by Glenn Trust
I wanted to write from an early age. A really long time ago, when I was still a young police officer in Georgia, I was writing short stories in my spare time and sending them off to magazines. One day I received one back in the mail.
Life Happened
Attached to it was a nice handwritten letter from an editor (this was long before the days of email and texts). The story manuscript was folded and smudged, and there were coffee cup rings on the edges of a couple of pages, which told me they had actually read it, maybe discussed it around an editorial table, or just used it to sop up the coffee.
In her letter, the editor said a lot of things that I don't remember, but it was not the usual form letter that I was accustomed to receiving. It was original and personal.
She said they liked my story, had strongly considered it for publication, but that it wasn't quite believable. Disappointed as I was, I was struck by her last words to me... "Don't stop writing. You're good at this. We almost bought this one."
I remember staring at that a long time. Then I folded it up and tucked it in a file and ... stopped writing.
I wish I could tell you a different story, but I can't. I stopped writing for many years.
There were lots of reasons. Yes, I was disappointed, but the letter that should have encouraged me not to give up was forgotten. Life happened. Dreams of writing were pushed aside by other things... important things.
Mostly I needed money for my young family. In the 1970s, police officers in Georgia were not paid a lot even by the standards of the day. I worked part-time jobs whenever I wasn't working at the police department. Many weeks I had no days off at all.
I'm not unhappy that I did my best to take care of my family. It was the right thing to do and working for them was the joy of my life. Children grew up; then grandchildren came along. More life happened.
Then... The Internet Appeared
Then out of the blue, this thing called the internet appeared, and guess what. I was at a point in life when I didn't need to work part-time jobs every spare minute of the day. I could write again.
It's different these days. I can publish a book whether I convince an agent or editor to read it or not. I am an independent writer/publisher, an “Indie.”
Being an Indie is not easy. There are no big marketing budgets and TV appearances to spark book sales. There is only me and you.
I like it that way. I get to write what I want and you get to read what you want with no middle-person between us. No agents or publishers dictating what the storyline will be or what sells.
It’s a partnership between us, writer and reader, and it's a marvelous thing. The old closed publishing world that required almost a miracle to have the right person read your work is changing thanks to the digital age. I am grateful to still be around to experience it and enjoy it.
As of this writing, I am sixteen novels and a collection of short stories into my writing adventure. It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it.
Some years back, I left Georgia, working for a large corporation. Then I moved west and became the city manager of a small mining community in the mountains of northern Nevada. Now my wife and I live in the deserts of the far west. You got it... more life happened.
Don't be a Follower — Make Your Dream Real
It took many years to get here. Life is like that, with lots of twists and turns and surprises. I like it that way.
Now, I write every day. I wouldn't change a thing. One thing though... I wish sometimes I had been able to find a way to keep writing while life was happening. It's not a regret, just an assessment, and it brings me to a bit of advice if you have read this far.
Don’t follow your dreams. Followers get nowhere except up the backside of the person in front.
Work your dream. Life will happen and then happen some more. That's as it should be, but you are the one who will make your dream a reality.
Best- Glenn
More Books by Glenn Trust
Click Here > Glenn Trust Books to find all of his work, including:
The Hunters Series:
Eyes of the Predator
Sanctioned Murder
Black Water Murder
Blood Reckoning
Redemption
The Killing Ground
Walk into Darkness
Sole Justice Series:
Sole Survivor
Road to Justice
Blue Eyes Series:
An Eye for Death
A Desert View
Blue Water Horizon
Nowhere Land
Fruits of Evil
Other Novels:
Dying Embers
Mojave Sun
Stories and Collections:
Lightning in the Clouds
