Guest Post: Decade of Writing (Aimee Henley)

My cousin, Beckah, kindly asked me to contribute a guest post for her blog. She’s in the midst of a Month of Writing, an idea I wholeheartedly support. I’m in the midst of a Decade of Writing, so, you know, it resonated.

To give you a little background, I write young adult novels under the pen name A.G. Henley, and I’m a psychologist. I was a psychologist first. Writing and publishing was my mid-life crisis. I know, it’s kinda pathetic. I was too practical to have a crisis that wasn’t productive.

Growing up, I thought, Hmm, I might like to write a book one day. How hard could it be? But days led to weeks led to years. If you’re over twenty, you can probably relate. I finished my degree-gathering at 29, and I didn’t start writing for seven more years.

One morning in the shower, I had an idea for a book. Later that afternoon, I sat down and wrote Chapter One in a Word doc. I spent a year and a half obsessing, writing, working on, and working over. Finally, I had a book! That I couldn’t find an agent to represent. I roll my eyes now at the conceit that my first book would be ready for an agent and a publisher.

It was tempting to feel like it was all a waste of time, but I knew it wasn’t. I’d learned so much about the craft of writing fiction and the business of publishing. I had to believe in my book, in myself, enough to take it right to the end of the road. And  that’s what it was: the end of the road for that book.

A few months later, I had an idea for another novel while visiting my extended family, including Beckah, in their home state of Louisiana. I took time to think through my ideas, build the world, imagine the characters. Two more years of obsessing, writing, working on, and working over, and in January 2012, I self-published The Scourge. A friend designed the cover for a hundred bucks. I never thought the thing would be read by anyone other than a few friends and family members. Imagine my surprise when it found an actual readership.

I went on to write three novels and two novellas in the series. They haven’t hit any major bestseller lists, won awards, or been featured by Oprah’s Book Club or People. I’m a solid mid-list author and self-published at that, making it a daily struggle to reach readers who might like my work. But, I’m incredibly proud of those five titles. They represent the culmination of a dream that started as Hmm, I might like to write a book one day.

I was almost 40, and I had two young children, when The Scourge published. A friend, who has traveled the ups and downs of my writing path with me, recently gave me this sweet memento to celebrate the release of the final book in my series.

Never give up on your dreams. A writer’s battle cry if I’ve ever heard one. And it’s not just a nice sentiment. Funny things happen when you keep putting one word after the other on the page, day after day, year after year. That first book, the one that hit the end of the road? It’s been reincarnated as a short story that will be part of an anthology published next year. It might later find new life as a revamped novel, or even the start of a series. Turns out it had only reached a turn in the road, not the end.

Beckah, I know you love to write, and you’re an excellent writer. You have things to say about your life, the world, and how the two intersect. You have a voice, and you aren’t afraid to be vulnerable to your readers. I’m envious of that quality. If you have the desire in your heart to write a novel, then don’t wait. You have the tools now. Don’t allow the days and weeks and years to slip by for too long. Go for it—and don’t ever give up.

A.G. Henley's books are available for purchase as e-books on Amazon.  Check them out HERE.