Am I that good? by the one and only Ms GINNY LESTER

We are lucky to have Ginny Lester with us today. I had to beg Ms. Ginny on my knees (figuratively) for a special appearance and I am so pleased that she has agreed to blog for Voices from the Heart, TODAY and TOMORROW. Ginny talks from the heart and says it as it is, in her delicious humorous style. So relax and enjoy her thoughts on writing. And PLEASE don't forget to post a comment. Without further ado, he-eeeere is Ginny Lester!!!!

It amazes me how many of us have the same background into writing. We've been fabricating stories for years, some of us beginning at a young age. The stories roll around in our heads until the day we decide to put them on paper. Ah, what a satisfying feeling it is to actually see our scenarios in print. Then someone says why don't you try and get this thing published? Whoa! That sounds like a very scary thing. Am I that good? How do I find out?

Hmm. Well, we dig through the Internet and find places we didn't know existed like RWA, FTHRW, and other areas that keep us thinking we can do this. We explore that spot close to home where you can go and observe and dig for the information you need from the people who have done it or been doing it for a long time. My first time was at a meeting in northern California when I lived there. Sacramento Valley Rose RW. I dressed to the nines, was forty-five minutes early, was a bit chagrined to see many others show up in jeans, tee-shirts and tenny runners. So, I learned a little that day.

A new-found friend from SVR offered to take at look at my first chapter. I eagerly e-mailed it to her and she came back at me with a no, you can't do this. "You have six characters in the prologue and each one has their own POV. A huge No-No!" My answer to her? What the heck is a POV?

I ventured out to find out what POV is, what formatting is, where to look for potential editors, agents, how-to articles and books. (I have a double bookcase full of how-to books. (snort) which I rarely look at.) You do your homework like a good girl and proceed to edit, re-edit and re-re-edit your work until you're blue in the face, sick of looking at it, and actually wondering if it's all worth it. You decide, yes, it's worth it to see your name in print on the cover of a book with a hunky guy and a sexy gal and your trailer. That comes before you uncover the deal on query letters and synopses. Crud! The dreaded information keeps on coming and we find out writing isn't so easy after all.

Olin Miller says it best...Writing is the hardest way of earning a living with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.

Well, rats! How's come we didn't know that in the first place? Huh? Huh? Huh? (sigh)

STAY TUNE FOR MORE TOMORROW.

Ginny Lester, long-time member of FTHRWA chapter.