After the Call

I recently told you about

The Really Long First Call.

And then what happens after the first contract has been signed? In a word,

Wait.

But eventually, after we come back down to earth, we get back to work. Every writer is different, but here are a few things I’ve been working on while I wait for things to start moving on my first novel’s release.

Crying
I don’t want to wait! It’s so haaarrrrddd!!

Getting Real
I turn on the computer every day, except most Sundays, and open the writing file.

Editing
My editor has given me some ideas she wants me to work on. Specifically if you want to know, she asked me to make my setting even more powerful than it already is. Okay, so some of that is my own wording, but I love the setting of my novel and I agree it has the potential to be better. I need to get it out of my head and even more into the story. So, I’m working on that.

Writing My Second Novel
We are not one-book authors, right? After you send the first book or article out for consideration, start writing the next one.

Writing My Third Novel
When I am overwhelmed by what I’m currently working on, I take a break and do some free writing in another file.

Guest Blogging
What I’m doing with this post. You can apply to the Writer…Interrupted blog carnival of Christian writers if you are interested in breaking into guest blogging. Guest blogging keeps me on my toes.

Magazine Articles and Book Reviews
I write non-fiction pieces aimed at women’s publications and for respected sites that provide book reviews.

Writing Community
Besides serving on my library’s foundation board of directors, I am trying to get to know other local authors and be more involved in organizations like ACFW and my other regional writing organizations like RMFW.

Reading
I am reading books by those who have gone before me. Especially books in my own genre like Lisa Samson, Mary DeMuth, Elizabeth Berg, Liz Curtis Higgs, and Sue Monk Kidd.

Living
The writing life is wonderful, but I don’t want to lose site of the real people in my world. If I don’t live a full life, I won’t be able to offer any perspective in my writing. Most importantly, being a wife, mom, and a good friend will probably make the biggest impact on my writing in the long run. Family and friends come first - even over writing.

So, there you have it. There’s nothing to do after the contract has been signed except for be patient, get to work, and live large.

Tina Ann Forkner writes contemporary women’s fiction and has recently contracted with Waterbrook Press, a division of Random House, to publish two novels. The title of her first book will be Ruby Among Us. Visit her at http://www.tinaannforkner.blogspot.com/, her blog based on a First Time Novelist's Journey.