My Journey By Michael Simon

When you combine a passion for writing with an endless universe of ideas, you will quickly realize that there are simply not enough hours in the day. That’s the position I found myself in for years, trying to juggle a full-time job and the urge to squeeze in a few minutes of frantic scribbling whenever possible.

For most of my life, I devoured science fiction and fantasy. The beauty of the genre was reflected in its lack of constraints; the author was free to world-build at his or her leisure. There were no guardrails, no rules to shackle the imagination. If the plot doesn’t work, simply change the rules. Maybe reverse gravity or add a second sun in the sky. It’s all legal. And the characters’ looks and actions were only limited by one’s creativity. It’s like diving into a pool of chocolate ice cream and flailing away to your heart’s content.

I honed my trade on short stories and celebrated every time a magazine or anthology accepted my work. Contests were especially enticing, and I regularly submitted to ones like ‘Writers of the Future.’

I loved the idea that someone, somewhere, was reading my words and enjoying them.

Fast forward a few decades to when my fledgling novels secured a literary agent, and my books were ‘on sub.’ At that time, self-doubt and imposter syndrome lurked around every corner. Was the writing good enough? Why would a publisher consider buying my sorry excuse for a novel?

Then lightning struck not once but twice. My agent sold two books, each of which was extended into a series. Exciting times. Scary times. Now, there were deadlines. I had written two books in five years. Now I had to write three more. I went down to work part-time, which freed up time for writing. Every day for two years.

The literary world is definitely intimidating territory, especially to the uninitiated. Revisions and more revisions. I learned the difference between copyediting and developmental editing. I learned how to work with illustration departments to forge wonderful cover art. I learned what ARCs were and the need to ask for reviews.

The process has been arduous and yet extremely rewarding. If I can pull a reader into my sci/fi world and allow them to escape the stress of the everyday world, my job is done.

And yeah, it’s worth it.

Written by Michael Simon