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4/4/2011 3:34:50 PM
What's the difference between a writer who completes a story and a writer who doesn't? One word...
PERSEVERANCE!
Writing the final book of my trilogy is a challenge presenting a different
kind of pressure I faced while writing the first two books. There was very
little pressure while writing Asleep, book 1, because nobody knew I was
writing it so I could have tossed the idea if I didn't like it and moved on
to a different story. Any pressure I did feel was because I was concerned
whether or not my teen, who had inspired the story, would like it. (She did!)
The pressure of meeting my deadline pushed me to the extreme
while I was writing Awake, book 2, causing me to make the desperate and
regrettable decision to edit Awake while simultaneously trying to take
a relaxing soak in the tub. The result... the binder clip popped off my
manuscript and the pages rained down into the tub water. I nearly
passed out when I saw my hand written edits begin to dissolve. My
husband still gets a good laugh over that but my teen truly felt my pain.
What eventually got those books completed was my perseverance.
I simply refused to give up. Yes, I feared my teen wouldn't like Asleep
but I overcame it by simply immersing myself in the story and writing
something I loved. I panicked when I missed the first deadline to release
Awake and I feared my readers, who had been asking for it months in
advance, would be disappointed. But they were supportive and very
encouraging. Even more amazing, when Awake was finally released,
many liked this second book more than the first.
Fear of disappointing the audience that has already fallen in love with
the first two books is my new fear and it can be paralyzing at times. But
I'm learning how to handle it and transform the fear into motivation to
put out the best book possible.
To honor the readers who are following me on this journey, I've posted
an excerpt from Ascend [click here]. This excerpt was first presented at
The Black Star Educational Institute and I'm proud to now share it with
my readers here. Future excerpts are planned so stay tuned!
To those aspiring writers who tell me they find it hard to complete a
story, know that you're not alone. All writers face this challenge. So
remember the 'P' word and you'll succeed. Literary blessings to all!
UPDATE
I'm on chapter 9 of Ascend! I'm persevering.
HUMOROUS
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Wendy.
Wendy who?
Wendy wind blows the cradle will rock.
[This has to be the best Knock Knock joke ever. Can you guess why I think so?  ]
CLICK HERE TO POST COMMENTS TO MY EMAIL
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4/23/2011 6:29:41 AM
Name: Yulwei Subject: Ascend excerpt
That excerpt is such a tease but aren't they all. I'm already a taste of the sort of shocks Adisa is in for when she starts trying to pick up her life. Victor seemed a touch more civil than usual but as usual there's hidden barbs in everything he says.
Hi Yulwei,
So true.  . ~ WRM
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4/8/2011 8:26:42 PM
Name: Alexis Subject: OMGI
I dont even know what to say...I came across Asleep at the top of a shelf at a Borders in Atlanta I tend to go to when i visit my family. What caught my eye was the title itself. Just looking at the title, I knew this book was something special. I started to read the back, and was totally hook after the first sentence, Adisa Summers doesnt know her boyfriend Micah Alexander can fly. I didnt even have to read the rest of it because I already knew i would love this book, and i was right. After every page i turned, I fell in love with the story more and more. The way that Adisa and Micah story was..breathtaking..it was beautiful. You wrote this story so well that it sent chills up my spine. Now I love to read, but this story brought new sight to me, and i couldn't put it down. When I was done with it (which was like 2 days, lol,) I had to have the second one. I called all of the book stores in Orlando to find it, but i couldn't,but that did not discourage me. I just when on Borders.com and order a copy of my own. Because I couldnt bare the wait for the book to come, I re read Asleep to keep my mind at ease. When the second book finally came, I was to afraid to open the package because i wasnt ready to read the second book because I knew you were not done with the third one yet, but that didnt stop me, and i read Awake, in 2 days also. I literally just finished the book, and i had to jump on your website to tell you how much i love this story. I know that i am going to read Awake again, so i can get a different understanding the second time around. I am so happy that you are not giving up on this wonderful story, and i want you to continue to persevere until the final book is up on the shelves. I want to thank you again for making these books and I cant wait until Ascend is in my hand.
Alexis! Thank you so much for your amazing post.
It encourages me to persevere. My apologies for
your difficulty in finding Awake. In future, I hope my
work has better distribution but as a new author, it's
been difficult to convince the literary "gatekeepers"
to take a chance on my story even though several
have expressed interest in it. But I didn't let that stop
me. I persevered and got the story out there on my own
and hopefully more readers will discover it and love
it as much as you do which will lead to better distribution.
However, it takes time to build an audience especially
since I'm doing it all myself. So please, keep spreading
the word. I'll keep writing and putting my stories out there
because readers like you prove there is a demand for these
kind of stories. You wrote "I don't even know what to say..."
trust me, Alexis, what you said was perfect and truly
inspirational. Thanks again. ~ WRM
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4/8/2011 3:12:32 PM
Name: Theresa Subject: The trilogy
hey I've just finished reading awake and I really love your books.
Micah's a character any girl could love and I'm interested to see what the future holds for him and Adisa.
Adisa, I think, is one of those characters anyone can see themselves in...or at least that's how it is for me. I've recently went natural too! :)
I'm not too sure what I think about victor, especially after reading awake. I think if his feelings for adisa were genuine i might be able to sympathize with him (i guess i'm just a sucker for love triangles!) but I'm still interested to see what he does in ascend
i enjoy all the other characters, although Sonjia annoys me sometimes (like when she kept bothering Adisa and Micah) haha
OH, and I just read the excerpt and like lex said, it was soooo short!!!! :D I'm so anxious for the next book it's ridiculous! :D
Hi Theresa,
You're natural! I'm smiling from ear to ear. The reason
I wrote the Asleep trilogy is so that my natural-haired
African American teen daughter would have a fantasy
character that reflected her. So I'm glad you could connect
to Adisa on that level also. I created Clumsy CurlZ, a
natural hair guru in Ascend and I actually started a
YouTube channel for her [http://www.youtube.com/user/clumsycurlz].
Adisa will be consulting her for natural hair care advice.
The excerpt was short because I'm still in the early stages
of the story so I try to select a part that's less likely to change
in the final version. I'm enjoying writing Ascend and hope
when it comes out it's even more entertaining to the readers. ~ WRM
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4/7/2011 3:18:13 PM
Name: lex Subject: ascend
hi ms. mcnair,
i just read the excerpt
it was a lot shorter than the other two!
:D but i liked it nonetheless
hope to see more
bye
Thanks, Lex, glad you liked it.
There will be more. ~ WRM
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4/5/2011 4:49:32 PM
Name: Chereace Subject: Chereace
thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you for the excerpt!!! now i just want more :D. can't wait for the book to come out!
Thank you, Chereace!
Your dedication is encouraging. ~ WRM
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