My debut novel officially releases this month, one month from a Very Significant Birthday for me. I’ve been writing seriously since I was twenty-five, a lifetime ago. My long route to publication might scare younger writers, but it shouldn’t. Some people bloom late, and this is work that must be given the time it needs.
In my late twenties, I used my first novel manuscript to apply to a number of MFA programs. I didn’t get in. I recall the galley kitchen where I stood when I read the final rejection letter. I felt a sinking in my chest, countered by a determined fire in my gut. This was rejection. I knew I’d have to get used to the feeling. I could take it, I thought. If ever there was a time I was going to pursue another avenue, this was it. Instead, I told myself that writing could be done without an MFA. At least I had dodged the need for a loan. Debt of any kind was death to a writer. Too much pressure.
{To keep reading this harrowing tale, please find my guest blog here:}
http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2019/01/08/a-late-bloomers-bumpy-road-to-publication