New member, relatively new writer

AaronCarruth

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On writing

About a half-decade ago, I wrote a children's book. I made a handful of unsolicited submissions. There was a bit of interest, but nothing materialized. I put the project on hold and moved on (which is ironic, considering the core theme of the story is perseverance). ANYWAY, I recently finished my first novel and once again began the hair-graying process of submission. The more I read, the more it seemed I had approached this industry in the wrong order. I forgot important bits, like building my CV with professional writing credits in journals, or developing an audience (my novel is narrative non-fiction and most publishers are keen to hear I've got a social media following... the trouble is, I don't).

Naturally, I panicked and then tried to simultaneously expand in every direction (with varied results).

I started a blog, an instagram account, and joined twitter. I have lists of short story contests that I want to enter, more ideas for novels to explore, and more books to read. And, I'm totally effing paralyzed by it all.

I joined this community to reach out and meet people who are likely going through the exact same sort of semi-crisis. I'm not sure where this is all headed, I just know that writing makes me feel great and that I want to do it forever.

Other stuff about me

I teach the eighth grade. I co-parent two small children (ages 4 and 5.5). I love golden era hip hop (80s-2000), amateur athletics, Studio Ghibli films, cookbooks, and Hans Zimmer.
 

regdog

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Kerry56

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Welcome to the forums. Hope you find a few sections that help.

When you get bitten by the writing bug, it does tend to make permanent changes. I started when a character in my mind insisted on telling me his story. Now characters show up all the time and demand attention. Only my cats are worse. :)
 

Fallen

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All kudos to being a teacher, especially during Covid-19. One thing I've learned...? I'm not homeschooling parent material.

But writing and all the kinks and quirks of language? It's easy to fall in love with it, you just sometimes need to fall out of love with it too in order to see just how much you love it. Vicious cycle, where all you do is rinse and repeat.

Glad to have you with us! You take special care with teaching!
 

Mr_Woah_Woah

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Welcome! As someone who is also teaching during Covid, I wish you luck!
 

scribemeetsworld

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Hi AaronCarruth,

I'm glad to hear that you returned to writing. That's awesome!

I'm not sure where this is all headed, I just know that writing makes me feel great and that I want to do it forever...I love Hans Zimmer.

Since writing makes you feel great, I think you have achieved success, no matter the outcome re: querying.

Did you know Hans Zimmer has a Masterclass? Might be a potential holiday present for yourself :D
 

CameronJohnston

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Welcome to AW! :welcome:

You hear a lot about needing writing credits to get ahead in publishing, but that's old info for the most part, at least in fiction - I imagine with non-fiction your credentials and experience matter more. Debut writers are a big thing in fiction and get a big push in many areas. If your book is good, it's good. Social media followings are not the be-all and end-all of things, but it does help to get the word out as a way of free marketing.