At the RWA National Conference in New York City last week, I had the pleasure of experiencing many firsts, among them: going to the top of 30 Rock, attending the great women’s fiction chapter’s mini-con and being on the author panel, having my husband and son along for a conference and getting together with a few of the fabulous Magical Musings ladies (pictured L to R: me, Michelle, Amy and Liz). I knew about all of these in advance and had been looking forward to them for months.
But there was another first I hadn’t anticipated prior to being in the midst of the conference. I knew I’d be paying rapt attention to all the workshops and industry discussions about the changes that ebooks — especially the act of self-publishing them – have ushered in recently. Since I’d just released On Any Given Sundae (now temporarily on sale for only 99 cents 
) in that format, this was of particular interest to me. There were numerous dialogues about rights and royalty rates, what it means for publishers…and agents…and booksellers…and authors. But, in spite of the fascinating whirlwind of change, I hadn’t expected one thing to remain exactly the same: The need to be reminded about why we write in the first place.
This was the first conference where I went to a talk on “the writer’s life” since I’ve been a published author. I’d attended TONS of them when I was aspiring and struggling to break in but, since I got my first contract in 2008, I’d been focusing my time on very practical programs, especially career track ones and some higher-level craft workshops. I’d forgotten — until I was listening to Jennifer Crusie lead a PAN session called “Everything I Know About Publishing I Learned from Wonder Woman” — that I still needed to be inspired and, sometimes, reassured that I’d chosen this journey for a good reason. It had been a while since I put aside the endless details surrounding the daily duties of a published author and, for an hour, thought only about why I’d been so driven to become a novelist — a storyteller — in the first place.
I’ve been a longtime member (since 2003) of Jenny’s “Cherry Writers,” and she’s always been a savvy author when it comes to career-related decisions. She understands tricky contract clauses and the business of writing, and she’s been the go-to person for many of us on the subject of scene structure and the expert building of conflict. But the biggest take-away message from her talk last week was one that seems, at first glance, rather obvious. However, I could tell from the deep sighs and hearty applause that a great many writers in the room (myself included) were in critical need of hearing it: You’re the only you. You’re the only one who can write your stories. Your voice, your tales are not a dime a dozen, and don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. You have to make career choices based on your own uniqueness. You need to be responsible for steering your path and not let anybody — not your editor, your agent, your critique partner — dictate what you should write or tell you who you are. You decide who you are and you tel
l them. You choose what you can live with (narratively, contractually, etc.) and you only agree to that. Once you’ve agreed, you don’t get to whine about it. But, if you don’t agree, you learn to say NO and you move on.
I can’t express how valuable I found this session. Sometimes, amidst a churning sea of change, we can forget that we’re not at all powerless against whatever current is pulling at us or whatever the tide happens to wash up on the shore. There’s a reason we’re drawn to writing what we write – even if it seems as incongruous alongside modern tastes as a horse in the middle of Times Square… 
It is, I strongly believe, those very quirks and oddities that make our books memorable to our audience, and we need to embrace them.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Marilyn, you’ve inspired me! And I love the pic of you ladies. So sad I had to miss the conference!
Maria, you and the other MM ladies were greatly missed… Fingers crossed I’ll get to see you again soon! xox
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …The City/Conference That Never Sleeps
Marilyn, It was a pleasure to meet you in NYC, and can I say that you had me cheering at my desk this morning. I loved this part:
You’re the only you. You’re the only one who can write your stories. Your voice, your tales are not a dime a dozen, and don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. You have to make career choices based on your own uniqueness. You need to be responsible for steering your path and not let anybody — not your editor, your agent, your critique partner — dictate what you should write or tell you who you are. You decide who you are and you tell them.
Very Norma Rae, if you know what I mean. Over the past few months, I stopped viewing myself merely as the creative visionary of my stories. I now accept that I’m also an entrepreneur of my business. I want to share my stories with readers and, thankfully, there are plenty of avenues to make that dream come true.
Amy, I was so happy I finally got to meet you — and congrats again on the well-deserved RWA award!! You did a great job at the luncheon when you went up to accept it!
It has been a long while since I’ve seen “Norma Rae”…maybe I should watch it again
. And I absolutely agree with you about finding whatever avenues work best for us to share our stories with readers. As confusing a time of change as it may be in the industry now, the optimism I’m hearing from many writers about being better able to steer one’s path is really encouraging. I love having options!
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …The City/Conference That Never Sleeps
Thanks for sharing your NY experience- especially this one. We do need to hear it. This post was perfect for me today.
Cheers~
Nancy, I’m so glad you liked it! All the industry news at RWA was helpful, but it was Jenny’s message that I really needed to hear
.
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Marilyn, I’m looking at the photo of you with Amy, Michelle, and Liz, and I’m picturing me at your side, making you look taller. lol Everyone I know who went had such a great time, I wish I could’ve been there.
So true that I’m the only me. We might be able to write something well, even when it’s not true to us. But keeping that up would be hard. Liz and I have a couple similarities in our short stories that will be in included in an anthology scheduled to be published in September. Despite the similarities, the plot, the voice and the style in our stories are completely different. Done in a way that only we could have done.
LOL, Edie!! I would have *loved* to have you by my side even if you made me look like a tot in comparison
. (You saw those photos on my blog, right? I felt like a preschooler standing next to Jackie Ivie and Addison Scott in NY! I never remember how short I really am until I see myself in pictures!)
And I can’t wait to read this anthology you and Liz and some of the other MM ladies have written stories for — I know it’s going to be a wonderful collection!
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
It was a great trip, wasn’t it, Marilyn? It was such a pleasure meeting up with you and the other MM girls. So glad you enjoyed the workshops you attended. I confess that I didn’t get to half the workshops I’d planned on.
Liz, it was an excellent conference, but I’m still tired
.
And I missed a lot of workshops I’d wanted to attend, too. There were so many good ones every hour that there was no way to make it to even half of the ones I’d marked to see. I’m glad our local RWA chapter always buys the conference CDs so, eventually, I can listen to a few more of them…
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Thank you, Marilyn, for the inspirational post. It’s heartening to be reminded that “you’re the only you” because it’s easily forgotten but very true. I’m glad that you had fun on your panels and recharged your creativity. Nationals was a great experience.
Pamala, I’m so glad you had a good conference experience in NY! It was, as usual, a chaotic week for me, but I always come away glad to have gone… We’ll have to get together and compare notes soon!
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Great post and so true! That’s the great thing about self publishing is that it does give authors more power. But you’re right, no matter what route we take, we need to take control. No excuses.
p.s. 99 cents!? Crazy! I just ordered my copy! Can’t wait to read it!
Lori, THANK YOU (!!!) for getting SUNDAE
. And, yes, that’s definitely something I want to always remember — that we *are* powerful and, thus, particularly responsible for following a path we believe in…
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Marilyn, I love this post. I went to to so few workshops, as I had so many things on with my publishers and agent, and I’m really sorry to have missed the Jenny Crusie one. It was wonderful to spend time with you, and Amy and Liz. So sorry the other MM crew couldn’t be there.
You were right in the heart of the pre-release excitement, Michelle, especially with your book coming out in just a few weeks!! I’m not surprised you didn’t get to many workshops. On the other hand, you did do an AWESOME job on your video interviews, so I think that more than makes up for it
.
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Marilyn, I have three words to describe how I feel about this post: love love love.
Susan, xoxoxox to you!! Thank you
.
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Marilyn, sometimes we just have to hear those words, don’t we? And when someone like Jenny Crusie says them, they are just a little more believable. I hate that I missed RWA this year. Next year, I’m there!!!
Jill James`s last blog was …AJ Nuest – Blog The Book
Jill, I’m hoping I’ll get to go to Anaheim next year, too…we’ll see! But, yes, the words were simple ones but so powerful and meaningful to me. Jenny seemed to know what we all needed to hear that day! Wishing you a great weekend.
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Wow! Thanks for the reminder – something we all need to hear, right? Sounds like the conference was so positive this year.
Kathy Holmes`s last blog was …The Book Review Club: An Inconvenient Wife
Thanks, Kathy!! I know I really needed to hear it…
And, yes, considering all the industry upheaval, I was very pleased by how positive and upbeat many people were last week. It was energizing!
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…
Marilyn, I’m so glad you shared that pic and that message. You, me and Edie will balance out the taller MM gals!
I need the constant reminder that I’m unique, that my stories are unique, and I’m slowly learning to stop listening to the “experts” more than I listen to my “heart”. There’s a balance to be found in listening to both, but knowing when to let my heart lead the way.
thank you for sharing this post!
Misty, you are most welcome for the post and, having read your novel Operation Sheba (and having loved it!!), I can attest to your stories being unique and wonderful
. Need to dig into your Witches Anonymous stories next…
p.s. SO glad I’m not the on MM’er on the shorter end of the height spectrum, LOL.
Marilyn Brant`s last blog was …Around the Web Today…