A Writer’s Lament

AuthorDM

 

Someday, I’m gonna sit down, open my old files, and figure out how many book signings, library talks, book festivals, craft fairs, and book clubs I’ve attended over the twenty-five years I’ve been writing. In summary fashion, I can safely say that I’ve been as far west as Calgary, Alberta, as far east as Youngstown, Ohio, as far north as Winnipeg, Manitoba, and as far south as Council Bluffs, Iowa. I’d like to think that these bits and pieces of my writerly journey from considering writing a book to actually writing novels chronicles my progress as an author, but I’m not sure anyone would be interested.

I started writing seriously in 1990. My first novel took three years of sweat, blood, and tears to hammer into shape. After a decade of shopping that first effort (The Legacy) to agents and publishers, Savage Press accepted the book for publication. Mike Savage taught me the ropes of book publishing, marketing, and distribution and, in the end, after the book’s regional bestseller status began to wane, with no literary agents knocking down the door to represent my work (a necessity in attracting large, New York publishing houses—every author’s dream), and being impatient by nature, I chose to go it alone. I formed Cloquet River Press, found a printer, established a relationship with a distributor, and started churning out books. I find myself decades later with my tenth book—seventh novel—meandering towards birth having achieved little recognition for my effort.

There was a time when I submitted work I’d written, novels that had achieved acclaim from national and even international reviewers, to writing contests in hopes of winning at least an honorable mention; something, anything to set my work above the crowd of self-published authors. I know, I know. Seeking such vindication is akin to trying to win the Powerball. I understand that I should be satisfied that folks generally appreciate my work. I know this because they come back for another Munger “read” or send me kind emails praising my stories and characters. And to be fair, a couple of my short stories have won recognition in local writing contests. Such small, sweet victories raise my spirits and make me smile. For a few weeks. And then, it’s back to reality. I remain, despite serious and consistent effort at craft, virtually unknown as a writer in my own hometown. Rejection is something every writer, poet, musician, or artist must face and, having experienced such disdain by the public, ignore. I understand this delicate dance with ego. I’ve repeatedly submitted my work to the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award and the Minnesota Book Award only to watch folks, talented to be sure but having only the most tangential connections to my backyard, win year in and year out. I’ve talked to folks “in the know” and asked “why?” only to receive blank stares and the admonition to “try, try again”. Once, in answer to such an inquiry, a female judge in a local writing contest confided, “I was on the committee and thought your book (Suomalaiset) was the best of the lot.” And yet, that novel, a broad, sweeping historical look at the lynching of a Finnish dockworker in Duluth, didn’t make the cut. Despite such heartbreak, I continue to put my shoulder to the wheel of words. I cannot not write—even when my head hurts from decades of pounding it against the wall of anonymity.

Sometime this year, Boomtown, a legal thriller set in Ely and Grand Marais, will be released. I’m trying something new: I’m asking readers who’ve enjoyed my work to pre-order the novel to assist in funding its publication. I plan on releasing the book in September. So far, the response has been tepid even though Boomtown has a timely plot and reprises many characters from The Legacy, Pigs, and Laman’s River; books that have done well with readers. Resurrecting beloved characters is my way of saying “thank you” to folks who’ve read my work and told me to keep at it. But whether Boomtown is the end of my efforts to become an established author or a new beginning remains an unanswered question.

 

You can pre-order Boomtown at www.cloquetriverpress.com. Click on “Buy Books Direct” and scroll down to the book cover for Boomtown. Click on the book cover and follow the instructions. A version of this essay was first published on 03/06/2016 in the
Duluth News Tribune.

About Mark

I'm a reformed lawyer and author.
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