Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

The evolution of a blogger: Part 1

First, you get really excited and sit down to write the next best selling novel.

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You get completely into it.  To the point where it actually feels easy.

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See my mad typing skills?  I’m fast.  What?  Allow me my foolish pride in one of the few things I’m actually good at, okay?

You skip showering in favor of having a few more minutes to write.  You become convinced that your words are powerful and will influence millions.

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Eventually, you get a little bit stuck.  Well, in fairness, I guess there are a lot of people out there who don’t get stuck, because there are an awful lot of books in the world…so perhaps I should say that eventually, I got stuck.

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So you decide to take a little break.

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And it turns into a longer break.

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Then, one day, you realize that your own life is unique and that raising a boy who may or may not be on the autism spectrum and not having a diagnosis and who has pretty severe speech and language delays and other stuff, too, is probably something other people are going through.

So you open a shiny new file and title it “Memoir” and you start writing again.

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And you write some more.

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You bare your soul.  You tell stories about how Tucker’s developmental delay affected participating in a mommy and me soccer class.  You cry.  You laugh.  You tell your husband “this is gonna be a bestseller.”

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You get to the point where you have 6,249 words in your memoir.  And you’re really proud.  You decide that you have enough words to start shopping for a publisher to see if there’s interest out there.

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Then you find out that publishers hate memoirs.  You read a website that says a publisher would rather shave a cat than read another memoir.

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Friends, this is a lot of drawings for a post, so I’ve broken it up.  Consider the above eyeball assaults Part 1 of the Evolution of a Blogger.

Want more?  Here’s Part 2.


by Kristi Campbell

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  • jillsmo - “Dude I’m bald, run!” = LMAO! Looking forward to part 2.January 31, 2013 – 12:20 amReplyCancel

    • admin - OMG I <3 you.January 31, 2013 – 12:22 amReplyCancel

  • Mama Meerkat - Oooh, I have been there! Haha. I love your illustrations.January 31, 2013 – 8:10 amReplyCancel

    • admin - Thanks so much! Maybe all bloggers have been there?January 31, 2013 – 8:12 amReplyCancel

  • HouseTalkN - Wow, this is my memoir! Thanks for the chuckle!January 31, 2013 – 11:20 amReplyCancel

  • Emily - If you give up on writing, you can always become an artist — love your pics! 🙂 Seriously though, DO NOT give up on that memoir. I have recently completed mine (it’s 100,000 words!) and I’m now in the revision stage. (Mine is not about my son BTW). I don’t care if publishers hate memoirs…I’m moving forward and at least giving this a shot — I’ve spent YEARS on this book. I prematurely sent query letters out about my memoir a few years back, and I did get some bites, so there ARE people who want to publish memoirs. KEEP GOING!!!January 31, 2013 – 12:00 pmReplyCancel

    • admin - Wow, thanks, Emily. And congratulations on 100,000 words! That’s 2 full Nanowrimos! I’m impressed. You’re right, I should keep writing – I got really discouraged and ended up putting a few of the pages on this blog (about section, the story, etc.).
      And I will SO buy your book when it’s published. And I’m totally intrigued – what’s it about?!?!? Do tell! Please?January 31, 2013 – 12:06 pmReplyCancel

  • Amy - I LOVED this! I went through that exact process in novel writing. I really thought it was going to be awesome and then I took a step back and was kind of horrified by the mediocre quality of what I had written! Anyway- I love memoir! Self publish and promote!
    Glad to have found you. I’m in the contest too…slipping away on the list a little more each day! But I’ll head over an vote for you now. 🙂January 31, 2013 – 4:52 pmReplyCancel

    • admin - Glad to have found you, too, Amy. Sucks when we realize that there are better books out there than the ones in our heads. Sigh. Gonna go return the favor and vote for you right back. Thanks huge!January 31, 2013 – 7:31 pmReplyCancel

      • admin - Voted!January 31, 2013 – 7:34 pmReplyCancel

  • Kerri - When your memoir is turned into a play I want front row seats to see the reenactment of Tucker checking you for poop in your pants!January 31, 2013 – 8:17 pmReplyCancel

    • admin - Kerri! When it’s turned into a play, you and Boo have front-row seats! (from your lips, sistah!)January 31, 2013 – 9:35 pmReplyCancel

  • Josie Bisett - Hahaha! You make me LAUGH!January 31, 2013 – 9:42 pmReplyCancel

    • Josie Bisett - Ooooh! I was just your 100th voter, I should get a prize or something;)January 31, 2013 – 9:46 pmReplyCancel

      • admin - You SO should get a prize. Sadly, if I offer you one for real, I get kicked out. BUT I have a whole bunch of toy ninees (airplanes) that I can offer you!January 31, 2013 – 9:49 pmReplyCancel

  • Deb (Urban Moo Cow) - Haha! So funny and relatable…February 1, 2013 – 7:01 amReplyCancel

    • admin - Thanks, Deb.February 1, 2013 – 9:37 amReplyCancel

  • Stephanie @ Mommy, for real. - Oh God, this made me want to cry, laugh, and cringe because I relate to SO MUCH of it. Yep, that’s pretty much my blogging story. How many of us are in this boat, of having really started out writing a book and it turned into this? Way to put it out there, you are my hero, and I vote for you every day. You’re climbing the ranks, lady! xoFebruary 1, 2013 – 10:31 amReplyCancel

    • admin - Stephanie I wonder how many blogs did begin with an abandoned book-project. Thanks for the awesome comment and the bloggie love and support. I vote for you every day, too. In fact, I just did. I was number 145. I thought about waiting for 150 so that I could win a free trip or something but that would just be mean.
      Thanks again!February 1, 2013 – 10:44 amReplyCancel

  • Julie DeNeen - SO FREAKIN’ EPIC. I love this. love it love it love it.February 1, 2013 – 5:43 pmReplyCancel

    • admin - Thanks, Julie! And thanks for Tweeting it <3February 1, 2013 – 7:12 pmReplyCancel

  • Jamie - Oh my goodness, this really cracked me up! 🙂 Then I turned around and the girls were looking at me like I had lost it, which cracked me up even more. Thanks for the laughs! ~ JamieFebruary 1, 2013 – 6:10 pmReplyCancel

    • admin - Jamie, that’s awesome that you cracked up enough for your girls to look at you like you’d lost it. My work is done. 😉
      Thanks so much!February 1, 2013 – 7:13 pmReplyCancel

  • sara - Man, you type FAST. Wicked fast.
    …I’m kinda startled by how upset I am that I have to WAIT for part 2. I need to know what happened next! And how you looked! And what the weather was outside or whether you ever changed your clothes! I NEED. to KNOW.

    I will not only buy your memoir, I’ll buy copies for my friends and relations.
    I will wait on long lines to get your autograph. …ok, maybe not really long lines, but I would totally kidnap Tuck until you autographed my copy.
    (You say ‘abduction,’ I say ‘fun adventure!’ ….ok, so, we’re not keeping track of how many times my well-intentioned and loving comments come out as creepy, are we? We’re friends and friends don’t keep track, right? Right? Maybe I should filter more….)

    Anyway. Don’t give up on the memoir. Really.February 2, 2013 – 2:02 pmReplyCancel

    • admin - Sara, you’re awesome. I’ll get on Part 2 for ya. And awww, really? You’ll buy copies of my memoir for friends and relations?!? You really ARE awesome. And I’ll totally autograph your copy. And while you’ve got Tucker in custody, I’ll go to the real-live movies with Robert! A win-win.
      XOFebruary 2, 2013 – 6:27 pmReplyCancel

  • Alicia - Lost In Holland - LMAO!! i can so TOTALLY relate to this post. im totally laughing at the process (you nailed it) and the pictures (i notice the wine glass lol) and the self talk and how it decompensates over the process. i am FEELING this! I started writing 2 other non-fiction book proposals and ended up going the memoir route bc that is the book i really wanted to write. Im at 90,000 words and NOT fully done yet, so obviously I need to edit it down to like 70K or 80K to be most marketable. I would LOVE to talk to you about your process bc Im not at the “shopping it to agents or publishers” part yet bc its not fully finished. my goal is to have it finished by this June to do a Pitchfest at a philadelphia writers conference… any words of your wisdom will help! 🙂February 3, 2013 – 9:25 amReplyCancel

    • admin - Alicia,
      Thanks HUGE for the comment. Wow, at 90,000 words, you’ve probably got everything you need after editing. Way to go! Seriously, that’s a ton of words and I’m impressed.
      I wish I had wonderful nuggets of wisdom to share with you regarding shopping agents and publishers. From what I can tell, one of the best “ins” is to get something published, somewhere. I read your bio and since you have so much published, you know a lot more about this than I do. In fact, when I’m ready, it is I who will ask YOU for advice.
      I think going to the Pitchfest you mentioned is a perfect way to get started. Not only will you have access to a bunch of publishers, but a bunch of information.
      I got pretty discouraged and started this blog as a way to put some of the words out there so am not really qualified to offer any actual helpful advice. In fact, I’m pretty ignorant about the whole process. Sorry about that.
      I wish you the very best of luck with your memoir. And I’d be happy to read parts of it when you’re ready if you just want another pair of eyeballs. I look forward to learning more about your story on your blog.
      So glad we found each other!February 3, 2013 – 5:54 pmReplyCancel

  • Lizzy - Muddle-Headed Mamma - Bahahaha god you crack me up! I guess I should stop daydreaming about writing my memoir then?? Love your drawings.October 25, 2013 – 6:12 pmReplyCancel

  • Chris Carter - Now see? I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!! Oh girl… you have NAILED it!!! Every blogger/wanna be writer/author in the making… needs to read this!!!January 27, 2015 – 9:43 amReplyCancel

  • Jhanis - This should be in a photo book or something! LOLJanuary 28, 2015 – 10:22 pmReplyCancel

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