I’ve been having an issue with writer’s block lately. Don’t get me wrong—I’m still writing every day for my blog and podcast as I have deadlines to meet! But I also have a new novel that I’ve taken the time to fully outline, however, for some reason, I can’t bring myself to even begin to write the opening pages. I would like to begin this project while I await hearing back from a few agents on my current manuscript, but I’m letting responses I've already received from some agents hold me back. I’ve begun to doubt that my writing will ever be "literary or good enough" to be published traditionally.
WOW! Executive Editor Angela Mackintosh mentioned she had been taking a writing class, and the instructor discussed this very topic because it’s so prevalent among writers. The instructor asked the writers to write her a letter explaining why they were “blocked.” I decided to give that a try, and here are a few excerpts from this “letter to myself.”
I’ve been writing fiction for many years now and thoroughly enjoy it. I got my first taste of success when WOW! Women on Writing published my flash fiction story, “In the Depths,” inspired by the real-life disappearance of Kyle Fleischmann from Charlotte, N.C. Somehow, I picked up a few more awards from Writer’s Digest, a publication I’ve always greatly admired.
My most recent novel, “It’s a Miracle I’m Alive,” has me inching closer to the goal of being a published novelist. It’s nothing I’ve ever written or read before, almost a blend of genres if you well. I’ve described it as women’s fiction, new adult, mystery, suspense/thriller, and book club fiction. It’s inspired by my podcasting journey, and the protagonist is a podcaster. I’ve had three manuscript requests since last summer and one partial. This has never happened before!
But hearing back from some of the early requests made me feel like my work simply isn’t “literary” enough. I’ve spent most of my career writing non-fiction, so I guess this makes sense to me. I feel like I’ve gotten a good grasp on plotting, outlining, and creating an “intriguing premise,” but now I worry that my writing is lacking. I did, after all, get rejected from the only two MFA programs I ever applied to, and I feel like it’s because I didn’t have enough fiction published at the time.
For now, I’m going to print out the entire outline and get to work. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I can trade chapters with some of my writer friends and I know they will show me where the work needs improvement along the way. This is a story that needs to be told for women my age, and I can’t continue to be afraid of doing that.
It seems fitting that today I completed this month’s novel for my neighborhood book club, “Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting.” The protagonist of the novel, Iona, is an unforgettable 57-year-old British woman who eventually changes the lives of a small group of commuters in her orbit. The author, Clare Pooley, discussed the inspiration for her novel in a section at the back of the book.
Her words struck me to the core:
“It makes me furious that as men age, they gain gravitas. They become “silver foxes.” Women, however, become invisible. We cannot allow this to happen, my friends. We must all be more Iona. We all deserve, like Iona, to have a Triumphant Second Act. Writing is mine. I had my first novel published at the age of fifty, and I am grateful every day to all the readers all over the world who’ve bought and recommended my books.”
As a writer who just turned 48 this past fall, Pooley gave me the pep talk I needed to continue pursuing my second act, my dream of becoming a published novelist. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve earned it.
Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who produces the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas, which has received more than 500,000 downloads from all over the world. Learn more at www.missinginthecarolinas.com and www.FinishedPages.com.
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