Becoming an Author As Independent As a Hog on Ice

Making sense out of industry jargon and finding my own voice when I really need a set of training wheels.

I was visiting friends in Bardstown yesterday and one of the gals threw out a phrase so incredible I had to google it immediately. Rarely am I awe-struck by something in the lexicon that I can't wait to use it in another conversation.

Growing up in the South, people rarely use familiar words to actually describe what they're saying or feeling. If you've ever heard someone describe a framed photo being "cattywampus," you know what I'm talking about. The same is true for the phrase "Bless Your Heart," so if someone says that to you south of the Mason-Dixon line, it's pretty much an insult.

I had no idea what "Independent as a Hog on Ice" meant, so thank you Google - it means fiercely independent. The storyteller in question was describing the defiant attitude she developed between the ages of three and six. No matter what her mother told her to do, I imagined she was skating and sliding around the ice with those hooves.

So yeah, newbie confession here. I always imagined being an author was pretty easy. Oh my sweet summer child, how I was wrong.

Let's get real- I've been published countless times through my work in nonprofit and faith-based communications. Need a blog post on the website? It'll be done in an hour. Need someone to craft a heart-felt message to inspire donors to turn their wallets upside down and shower you with cash? Pffft...easy. Do our ministers need updated bios for the new website we're launching? People will beat the door down to hear these folks.

But writing for myself and writing for others are two entirely different beasts. In no version of my summer daydream did I ever imagine I would encounter terms like Literary Agent, Author Platforms, or Hybrid Publishing,

Yet here I am, the literary equivalent of too poor to paint, and too proud to whitewash.

So these training wheels are a God-sent. And they've come in the form of fellow writers, seasoned professionals, and friends that will follow, comment, or like anything I beg them to do.

Every person, no matter what profession, will succeed when other people pour into them. My favorite Irish proverb I use once a year, on my best friend's birthday, but I'll repeat it again this week - "Two Shorten the Road."

We don't tend to notice the difficult path before us if we have someone to share that journey. So welcome to my mine. I have no idea if the road will be bumpy, or if I'll lose my way along the path, but one thing's for certain: as an author, I'm going to be as independent as a hog on ice!

Thanks for reading!

~ Christy