Welcome to February. Where did January go? My first post for the month is a guest post by the lovey Lacey Gordon. Lacey is a blogger, supportive member of the writing community, a soon to be published author, one of my trusted beta readers, and someone I am proud to call my friend.
Lacey talks to us about her journey to hopefully becoming a published author in the near future, and why she started her blog.
Blogging My Way to Published Author
By: Lacey Gordon (aka Crazdwriter)
I am not going to lie, when Hayley asked me to be a guest on her blog, I was excited and nervous because… what am I going to write about? I could write about anything, she tells me, and my mind went racing this way and that, not having any clue of a topic that I found fitting for her blog. I sat for a while, staring at this blank page, and had a chuckle because as a writer and blogger, this happens quite a lot. I am that type of writer when it comes to writing something special or unique for someone else; I sit and just stare, racking my brain for something, anything to write about. I have thousands of ideas for my stories and what I wish to write for my blogs, but when it comes to writing a post for someone else, my brain literally takes a vacation and all voices up there go silent. So, what should I write about for Hayley? Then last night as I was about to go to sleep, a title popped into my head and I thought, well, that will be a start.
I have been writing stories since I was in high school but never thought of myself as a serious writer. But escaping to other worlds helped me cope with life. I was bullied by others being a little different, and because I suffer from a Learning Disability called Auditory Processing Deficet. This condition causes me to take a longer time to process and understand something that is presented to me verbal and/or visually at times. I wish I had writing to fall back on when I was growing up because I was bullied back then too, but I used my books as a means of escape every chance that I got. Don’t get me wrong, I did have friends back in high school, but writing was a much-needed escape.
As I got older, my writing became more of a passion than ever before and I knew then, that I wished to get published. I did try years ago to get published, but I was not ready. I was young and naïve, with no clear path to take, and very little knowledge about the writing world or the publishing world. So, I knew that I had to just sit and wait, but of course never stop writing. I have had those moments where I wanted to stop because of life, or something came up, or I thought I was no good, but my number one fan, my husband, wouldn’t let me stop then, and he still won’t let me stop writing now. He is my rock when it comes to my writing, and he pushes me every chance that he gets. I now have two little girls cheering me on too, but I wouldn’t be where I am without my husband’s love and support.
I am still writing my stories and I do have a couple of finished manuscripts that I wish to edit, then get professionally edited, plus another story almost done. Nevertheless, I know that I cannot rush into trying to get published right now or shove my way into self-publishing without extra help from others in the writing community, and my husband. So, as I write and wait, I have taken on a new hobby that has let my creative side sail and be seen all at the same time; blogging. I know that I do not have many followers or readers for my blog, but that doesn’t really matter to me much. My husband reads each one of my blogs that I have published on my website and he is going to help me spruce it up as well.
I started my blog on a free WordPress site back on July 13, 2017, my brain already flying a mile a minute with ideas of what I want my blog to look like, what I wished to post, and how I would work hard to keep it going for years to come. After having my page for a year, I talked to my husband about enhancing my blog, and maybe owning my own website. So, we did our research and decided to use Site Ground to help enhance the blog, and for me to own the website. I am really proud of myself as I navigate through my blogging page, posting interviews for authors and Twitch streamers, book reviews, other product reviews, and my favorite; fiction stories that I have created in my own head, thanks to the help of writing prompts or ideas from friends. I may go back and publish old poems and short stories I had written in high school, too.
I will keep blogging and keep working on growing my page so it will hopefully reach other readers, but it is now time for me to finish editing one of my finished manuscripts so that I may take the steps into querying it to the outside world of agents and publishers. I know that it will be hard and will take time, but I won’t give up and if I can’t find an agent or publisher this year, then by next year I will research more into self-publishing. But I am truly proud of myself for sticking with my blogging page and creating what I think is good content for readers. It is what I am interested in and I hope others are too, or at least will appreciate my writing. Like my webpage says, it is the world through my crazy mind, and crazy at times it is, with ideas flowing through like a wild river. So, if you like a bit of nonfiction and fiction, then my blog is the right place for you, and I truly do hope that you enjoy reading them. Keep a look out because in the future, near or hopefully not too far, Lacey, aka Crazdwriter, will be a published author and you can say, ‘Hey, I knew her from her blog.
Thanks to Lacey for sharing her journey. I am sure she will achieve her dream of being published very soon, and when she does, she will have a supporter in me.
If you would like to check out Lacey's blog, click on the links below.