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| Carla Laureano |
Five Things
Authors Won’t Say Out Loud
By Carla Laureano
I feel like I’m breaking some sort of
unwritten author law, but it’s time to break the silence. If you need me, I’ll
be in Author Witness Protection.
1. Some days we just don’t feel like
writing.
“Don’t you love sitting at home and writing
all day?” I hear this at least once a month when an acquaintance learns I’m an
author. I once had the same crazy idea: that each day at my desk would be an
adventure into story. My debut romance and my debut fantasy were joys to write…
because they were on my schedule. But
as soon as that deadline loomed down on me, the pressure began… and my muse
high-tailed it to the exit.
I’ve
since learned that it doesn’t matter whether I feel like writing or not. I sit
down and start typing. Eventually, words come. And by the time the book is
done, I can no longer recall or discern which sections were written under the
influence of wild inspiration and which ones were pulled slowly and painfully
from my brain. Turns out that discipline—not inspiration—is the main
requirement for writing.
2. It’s hard to find books we like because
we mentally edit everything.
We
love other people’s books. Dream about how great they’re going to be. Hug them
to our chests. And then we open them and feel that first niggling sense of
disquiet. We want to love what’s inside as much as we love the cover, but after
hours of analyzing our own work and reading our editors’ critiques, it’s hard
to overlook spots where we might have structured the story differently or made
the protagonist more likeable. Before we know it, we’re guiltily rewriting the
book in our heads.
So
when an author sings a book’s praises, thrusting it upon everyone she knows—take
note. It’s the rare book that’s made it through the gauntlet of our overactive
editing brains and lodged itself in our hearts. And we’re not going to stop
until you read it and love it as much as we do.
3. Whenever we hear, “I know someone writing
a book; could you help them get published?” we die a little inside.
It’s
not that we don’t want to help. We simply hate discouraging people early on in
their craft, and nine times out of ten, the friend isn’t ready to be published.
They may not even finish the book. From personal experience, we know first
efforts aren’t very good, and we don’t want to jeopardize any friendships by
being overly honest.
So
we’ll nod and smile, and then pray the topic never comes up again… or at least
until they’ve gotten a couple more novel attempts under their belt.
4. We’re hesitant to talk about our writing
careers because it feels like bragging.
For
published authors, it’s normal to have agents, editors, and publicists. We get reviews.
Maybe we’ll even hit a list once in a while. But we don’t want to sound so Hollywood— “Excuse me; I need to take
this call from my agent”—as if we’re one step away from paparazzi and red
carpets.
We
avoid sharing details that might be seen as flaunting our super-glamorous
lifestyle, which in reality involves sweat pants, endless coffee, and repeatedly
banging our heads against the keyboard. If we told the truth, no one would
believe us anyway.
5. Despite the drama, it really is the best
job in the world.
Some
days we wonder why we didn’t pick an easier career, like wrestling alligators. After
a bad review, we might swear we’ll never write another book. When an editor’s
memo dissects our “perfect” plot, we may doubt we’ll ever write another decent
story.
But
when that “book baby” enters the world, when we get e-mails about how the story
made a reader laugh in a difficult time, there’s nothing we’d rather be doing. Authors
get to tell stories that touch people and help them understand their world. And
what could be better than that?
~~~~~
The Saturday Night Supper Club
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| The Saturday Night Supper Club |
Essayist Alex Kanin never imagined his pointed editorial would go viral. Ironically, his attempt to highlight the pitfalls of online criticism has the opposite effect: it revives his own flagging career by destroying that of a perfect stranger. Plagued by guilt-fueled writer’s block, Alex vows to do whatever he can to repair the damage. He just doesn’t expect his interest in the beautiful chef to turn personal.
Alex agrees to help rebuild Rachel’s tarnished image by offering his connections and his home to host an exclusive pop-up dinner party targeted to Denver’s most influential citizens: the Saturday Night Supper Club. As they work together to make the project a success, Rachel begins to realize Alex is not the unfeeling opportunist she once thought he was, and that perhaps there’s life—and love—outside the pressure-cooker of her chosen career. But can she give up her lifelong goals without losing her identity as well?
~~~~~
Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary
inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of
Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly
a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She
currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes
during the day and cooks things at night.
