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~ By Karen Cino
My road to publication has been a long one. Now that it’s here, I can say that it is everything I have ever dreamed of and more. Being a writer has always been a dream. Through the years I doubted my dream and wondered if I should have taken a different career path. It’s tough when you receive one rejection letter after the other. Eventually I gave up hope, and walked away from writing. I replaced my story writing with poetry for a brief time, before the voices started again in my head, leading me to believe, it was time.
The most challenging part of my journey was finding the time to write. And the reason why I want to talk about this is because since getting injured at work, I am home every day. Can you imagine? It’s every writer’s dream to be able to write any time they want. Wrong. I found since I stopped working, I wrote less, stating there weren’t enough hours in the day. I took a step back and realized it was to make some changes.
By this time I was all over the place. Running around for my kids, cooking, cleaning…yuk! I needed to find time for myself, being able to get myself into a solid writing mode. Sitting back and reflecting, I came up with my own plan.
I make sure that I find time every single day to do my writing. I start my day by going down to the Staten Island Boardwalk. (Yes, even in the dead of winter.) Not only do I stay physically active, but I’m using this time to open my mind. On my walk, I always make sure I have index cards and a pen, so I’m always equipped to jot down an idea. Did you ever wonder why your mind is always full of extraordinary ideas when you don’t have your gear with you? Well I learned that my cell phone has a recorder on it, another way to voice my ideas and listen back to them when I get home.
My life as a writer has been a long one, with so many ups and downs. The ups when I completed a manuscript, the downs when I received the rejection letters. (And yes, I have enough of them to wallpaper my living room.) But through the good times and the bad, I never gave up my dream. So you can imagine my surprise when I got the call. When I say I was at a loss for words, believe me that’s something which never happens.
I want to leave you with the same advice you always hear. Don’t give up. Keep working on your manuscript and don’t be afraid to submit. I have waited for this moment for over twenty-three years and I’m glad that I didn’t give up. Go after your dream, imagine the outcome and know it’s everything you ever dreamed of and more.
Karen Cino is an author, poet and former journalist. She’d been writing since she was fourteen years old. She started her career by writing poetry, short stories and articles for her high school newspaper and the Staten Island Register. After reading Jackie Collin’s Lovers and Gamblers, she knew she found her niche, writing women’s fiction.
Her daily walk down at the boardwalk is what gets her muse going. It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and characters, boosting her muse. She loves writing about local places that people can relate to.
Karen is a single mom living in Staten Island, New York with her two adult children, Michael and Nicole, and three cats.
Website: www.karencino.com
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