Thank You, Professor

I started writing early in life. As a child, I wrote long, elaborate stories while sitting in a hollow tree down by the creek and it was an absolute escape for me. But, it never occurred to me to share that writing with anyone else. I did writing assignments in school with gusto and always got good grades on them, but it still didn't occur to me to write something that anyone else would want to read. My teachers had assigned the writing, so it was their demand I wrote for. I didn't write anything for anyone other than my teachers and myself to read.

Then I got to college and a professor at Summit University (then Baptist Bible College of PA), Glenn Crabb, changed my life. I wrote a paper for his class and I not only got an A on the paper, he wrote a note in red at the top. He simply said, "Reading your writing is just like talking to you. You should write."

I was not used to receiving compliments. His words astounded me, but it took years before I had the nerve to actually submit something I wrote for publication. Finally, I did. I wrote an article called The Oh No Baby! and Regular Baptist Press published it. They have since published many more of my writings, either in their adult take home papers or their magazine, The Baptist Bulletin.

I went on to write about my Victory Over Violence in overcoming the violence I grew up in, as well as a guide for preventing child abuse and several others, including a book on writing based on the courses I taught which helped launch Amanda Hocking's incredible writing success journey.

I love writing. I am a writer.
Getting paid for things I write is absolutely remarkable to me.

Thank you, Mr. Crabb.

~Tricia

Comments

Top Ten Most Common Edits - 2

My #2 most common edit is "toward." The vast majority of my clients use "towards" instead of "toward," as in, "Walking towards the entrance..." I correct this every time because in the US, where we use what is commonly called American English, the preferred choice is "toward," as in single. "Towards" is more commonly used in UK English and Australian English, as noted on Grammarly . In the USA, it's best to say, "Walking toward the entrance...." So, while "towards" is acceptable in other countries, for the US and Canada, "toward" is a much better choice. Keep moving toward good grammar! Write well. Write often. Just write. ~Tricia

Overcoming Failure - Part 1

Every writer has failures. Without exception. Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times before he was finally able to get And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street published by Vanguard Press in 1937. Search other famous authors and you will find they were all rejected at some point. Famed author Amanda Hocking came to my writing class with a thick folder full of rejection letters. When she, in class, learned about self-publishing and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing , she published her own work. Soon, after selling over 1 million copies, she got the attention of some of the largest publishing houses. Then they fought for her. They could fight for you one day. In my book, Writing for Publication , I give 6 ways to overcome rejection and failure in your writing. My next 6 blog posts will each highlight one of these techniques. Appreciate your Own Talent If you know you are a good writer and if you have something valid to say, appreciate that in yourself...

Book Review: Hillbilly Elegy

This book, Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, describes my life so well it's eerie. I was born in Middletown, OH, into a Hillbilly Elegy . Some of the stories J.D. Vance told in this book could have been my own. Like Vance, I worked my entire life to overcome and rise above my Hillbilly Elegy. I wanted something more than the despair and unreasonable use of alcohol I saw all around me growing up. Fortunately for me, only half my family had the full Hillbilly Elegy in force. My mother and my maternal grandmother defied the odds of their Hillbilly Elegy by rising above it and insisting on more civilized behavior, which resulted in a more civilized lifestyle. Neither of them drank alcohol, even though both their husbands did. I don't recall my maternal grandfather ever drinking in their house and I would be hard pressed to remember ever seeing a beer in their refrigerator. It was an unspoken truth, known by everyone in the family, that my grandmother did not tolerate drinking in ...

Search This Blog