Friday, November 1, 2013

ENTERING THE SCARY CAVE OF WRITING by Judy Ann Davis

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Joseph Campbell, American writer and mythologist said, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

For me, the cave I feared to enter was the fiction world of writing. I graduated with a journalism and communications degree, so writing news or feature articles, ad copy, technical information, or grants for education and industry was never a problem.

An avid reader, I always loved fiction, and I toyed with writing it in my spare time. I joined a local writer’s group. When I finally gathered enough courage to send a manuscript to an agent, I received a letter that was less than inspiring and certainly not encouraging. I was heartbroken. Although family, writer friends, and others had told me to disregard one man’s comments and keep submitting my work, it took me ten years to gather enough courage to try again.

With my heart in my shoes, I submitted a short story called “The Season of Withered Corn” to a small publication in Loveland, Colorado. There was nothing more exciting than to receive a letter several weeks later from the magazine editor with a check and the words, “We really enjoyed your writing. Do you have more stories you can send us?” A whopping, ten-dollar check was enclosed. But it was the first step into the fearful cave to find the treasure.

Since then, I have written four books and many short stories that had been published and won awards. I framed the first dollar from that Colorado check and have it in my study where I write. It’s a constant reminder that a rejection slip or email only means someone didn’t like your work—not the whole world.

Judy Ann Davis is the author of KEY TO LOVE, published by The Wild Rose Press, now available in digital and print. http://www.amazon.com/Key-to-Love-ebook/dp/B00DNO9S8K  She also has a collection of nineteen short stories, UP ON THE ROOF AND OTHER STORIES, published by Whiskey Creek Press, coming out this month. Visit her on her website: www.judyanndavis.com or on her blog: www.judyanndavis.blospot.com ]

No comments:

Post a Comment