I am, at the very core of my being, a very private person.  I don’t tell anyone in my life everything about me.  It’s a flaw in the eyes of many, but it’s who I am. 

And so it is with great reluctance that I’m going to do two things today: reveal more about myself to my readers, and do something that I have never ever done publicly – set some goals.

In a world where everyone seems privy to everyone’s information, I always feel reluctant to give much info of my own.  It feels crass in some ways, and, besides that, I’ve never thought anyone would want to know much about me.  Really, why would anyone care?

But one of my readers has logged a complaint.  “You’re too anonymous,” she said, “People don’t want to reveal themselves if you won’t.”

So here it is.  I’m a 42 year old married woman with four children (ages 18 down to 10) living in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.  I’ve been a writer since I was a kid, making up stories in my head and never writing them down because I was afraid that people might read them and make fun of me.  (How’s that for stripping things right down to the insecurities?)   I had a high school English teacher who nearly convinced me that I could never be a good writer, but was saved by a college prof. who believed in me.

I write fiction, articles, marketing pieces, grants, and fundraising letters.  My greatest love is fiction, the only writing that I do that I’ve never been paid to produce.  Fiction surprises me all the time.  It even worries me to see what my brain comes up with sometimes, and I’ll probably publish my stories under a pen name just to avoid the questions from concerned relatives or friends about my sanity, spiritual well-being, or fitness to teach others.  (Fictitious characters aren’t always nice.  If they were, there would be no stories to tell.)

And so this leads to my next big revelation – my goals for this year.  (One must have goals if one wants to get anything done.  However, I’ve never shared my goals.  People might laugh or ridicule me for not reaching a stated goal – call me a dreamer.  Goals are sort of scary, you know?) I have some assigned articles to complete, and I have a grant due by the middle of January.  But I also have a novel that I’ve started, stopped, started, and stopped again – and this year I will finish it!  By the end of March.  Yes.  I will finish it by the end of March.  And I will query at least five new magazines.  I love writing for my local mag, but I have been hiding behind its benevolent skirts long  enough, and it is time to branch out.  So this year I will.  In fact, I will query a new mag every month.  By the the fifth of each month.  That doesn’t mean they’ll take my work, but I will make the effort to reach out to something new.  

There.  That’s it.  Cheryl will kick my butt if I don’t follow through.  She is a great friend who can be ferocious if the occasion calls for it – that’s part of the reason I love her.

I’d love to hear about you.  How did you become a writer or interested in those who write?  What are your goals? 

All the best to you in 2011,

Mary Timmer

For those who don’t know, I (Cheryl) write under the pseudonym Cheryl Sterling (my grandmother’s maiden name.)  I’ve just contracted “Tall, Dark and Slayer” with Champagne Books, an e-publisher, for a January 2012 release.

Because what we do best at writerslikeme is write about writing, I’m inviting you to join me on the road to publication of TDS.  Yes, it does take a long time to be published after the offer is made, and over the next twelve months or so, I’ll open that window and let you see what I’m going through.

Yesterday, I signed and mailed out the contract, giving Champagne all sorts of rights and permissions in exchange for certain promises (TDS is an original work of art, I will meet certain deadlines, and I will apply for and give them a copy of the copyright.)

I also sent out a marketing sheet (legal name, address, phone #, etc; the blurb, a teaser excerpt) and the copy art sheet which included descriptions of the hero and heroine.  Because I always scrapbook my characters before starting a story, I made copies and included them in the package.  My scanner has gone wonky and jenga’d the images in Word and CoolIris, a program I didn’t know I had, added random arrows and lines.  It was easier to make a copy and drive to the post office.

Although I have a Facebook account under my own name, I activated one for Cheryl Sterling and sent out mass invitations to my contacts.  I’ll aggressively friend friends as I start marketing.  In the meantime, I’m waiting for my assigned editor to contact me on revisions.

I’ll blog as developments arise.  Feel free to ask questions along the way.

Here’s a picture of Betty Banks, my heroine, as I saw her:

Take care,

Cheryl

With shopping days winding down, you’re probably wondering what to buy the writer in your life. Here are some ideas sure to delight.
* Office supplies.  Writers are geeks when it comes to office supplies.  Pens, notebooks, fancy paperclips, gizmos of all shapes and sizes.  Not all of our writing is on a computer.  Sometimes, we like to curl up in a quiet place with a easy rolling pen and a legal pad.

* A gift subscription to an online photo store such as www.photos.com or www.istock.com.  A writer should promote their work via a blog, and blogs are more readable and interesting with photos.

* A small thesaurus.  I own one that fits in the palm of my hand.  I throw it into my suitcase while traveling and it’s readily available for those times when I do curl up in a quiet place.

* A gift certificate.  Think beyond your local bookstore.   iTunes.  A spa.  A great restaurant.  We all need a little pampering.

* A USB flashdrive.  I’ve heard too many horror stories of pages, scenes and entire works lost to a house fire or computer crash.  A flashdrive is an easy, portable sense of security.

* A Kindle or Nook or other ereader.  We’re readers, as well.  Condensing dozens of books into a few ounces?  What could be more priceless?

* Something to drink.  Tea. Wine. A Starbucks card.  Find out if your writer is in the Pepsi or Coke camp and buy accordingly.

* A copy of The Princess Bride.  Best book/movie ever.  Really.

Blessings,

Cheryl