Five Ways Committing to a Career in Writing Will Change Your Life

In honor of her debut e-book The Disappearing Key, we have the lovely Wendy Paine Miller back on the Alley this week for a sneak peek into her new book, and her dazzling mind.

Here's Wendy:

Ah, the life of a writer. The best job in the world. But did you know the second you align yourself with a writing career you’re signing up for life transformation? How you say? I’m about to tell you.

Humble Pie

You’ll taste it, you’ll swallow it. Heck, you’ll probably even roll in humble pie a time or two if you remain with your BIC (butt in chair) long enough. And although it will feel like it, this is never a bad thing. Because you’ll remember the days of rolling in humble pie when you’re making millions on all twelve of your books. It’ll protect you from getting an Oz-head.

Devotion Meter

There’ll be moments you’ll pound the keyboard out of frustration, moments tears will stream down your face as you challenge yourself to come up with a single answer for why you give homage to the craft. Nothing measures your level of investment better than being tested. If it were easy everyone would do it. But not everyone is called. The called stand out from those who dabble when words begin to hide, rejections stack up, and online reviews keep shining a faint solo star. The called don’t quit.

Clarity of Intentions

As a writer, you’ll think more. About words. About how you spend your time. And then you’ll have to make some decisions. Commitment to the craft of writing has a way of sharpening your outlook. Ask anyone who has gone through their manuscript over seven times and they’ll tell you. Whether it’s word selection, discernment learning to say no, carving out midnight hours to plot, or a grueling editing session, allegiance to this vocation forces you to clarify your goals, your words, your time. . .

Spike in Resourcefulness

You’ll begin to scratch your head in wonder at the realization story ideas can spring from anywhere. A doctor’s visit. People-watching at the park. Witnessing an exchange at the zoo. You’ll grow scrappy and eager. No interaction is wasted. No relationship is safe from your writer brain massaging it into malleable material. Oh, and you’ll ask more questions. Don’t ask me, it’s just part of it. Trust me, if it you haven’t begun to pepper strangers with questions yet, you will.

Perspective 

Writers get something. Not even going to try to guess chicken or egg on this one? Do writers write because they see beneath the surface 24/7 or because writers spend copious hours crafting stories are they more prone to notice small nuances?

Either way, you’ll begin to see a story in every person. Experiences will be imbued with greater meaning.

Who knows, you might even begin to judge less and empathize more.

Ah, the life of a writer. The best job in the world.

Have you noticed any specific (perhaps unexpected) ways your life has changed since becoming a writer?

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Check out Wendy's book!

Gabrielle Bivane never expected parenting a teenager would be this hard, but she never expected stillborn Oriana to live to see fourteen, either. The night of Oriana's birth, Gabrielle and her husband Roy fused their genetic and engineering geniuses to bring back all that was lost to them—at a cost.

The secret must be kept.

Oriana Bivane senses she’s not like the other girls her age, but the time has come for her to change all that. She’s tired of secrets, but does she confide in the wrong person?

The life-giving key, suddenly missing, must be found.

Wendy is a native New Englander who feels most alive when she’s laughing, reading, writing or taking risks. She’s authored nine novels and is currently writing what she hopes will be your future book club pick. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and online sites. Wendy lives with her husband and their three girls in a home bursting with imagination and hilarity.