| By Avery Beck | July 14, 2009 |
To celebrate my first post here at Nobody Writes It Better as well as the release of my first book, Sexy by Design, I’m giving away a (digital) copy to one commenter.
The RWA National Conference kicks off tomorrow, and though finances demanded I stay home this year, the event still has me thinking about how I ended up here—how “romance author” became what I want to be when I grow up.
For the longest time, I blew off writing as a hobby. I loved the performing arts, wanted to sing, dance, act. Anything that took place on a stage. Unfortunately, I wasn’t born with a voice for American Idol or the moves for So You Think You Can Dance. Growing up I’d watch, green with envy, while other students danced during halftime, played at orchestra concerts, and won awards for choir performances—and I’d wonder why the man upstairs had left me in the cold. Where was my talent? Weren’t we all supposed to be good at something? Boy, was I ticked that everyone else on the planet seemed to have been blessed with great musical skills, and all I could do was…write. Blah.
“But you’re an amazing writer,” people would say. “You need to do something with your writing.”
In response, I’d silently laugh. The only thing anyone can do with writing is write a book. I can’t write three hundred pages—I get bored writing twenty-page research papers. And what are the odds of getting published? That doesn’t happen.
I was certain, beyond a doubt, that the one talent I’d been given was useless—until the day I tried it.
A few years ago, I did write a book, just to see if I could. Picked a subject I never get tired of reading or writing about—relationships. Romance. Submitted a query, expecting a swift form rejection and a good laugh. Got a request for more. Hmm…maybe this writing thing isn’t so boring and useless after all.
It took a while, but I finally realized what I loved so much (and still do) about music is the way it bleeds emotion. Fast or slow, happy or tragic, falling in love or breaking up…the lyrics of a favorite song can make the profound moments of a person’s life flash before her eyes. When I jumped into the romance-writing industry, I discovered printed words can be as powerful as those belted into a microphone. I found my creative outlet.
In ‘07 and ‘08 I got my spotlight moments, as a Golden Heart finalist. Being featured on the BIG screen during the award ceremony was a breathtaking experience every bit as exciting as a reality show finale. Then came the contract, and now I have book covers, release dates, royalties…and the audience I always dreamed about. I still love the performing arts, but now I’m okay with watching the incredible skills of others instead of being the one on stage. You never know—somewhere out there, a musician might love my romance novel!
Are you what you wanted to be when you grew up? What talent do you wish you had?