Blog # 1: I am a Writer: Jess Yaun

My name is Jess, and I am a writer. I remember sitting at my grandmother’s kitchen table, my feet dangling a few feet from the floor, writing long strings of pretend cursive in blank ink. I couldn’t write the words yet, but I knew they were there. They come to me while I wash dishes, while I stand at my repair bench at work, or just before I fall asleep. Sometimes I can’t write as fast as they spill out.

There are black and white composition books stacked and stored throughout my house, but before I started the master’s program at Kennesaw, I rarely shared my work. Friends and family read pieces through the years, and responses went something like, “You have such a way with words.” But I wanted to know what they liked and didn’t like. They answered, “It’s really good.”

After the birth of my son Ayden in 2006, something changed. I not only grew courageous, I realized my life was no longer my own. How could I tell my son to chase his dreams when I hadn’t chased mine?

Every day I wrote during his morning nap. Sitting on the back porch, staring at the tall hardwoods and listening to the soft flutter of the leaves, I silenced my mind and let the words come. I started searching online for literary magazines and ordering back issues. Sometime after his first birthday I mailed my first short story. Within a few months I sent out poems, essays, and stories. They were all rejected.

Then I discovered the MAPW program where I have learned there is more to writing than I ever imagined. The words come slower now, and it is harder to still the voices, but I’ve never felt more dedicated to my craft. Whether or not I get published, I will always write. I’ll continue to strive for the perfect sentence, and the commanding paragraph, and the story that touches something deep inside. And if one day I hold my own book in my hands, it will be dedicated to my son – my inspiration.

Blog #1 Hi My Name is Lisa M. Russell and I am a Writer

My name is Lisa and I am a writer. I remember the first time I said that to anyone. I was buying something at Goodys. I just knew the checkout lady was going to start laughing and say, “Yeah right. What do you really do?”

Writing kind of chased me down and made me submit. Writing is a calling. Who would choose to stare at a blank screen until "drops of blood" poured out. For years, I hid behind all the excuses:

“I failed English 101 the first time.”

“ I have too many red marks on my paper to be a writer.”

The people closest to you are not always encouraging:

“It’s just a pipe dream. You will never make any money doing it.” (After I showed my first check from LifeWay Publishers for lessons I wrote, my husband stopped discouraging me)

“Mom, you are not really a writer, you do not have your name on a book cover.” (When I do write that book, it will be dedicated to my youngest son Samuel who said this to me.)

There were people along the way who unknowingly encourage. Carmen Acevedo was a senior English major at Shorter College when I was a freshman. She was an interesting character back then with her odd hats and perpetual optimism. I remember following her to the third floor of Cooper dorm asking her, “What is good writing?” She said something that has stayed with me for almost 30 years, “Good writing is when you can say something really intelligent – in a simple way.” (forgive the paraphrase – it has been almost 30 years) She encouraged me for years with that simple yet profound statement.She never knew that or remembered the exchange when I told her this year.

There was a Conference I went to for church that was teaching us how to teach creative lessons. My assignment was to re-write the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abindigo from the Book of Daniel. I decided to write it in USA TODAY style. When I read my assignment, people were really quiet. I felt I had made a fool of myself, I wasn’t a writer. I asked to stay after class; the conference leader told me if I wasn’t a writer, I should be. The reason the class was quiet is because they were stunned, “You had them on the edge of their seats.” I took it to heart and began writing short devotionals. I got my first writing assignment for LifeWay Publishers and a check for 300.00. I wrote for LifeWay for many years writing young adult and adult curriculum in Nashville, TN.

I mostly write for online content sources like ehow, Suite 101 and I am the Atlanta Writing Careers Examiner. I get to promote Georgia Writers and authors I am doing book marketing for on these sites. The pay is terrible, but the experience is great. I do book design, graphic design, web design and marking for authors and press in addition to my job at Georgia Writers (where I do much of the same).

I love creative non-fiction. There are ideas floating around my head and scraps of paper with ideas all over my desk. I have not given myself permission to write those things as I am so busy trying to make money doing freelance and my day job at GWA. I think getting into the MAPW program, this course and our professor is the push I need to pull out those paper scraps and pull it together. What choice do I have? I am a writer.

Assignment #1 Dina

My name is Dina, and I'm a writer. Some days, I even believe this; other days, I think I'm deluding myself. I've wanted to be a writer ever since I was a little girl, reading incessantly and writing in my journal that I was going to be a writer when I grew up and travel the world (In my mind, the two were synonymous.). I have the journal entries to prove this!

However, I'm 38 and still writing in my journal that I'm going to be a writer when I grow up. I have the journal entries to prove it! As several others wrote in previous blogs, I have numerous unfinished novels, a finished novella, some finished short stories, poems, and a novel-in-progress all saved on my hard drive, various disks, even a few floppy disks that no longer fit in any of my computers. The only readers I've had so far are classmates, friends, and my ever-supportive mother.

I got serious about my writing a few years ago when I realized how quickly time was passing without my realizing the dream of being a published novelist. I applied to KSU's graduate program and here I am, trying to improve my writing and reach my goal. I'm not going to simply write that I want to be a writer but actually become a writer.

I do technical writing for my job and recently took on some freelance technical writing as well. When I got my first freelance job writing a technical video, one of my friends said, "Oh my god, you're actually getting paid to write!" I had to laugh because he was right. I was getting paid to write; I do get paid to write. But I still don't really think of myself as a writer because I'm not getting paid to write what I want to write.

I don't think I'll think of myself as a "real" writer until I become a published novelist, getting paid to write what I want to write. Until then, I'll continue to write to pay the bills and, in my spare time, I'll write what I want - no matter how hard and hopeless it seems. One day perhaps I'll get paid to write what I want to write, maybe even paid enough to realize my other dream of travelling the world! Then I can proudly say, "My name is Dina, and I'm a writer." For now, I'll continue to mumble it self-consciously and pray that I have the determination and the talent to succeed.

My name is Toni and I am a wr...wr...writer. I can hardly say the word writer because of all the preconceived ideas that surround the vocation of writing. For example, if you are not on the New York Times Best seller list, you are worthless, or if you are not making any money, you really are not a writer. I am also a teacher, and I am haunted by the old saying, "Those who can't-- teach." It is almost as though, I need to go to a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous except this one would be for frightened writers. Because of these ideas regarding being a writer, until recently, I have, for the most part never openly acknowledged that I write.

However, in the summer of 2007 I participated in the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project, which gave me the confidence to call myself a writer. Being in a community with other writers and teachers exposed me to the joy and the struggle of writing. Joy- because writers look at the world with a camera man’s eye. They see what others do not see. Struggle-because it takes time and work to articulate the visions that they are given. It takes discipline to daily sit down and write, regardless of how tired you are.

It is in the struggle that I am challenged. The duties and responsibilities of my life have bullied the writer in me into a corner. Procrastination has tied the writer in me to a chair in the corner, and fear has kept the writer in me stuck in the corner. I have decided that this summer I am going to come out of the corner, and dedicate daily time to my writing. Toward that end, I plan to begin by revising the short stories I wrote in Dr. Johnson’s class, Fiction Writing, and I am going to write.

Muppets Sing "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Duke Ellington

Writing Assignment #1-Kristi DeMeester

My name is Kristi, and I am a writer?

The question mark always seems to worm its way into that sentence when I say it. I still have a hard time classifying myself as such, even though I have felt words scratching at the insides of my bones since I was running around the backyard in only a long t-shirt and bare feet. (I cannot say that I don't still have the desire to do this sometimes.)

I question the statement because I feel like a liar when I say it. Have I published? No. Have I finished a novel? No. (I just have lots of beginnings.) So how can I possibly put myself in the same category as people like Margaret Atwood, Willa Cather, Fitzgerald, etc... and on into infinity ad nauseum? But, I can't get rid of the urge to put things down, to play with words like a child playing dress up, making something drab exotic and beautiful. And so, perhaps it would look better like this: My name is Kristi, and I am a writer!

Currently, I'm relishing in the reason I went into teaching: June, July, August. Summer is glorious! I teach 11th American Literature and AP English Language, but this fall I will return to tackle 9th grade Honors students along with my cherished American Literature students. Oh, the horror and the joy! As soon as I retrieve my camcorder from my desk at work (oops!), I will post a video of their re-enactments of The Great Gatsby.

Currently, I'm working on a short story entitled "All That Rises." When I finally finish, it will be the very first piece of fiction I send out for hopeful publication. I'm currently waiting to hear back on an article I recently submitted to a magazine regarding technological acquisition in children. I'm also thoroughly ignoring the novel I began this spring. It's tenatively titled The Prophetess. It started as a short story for Professor Groom's Fiction Writing class. Thirty pages later, I realized, my little story was not a short story, so I put it away to let it breathe and give me time to do so as well, and I think I'm almost ready to look at it again from a fresh perspective. I've written a multitude of short vignettes, but these were just for me and my journal. I don't know if they will ever see the light of day. Ray, I agree with you concerning the hardships concerning finding time. Too often I find it easy to justify away the time I could devote to writing. And then what do I do with that precious time? Have I mentioned I love really trashy reality television shows? Maybe I should write about that. A writer who doesn't write as much as she should because she is too busy watching another episode of Finding Love in a Dumpster. **Note**This show does not exist outside of my own mind. My apologies if I disappointed you.

On a personal note, I have been with my husband for ten years and married for two of those years. People are often shocked to hear that we have been together for so long since I'm 26. Oh, it's so cliche, but yes, we were high school sweethearts. Ten years ago I would have laughed at any one who told me I would marry my high school boyfriend while cackling, "I'm modern, and this isn't 1958. Get real!" Here I am, however, and I still kind of like the guy. We are pictured below on our wedding day.

I'm looking forward to this adventure!

Blog # 1: I am Ray Atkins, and I am a Writer

My name is Ray Atkins, and I am a writer. I have published two novels—The Front Porch Prophet and Sorrow Wood—and I am currently shopping for a publisher for my third book, entitled Camp Redemption. I have just begun writing my fourth novel, which will also serve as my capstone. The best part of it so far is the title—Sweetwater Blues—but once I get the voice established and a few character issues ironed out, I believe it will be a good story. I hope to finish it by the end of September.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer, so I guess it is sort of ironic that I came to serious writing later in life rather than earlier. Living the writer’s life was my dream, but there was always a reason why I had to wait until next year to get started. I got married, my wife went to college, I went to college, we had some kids, we had to feed those kids, those kids grew up and had to go to college, and so on and so forth.

I suppose the lesson I learned during this period of time—also known as my life—is that there will always be a reason to not write, but if you want to be a writer, you should push past the distractions and sit down somewhere once every day and begin to write. One measly page per day equals one novel per year. If you wait for the ideal conditions to write, like I did for a lot of years, you may be waiting a long time. That’s the difference between being a writer and being someone who likes the idea of writing. A writer writes.

If I had followed my own advice earlier, I would be starting on book number forty instead of book number four. I would be rich and famous, and I would be writing this from the deck of my yacht. Sigh.

I began writing my first book when I was in my mid-forties, and after several false starts and re-writes, I finally saw it through to publication in 2008, when I was fifty-two. I received eighty-nine rejections before finding a publisher. People often ask me why I published my book with Medallion Press, an independent press headquartered in Chicago. I tell them the truth. I was all the way down to the M’s on my list of publishing houses before someone finally said yes. They went on to publish my second book the following year.

I am sharing this last anecdote because discouragement is the constant companion of a writer, but you can not give in to it. If I had become discouraged around rejection number fifty or so, I never would have experienced the amazing feeling of pride that came with seeing my work in print.

I am Ray Atkins, and I am a writer.