Story of a Budding Novelist

with guest Linda Sammaritan.

Hello, Seekerville and Villagers! I am so honored to contribute to this wonderful site. When asked if I wanted to guest blog, of course, I said yes. Who would say no? 

And then. And… then... Deep breath. What worthwhile topic could an unpublished novelist add to Seekerville? I’m a teeny, tiny fish in a gigantic pond!

I decided to share my journey into writing fiction. Every one of you has a story as to how you plunged into the world of novel-crafting. Or, if you haven’t yet tested the creative waters for yourself, you’re wondering what your story might be. I dove in eight years ago. With Nanowrimo. National Novel Writing Month. 

The challenge: write fifty thousand words in thirty days. Wow! Several lifetimes ago, before all my boys were in school, I had slaved over seven hundred-word articles for a variety of magazines. Could I do fifty thousand? Of fiction? I love to read—three novels a week if time allows—but could I write one?

With no outline and a vague sense of what I wanted in my story, I turned the calendar page to November 1, 2009, and placed my fingers on the keyboard. One thousand six hundred sixty-seven words per day.

And what did I discover? Nanowrimo was a blast! I loved the challenge. I reached daily goals. I found out I was a pantser! I joined writers around the world, encouraged them when they flagged, and they did the same for me. A local group of Nanowrimers got together on various days and instigated write-ins. We were wild and crazy. I felt like I was back in college.

I wrote fifty thousand words in thirty days!

Were the fifty thousand words any good? They weren’t terrible. They weren’t terrific, either. I would spend the rest of the year learning to edit, which led to the recognition that I needed eyes other than mine to evaluate the work in progress. 

Enter Meet-up.com.  I stumbled upon the site and discovered a writer group as one of the options, a trio of rough men whose brand of writing was a far cry from mine, dark science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Think: Pollyanna meets the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I was petrified. These guys were serious about getting published, though, so I was willing to take whatever they dished out if it would help me forward. History proved us to be more like Goldilocks and the Three Teddy Bears. Fear is no longer part of my vocabulary when it comes to this wonderful group of writers.

The more I learned about writing, the more research I did so I could learn even more about writing. That’s how I discovered the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). What a treasure trove of information. They’ve become my anchor by providing so many connections to new information, I’ll never be able to take it all in. One of those connections was Seekerville. Add another blessing!

With ACFW, I joined a small critique group. Our personalities meshed so well online. When all of us but one were able to meet for the first time at the ACFW conference in Indianapolis, we were terrified. What if knowing each other in person spoiled the group friendship? Silly us! Time together cemented the initial bond. Now dubbed The Scriblerians, we post book reviews to help parents evaluate titles for children, middle grades, young adults, and new adults (http://www.scriblerians.com). Our friendship flourishes across the United States and Canada. Whenever one of us is within a half day’s drive of another, we make sure to get together to chat, to play, to write, to pray. 

ACFW and Writer’s Digest introduced me to the concept of writing contests. It’s a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a little money to enter those contests, but I’ve found judges’ comments encouraging and reliable. With each contest, not only have I gained another inch of name recognition, I’ve improved my manuscripts. They’ve placed in contests, and every year I get a little closer to publication.

That very first Nano novel made it to an editor’s desk, thanks to the ACFW Conference, where writers, agents, and editors are encouraged to meet and greet, to practice their pitches and request proposals. I received a very detailed rejection letter filled with constructive criticism. Unfortunately, the editor left that publishing house within weeks. Someday, I’ll get back to that novel and revise it with that kind editor’s suggestions in mind. In the meantime, I’m working on a trilogy (excerpts available at www.lindasammaritan.com), and new stories and blog topics germinate in my mind every time I sit down to write. I’ve thought of two writing-related posts as I plug away at this one!

So that’s my writing story. What’s yours? Did you know you wanted to write from near-infancy in the same way I knew I wanted to teach? Did God call you into this new ministry as a young adult, in the middle of a different career, or as a second career after retirement? Who helped you along your path to publication? I love to hear a good story. Tell me yours.


And finally, 2017 Nanowrimo is coming up in November. Have you considered entering? Details here: www.nanowrimo.org


Linda is giving away three print books from Scriblerians.Winners announced in the Weekend Edition! 

Eight Notes to a Nobody by Cynthia T. Toney
Mind Writer by Lisa Godfrees and Mike Lynch
Mardan’s Mark by Kathrese McKee

Eight Notes to a Nobody

Wendy Robichaud doesn't care one bit about being popular like good-looking classmates Tookie and the Sticks--until Brainiac bully John-Monster schemes against her, and someone leaves anonymous sticky-note messages all over school. Even the best friend she always counted on, Jennifer, is hiding something and pulling away. But the spring program, abandoned puppies, and high school track team tryouts don't leave much time to play detective. And the more Wendy discovers about the people around her, the more there is to learn.When secrets and failed dreams kick off the summer after eighth grade, who will be around to support her as high school starts in the fall? 

8 Notes to a Nobody received the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. In its original edition, Bird Face, it won a 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Award, bronze, in the category Pre-teen Fiction Mature Issues. 

Mind Writer

Born with a rare genetic mutation, Eighteen-year-old Rinee Newburgh has been kept in a secret government facility all her life. Trained to enhance her skills as a Mind Writer, her unique talents give her the ability to transfer a person’s thoughts, memories, personality—their soul—into a clone created for those deemed vital to society’s continued survival.

When Rinee’s friend and right hand to the President, Andrei Malotetnev, is nearly killed in an assassination attempt, she discovers the terrible truth—that Mind Writers are regarded as disposable, and life outside the Facility is nothing more than a pollution-filled world on the brink of collapse. She also learns of Malotetnev’s plan to kill millions of people as a means of freeing up dwindling resources needed by the government. Horrified at the thought of a modern day holocaust, Rinee escapes the Facility in a desperate attempt to warn the people of his evil intentions.

Locked in a race against time, Malotetnev sends his most trusted assassin with orders to eliminate Rinee at any cost before the truth can be revealed. What he didn't count on was an assassin with a conscience.

Mardan’s Mark

Abducted by pirates and taken behind enemy lines across the Great Gulf, Princess Srilani is determined to save her sisters and younger brother, the crown prince, from captivity. 

She convinces their caretaker, Aldan, and his brother slaves to share the perilous journey home. This ragtag group of unlikely heroes sets out on a quest — pursued by cutthroat pirates, merciless priests, and marauding soldiers — to return the heir to his kingdom before war breaks out.

In this epic adventure fantasy, Srilani and Aldan risk everything to save a prince and a nation, discovering along the way that death is not their deepest fear.

  Mardan’s Mark is the award-winning first book in the Mardan’s Mark series.

To enter the giveaway, share your story of how you got started in writing. OR if you love to read but you don’t write, tell me what first enthralled you about reading. In my case, I was calling out letters from street signs before I turned two. Combining letters into words, then words into sentences until sentences become stories has always fascinated me.

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle-grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft. She still visits the school and teaches creative writing workshops.

Where Linda can be found on the web: www.lindasammaritan.com
www.scriblerians.com
www.thescriblerians.wordpress.com 
www.puttingonthenew.com 
www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan
www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan