The Reason Behind Your Writing...

Hi everyone! This week I am so happy to welcome agency-mate, Sonya Weiss. I've gotten to know Sonya through our agency loop. She is funny, always encouraging, and just a delightful soul. I've invited her to do a guest post this week. So without anymore delay, please welcome, Sonya Weiss!

Hello everyone! Thanks Loree! I’ve always had a wacky sense of humor. Sometimes, my sense of humor can lead to some pretty embarrassing situations. Especially if you’re nearsighted.

I was at the grocery store and saw a friend of mine. She’d just sprayed a whiff of air freshener into the air. I came up behind her and did a fake coughing/gagging that was worthy of an Oscar. She turned around and I saw she was a stranger. Her lips puckered like she’d chewed on lemons since her birth. No matter how much I apologized, she wasn’t appeased.

My daughters thought the whole incident was hysterically funny.

That has absolutely nothing to do with what I want to share with you, but in case you needed a laugh, there it is.

What I want to share today involves the reason behind your writing. It’s so easy in this business to lose focus on why we’re actually writing. I started out writing for the sheer joy of telling a story.

Then I learned about ‘rules’. Oh. ‘K. I’m optimistic. I’ll learn the rules and keep on writing.

Then I learned about the money. Percentages. Rights to give up. Rights to keep.

Hmm…’K. Then, I needed to know about the business side. The creative side of my brain tried to rebel, but I roped it in and learned about the business side of writing. Queries. Synopsis. Editors. Agents.

Next, author platform, social media, street teams, beta readers and conferences charged forward ‘Learn about me! And me! And me!’

So I did over the years. Slowly, the focus of my writing changed and it was so subtle that I didn’t even notice it at first. But one day, there it was, staring me in the face.

The joy of writing was gone. It was now officially a job and…I was miserable.

I talked to an author who’d sold a manuscript to a well-known publishing company. She said she never expected to sell the novel and wrote it for herself-just to tell the story.

A light bulb went off and I realized I’d lost sight of the basic reason I felt called to write. Just to tell the story.

That’s the encouragement I want to leave with you today. When the struggles with your writing come (and they will!) remember to just tell the story.

Great advice, Sonya! It always begins and ends with the storytelling. Sometimes we get lost in all of the other stuff that comes with writing. Thanks for your wonderful post this week! It's been a real joy having you here, Sonya! 

Questions: Ever become overwhelmed social media? Ever lose sight of the writing goal? What keeps you and your writing grounded? Ever approach a friend, only to find out that it's a stranger who looked like your friend? haha...loved Sonya's story.

We would love to hear from you!

Sonya Weiss is a freelance writer and ghostwriter. She writes contemporary romance as well as young adult fiction. She loves God, chocolate and finding humor in all of life's situations. She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You can find out more about her: at http://sonyaweiss.com or follow her on Twitter @SonyaWeiss.

Between you, me and the gatepost,

Loree

In upcoming weeks look for - an interview with Susan J. Reinhardt. Susan is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary. Susan's debut novel will be coming out very soon. You can find her at:  http://susanjreinhardt.blogspot.com 

and

I will be giving away the Queen of the Quill Award and gift to - 2 very special bloggers.