You Need Someone to Stalk . . . I Mean Watch!

So, until a short while ago, I never dreamed I would be a writer, let alone a novelist. Mostly because I had a strange belief that it was nearly impossible (like winning the lottery).

Until I met this woman.

Her name is Elana Johnson and she too has been on the journey to publish, just a bit longer than I have. She has been key in my journey to take my story to the streets. What have I learned in the process? No matter what your dream/goal is, YOU NEED AN ELANA TO STALK, er, I mean WATCH!

Here's why:

1) The Runner Ahead of You - She was just a little bit ahead of me on the process, but had been through all the bumps and bruises. Her journey gave me a frame of reference for what was coming and helped me know how hard I needed to push and when. This sense of scale IS SO IMPORTANT when you want to give up!!! She helped me understand how many queries are too many (probably more than 300). How many revisions is normal/doable/bearable (you will do at least ten with an agent and editor - plan on it). What percentage of nibbles should I be receiving on my queries, partials, fulls (4-12% on queries or you need to re-write your letter). You get the picture.

2) ROI on My Time & Energy - When it comes to finding an agent and getting published, there are a million different ways you can spend your energy. Watching Elana has allowed me to trim back to what's important and not waste a lot of time and energy on things that don't matter (FYI - Blogs are more important than you think!).

3) IT'S HARD, BUT POSSIBLE! This is the most important thing I've learned from stalking/watching my friend Elana . . . people do get agents, people do get published, people do see their books on shelves. Even people YOU KNOW! Maybe even YOU! Writing is harder than you think. Editing is harder than you think it will be, but KEEP GOING because IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE! (Sorry for the screaming, but I'm a little excited about this point). : )

Today is the birthday of Elana's debut novel, Possession. It's the end of a long, possible road to her dream. I can't tell you how happy I am for her and how grateful I have been for her guidance.

Now . . .

What are you dreaming about? Do you have an Elana to watch?

If not, go find one!!