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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Maggie Marr: My 10th Book aka How I Keep Writing Through The Fear


Easy Glamour, my 10th book and the 4th book in The Glamour Series, published yesterday! While this accomplishment makes me gloriously happy, even with this accomplishment and my joy I've been thinking about fear and writing. There was a period of time in my writing career when I felt pretty battered and beaten. I now know that a number of writers go through similar bumps in their career. Whether it's because they were cut from their contract, a book didn't earn out, they can't get their WIP (Work In Progress) to gel, or darn it, they simply don't feel good about their writing—it seems that no writer gets through this writing without a few knocks to the creative psyche. 

For me, those bumps and bruises created a bad case of fear. Or perhaps I'd always been afraid—afraid to fail, afraid to succeed, afraid to try, afraid not to try. Admittedly, I am a big scaredy-cat and have been known to sleep with the lights on (on more than one occasion!) A few years ago, when I encountered a couple big bumps in my career I became afraid to write. Oh, I thought I was writing. I would even sit down now and again and pretend to write, but I wasn't really getting much down. Looking back at that time, I try not to be critical, because really, who knows? Maybe I needed that time to recover from those bumps and bruises so that I could be the writer I am today. 


Here's the thing, the fear hasn't gone away. What I realize now, which I didn't understand then, is that my LOVE for my writing is greater than my fear. I love to write. I love my craft. I love to hear all the stories that these marvelous characters whisper into my ear. I know that the one thing that can conquer fear is love. Pure, simple, love. Maybe it is the realization of just how much I love to write, that has allowed me to write faster and become more prolific. I love my job (if you can even call it a job!) I will always write and the sheer act of writing, and revising and rewriting and revising and writing yet another draft, I believe in my heart continues to make me a better writer, each and every single time.

So thank you—all of you who read my books and email and review and let me know that these lovely stories of mine are not alone in the world.  Please share with us something that you keep doing out of love—no matter how hard it is or how afraid you may be.  Leave a comment and on 9/25 random.org will select one lucky winner!  That winner will receive a copy of Easy Glamour and an Amazon gift card.



Maggie Marr is an author and attorney. She writes The Hollywood Girls Club Series, The Glamour Series, The Eligible Billionaires Series, and The Powder Springs Series. Maggie loves all things pop culture. She also writes for film and TV. She lives and works in Los Angeles.


***Maggie's winner is Mary Preston!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

13 comments:

Robena Grant said...

Congratulations on the new release, Maggie. I love your books. And you're a great example of feel the fear and do it anyway. To write without fear would be impossible for me. ; )

Maggie Marr said...

Thank you, Robena! I adore you and your books. Part of writing through the fear is having a great support network. I am, most definitely blessed with wonderful writer friends who are present for me—you being one of them! xoMaggie

Charlene Sands said...

Hi Maggie - Well, you hit the nail on the head. I think all authors go through stumbling blocks that create fear and you are right that our love of writing is what gets us through the bad times. Love your cover! Congrats on your new release!!

Maggie Marr said...

Thank you, Charlene! I agree. So comforting to know that nearly all authors face some kind of fear when they write and go through it. xoMaggie

Jenny Gardiner said...

ugh, you are preaching to the choir on fear, my friend. I'm glad you've wrangled it. I'm still in the wrangling mode but making progress after a too-long lapse...
thanks for the pep talk!

Robin Bielman said...

Hi Maggie! Huge congrats on book #10! It's always so nice to hear that a lot of the feelings I have are the same other writers do too. *hugs!*

Maggie Marr said...

Thank you, Jenny! You will get it wrangled...you're such a great writer! xoMaggie

Maggie Marr said...

Thank you, Robin! Yes, it does help, doesn't it, to know that many friends and colleagues share similar feelings. xoMaggie

Laney4 said...

We all do something out of love, whether it is baking my husband's favourite cookies (but I try not to eat them because of my diabetes) ... sharing said cookies and other treats with my friends (ostensibly so that we eat less of them here, plus they are eaten in a timely fashion so won't go stale - and then I can bake something else, hehe) ... or perhaps how I make a point of bugging my husband every night when he hits the sack a few hours earlier than I - by touching my cold hands to his chest, or rubbing my cold feet on his legs, but just taking the time to let him know I care, no matter how busy I might be with work (as I'm self-employed and often on a deadline). Those we love are worth our effort.

Maggie Marr said...

Thank you, Laney! It's true, those we love are always worth our effort.
xoMaggie

Mary Preston said...

I think it's all those extras I do for my children. It's not hard & I'm not afraid, but it is certainly done with love.

Lil said...

Parenting. We all want our kids to grow up to be wonderful, well-adjusted, happy and successful. I remind even when they think of it as nagging, because it must be said, I step back even when there is potential to have to watch the children fail or they will not learn to do and think for themselves, I try to support them in their goals because they want so much to reach them. And when they are adults, I hope that they will look back at what we parents have done and say that we did a good job in helping them grow into who they wanted to be.

Mary Preston said...

Thank you. Email sent.