In for the long haul. She's been at this for years. Byerly began writing in 1981 after her dad passed away. Realizing the brevity of life, she started to write down the ideas floating around in her head.
An endurance writer. In this interview with Byerly, I discovered that the first novel she sold was the seventh novel she wrote. That's dedication. To keep on writing despite months and years of rejection. Byerly mentions a quote a friend sent her upon her first sale:
Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck--but most of all, endurance. -James Baldwin
Paying it forward. Byerly has paid her dues, but she hasn't forgotten what it was like to be prepublished, and hungry to learn more about the writing craft and the business of publishing. On her website, she has an index of several dozen helpful articles on writing, publishing, marketing, and copyright.
Two articles that caught my attention were How to Finish a Novel, and a piece on how to keep from using the word 'suddenly' in your writing.
Marilynn blogs about twice per week, on all kinds of topics of interest to writers. My favorites are her link posts. About once a week, she posts a list of links to helpful articles she's found around the web.
If you're curious about Byerly's books, take a look at her website. She offers free chapters, and free short stories she's written.
So if you're a writer who is interested in more than one genre, take a page from Marilynn Byerly's book, and get writing.
A great summary, Debbie. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI also take writing questions at both my blog and my website so feel free to stop by if you have a question about craft or the industry.
That's great to know, Marilynn! Hopefully some readers will take advantage of that.
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