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Saturday, March 1, 2014

THE HELP YOU GET ALONG THE WAY by CHERYL PIERSON




Do you have a “collection” of special people in your life? People that helped you in ways maybe you hadn’t really given much thought to, but that turned out to be extremely important? One of the first milestones in my writing career—becoming a finalist in the EPIC Awards with my first novel, FIRE EYES—brought this realization home to me. I got curious. I know there are incidents in people’s lives that are pivotal to their entire careers, dreams, and goals, that, perhaps at the time, don’t seem that important. Later, looking back on it, it becomes an “aha” moment—you understand that THIS was the moment when you made the decision to do something you might not have done otherwise, or because of a word of encouragement you continued on when you’d been ready to stop.

Most people that I’ve met in the last half of my adulthood would never describe me as “shy,” but as a youngster, I was—horribly. That’s one reason I turned to writing. It was a great way for me to get my feelings out without actually having to say them. I could have someone else say it all for me.

I imagine that’s how many of my fellow writers started, too. I sometimes wonder what might have happened had we all known each other when we were younger. Would we have developed into the writers we are today, or would we have found our “niche” with one another and NOT turned so much to writing?

If you can relate to the “shy” part, then maybe you felt this way, too: I was never competitive. Not like so many sports contenders might be. The things I enjoyed, writing and music, were open to everyone, I felt. I am not a “joiner” and I am not one to enter a lot of contests. I entered FIRE EYES in the 2010 EPIC Awards competition, and something odd happened when I did.

From the moment I entered, my attitude about myself changed. BEFORE I entered, I thought, “I probably don’t have a chance.” But my mom always used to say, “If you don’t enter, you certainly are NOT going to win!” I remembered those words, and sent in my entry that very day. Once it was sent, I began to feel some confidence growing. As I analyzed WHY, here’s what I came up with.

FIRE EYES was a joint project. I wrote it, but I couldn’t have if I hadn’t had the cooperation and support of my family—my kids and my husband. While I was writing it, my oldest sister, Annette, was constantly asking about “how it’s coming” and she was the one I could bounce ideas off of. Once written, my business partner read it for glaring mistakes, and my best friend of 45 years read it for moral support. The Wild Rose Press accepted it, and my editor, Helen Andrew, was so phenomenal in helping me mold it and shape it into the story that was released in May, 2009. My cover artist, Nicola Martinez, did a superb job on the beautiful cover. My family and friends were all pulling for me, and constantly offering encouragement. With all these people behind me and my story, my confidence rose. Whatever would be, would be—and entering the competition was a win/win situation. Even if I didn’t make it to the finals, I would still have taken the chance and had the experience.

When I received the news that my book was, indeed, a finalist, I thought immediately of all the people who had helped me get to this point; people in my life who had faith in me, and in my ability, and in the story itself. I thought of that saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

It’s true, even in the broader sense of our lives as writers. The experiences we had growing up, people who encouraged us even then, our spouses, our children, mentors and teachers we’ve had along the way, and peers that have helped and encouraged us. Editors, artists, publishers and organizations such as EPIC that give us a chance to compete and strive to be better and better, along with our readers, are all part of the completed circle of a successful writer’s endeavors.

Though FIRE EYES didn’t win that year, the experience of entering the competition and finaling in it was more important that I could have realized when I sent my entry in. It was the thing that made me understand just how many people had been involved in the entire process of writing that book. And it gave me the impetus and encouragement to move forward with the rest of my writing projects since that time. That realization was far more important than winning the contest, and has been with me every day, like a component of myself that I didn’t have before; another part of my make-up.

Since then, FIRE EYES has gone to a different publisher, WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER. With yet another great cover, this time by Karen Nutt, and a fantastic publisher, Rebecca Vickery, it’s once again seeing renewed success. But moreover, that’s yet another example of the help I’ve gotten on my writing journey.

Does anyone have a “special person” that helped them along the way? Not just in writing, but in your life’s goals and dreams? What about a “collection” of special people? My “collection” of special people in my life is the thing that I am most thankful for above all else. Without them, my dreams could have never happened. I could never have done it alone.

Cheryl's Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson

12 comments:

  1. Hello Cheryl. You know, reading this has made me think. There are a few people who were 'there for me' at certain times in my life, many of whom came into my life for just a short while and then went their own ways, but some of those must have come for a reason, I am certain, and when I sit down and analyze it, I see the reasons. Of course family are a constant, and a big part of whatever we end up becoming, but it is often those 'others' who play some of the biggest parts in our lives isn't it? Thank you for this post Cheryl, It really made me think, I will go get my pen and paper out and make a list!!!

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    1. Jill, I need to do that again, myself. So many wonderful people in the world who have helped without even realizing it. Glad you enjoyed it and that it's "food for thought" for you!
      Cheryl

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  2. Cheryl,
    Over the course of my life I have had many people who were there when I was trying to figure out where I wanted to be. My mother, who I lost in 2011, was one of my biggest supporters. She always encouraged me to take the 'leap of faith' and go for it. Even now I still hear her voice.

    There were many others and there will continue to be as I move from one part of my journey to another. This was such a wonderful post. Doris

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    1. Doris, my mother, too, was one of my biggest supporters, and my dad--but only later on in life. LOL When I told them I wanted to be a writer early on, they both chorused, "But how will you EAT?" Truth is, I couldn't have done it without my husband's help. I had to wait a long time to be able to realize my dreams of writing, but I never gave up on them. I'm so glad you liked the post. Sometimes, it's good to just "remember".
      Cheryl

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  3. Award winning western romance author Charlene Sands took me under her wing when I attended my first RWA chapter meeting...I was so scared. Sooo many people. She has become a very close friend.

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    1. Tanya, I'm sure that meant a LOT to you! I would have been terrified, too--not knowing the first thing about what to do, where to go, etc. Char is such a nice person. I'm glad she was there for you!
      Cheryl

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  4. I'm on my iPad, which is acting up lol. Meant to continue above with how much support and encouragement I get from you, Cheryl. Always when I need it most? Xoxo hugs and thanks.

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    1. AW, Tanya! You are so welcome, dearheart! I always love to hear from you and you have such killer ideas for your stories--just finished reading your synopsis--loved it, will give it more attention tomorrow when I'm more "bright eyed"--you are a dear friend. I'm always glad to "be there" too!
      Hugs,
      Cheryl

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  5. I do know what you mean about those pivotal moments when you suddenly know what you want to do with your life. My senior year in high school, I was in Preparatory College English class one day when my teacher announced to the class that he had only had two students who could be professional writers. One student from years back was already a professional writer, and the other was sitting in this classroom. It was ME. That moment changed my life. I was both terrified and determined.
    I love this younger photo of you. You were such a cute and sweet looking girl.
    Not long ago I had met an impasse. My then publisher was moving toward only erotic books and I hit writer's block right in the middle of a book. You stepped in and shared some words of wisdom and guidance that led me to a whole new path.
    I've been lucky to have met some fine writers who have shared with me knowledge from their experiences that helped me along the way. You would think in such a competitive industry that writer's wouldn't be willing to help others, but I have found writer's (there's always a curmudgeon somewhere) to be the friendliest and kindest professionals I know.
    Good blog, Cheryl.

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    1. Sarah, isn't it amazing what ONE PERSON can do just by a little encouragement? That teacher probably never knew how that changed your life.

      Thank you about the picture. And I'm so glad I was able to help you in some small way--you're right, there are some curmudgeons out there, but for the most part, writers are really helpful. I think it's because they remember where they came from (most of them) and want to help others. Glad you enjoyed the post, Sarah.
      Cheryl

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  6. Cheryl, I have had so many people nurture me over the years. I'm so grateful to them, even though I didn't get the chance to tell some of them how important they were. Great, thought-provoking post.

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    1. Caroline, I feel the same way. So many people that will never know, and so many people that I may have forgotten, but whatever it was they said or did might have helped at that particular moment in time to get me over the hump. Glad you came by and that you enjoyed the post!
      Cheryl

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