My Writing Path by Marina Evans

Authors are artists. 

Some people may disagree with that statement, but in my opinion, authors painstakingly sketch, sculpt, paint, and carve the written word. And as we whittle, hone, and polish our work into near-perfect sentences, a novel emerges.

Once we are finally able to step back and admire what we’ve created, it’s incredibly worth it. 

We all know creativity entails using the right hemisphere of the brain. On the flipside, writers have to be businesspeople, too. We’re required to figure out how to market our stories, follow publishing trends, and use social media to effectively launch our author brand. Left-brain usage, anyone? 

It’s a lot to ask and a lot to live up to. Ironically, I didn’t think I had a creative side growing up. But at the very least, I have always loved to read. (I was the nerdy kid who spent school recess in the library!) I doubted I could make a living as a fiction writer, so I told my fifth-grade class on career day that I wanted to be a reporter. 

Of course, my path wasn’t a straight line to that profession at all. Eventually, it veered into being a novelist, but the re-direction took a very long time. Decades.

Pursuing my aptitude for writing non-fiction, I attended Southern Methodist University where I studied English Literature and Journalism. I planned to get into the news space after graduation, but my family’s successful hair salon in Phoenix, Arizona called to me. My parents needed help managing it, so I became part of the family business for over ten years.

Then I got married and had children. Since I was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom, I secretly thought it’d be fun to write a book while my girls napped or were in school. To my big surprise, I got a paranormal romance series digitally published—and it was about four cursed Prince Charmings. (Think the TV show Once Upon a Time at the height of its popularity.)

However, the timing wasn’t great. Ebooks had just become a thing, and publishers didn’t know how to promote them. I always joke that the nineteen people who read my romance series really liked it! The books are under my pen name Marina Myles, if you’re curious.

I figured out that I enjoyed reading thrillers more than I read romance, so a few years later, I switched to writing psychological suspense. Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train had just been released, and everybody and their brother were trying to come up with the next sensational blockbuster. My literary agent at the time attempted to sell a domestic thriller I churned out, but to no avail. I don’t blame her. Looking back, it was all over the place. 

I was eventually dropped as her client, which spoke to my lack of strength as a writer. So, I humbly went back to the drawing board and did a deep dive into the mechanics and the craft of writing. For any author who knows what it’s like to be back in the querying trenches, they’ll agree it’s absolute hell. 

About twenty-four months went by. I had been writing for almost twenty years at this point and was close to giving up. Luckily, I participated in a Twitter event where literary agents popped online for the day to see pitches in the genres they represent. My pitch caught an agent’s eye…thank God! She signed me, helped me craft a new domestic thriller, and shopped it around. It almost sold; it made it to the discussion table at a major New York publishing house, and I felt very lucky.

Afterwards, my agent learned I used to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, so she said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if you wrote a sports thriller set in that world?” My debut novel The Cheerleader was born. Currently, it’s published with Pegasus Books in the U.S. and Hodder and Stoughton Publishing house in the UK. I couldn’t be more grateful that I didn’t give up—and neither should any author who believes in their talent.

While nobody got murdered during my time as a DCC, I did use my experience on the squad to cultivate a fictional pro-football and cheer team. The book encapsulates the glamour, grit, and sparkle of the NFL—but with an unexpected body count. A lot of readers like the authenticity that rings through the book, so I’ll say that if you love Netflix’s docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, you’ll love The Cheerleader! 

My advice to aspiring authors is twofold. Write what you are passionate about and what you are familiar with. That way, truth will emanate in your work, and you’ll be able to tell a unique story from your perspective. In other words, create a story only you can tell. 

Craft-wise, I’ll recommend a few books: Saving the Cat: Writing a Novel and Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. Conflict is a keyword. Nobody wants to read anything that doesn’t have a compelling “what’s at stake” element right off the bat. That’s why I recommend you answer these questions before you begin to write. What does your protagonist want? What is stopping them from getting it? And what will happen if they fail?

A few movies come to mind that meet perfection in storytelling, too. They are Jaws, A Few Good Men, and a lesser-known film called Fracture with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. Study these films because they have “everything”—a masterful plot, spot-on characterization, gripping suspense, and a satisfying callback.  

That’s it for now. I hope I have shared some helpful, interesting tidbits. And I hope I’ve inspired any writer who needs a little encouragement.

Together, let’s keep the written word alive…AI-free and good enough for the history books. 

Cheers to that! 

—

THE CHEERLEADER

Everyone wants to be a Dallas Lonestars Cheerleader, but fame can have a deadly price…

The Dallas Lonestars Cheerleaders are untouchable. They are the epitome of glitz and glamour, reeking of hairspray and perfection. But everything changes when America’s Angel and cheerleading captain Jentry Rae Randall is found murdered in the squad’s locker room.

Filmmaker Nikki Keegan has the opportunity of a lifetime. Brought in to document the Lonestars’ potential comeback after four disastrous seasons, Nikki is now perfectly placed to investigate the murder of the team’s iconic frontwoman.

Nikki turns to cheerleader Shaunette Simmons, the deceased’s best friend, for help. As Nikki becomes closer to Shaunette, the more she suspects that Shaunette is hiding something.

But when Shaunette is run off the road and left to die, it’s clear that nobody on this cheer squad is safe. Because some people would kill to be a Dallas Lonestars Cheerleader…

Marina Evans, a former NFL cheerleader herself, takes readers “behind the gloss” of this iconic American subculture in this high octane debut that is filled with twists, turns, and high kicks. Weaving between sisterhood and ambition, survival and scandal, The Cheerleader will keep you riveted until the final page.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing