strength,
courage, and
confidence by
every experience
in which you
really stop to
look fear in the
face. You must
do the thing
which you think
you cannot do."
~ Eleanor
Roosevelt ~
alone . . . you think.
Characters worm their way into your head. They won't go
away. What do you do? You write.
Retail Sales, and owner of a Boutique, none of the positions
fulfilled my love of artistic goals. So . . . after throwing
caution to the wind, I left the enterprise of working woman.
Freedom to write posed its own perils though. I found I
lacked dedication to hone writing skills and actually put
together a manuscript to submit. Reality set in. There was
more to this writing vocation than I ever imagined.
A new section of books on writing filled the shelves of my
library and my office soon resembled what I thought a
writer's surroundings should be.Writing daily was a goal and
for the most part I did, but I'm afraid more time was spent
getting ready to write.
Not long after, a dear friend passed away. In all her
eighty-one years, she hadn't made the effort to arrive at full
circle. I realized she'd wasted a portion of a very precious
thing. Life.
While I reflected on her life, my own wasted days projected
my thoughts. I wanted to write, but was I really doing
everything possible to attain that goal? How different was I
than my friend who in reality wanted to be a singer, but left
this world without sharing her talent?
I suppose it was a wake-up call and I believe we all have our
own. Page after page of poetry and short stories were
scribbled on anything I could get my hands on. Dust
gathered in a file drawer, thick with my writings.
Another writer, critique partner and inspiration, encouraged
me to continue when I wanted to give up.
Publication of a couple of Poems and a Short Story was
thrilling, but I laid aside dreams of becoming a writer to take
care of more urgent means, such as living.
medical field to help out. Though the work was satisfying,
the yearning to write flourished. I wrote when time allowed,
but nothing serious.
Life kept getting in the way and I laid aside my writing.
Again.
Still the need to tell my characters stories haunted me.
Between shifts at work and sometimes at work, another
story unfolded. I continued to fill the pages of a third novel.
More time than I care to admit passed, and poetry, short
stories and partial novels, were filed away, then forgotten.
Writing was a personal thing. I didn't want to share most of
what I'd written.
In 1996, after working with the elderly and listening to their
stories of regret, realization that my own story would
parallel theirs unless I stopped procrastinating.
I enrolled in a writing course, joined Southeastern Writer's
Association and Romance Writers of America. Keeping in
touch with other writers in my genre confirmed that I didn't
need to write twenty-four hours a day to be a writer. But to
find quality time for writing and honing my skills.
I dusted off the files, edited, and polished. Well, okay. It
wasn't as easy as it sounds, but through persistance, a few
actually went into the mailbox. Others remained in files for
future editing and submission.
Rejection slips trickled in. Still, I didn't give up.
Then--encouraging rejection slips found their way into my
mailbox.
Aha, I thought. So this is what it's all about. Persistence
and enjoying what I was doing, not wasting another moment.
topple over.
Should I read, write? Should I edit, rewrite, polish, look up that new editor's name, or log on to my favorite
writing site? Or perhaps perfect my current synopsis?
My head spins with so much to do. I'd love to stay and chat, but on a corner of my desk, is a book on Plotting.
Happy writing!
TRUTH, was selected as a
winning entry and designated
for inclusion in 2002 edition
of:
O, Georgia! A Collection of
Georgia's Newest & Most
Promising Writers. Released
October 19, 2002
than the story my eight-year-old granddaughter
and I wrote together. Emaleigh was a published
writer with a big heart and it showed. Click on
the link below to read our story of a little bear
who was different.
Raz, the Bear Who Had No Nose
First Place Winner in Amazing Instant Novelist - Forgetting Category - 1998
Quote:"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it."
--Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-U.S. educator, author
INSTANT STORIES CONTEST COMMENTS by NOVL Est
Quote: "Carol DeVaney completely stuns us with a compelling story of a loss. The pain radiates from each word. We
find ourselves absorbed with the realization of losing a loved one."
the prestigious LeRoy Spruill Award for Short Fiction, for her
story, COURAGE-UNDERWRAP.
The 1997 competition was hosted by:
Southeastern Writers Association
