Becoming Published, Part 1
Something recently shifted for me. I was selected to have one of my works published for the first time.
It’s been a few days since I found out and I’m still freaking out a bit. One of my co-workers asked me why I was smiling so much.
When I got the phone call from the founder of 1888center (Kevin Staniec), I was struck most by being welcomed into the 1888 family. When I made films, it was easy to identify the community you were working with. When I sit down with pen in hand, I need the isolation for concentration. Then it’s typed up, e-mailed off to alpha/beta readers, eventually my editor, and finally I let people know when the story is available…ultimately a solo act that starts again almost immediately.
Always self-publishing. Always choosing myself. Always hoping that I was refining my storytelling chops into something that others would find value in eventually.
Entering the Summer Writing Project was initially supposed to be a personal palette cleanser and an opportunity to shake the rust off for a month while I transitioned from a first-person manuscript to a third-person one. I came in a little late to the competition, mulled over a story idea that had been sparked by having to delete photos of my firstborn off of my phone 8 months ago when my second daughter was about to arrive, and decided to give a serialized novella a shot.
Posting chapter by chapter, forcing myself to keep the length to the amount I could write everyday, and then get almost immediate feedback…it gave me a connection I didn’t expect. Granted, it felt like walking on a high-wire without a net. I had an outline that I would dangerously veer from and could only hope that I would reach a satisfying conclusion.
It was a game of trust.
The readers had to put their faith in whether or not I knew where I was going. I had an idea, but daily establishing canon was like slowly painting myself into a corner and hoping there was ultimately a door nearby. In the end, I wound up with a very personal tale about the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and who that causes us to become.
And now this story will be going to print very soon.
When I made my first feature film, I documented the process so I could share it with anyone who cared to learn from me learning lessons the hard way. I think it’s fitting to continue the tradition.
This is my first time to work with an editor (Shaunn Grulkowski), cover artist (Irvin Rodriguez), and publishing company I didn’t know before. I’ve already connected with Shaunn. We realized we were both born in the same state and can speak fluently about lesser appreciated sci-fi movies.
I joked that we were so similar that if we were both in a story, someone would make the decision to consolidate us into one character on the next editing pass.
I’ll talk more about the editing process in another post, but for now I’ll just be content and grateful for the opportunity I have to tell stories and to know that soon enough I’ll be able to hold a copy of The Goldfish in my hands.
A huge thanks to everyone who encouraged me along the way, to all of the other writers who poured their hearts out into their work in June and July, and to 1888 for giving me the opportunity to finally call myself a published author.
This wraps up Part 1. When I catch a slight lull in the editing process, I’ll go on more about that.
vcD,
-Ryan
Update: Now The Goldfish is available for sale on Amazon! If you’ve enjoyed the story from JukePop during the Summer Writing Project, it would be immensely helpful if you would consider leaving a review.
