Author Heidi Glick: WRITING IS A JOURNEY

Meet Novelist Heidi Glick. Heidi  has a B.A. in biology, a minor in Bible from Cedarville University, and a passion for writing Christian fiction. She has over seven years of technical editing experience, a certificate in technical writing from Cal State University, Dominguez Hills, and is working towards her Master of English at Utah State University. Additionally, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has written two articles for Intercom. When not working, Heidi spends time with her husband, son, and two dogs, Cocoa and Sparky. She attends Grace Chapel in Mason, Ohio. 

Writing is a Journey

I like a sign that hangs in my fertility specialist’s office. The sign invites patients to a support group to discuss their struggles along their infertility journey. I like the reminder that it is a journey, with various points along the way. While some can easily get pregnant, I underwent various procedures and surgery and even completed a home study before becoming pregnant.  The bottom line is that my journey is not the same as others. I know some who never get pregnant but who God has blessed with children through adoption. One way or the other, either by adoption, fostering, or pregnancy, I knew from the start of my journey that I wanted to be a parent. I was on the journey for the long haul, and that helped me through the hard times.

Writing is also a journey. Some get published right away. Some don’t. Some need to work harder at it than others. I wish I had known this when I first starting writing as a teen because it would have made my life easier. Instead, I thought that if I was called to be a writer, then editors would just accept my manuscripts as is, and that I would not need to work hard at the writing process. However, I worked on my debut novel for four years before I signed a contract with a publisher.

Before going on a journey, one usually consults a map or GPS to guide them. The writing journey is no different. A writer needs guides, but they also must be prepared for detours along the way. For example, a writer might find out that he/she needs to rewrite his/her manuscript and/or learn more about the writing process.

When I began writing, I thought I knew all there was to know about POV, but I was wrong. I was instructed by others to avoid headhopping and to use one POV character per scene, but the problem was that I didn’t know what that meant. And what didn’t help was others trying to point it out to me because I just didn’t get it. 

Finally, upon the advice of another writer, I bought a book on viewpoints. It did help but not right away. I had to read and reread the book and have my husband help explain POV to me. At one point, I thought about giving up altogether. My husband asked me if learning a new way to do POV was better than giving up writing, and I decided to learn how to properly handle POV if it killed me. In time, I learned how to handle it fairly well but needed more help. So I joined ACFW and, in particular, the Scribes critique group. There I received feedback on my writing and discovered I had more to learn. Through an ACFW class, I learned more on deep POV, and I began to feel more confident in my writing.

And then of course, I encountered more detours. I needed to work on characterization, conflict, etc. But in the end, once God got me past all the detours, he opened the door to publication for me. But that’s not the end of my journey. It still continues. Now I am working on the next novel, on marketing my debut novel, and on juggling writing with my role as the parent of a newborn. Experience has taught me that every writer will experience detours along their writing journey, but each can succeed if he/she is prepared for the long haul.  

My advice to other writers is to

·         Decide to remain on the journey no matter what the cost;

·         Expect detours;

·         Get help from others to overcome detours;

·         Continue on the journey despite the detours; and

·         Remember that each writer’s journey is unique.

tTake the journey with Heidi Glick into the lives of characters Mark Graham and Beth Martindale in her book, Dog Tags

Blurb: When disabled ex-Marine Mark Graham reconnects with his best friend’s sister, he finds himself falling in love. But Beth Martindale’s presence is a constant reminder of events he’d rather forget. Mark wants to move forward, but the secrets surrounding her brother’s death as well as his own confinement to a wheelchair threaten to tear them apart.When a psychopath who calls himself The Knight fixates on Beth, Mark is determined to give her the protection he failed to give her brother on the battlefield, yet he discovers that a wheelchair isn’t the only impediment he has to keeping Beth safe. Will terror win or can Mark find the strength of mind and body to rescue Beth and find his own redemption?

Where to find more information about Heidi and her writing? 

Dog Tags - coming soon from Harbourlight Books (tentative release date: 6/7/2013)
heidiglickbooks.com
http://sleuthsandsuspects.blogspot.com
http://queencityquill.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/authorheidiglick
https://twitter.com/sheglick