Confessions of a Kitchen Table Writer

January Confession: I'm seven.

My first book!

Sunday, January 6^th, marked the seventh anniversary of the day I received The Call. When I mentioned this to my husband, the guy who's stood by me through all my writing trials and tribulations, he said that it didn't seem like it’s been that long. No, it doesn't, but since my fourteenth print book was released in December, I guess I have been at this a while. How time flies when you're having fun.

So what have I learned along the way?

Writing doesn't get any easier. I thought it would, but it doesn't  What has changed is that I now have faith in my ability to work through the hard parts instead of giving up and starting a new book—which I did innumerable times before I sold my first book.

My writing brain needs to be fed a fairly steady diet of movies and books to help it thrive. There have been times when I've been too busy (writing, ironically) to read or watch TV or go to the movies.  My muse would then start to protest.  I don’t need entertainment linked to my specific genre—I just need to feel emotions sparked by a good story. 

The internet is a blessing and a curse. Through it, I’m able to connect to readers, friends and fellow writers. Research is a snap. But…it’s also a very handy means of procrastination—especially if one’s writing computer is connected to the internet.

Editors are not to be feared (confession—I was once terrified of editors). They want to find good stories just as much as we want to write and sell them!

I love writing now as much or more than I did when I was working toward that first big sale.

My most recent book.

What do I look forward to in the future?

Writing more books.

Making more friends.

Continuing to learn the craft.

(Some things never change--thank goodness!)

Harlequin Superromance author Jeannie Watt lives in rural Nevada and writes fast-paced, character driven stories set in the western United States.   To find out more about Jeannie and her books, please visit her website.