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| Ane Mulligan |
Gina Holmes appeared on a talk show recently. Her advice to
writers was, “Quit Tomorrow not today.” Sage advice and something she and I
know a lot about.
I met Gina at a writers conference in 2004. We were both at
the beginning of our writing careers. We became critique partners, along with a
couple of other writers, and by 2006, we were sure we’d get that call any day.
We'd signed with agents by then, who were sending out our
full manuscripts. Every year, we’d tell each other, “This is the year!” But
each year would go by without contracts. We were doing everything right. We
continued to grow in our craft, attended conferences, and yet ... those coveted
contracts were just out of reach.
One year, I went as far as pub board, only to have the slate
filled for that quarter. The editor was moving me to the next quarter. Then she
retired. And her hard drive was wiped clean. The hard drive with my manuscript
on it.
Discouraged? You bet your bippy! But I never thought of
quitting. I couldn’t anyway; I’d have exploded. There’re too many stories and
voices bubbling up in my head.
The only people who fail are those who quit. If you’re that
discouraged, quit tomorrow; but don’t quit today. Instead, today start a new
manuscript, write a blog post, plant a garden, write a short story, start a
photography journal.
There are a lot of ways to spark your creativity. After all,
if you’re a writer, you can’t quit writing. So don’t even think about it. I’m
glad I didn’t. When I finally got the call in 2013, I had several manuscripts
waiting and ready.
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While a large, floppy straw hat is
her favorite, bestselling novelist Ane Mulligan has worn many: hairdresser,
legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama
director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience
provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction. She firmly believes
coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the
award-winning website, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Sugar Hill, GA, with her
artist husband and chef son. You can find Ane on her Southern-fried Fiction website, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and Pinterest. Her sophomore novel, Chapel
Springs Survival, will release Dec 3rd, 2015.
