How Do Writers become Authors?
At Capclave recently I watched a webinar titled, “Sarah Beth Durst and Friends,” which was on writing and life.
Award winning author Sarah Beth Durst was asked if she would lead a panel. She could think of no better panel than to get together a panel of her author friends, which included and discuss writing and life. Said friends included Leah Cypess, Keith R. A. Decandido , Diana Peterfreund, and Jon Skovron.
Sarah opened the talk on writing and life saying when she started out, she didn’t know any writers. That led her to go to lots of sci fi/fantasy cons and sit in the front row, where she took copious notes (as geeky as she said that sounds).
Leah Cypess learned when she was seven that kids her age had gotten their poems published and was crushed, because she wanted to be the youngest kid ever published.
Keith R. A. Decandido began writing at a young age, knowing his parents, both librarians, who loved books and encouraged him to be a voracious reader, frowned on the idea of his writing professionally (feeling it wouldn’t make a career). He realized he could make money in writing by getting a college degree in editing. Editing positions led to his getting to know about writing projects, which he submitted to and started selling stories. He first met Sarah at a con while selling books with other authors. Sarah, long before she ever got published came up to Keith and other authors working the book and asked questions about writing. What elicited answers was that she had an impressive list of on point questions, which told them she was serious about writing. None of them were surprised to start seeing her stories in print, thereafter.
Jon Skovron was involved in theatre, then during one play thought he could write a better scene than the director wanted him to act. In that moment, his love of writing went from something he did just for himself, to something he began sharing.
Diana Peterfreund and Sarah even have the same literary agent these days. As the others did, Diana started writing at a young age and is now writing YA books based on CLUE. She drops in Easter Eggs based on lines of the movie version that she’s a fan of. (I got the impression she may have memorized all the lines…)
What all these writers have in common is a love of writing and an understanding that this isn’t easy. Like Keith who has written tie-ins, written stories of Peter Parker/Spiderman, Ripley from Alien, Star Trek novels featuring iconic characters and Diana writing Colonel Mustard as a teen in military school for the CLUE books, they are living their dreams—dreams they could never imagine. Sarah and her friends are sharing their stories with the rest of us.
That resonates with me, who group up loving stories and began writing my own as a teen. My road to getting published went in the direction of small presses and being an Indy author, but I can’t not write even if I’m not to point where I can give up my day job.
It's a matter of honing a writer’s craft and writing stories—or perhaps just loving reading, or being a fan. But as Sarah’s learned, making friends… .
The Dragon’s Curse (novella), which is a lead-in to my Highmage’s Plight series and Hands of the Highmage series, Grounding a Mockingbird, related to my novel, Lessers Not Losers. and my newly released novella, Last Knight, a prequel to Knight of the Broken Table, my latest release, are available in a group promo, the November Sci-fi and Fantasy Giveaway.
Dare 2 Believe, For Whom the Bell Trolls , and Knight of the Broken Table are available in another promo, A Bit of Magic Fantasy & Sci Fi Tales on KU.
Lastly, I’ve a new author twitter account at @DHAire15, I hope you’ll following me there.
D.H.
