Better Late Than Never

[Maryann Mercer]

The above truism seems to be my mantra these days. While I've always written, even did a column for the high school newspaper back in the day, I take rejection very seriously. Too seriously according to my fabulous and talented daughter. She maintains I would have been a great children's writer if only I had forged ahead despite those early" we're not looking for a story in this vein" form letters. Me? Not so sure. After all, there are only so many ways to tell the story of a bunny who wanted tennis shoes, right? Subject closed. Wrong! As a gift (Mother's Day I think but that's not important) she gave me a year's tuition to an online writing site. My first class was a freebie-flash fiction for the new millenium. First assignment--introduce yourself by way of your character. Assumptions assumptions. I HAD no character. Well, I did, but he was only a backstory. Meet Alex Morales, Cuban-born, Miami raised, small town Pennsylvania detective. Lots of baggage. (I love flawed characters)

Alex would have stayed a class assignment except for three women who talked me into joining an online writing group. I think I was the token mystery writer :o) We dubbed ourselves the Wacky Wonderful Women and vowed to send two chapters into the ether each month for critique. Right. I had NO chapters.So, I wrote. Finished the story in about a year. Edited it, then sent it to professional. Tears...it took me six months to get past her comments, and I'm still working on it. In the meantime, I've considered changing viewpoints, changing the main character, all the good hard things.

Then I took a cruise to Alaska for my sister's wedding anniversary and ended up with another idea...set in Portland Oregon with a guy named Phil and his twin brother Sam. Working on that too.

Since I have a day job, and a second one part time, my writing hours are sandwiched inbetween and on weekends. Plus, I believe in the benefits of writers' conferences and go to those I can. I always learn sometehing new and meet the best people. Now I've discovered this wonderful site, and web neophyte that I am, I'll spend time here as well. Life is sweet. Can you hear me chanting my mantra?