Monday, June 15, 2015

Taking the Long Road by Paul Greci




 
Rainbow Ridge (photo by Paul Greci)

For me, book idea to publication took about ten years. Surviving Bear Island was the first book I wrote, however, I wrote four other books during the years that I kept rewriting Surviving Bear Island. And, yes, I kept (and keep rewriting the other four books as well).

I didn’t keep hard numbers on queries and submissions but the rejections ran wide and deep.

I did keep pushing myself as a writer. I read countless craft books, carved out writing time from a schedule that involved a full-time teaching job and a bicycle commute (which in an Alaskan winter is quite time consuming).

Did I have dry times where my writing life was pretty much a desert? Yes.

Do I still have dry times? Yes.

Do I write everyday? I have in the past but I’m not right now.

Am I working on a new book? Yes.

Am I still rewriting my other manuscripts? Yes.

I am taking the long road. Sometimes the road is a screaming downhill and I write 25 pages in a day. Other times, no matter how fast I want to move I’m basically crawling along or standing still, and that’s okay.

The choice I’m making is to stay on the road. It’s a fascinating place to be whether I’m moving or not.

Thanks for stopping by.

8 comments:

  1. It's interesting to know that you're still working on your novels and haven't abandoned them. I'm working on my 5th middle grade novel now, but I still want to keep revising the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Haven't given up on them yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's good to hear, Andrea. I think the more we write, the more we can give new life to our earlier stories, especially if we love them!!

      Delete
  2. Paul, I am on the long road with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear, partner!! Wouldn't want the road to be lonely!!

      Delete
  3. This is the writing life, isn't it? My writing life metaphor is "plow to the end of the row". In 2004 I heard an interview on NPR with musician Adrienne Young who had an album and song with this name. This idea, to keep "plowing" in the midst of struggle and stones has kept me working ever since.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like that, "Plow to the end of the row." I envision some type of manual plow.

      Delete
  4. I love that photograph. The road is long, but amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Anne! I love Rainbow Ridge!! It's on a delicious, lonely stretch of highway.

      Delete

Thanks for adding to the mayhem!