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.