Maneuvering The Writing World in my Late Sixties

I was thrilled to be asked to write a piece for Women Writers, Women’s Books and I knew exactly what I would write about. How did I, an average person with no writing experience, write and publish an award-winning book at the age of sixty-eight years young? I would write about my rookie missteps, my endless google searches, and my drive to figure out what happens after I type The End. I mean, how many women have accomplished what I have at this stage in their life?

Turns out there are lots of us out there. Lorna Page published her debut novel, A Dangerous Weakness, at ninety-three. Laura Ingalls Wilder was sixty-five when she published her first book. Just Google How to Publish a Book at 70-you will be amazed at what comes up.

The realization that I wasn’t a “unicorn” among female writers left me feeling like an imposter who didn’t belong in such a talented group. But I quickly felt a kinship to these unknown women. Women who stepped out of their comfort zone put their heart and soul on paper for the world to read and for the world to judge. Because this is exactly what I did, left my comfortable, judge free world and stepped into an entirely different universe. Even though I had this realization, I still couldn’t come up with a clear direction for my essay. That was until this week when I received the following emails in less than twenty-four hours.

Monday 6:00 PM 

Hi Judy, 

I’m sorry this is so late. We do not have any registrations for your event tomorrow, so I am canceling. I’m not sure if people have already heard you somewhere or if it’s just the last hurrah of summer and people are busy. I would be happy to reschedule later in the fall – maybe a daytime event instead?  

Tuesday 8:25 AM

 Dear Judy Lannon,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to read “Nine Days” for consideration in our 2023 First Chapters Contest. As we can send so few excerpts into the next round, we do have to release interesting work—we’re sorry your entry has not advanced.

We’re grateful you chose to share your writing with us, and for your support. We wish you good luck with your manuscript and hope you will send us work again.

Tuesday 8:26 AM

 Hi Judy,

There are 24 people registered for your event tomorrow at the Duxbury Free Library. We are really looking forward to it. 

Rejection, rejection, exhilaration!

I would imagine no matter who you are, or where you are, as a writer you must learn how to maneuver the world of editing, publishing and the dreaded marketing and promoting.

In my case, that is when the really hard work began. Somehow, I survived the endless rounds of edits, the pain of query letters, and the search for someone to believe in my book. What I wasn’t prepared for was the challenge of promoting and marketing. There’s a thin line between skillful promotion and obnoxious behavior that leads to people crossing the street when they see you coming. I’ve learned to grow a thick skin, well I must admit, I’m still working on that and I’ve learned to accept rejection. When you put yourself out there, you must be prepared for criticism. With each passing day, I am getting better at navigating the roller coaster that is this journey. 

I think that my affirmation will be:

 I will continue to

• sell copies of my book out of the back of my car
•  email, visit, and send promotional packets to local bookstores
• speak at author events, whether to a room of twenty or an intimate gathering of two
• research and strategically enter contests
• post somewhat flattering pictures of myself with the book on social media
• believe in myself

So onward and upward, or something like that. No matter what your age, be proud and let the world know what you have accomplished. Keep writing, keep selling your book, keep going!

—

The ocean has always had a magnetizing pull for Judy Lannon, author of Nine Days. She was born and raised outside of Boston and considers herself fortunate to have spent her childhood summers on Cape Cod. Today, Judy and her husband live near the ocean with their two energetic standard poodles, spending as much time as possible running their dogs on the flats, looking for sea glass and appreciating the beauty of where they live.

Find out more about Judy on her website https://judylannon.com/

NINE DAYS

One phone call upends Sara Austin’s world.

Out of town for a company conference, Sara gets a call that her mother is in the hospital. As her reluctant Health Care Proxy, Sara relates, with humor and alcohol, how she and her siblings, each with plenty of baggage, maneuver the murky waters of dealing with an aging parent.

In Nine Days by Judy Lannon, we learn to love and relate to Sara, a product of divorce, narcissism and alcoholism, as she works through a lifetime of self-doubt and unworthiness to emerge as a stronger, integrated woman.

BUY HERE

 

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing