Remembering your first love…

You know, it takes all kinds of inspiration to keep it up in this gig and by “it” I mean your chin from off the ground of defeat.

For some of us it’s our family that starts us out by their wide eyed awe of our strung together words. This helps shape us into the enduring folklore and story tellers from a young age. Yes, some of us have our Mums to pat our heads while still in diapers and tell everyone from the house to Timbuktu that we’re special.

But for others, sometimes those closest can also be the biggest critics. “You’re not that good.” “Art is for slackers and hippies.”

Another possible route to moral support is teachers. I know I had one English teacher whose love of the classics remains instilled in me to this day. He gave me that gift, albeit with sweaty pits, and a bald head that wrinkled with thought, but the zeal he showed for the written word was damned near patriotic. I salute you Mr. Fowler.

Others were turned away from the arts by these same leaders of our youth. I know I’ve mentioned on Facebook a few times a Professor of mine who basically seemed to think that a woman’s destiny was motherhood and to simply support and read the books of better, greater… men.

But we strive on, don’t we? An incorrigible lot, us writers.

And lastly, another push is those intro publications. Ah, yes. *cue fond gaze*

It took me some time, but that first publication stuck with me … and whenever the self-doubt could no longer be mitigated, I always had that first shag to reminisce about, and boy was she a beaut.

And though some of you understand this or soon will, or have decided to write for just yourself, you can imagine that in every Author’s journey there is that golden ticket. That short visit to the Willy Wonka Writer factory where you’re now a published author and forever will be named as so. All hail the Kings and Queens of writing!

I don’t have to tell you how it felt. If you’ve felt it, you already are nodding your head right now.

So what does it feel like to give this huge thumbs up to another? To be on that other end of the table?

Gloriously wonderful.

When I first took my position as Senior Fiction Editor of Oddville Press I had no idea what to expect. I assumed I’d meet some cool people, maybe sound really important but then I’d read my first bought of submissions, cringed through my first rejection, and clapped hands at my first acceptance. I knew right then, that I was part of the full circle. Me.

And a whole hell of a lot of other cool people who felt the same way there in Oddville.

But even better, was when I got that first email back after one acceptance I sent, “This is my first publication! When can I tell my family and friends?”

Now that my folks, was pure and unadulterated joy and I will perpetuate that cycle with frenzied enthusiasm for as long as I live.

Think about it. What if they didn’t have their family backing them up, ever? Teachers? Friends? Or prior publications to keep that train a comin’? What if they were in their dark lab writing genius prose that no one ever told them, “Hey this rocks!” and they gave up and never even knew…

What if their next work is a masterpiece, a gift to the world, and now it will definitely happen because we lit that tiny spark.

And all by the simple note:

“Mr. Submitter,

We are happy to say that your story “First Publication” has been accepted.”

He or she may be the very next great writer of our time… Oh yeah. I like the sound of that.

I just posted this to Facebook and I mean every single word: “Listen to me. Breathe life into your fellow writers. The hammer is ready for each and every one of us as it is.”

Because if you are just waiting to pounce on some poor unsuspecting soul to beat them down about their work GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!

Some of us are working here 😉

Now tell me, dear reader, fellow writer… do you think you have what it takes? If you think so – submit her right HERE 😉

New or old, inspired or needing that high-five, we are here and we are waiting.

Make sure you read our previous issue to see what we like the most! Volume Two Issue One

Just click on that floating lady and realize that you are in a place where we get you… like the Cheers of magazines, we know your name… no really… we like stalked you and found out 😀

L