Jul 26, 2016

What’s this? A second update in two days after months of silence? Just wanted to share that "Lena" has a new column today: 

http://bay-ata.com/sparked/blog/2016/07/26/should-i-finish-my-book/ 

Thanks to former student Patricia, the soul of wit (and brevity), who made us laugh with her letter about the self-doubt that sometimes creeps in and makes her want to give up (and burn her manuscript) because she is sure that none of the "real" authors with books on her shelves ever felt that way. If you’re a real writer (which of course you are), you know what she’s talking about. We certainly do. Sometimes it’s comforting just to know that others share your neuroses. 

This is actually familiar territory for us not just as writers (ie: personally) but because the protagonist of Sparked, Laurel Goodwin, is also an aspiring writer, who becomes seized with insecurity after her sophomore English teacher suggests that she’s not digging deep enough or writing to her potential. This silences her for a while, but later she uses this advice to unlock a gift she wasn’t aware that she possessed. I won’t give any more away, but suffice it to say: this topic is near and dear to Lena’s heart!