My A-HA Moment: Joining My Local Chapter

I was lost.

Totally.

Irrevocably.

Thoroughly lost.

I had been writing one novel for six years...yes you read that right. Six years I struggled. Was frustrated and gave up time and again, only to go back to it and repeat the process.

Was it writers block? No. Was it lack of imagination? Not that either. Then I realized something.I want to write.

I mean I REALLY want to write. Time is passing me by and I want this. I don’t want it to be some silly hobby. I want to have row after row of books on the shelves at Barnes and Nobles like, Sherrilyn Kenyon or Nora Roberts. I want to be the one who writes the “keepers” we all have on our bookshelves. I want to be like Julia Quinn and have paragraphs that everyone remembers because they were so wonderfully written.

Lofty goals, I know.

So about two years ago I decided to get serious. I found RWA through an internet search, and then through them found RWI, my local chapter. I pondered it and tossed it around in my head. Do I really have time for this? I mean, I have two very active kids. Even though I technically don’t work, I do help run my husbands business and I have my own small business. Then add just the day to day chores of keeping up with the house, bills, laundry and million other things we stay-at-home-moms do. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to breathe, much less get serious about writing. And that meant making some time just for me. Time that I had to devote only to myself, and only benefited myself. Heaven forbid!

But I did it. I jumped in with both feet and decided I was going to be selfish for once in my life. So I sent in the RWA fee. That alone made me feel guilty, because it was spent on only me. Then I found the courage to go to a local meeting. They were having Julia Quinn come speak, so I bit the bullet and showed up.

Can we say intimidation? I mean, who was I kidding? I wasn’t a REAL writer. I was someone who put a few words together that made little sense and here I was trying to pass myself off as a writer. But the girls at RWI were so nice and so supportive of one another. I was a nervous wreck but decided to come back and give it another try. I was then hooked.

RWI is the only chapter in RWA that requires that each member volunteer, but I understood their motivation. That only meant more time devoted to something other than my family. So I took a deep breath and put in for membership. Was I scared? Terrified!

Then my next big step was entering my writing in the critique loop. I couldn’t sleep at all the night before. I just didn’t know what to expect. But I was happily surprised. Yeah, my twelve pages had more colored ink on them than black, but they explained it to me. They didn’t put me down; they didn’t tell me how bad I sucked (even though it did). But they didn’t sugar coat it either. They gave me good feedback that I could use for editing.

They taught me formatting. What was that anyway?

They taught me how I couldn’t jump POV’s like the energizer bunny. You mean you can’t jump from one person to another, sentence after sentence?

They taught me to show, not tell. What does passive really mean?

They taught me that I can write. All I needed were the tools and knowledge, and I could be well on my way.

I have now finished that first book and I’m going through the editing process. I have ideas for two other books to make this a three book series. Have I conquered all that I mentioned above? Not hardly! I’m also Vice-President of our chapter now and I’ll be attending Nationals in Dallas. Am I published? Not yet. Does it still intimidate me? You bet! But they have given me confidence in my writing ability. They show me the path when I’m wandering in the dark. They keep me focused when I get frustrated.

When I had some serious personal issues in my life, they were there with an ear and a hug. And they let me know it was okay if my stress level was keeping me from writing. That support only spurred me to get back on the bandwagon and write.The most important and surprising thing I gained?

Friends.

Ashley Pearce is an up-and-coming romance writer as well as wife, mother, and vice president of RWI.