good or bad you did what most people only talk about. Lots of folks want to write a book. Few actually do it. You put yourself out there, regardless of the risks and the sacrifices, rising above the near paralyzing fear that it might stink. And you’ve already proven you can be dedicated and disciplined. So, just do it again!

And finally, when you need a boost, seek out our bestselling mentors for reassurance. Mary Higgins Clark is a perfect example. Go to the library or a book store and take a look at the acknowledgements in her books. There she often mentions something about her writing process. Frequently she refers to the lonely process and she will write something funny about finally finishing her last revision. I believe she has also taken cruises or gone on vacation after finishing a book, to “recover.” And yet she continues to provide us with fabulous, breathtaking suspense and memorable characters. Other writers do the same. Check out their websites, read their personal stories. But do this for a quick hit of INSPIRATION. Not as an excuse to delay the inevitable.

Remember, writers write. So onward, to the second, third, fourth , etc. adventure. And now, I will do the same.