It's been a long road

As many of you know I started writing A Gift of Grace 12 years ago. I wrote it, put it away, 3 years later I took it out of the desk, had it edited, rewrote from editors suggestions (some, not all), then put it away. 5 years later I joined a writer’s group with 5 of the most talented women writers I know. We critiqued, I rewrote, had it edited again, and made changes. Next, I gave the book to my best friend and used her as a beta reader. She gave it back with notes. Another rewrite. 3 years later, I sent it to my three kids with a, “Please check the dialogue to see if I captured the voices of your generation.” Then, I had Kirk do a final edit and looked for a publisher. Barnes and Noble published and the rest is as they say history.
In the meantime I wrote 4 more books, put them away and am starting the process over. Edit, rewrite, and repeat.
Last week a friend of mine said that she might write a book. It looked easy. Please do. We need great stories out there. But beware, it takes a lot of patience and the work is tedious. And the pay? Unless you’re King or Grisham you’ll earn around 2-3 dollars per book, so don’t quit your day job. The payoff comes when someone is standing in front of you with tears in her eyes because a certain phrase or part of your book touched them. It makes the whole process worthwhile.  Do it because you love it.  Do it because you have to write. Do it because you have a story to tell that no one else can.
Write on,
Wendy