Guest Author: Lynne Hinkey 'Writing is an Endurance Sport'

Writing is an Endurance Sport

Hello Readers, and thank you, Jenai, for this opportunity to sit down for a chat with your fans and followers at Bookingly Yours.

I'm Lynne Hinkey, and as my tagline and business cards will tell you, I'm an author, marine scientist, and curmudgeon. I've written three novels, all set in the Caribbean, where I spent many years studying, working, playing, and gathering great story ideas from the quirky characters that tend to gather in tropical climes. 

One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a writer is, what advice would you give to aspiring writers? While I've learned (and continue to learn) so very much about the craft of writing, marketing, and the business of publishing the most important bit of advice I've received and would pass on is:

Writing is an endurance sport. 

That's been my mantra since I started on my writing journey about eleven years ago. I'm thankful that many who've come down this path before me shared that wisdom. Today, with an ever-expanding range of options available for writers to get their work out into the world, it's easier than ever to sprint to the "finish line" of having a book published. But, for anyone looking for a career, who wants to establish a reputation as a writer and not only publish books, but have a following of readers, sprinting to publish can often do as much harm as good.

Like in a marathon, runners who go out too fast run out of energy and get passed by those who take the long view and hold back at the start, when excitement and enthusiasm are high. Over the miles, eagerness will be replaced by exhaustion, ambition by frustration. After putting in those early miles that lead to writing "the end" on the last page, marathoners know that's where the hard work starts. 

After writing "the end," the editing, revising, and rewriting begin. Those are the tough middle miles, where the sprinters fall to the wayside. For those looking to complete the race, there's no short cut through those miles. For those who do take a short cut, the "victory" will be fleeting. Just ask Rosie Ruiz. (Go ahead and Google that name. I'll wait.)

How do any of us get through those bleak middle miles? Look to your favorite writers, the ones with staying power, who have grown their fan-base over years of slow, steady work. I look to Christopher Moore, who took eight years between deciding to become a writer and selling his first book, Practical Demon Keeping. He spent a year writing it, and almost another whole year polishing and editing before it sold. His persistence and care paid off. His writing and his example inspire me and remind me that I'm in for the long haul. Writing, becoming an author, is an endurance sport.

About the author:

I am a marine scientist by training, a writer by passion, and a curmudgeon by nature. I'm also an Olympic-caliber procrastinator...er, pacer, you know, for getting through the long, arduous journey of writing. I honed that skill through years of practice and dedication to life on island-time. I use my experiences living in the Caribbean to infuse my novels with tropical magic, from the siren call of the islands to the terror and hysteria caused by the mysterious chupacabra.

My short stories and essays have appeared in The Constellation International Literary Review, Skylines, The Petigru Review, Infective Ink, Two Hawks Quarterly, and other print and online publications.  My debut novel, Marina Melee, was released by Casperian Books in 2011, followed by Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons (2014). The sequel, The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods, comes on July 1, 2016.

You can read more about me and my writing at http:www.lynnehinkey.com, or on Facebook (Marina Melee by Lynne M. Hinkey) or Twitter (@LMHinkey).


About my books:

My first novel, Marina Melee, is the story of George Marsh who sails away to the Caribbean to escape the rat race and finds that living the easy life is hard work. In my second novel, Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons, bestselling author Jack Halliman (a minor character in Marina Melee), sails to Puerto Rico to get over his writer's block and instead becomes one of two suspects in a murder investigation--the other is the mythical chupacabra. Jack has to prove his innocence, but that might mean proving the chupacabra is real.

The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods--the sequel to Ye Gods! and my third novel-- comes out on July 1. In it, the chupacabra, known to a select few people as the dog-god of Mercy, is back. This time, he's brought friends, and maybe even an enemy or two. There's a beast of a storm brewing and only a god can stop it. The question is, which one? The chupacabra stories (a trilogy is planned, and the third Ye Goddess! A Tale of Girls and Gods is in development) are comic-fantasy tales that explore the way our beliefs become reality and affect our actions, and the consequences of those actions.

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