Each author has a unique path to his or her authorship. Some of us set out to be authors from an early age. For others, it came about almost accidentally or as a previously undiscovered passion. For me, it was my dream since age ten.
I still remember the first short story I wrote. We were about to move from Virginia to Iowa, and all I knew about Iowa was that it got tornadoes. So what do you think that short story was about? A tornado striking a little girl’s house, naturally. It ended with them all screaming as the roof caved in. I had a long way to go to learn the art of writing a satisfactory story conclusion.
The next year, I tried my hand at writing a mystery. “Mystery Man” made it to two chapters, my longest composition yet, and it certainly was a mystery—even to myself. When I realized I had no idea what was actually causing the strange appearances in the window of an abandoned house, the story was also abandoned. I have yet to try writing another mystery.
When I was twelve, I began writing “Lila’s Summer Adventure.” I hand-wrote fifteen chapters and would read each one out loud to the school district’s homeschool coordinator at our weekly meetings. She taught typing to my brother and me, and I began to gradually type my chapters onto our first-ever monstrosity of a desktop computer at home.
Around that time, I began writing regular short stories and putting them in a printed “newsletter” called “God’s Great Big World” which I foisted on all of my friends, far and near. My parents were super supportive and paid for a lot of postage for my six-page-and-stapled monthly production. My best friend and I also began “The Book Writers’ Club.” I was the president and demanded we each produce one short story per month or add one new chapter to a longer story.
When I was fourteen, I began another book. I was crazy about horses, so as you might expect, this story was about a fourteen-year-old who was…crazy about horses. I was also beginning to notice boys, so this story was my first to include a romantic sub-plot for the teenagers. But since I wasn’t allowed to date, my copycat character stuck her nose up at her bad-boy neighbor who loved to throw winks at her, even though he was “drop-dead gorgeous.” She was too busy having Bible studies with her new Christian friend for romance.
I labored intensely on this story for a year, concluding with twenty chapters. After each chapter written by hand, I typed it, printed it double-spaced, edited it, reprinted it, and shared it with a friend at church. The next week she would return it with her thoughts, and I would edit it one more time. This process created a surprisingly clean draft by the end. Then one day, I popped the manuscript in the mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope, on its way to a religious publisher. I never even considered that they might not want it. WHO wouldn’t want a novel written by a fourteen-year-old? Two weeks later, an ominously thick envelope, with my handwritten return address front and center, appeared in our mailbox with a polite rejection letter.
I was devastated. Shocked. Broken.
Reality can be cruel.
I didn’t write again for a year, but I love crafting stories too much to ever stop. Eventually, I tried my hand at some historical YA stories, but none of them got past the first few chapters. It wasn’t until my junior year of college when I enrolled in a creative writing workshop-style class that I began another book. I recycled some of the characters from my rejected manuscript, including the main character Shannon, but made her seventeen instead, as it suited my new plotline better, and changed many of the side characters and the location. The winking bad-boy neighbor was a permanent fixture, though. I have a thing for redeeming bad boys.
It took eight years to complete that manuscript, and then I was terrified to do anything with it. After several more years of rigorous editing, I started sending query letters to Christian literary agents. I mostly got non-responses, along with a few polite no-thank-yous. In early 2019, after researching the growing industry of independent publishing, I decided to go that route, and I still thought I would become a best-seller. I knew nothing of genres and market expectations or publishing in general. I was in for some more cruel reality checks. A New Shade of Paint didn’t fit into any niche, and I had no idea how to market. It took me forever to even realize it could loosely be considered coming-of-age Christian fiction. I had more stories in the series planned, but since Book 1 wasn’t selling great, I wasn’t sure if it was worth it.
I noticed that romance was a huge genre. So, I thought, why not write some shorter Christian romance that will sell better to fund my passion projects? It was a great idea, but in more cruel reality, I couldn’t figure out how to make my Christian romance sell all that better than my coming-of-age fiction. However, I had an epiphany. I discovered that I LOVE WRITING ROMANCE! So, my project to fund my passion project became…a new passion project.
I now have ten published Christian romance titles and three coming-of-age Christian fiction novels. While I am beyond grateful for a small but loyal fan base, even if my books didn’t sell at all, I can’t imagine ever stopping writing. It’s part of who I am and has been since I was ten years old.
Over to you. What drives you to do the thing you are most passionate about? Is it something you have always loved, or something you discovered later in life? Share in the comments below!
Emily Dana Botrous is an east-coast transplant who now calls San Diego home. She is a wife and mom of four. When she’s not busy doing laundry, packing lunches, and picking toys off the floor, she enjoys reading, cooking, music, long walks, and writing. Always writing. It is her goal in all things to make Jesus first, last, and always.
Hi Emily from SW Michigan. This retiree wanted to be a teacher from age 6. At ten I taught my friends German. I was born in Berlin, Germany and came to America when I was 5. I am bilingual. At fourteen I started teaching Sunday School. I was blessed to teach for 35 years – 7 different school districts, in 2 states, at all age levels (grades 1 thru college), private and public schools, small town and in the Chicago area. After retirement I ran Oma’s Day Care for my granddaughters, during Covid I had Oma’s Virtual Academy for 3 grandkids (grades 1, 7, & 10), and last year I volunteered one morning a week in my granddaughter’s 3rd grade class and taught a 20 minute German lesson. Teaching is my passion.
Thank you for sharing your writing journey. While teaching high school English, I wrote poems with my students. For several years I submitted poems. Most were rejected for a variety of reasons. I did get two poems published in two different anthologies. My dream is still to write a book. Have several drafts. Occasionally I write children’s stories for my granddaughters about Sammy the Squirrel and Unicorn Rosy Rose Sparkles. Always joke I may be as old as Grandma Moses (artist) before I get published. She was 90 when her dream came true. Best wishes. Happy Writing.
I love that you were so passionate about writing from such a young age, and kept going through all the difficulties to end up a writer. I really admire people who have a dream and the courage to pursue it.
I think my admiration is partly because I really don’t have anything like that, I’ve studies different subjects, and done a bunch of different jobs, had different hobbies – there have been things I’ve enjoyed and I’ve achieved stuff I’m proud of, but nothing I really feel that strongly about. I guess I’ve yet to find it!
Oh, Emily, you really are a kindred spirit. I was chuckling throughout your post because I recognised that early love for writing, then stumbling along like a toddler finding their feet. My own early writing projects are sealed away for eternity because if they ever surfaced I would cower in shame.
My three passions growing up and as a young adult were writing, art, and music. My artistic and musical ability were limited, though, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to dedicate to all my interests.
I have been writing stories since first grade, too. Some of them got published, in my primary school years, at the wall gazette. In the fifth grade, I got a poem published in the school magazine. I was a member, then president of the school literary group.
My first attempt of a novel happened in the sixth grade. It was western, 2 notebooks big, and the influence of Karl May and Fenimore Cooper was showing. I still have one of these 2 notebooks, one got lost in 40 years and several moves. But I kept writing, because there were many stories who wanted out of my head.
And some 30 years later, some of them were further edited, streamlined, corrected and completed while also transcribed on the computer. Of course, only the salvageable ones, because many, unfortunately, were not. And even more 10 years later or so, I succeeded to have my literary debut, with a Viking era novel, written in a first form during my first year of Uni. A few of those written in a first form in high school followed. Of course, they were much better and longer and more logical now…
Wow, Renate, you have quite the resume! Your grandchildren are so blessed to have you. (And might I add, your children are beyond blessed to have such a willing grandma! I hope they appreciate you!). It’s never too late to get published. I say, go for it!
Hi Ruthie, thank you for your comment. I don’t think everyone has one single passion that drives them, and that is okay. There are so many different personalities in the world.
NOOOO, you should not be ashamed of your early writing. It’s a trophy! I was so proud, showing my daughter all of my early writing attempts when I dug them out to take photos for this blog. She was impressed, and it made her want to write stories, too!
Hi Marina, thanks for your comment. So, you, too, have quite a legacy of writing attempts. That is so neat! I think it’s inspirational to see how far we’ve come in our dreams. The early attempts may seem pitiful, but we would never get farther without them!
That is a great question that I do not have an answer. I felt led by the Lord to volunteer once I became disabled. I felt the Lord lead me to Proverbs 31 Ministries. I kept telling the Lord that it was not the right time. I kept giving excuses. I finally put in the application. I was contacted and asked to be on the Facebook Encouragement Team for the First 5 Facebook Group. It has led me to a group of women who have become such great friends. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
What a neat story, Debra! I have no doubt the Lord treasures your willing heart. I’d love to do more volunteer work when my kids are older.
Emily, I loved your story! I too wrote starting in elementary school, but I scrubbed it for a while even though the dream never left. It took a few years, but I started again. I’m passionate about reading, writing, and cats!! (family too of course)
Hi Lindi, I’m glad you liked my story. Also glad you didn’t give up the dream even if it took some time. I’m in a season where I have very little time to write, and it is so hard!