To Write or not to Write.

Someone once asked Steve Pressfield when a writer became a writer.Was it when you get your book deal? When you sell your first thousand copies? When you hit the best sellers list? When do you get to call yourself a writer? And you know what he said: 

You are when you say you are. Screw what everyone else says.

I have been writing my entire life. For years I've penned stories in notebooks, penciled poetry and songs on napkins, and even typed novels and blogs for the view of the public. Still, I never considered myself a writer, I never fully entertained the idea of doing it for a living, despite the fact that I currently posses a total of 7 novels in my dropbox sitting idle. 

The few people I have shared my creative works with used words like" awesome", "phenomenal", "creative", and "captivating". And I always thought to myself, "these are people that love me so I have to take their opinions lightly." so I continued to refer to my work as an outlet to express emotions.

It wasn't until about 9 months ago, when I allowed a few of my friends to get wrapped up in the world of Genevieve, and her best friends in the Bromance Saga that I actually thought that I something publish worthy. So I sent the manuscript out to a few publishers, 'Little, Brown' , 'Tate' , 'Suspect Thoughts' , and 'Circlet' to name a few. AND I GOT A RESPONSE! Tate showed an interest in the novel, the publisher's assistant that read it told me she found it sexy, funny,and witty. She found Genevieve as a woman who was smart yet ridiculously delusional, but it was REAL (that made me frown a bit). The problem? My ending seemed to lack 'resolution', my characters lacking the closure they needed to keep a reader happy. So it was suggested that I rewrite my ending and resubmit. 

So I took another 2 and a half months, looked at the book from every angle, and wrote my ending over. I let my friends read it over and I got an even bolder reaction from them and I had hit the send button on my re-submission without fear. 

But no. I still didn't have a resolution in their eyes. WTH? What is a resolution? A happily ever after? WHAT DOES TATE WANT FROM ME? I don't write like that. I love writing about love, and rainbows but that isn't life, and I can't force myself to live with that mindset. There won't always be a happily ever after. Why do stories always end with the wedding, why don't they ever tell the fact that Cinderella drove prince charming crazy with her excessive need to clean the castle? I'm only half joking, because anyone that has read my books know I'm able to write the tear jerking love story, I just don't want all of my books to end that way. Is that so wrong? 

Fictionpress and Fanfic have been a really encouraging through this process, because I have followers, strangers, unbiased opinions that literally email and DM me waiting for the next chapter of whatever story they are reading. So I've decided. If I can post the Law series I can also post The Bromance Saga. I posted the first half of it on 9/6/12 and so far  the stats are AMAZING. I'll update it later this week and see the reaction I get to the ending.  

I promised my friend I'd let her design the cover of book 1 of the Law Series since it's her favorite book of mine thus far. I think it's safe to say I love it, if I'm broadcasting it right?  :D 

If I write, and people love my writing, and people read my writing. What does that make me?