Thread: W. J. Schaafsma

Hello Everyone,

I have been writing for several years on and off, starting with the typical teenage poetry and a few short stories in high school. The stories died off as I focused on poetry and growing up for the next ten or twelve years. Eventually, my desire to write poetry faded. I toyed with the idea of my first novel. That went about six chapters toward nowhere. It was horrible, if I do say so myself. My own work was everything I dislike in writing: forced, fake, and pompous. So, I hung it up for several years and focused on my career.

By 2005, I was attending school to further my career and had the good fortune to accidentally drop into certain creativity class. We analyzed various forms of art and created our own. I wrote for my piece. The professor (a published author) singled me out quite a lot in class and praised my work non-stop. That was, honestly, a little uncomfortable as he was overlooking the work of other students to do it. Did this guy know something I didn't know? It was time to find out.

So, I dusted off the old novel and read it. Still horrible. The only salvageable part
Was the introduction. I tossed it all and started over. The rough draft took three and a half years of intermittent work (mostly on airplanes during business trips). The feeling of finally completing it was exhilarating. For the first time, I wondered if I could make a living doing something I love. My friendly reader agreed. Then, the first edit.

Another humbling experience. I had learned a lot, but not enough. The plot was still too contrived in the beginning, not really flowing naturally into the middle and end sections of the book that felt much stronger. My intent was to write a suspense/action novel with a supernatural twist, and make it believable. I wanted to make people wonder, but it was my turn to wonder first. I wasn't decided on how to fix it, so I set it back to age.

In the meantime, I had jotted down some notes for a second novel that was honestly more interesting to me. I’m started on that one now, working sporadically again due to work and family commitments. My dream is still to make my living as a novelist. Just need to write well enough. Mostly, my dream is to have hours each day to write!

The introduction to my second novel is posted on the feedback section. I’ve only ever had feedback from my friendly reader, so I’m eager to hear other viewpoints. That will be interesting, as will the opportunity to provide my inexperienced feedback to others.

Thanks, and see you online.

b/r/
W. J. Schaafsma

P.S. Hope this first post isn't too long!!

Hi there, W.J. and welcome! Maybe you can find some motivation and helpful feedback here. Good luck and enjoy!

Hello to you, W.J., and welcome to the forums!


Nickie