Thread: Still Feeling like i'm in Kindergarten

When I start anything new, my joke is I feel like I'm in kindergarten again. And it's acceptable for me to flail about a bit here and there and make weird and clumsy mistakes. So I'm here, at the beginning of month three as a self-employed novelist. Or what else would I write on my resume in place to said normal day-job?
So I'm writing this first time novel and the characters are basically writing themselves, the ending is coming up very fast and I'm wondering how things will go once I'm out there finishing up my second draft and looking at the market and querying publishers? I really want friends in this place! I want people who will be there if my first editor hacks away 1/3 of my novel or something big. I want someone to be there to let me cry when I'm trying to get through well-writer kindergarten.
*If anyone wants to send me messages around this stuff that would be great. It was a big change to go from, well. Ok, I was a freelance journalist, juvenile counselor, process server, and a security guard, and well, house cleaner, and jack of so-many trades to this....
I do see advantages to incorporating such wide array of experience into my fictional characterizations and experiences though.

Ok, I've checked in.

Just noticed no one bothered to reply to ya, soooooo...

If you ever want to compare notes juvenile delinquents, I was a Youth Counselor and Probation Officer in a past life (adult corrections too). It was heartbreaking seeing kids taking up the family business, like dad and big bro. I suppose that why we don't do that any more, right?

And from your profile, you say that you're fond of ancient religions? Well, if you can give me any insight into Zoroastrianism, it might be helpful. In my first manuscript, the characters are Persians from a parallel universe. They missed out on the whole getting converted to Islam thing.

Agreed on 'wide array of experiences' school of thought. I see authors like Jack London and Hemingway as examples on how varied life experiences forge abstract thoughts into worlds people can hold in their hands. That's great you have experience as a freelance journalist as well. I've been more in the cannery row / ambulance driving path. But life is learning.

Good luck on your queries. I've amassed a short stack of rejections already. I'll avoid the cliché's regarding perseverance. Just go kicks some a$$. Yes, it's that kind of kindergarten.

Hum, I was a youth counselor as well with a basic BA in Psych under my belt. Oh, I've not brushed up on Zooo...ism in a long while. And I've not even begun to approach the paranormal for romance(not even sure how I'd incorporate the two since I'm very scientific in my normal paranormal studies approach). I pretty much think I'll be moving towards focusing solely on the unspeakable kind of romance that we are not allowed to discuss on this site for work after my first regency romance novel. If I write about the paranormal(with certain types of prior training in being a sensitive aka medium under my belt personally speaking), I'll try to couple up most likely with a friend who is published in that area and co-author something but he as well is all science and not into writing fiction through that arena.