Who said, “Never say never”? I admit that I had to look it up. Charles Dickens coined the phrase in 1837, in Charles Dickens’s Pickwick Papers.
I was working on a memoir, knowing I needed a website yet resisting it. As if the digital world needed just one more… Besides, I was busy writing a book. The point is, there is no way around it for an aspiring author. As it turns out, I have enjoyed the creative process. It has put me on a mental treadmill of sorts, not going fast but not getting off either. I hope it will spark your interest.
“Never say die!” Dickens said that too.
Let’s Take a Step Back!
It took five years to complete my manuscript (is it ever complete?) and two additional years to wrap my mind around all that it meant. Seven years in total? You might ask. Believe it or not, it’s the average for a memoir.
In the best scenario, from the time a literary agent accepts a manuscript, it will likely take two more years until publication. The reason is that the agent must then pitch it to a traditional publishing house that will then decide whether it’s worth publishing… Or, I could submit it to an independent publisher. Some authors go directly to a printer.
On the practical side, once I decided to have a website, it took me three days to “push” my (dormant) domain (marieclaudearnott.com) out of my husband’s account and create my own. There is fear in going rogue! Once the site was set up, it was the kind called Coming Soon. I may be a slow learner, but I take pride in not giving up when things don’t work out the way they should.
Finally, when the going got technically serious, I turned to web designer Webastik. The easiest decision was to name it. It came naturally. Since then, I have been on a roll. If you are a writer, I hope Writing is Living will give you the support of kinship. If you are a visitor-reader may you enjoy what I happily share.
Cordially,
Marie-Claude Arnott
