Amanda Arista
Stop aspiring and just be
In 3rd grade, I was told to write a story. Where the other children moaned, my problem was I wanted to write too many. I finally settled on one about a girl who died who made a deal with Hades to go back to the living world to tell a boy she loved him and then, she would serve Hades for all eternity. I was a little dark back then. I still have the story, and recently, noticed that there was no grade on it. Maybe it was just to mind blowingly awesome the teacher didn’t know what to do with it. But I do remember there being an awful lot of teacher conferences that year.
I started this “hobby” of writing then and never stopped. It started out with fairy tales and fables, and then moved into angsty teen romance with psychics and space travel (never was one for vampires). My mother used to yell at me for staying up too late at night, writing my stories in spiral bound notebooks. That’s probably when I started my caffeine addiction, but that’s a whole other story.
As an adult, my writing didn’t stop. I went to work during the day, was a dutiful wife in the evenings, but at night, was still at my laptop (had to upgrade from spirals because of arthritis). This “hobby” was interfering with my daily life. At one point, I thought I was hypergraphic. It’s an intense need to write and you can’t be sane until you write it down. I actually thought I was crazy because I wasn’t happy unless I was writing. Sound familiar?
If it does, if any of this sounds familiar, you are a writer. It’s a problem I still struggle with, saying I’m a writer. Dean Koontz and Jude Devereaux are writers (two old favs). Neil Gaiman and Jim Butcher are writers (two recent favs).
When you discover that you look at the world through the point of your pen, you’re a writer. When you would rather people watch than interact because you want to capture the essence of a hand gesture or a turn of phrase, you are a writer. When you look at your life and realize that this is your Supreme Ordeal (read The Heros Journey by Christopher Vogler- it will change your life and ruin movies forever), you’re a writer. It transcends what you do and becomes who you are.
It is a calling not for the faint of heart.
It is a calling I encourage you to fight as long as you can because it is not a hobby. You do not do this because you want to relax, like building birdhouses. You write because that is the way you communicate discoveries of truth to others. It’s hard and yes, you will get the crazy writer look every now and again.
It is a calling that I do not regret accepting even on days when my day job was rough, I had three chapters to prep, and seven blog posts due. Writing makes me happy and I would be incomplete without it.
My name is Amanda Arista. Diaries of an Urban Panther is my debut novel. It is the story of a girl searching for her family (underneath all the shapeshifter stuff). That’s my story. What’s yours?
Pen me line below for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the book retailer of your choice and check out Diaries of an Urban Panther which releases TODAY from all major e-book retailers.
Blurb: Violet Jordan thought the fairy tales her mother wove were just a way to get Violet to sleep, not a way to prepare her for the apocalypse she is the key to preventing. When she becomes a midnight snack for werepanther Spencer Haverty, his infectious bite invokes the first element of her destiny. When Violet’s budding instincts allow her to save a boy’s life, she realizes this new gig may come with perks: a slimmer figure, the attention of a handsome Guardian, and insights into her future embedded in her mother’s stories. But as push comes to claws, can Violet make the fatal strike against the men threatening her new family, her new home and her first boyfriend in ages?
Coming soon: Book Two of the Diaries of an Urban Panther, Dec 2011
Amanda can be found around the web:
Facebook- Amanda Arista, Author
Twitter: @pantherista
July 5th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Hi, Amanda! Thank you for sharing your story! I’m glad everything worked out with your dream and I wish you much success!
justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
July 5th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Amanda, that sounds like a GREAT book!! Love shifters… love fun heroines. Sounds like you HAVE to write. I’m looking forward to reading your book.
July 5th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Thank you for having me here today!
July 6th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Glad you were able to follow your dream, Violet sounds like she is a strong female character, she is going to fight for what she believes in. Adding this to my wish list.
July 7th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Hey Amanda! I am a Supernatural Undie. I love your story. My teenage daughter has to write like that. It is amazing to watch her. I keep my writing to reviews and blog posts about books. Look forward to reading your book
July 7th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Looks like an awesome book. Looking forward to reading it. Adding it to my wishlist.
July 11th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Hello there,
Thank you for all the wonderful posts. I’ll have the winner of the $25 gift certificate posted on my website on July 20th. I enjoyed talking with you and Happy Reading!
-Amanda