Becoming a Writer: My Story

Hi, I’m Lori. Welcome to my website.

I started writing fiction in first grade, not long after I learned how to string words together to make sentences. Back then my stories were simple and didn’t make much sense. As the years went by, I realized how much fun it was to get lost inside my head—creating new worlds and bringing fictional characters to life on paper. Throughout my childhood, writing became my perfect escape into an imaginary universe. But reality hit hard after I graduated from college and needed to find a way to make a living. At the time, writing didn’t seem like a viable or lucrative option. So off I went to pursue another career, and eventually I gave that up to start a family.

And then one day, after a long hiatus, my friend and I started a blog, which put me back on the writing track. Finally I was doing what I loved. When I got the idea to write a novel, it was time to dedicate myself full-time to my new pursuit. And that’s when the real work began. It wasn’t easy. There were some days when I would rather scrub the floor with a toothbrush, rearrange my underwear drawer, or pick weeds in the yard than sit down and write. There were times when I had to turn down offers to ski, hike, or bike with friends. Then there were the days when I wrote for hours and felt like a rock star, as well as the days when I wrote for hours and felt like a failure.

To help overcome some of my frustration, I listened to The War of Art by Steven Pressfield on Audible several times. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is in the business of creativity and needs inspiration for getting down to work. Pressfield said we need to learn how to fight our resistance––our procrastination and fear––which was exactly what I had to do. Sometimes I had to go to war with my inner voice, show up in front of my computer, let go, and write. It may seem like a funny way to look at the process of writing, but it worked. It was a war, and in order to win, I had to be present on the battlefield. Not every battle was a success, but I also had to learn how to pick myself up and do it again the following day. Thank you, Pressfield, for giving me the tools to fight the resistance.

My first novel, Lost and Found in Aspen, will be published soon, and I’ve already started planning many more novels that I am excited to write in addition to this one.

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