She Is Me, Fictionally Speaking
It was bound to happen; I was destined to eventually write about a female writer, who was bullied as a kid, and at some point, loses her hair. After all, all of the writing I'd done up to that point, be it in my journals or stories for the occasional creative writing assignment, was in some way, all about me. I don't know of any writer out there whose stories and characters don't somehow include a bit of themselves. The trick is to write the character so they aren't a Mary Sue or the male-gendered equivalent, Gary Stu. (click to learn more about the term)
Charise Sayles is a woman in her early 30's; she's a college-educated, free-lance writer who begins to lose her hair. Her journey both as a writer and burgeoning baldy is full of obstacles and setbacks, but, spoiler alert, she still finds her way to success. And she does so because, despite it all, she never loses sight of her ultimate goal.
It is lucky for me (a nod to March & the "luck" related to the month) that the book and this character come up in the Leading Lady Challenge lineup right now. You see, it's been eleven months since I quit my job to go full-time as an entrepreneur and novelist. It's been five months since my savings reserves ran out. Lucky for me (again), I had a generous patron waiting in the wings who has gracefully helped keep me from becoming a starving artist stereotype. Having her support has been a blessing, but it hasn't stopped me from losing a lot of my determination to stick to my guns and keep pushing toward my dream of becoming a world-renown author who makes a living at this writing and coaching thing. I've been cheating on my dream by applying for jobs. So far, I've been ghosted after four interviews and outright denied. Perhaps the Universe is trying to tell me something?
Whether it is or not, I am channeling Charise's resilience and belief in her dream in order to shore up my waning faith that this entrepreneurship is going to pay off. I'll be networking, pitching, and writing throughout March as I've never done before. If there's an opportunity for me to speak about my books and or my services, I'm going to jump in there and shout about my work as loudly as I can. You've been warned, LOL.
Side Note:
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In case you are new to the blog, all this year I'm bringing my fiction to life via a series of monthly challenges where I pick a character from the books I've written and incorporate certain of their traits, behaviors, and such into my day to day living. For more information, click HERE to download the Challenge info sheet, this month's character profile, and a blank page for you to fill in if you'd like to channel a fictional character of your own.
And since this month includes an ass-ton of self-promotion, check me and Nowata Press Publishing & Consulting, LLC out on all the socials:
YouTube: Nowata Press Publishing & Consulting
Instagram: DEWriteone
Facebook: Nowata Press Publishing & Consulting, LLC
Twitter: NowataC
Linked In: Dana Ellington, BA, MAPW
Lastly, I invite you to join the Nowata Press Publishing & Consulting Guild. It's a no-pressure, no-spam, space for readers of non-traditional, women's contemporary fiction and writers who are interested in taking the journey to self-publishing. The Guild offers members early-bird shopping opportunities, discounts, reserved seating (masked & vaxed) at in-person events, and freebies throughout the year. It's free and you're under no obligation to buy anything at any time.
That's going to do it for this post. Thank you for coming by; and until next time...
Sending love & inspiration,
Dana