Greetings, folks!  My name is Whit McClendon, and the fabulous Viv has asked me to write something for her blog.   I’m honored (bows deeply)!  I’m a self-published author working on book 2 of a trilogy and having an absolute blast.  I’ve had quite a few say things like, ‘I’ve always wanted to write a book,’ and ‘How did your first book come about?’  I figured I could comment on those topics while I’m visiting.

Firstly, I must say this:  if you want to write a book, then sit down and get started writing the thing.  Now.  Right away.  There is no tomorrow, my friends, get started on that thing as soon as you possibly can.  Yes, you might stink as a writer.  That’s highly possible.  That being said, you might also write something that lots and lots of people enjoy, so why are you depriving us of your work?  Get on it!  Either way, you will learn quite a bit during the process.  You might be good at it, or you might not…who cares?  Write anyway.  If you feel the need to write, make the time.  You might have fun.  Go do it.  I dare you.

I started writing my first book well over 20 years ago.  I had just read two books by a famous fantasy author that I’d never read before and was deeply disappointed.  Moreover, I was frustrated and angry that I’d wasted all the time reading those two books.  I stood up and threw that second book on the floor and furiously (and yes, arrogantly) declared that I could do a better job.  I sat right down and got started.  That was 1993.  Since then I found a new respect for that particular author, who churned out book after successful book while I struggled with my one story.  I worked on it off and on over the years, but never very seriously.  Life got in the way quite often, but I still found myself drawn back to it from time to time.  In 2014, I realized that if something ever happened to me, that story would die on my laptop, unseen, unread, and unloved.  The thought made me sad, so I finally got myself in gear and finished Mage’s Burden and published it myself through Amazon.  I just followed Amazon’s Kindle Publishing guidelines, found an artist to draw a fantastic cover, found another fellow to create the official cover, uploaded it all, and BAM!  Published!  A short time later, I used CreateSpace to print the paperback version.  BAM!  An actual book with my name on it!  It was a truly exciting feeling!

I think that much of what kept me from really getting my poop in a group and finishing that first book earlier was fear.  Fear is a pretty powerful thing, and can either drive you forward or hold you back with chains of iron, depending on the situation.  There were times when I stared at the blank page and just couldn’t write anything.  It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to write…no, it was because I was afraid that it wouldn’t be good enough, that it wouldn’t be ‘right.’  I’d agonize over every sentence I wrote, and wrote at a snail’s pace for the longest time.  It was frustrating!

Fortunately, I had a dear friend who had been writing for years, and he gave me some really good advice.  I told him about my problem, and he said, “Whit, you’re writing with one hand and erasing with the other.  Just write.  Write without worrying if it’s any good.  Just get something on the page, you can go back and clean it up later.”  That sounded like it was worth trying, so the next time I booted up my computer, I decided to stop censoring myself at every other word and just let myself go.  It worked like crazy!  That made a big difference in my writing and I finally started to make some progress.

So that’s what I’d say to every budding writer…just write.  Write a lot, read a lot, and write some more.  When you think it’s looking good, then read it out loud.  You’ll catch a lot of little errors that way.  Write whatever gets you going.  I love fantasy, others love westerns, or dramas, but whatever you enjoy the most, go write that.  Write a bunch of it.  And have fun.

I love writing, and although I know that there are many folks that could write circles around me, I’m determined to just keep at it.  It’s just too much fun to stop!  I feel fortunate that readers seem to enjoy my work, and that’s a great feeling.  I’ve nearly finished the second book in my series, so I’ll bid you all farewell and get back to work on it.  I’m dying to see how it ends!

BIO:

Whit McClendon was born on October 31, 1969 in
Freeport, Tx. He grew up in
Angleton Texas and was
active in martial arts, track and field, and playing
the clarinet in band.
One year at Texas A & M proved that
lacrosse was far more fun than electrical engineering,
and he eventually
graduated with a degree in Engineering
Design Graphics from Brazosport College. After working
in the petrochemical
field as a CAD drafter for many years,
Whit finally realized his life’s dream of becoming a
full-time martial arts
instructor. He now lives with his family in Katy,
Texas, plays lacrosse as often as possible, and runs
Jade Mountain Martial
Arts. He laughs a lot more now than he
did when he worked at the engineering firm.

HIS WORK:

Also available at: Barnes&Noble and Books-A-Million

COMING SOON:    “Gart’s Road”

whitmcc@jidaan.com
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