Writerly Obstacles: A Ritual of Professional Development
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In the "Writing Articles" section, we welcome Monique Hall, a small-town contemporary romance author, who shares insights from her own writing journey. Hall emphasises the importance of taking responsibility for one's own learning and being proactive in the pursuit of becoming a better writer.
Hall's recent experiences include participating in a Twitter pitch contest and submitting her manuscript to editors five weeks ago, following the RWA Conference in August. Although the initial rejection stated issues with point of view, exposition, and character development, she found the feedback from the first editor valuable.
The second rejection was more encouraging but unfortunately, the manuscript was rejected due to the publisher's rural romance list reaching saturation point. However, Hall remained persistent and, as she was informed, if a publisher "favourites" a pitch in the contest, the author can submit their manuscript directly to that publisher, bypassing the "slush pile".
Hall's pitch was indeed "favourited" and she submitted to a third publisher. Despite the publication of her novella (A Healing Hand) and two short stories since finishing the manuscript, the hard work continues as she plans to revisit and ruthlessly rework the manuscript.
Hall's advice to aspiring authors is to take the advice of professional editors and learn to be objective about their work. She encourages taking courses, networking with other authors, asking questions, and being proactive in the pursuit of learning and improvement.
Hall's passion for writing is evident in her love for feel-good movies and soppy romance novels with "happily-ever-afters." Despite the challenges and setbacks, she remains optimistic, understanding that it takes time to hone one's craft and become a good writer. As she puts it, "You can't become a brilliant writer overnight, just like becoming a brain surgeon."
In the end, Hall's hard work and persistence will pay off, and we eagerly anticipate the publication of her upcoming novel, A Place to Belong, currently delayed due to revisions.
