Maggie King's Life as a Writer
I used to think I had to be an English major and hole up in a garret with huge blocks of time in order to call myself a writer. This garret of my imagination is located in the Montmartre district of Paris. I’d turn out novels at an alarming rate on my manual typewriter.
Alas, my background is in business and IT. No garret. No
typewriter (thankfully). I work out of the converted bedroom of a 60s-era split
level in Richmond, Virginia. I do spend huge blocks of time writing, but not
just novels and not at an alarming rate. Short stories, blog posts, and social
media posts also flow from my brain and fingers while I shoo cats off my
keyboard.
Presently, I’m writing the third volume of my Hazel Rose
Book Group series and doing the final edits for the second volume, Murder at the Moonshine Inn. I’m also
editing a short story I’ve written for a wine anthology.
I love my work. I love having multiple writing projects. I’m
not wedded to technology and find it difficult to be creative on the computer.
So I write in longhand—in fact, I created this post with pen and paper. The head-to-paper-to-computer
process no doubt slows me down, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
On my daily walks I come up with my best ideas and work out
sticky plot points. On foot, I’m working on a flash fiction piece that I hope
to publish in the near future.
Aside from creative efforts, I arrange and participate in author
events; collaborate with my Sisters in Crime chapter; and give endorsements to other
writers. I spend a lot of time on
social media. I enjoy being connected to friends, family, writers, and readers;
I also know that I need to limit my time on social media and not get carried
away. I’m sure most authors agree that Facebook, Twitter, and the like take
much time away from actual writing.
Next year I’m presenting a webinar to my college alumni
association (Rochester Institute of Technology) on how to write a mystery. I’ve
never created a webinar and it scares me. Which is precisely why I stepped out
of my comfort zone and said “yes!”
I’d probably go stark raving mad in a garret. But maybe for
one day? Excuse me while I book a flight to Paris.
Maggie is a member of Sisters in Crime and the American Association of University Women. She has worked as a software developer, retail sales manager, and customer service supervisor. Maggie graduated from Elizabeth Seton College and earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology.
She has called New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California home. These days she lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Glen, and cats, Morris and Olive.
Website: http://www.maggieking.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaggieKingAuthr
Instagram: maggie8208
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