The Case for the newbie writer (in all of us)

“A jaded young woman sets out on an intense road trip home to deal with her past when she is asked to allow a relative stranger to tag along.” Sidewalk Flower, a novel by Carlene Love Flores.

That was the elevator pitch I came up with over a decade ago for my first ever book.

Fast forward eleven years.

This month I attended a writers’ conference, the kind where writers have the opportunity to pitch their manuscript to an agent. Although I have 14 published books out in the world, I have not worked with an agent and so I thought it would be a good experience to pitch again.

As I stood in the waiting area with the other writers, I saw a young woman. In her, I recognized something of myself, back when I had first started out. There is a glow about a new writer, something that comes from their creative spirit. It really stands out. Even their nerves are more charming than anxious. I felt moved to speak with her.

Watching her for a moment, I remembered the time when I had first pitched to an agent. I was so scared! Luckily, I had a fellow writing friend with me who was also a newbie. We shared in this pool of nerves. While we waited our turn to go inside with the agents, an angel walked by. I say angel because without hesitation, she came up to the both of us and it felt like she took us on either side of her, under her wings, and walked us to the correct location. We hadn’t even been waiting in the right place at first! The whole while she talked calmly to us. I don’t remember her exact words, just that she made us feel like we could do this and that it was something to be proud of and excited about. It turned out that this angel was one of our fellow chapter members and ever since that day, we have been good friends.

So as I stood there with this lovely young woman a few weeks ago, I just couldn’t help but say hello as we waited. Sometimes it can be hard to come outside of yourself, but really, I don’t think it hurts. She seemed relieved to have someone to chat with and after a few words back and forth, after she shared that it was her first conference, first manuscript and first pitching session, I just couldn’t help but speak from my heart.

I let her know that she was in a beautiful space right now. The place where a new writer is bubbling with fresh perspectives and a newness of thought, imagination and hopes. I remembered this space well. It was the place a writer lives, in their heart and mind, before they start relying more on what they are learning from the outside classes, workshops and books and less on what their soul already knows on the inside. I didn’t go into all those details with her then, just wanted her to know that she was going to do great and that whoever she pitched to was going to appreciate her fresh energy and ideas. Getting to meet her for those few minutes reminded me about the importance of keeping your creative magic alive and healthy, and not letting it get pushed to the back of your toolbox. I bet this young writer had a wonderful pitching session.

I feel very happy to have my first published book sitting beside me right now, the one that the pitch I shared at the beginning belongs to. This month is Sidewalk Flower’s 11^th anniversary of being released in print. I still get a goofy grin whenever I look at the cover, knowing what is inside on the pages. Such a daring and beautiful story, sometimes I can’t believe it came out of me. When I close my eyes, I can see the main characters, Trista and Lucky, and they are smiling back at me, as if to say I did well, even though I was a newbie at the time. That is perhaps one of the best parts because since I didn’t know better, I took so many chances with it. When you write in that way, you get something special. There’s just no other way to say it.

Honing your craft, learning new techniques and growing in your art are essential. Absolutely essential. I know and agree with this. So take those classes and workshops and listen to those writers you admire who have paved the way and gained valuable experience. But … I still hope this post finds the newbie magic in your heart alive and well, whether you’re just starting out with that first idea that makes your heart pound or you’ve published many stories, with hundreds of thousands of extraordinary words to your name. Honor the part of you that still doesn’t know everything about writing and keeps coming back to the page to make something good for the world.  

If we take care of our magic, it will take care of us.