My Newsletter

October ushers in a season of festivals, colorful Autumn leaves painting mountain terrains, plump orange pumpkins, and candy corn. Fall flourishes with romantic, love stories, Halloween horror movies, tailgating, football games, and so much more. Yes, the pendulum of storytelling swings widely from creative minds of authors writing the next heart-warming love story or movie studios producing the next haunting flick that’ll scared the daylights out of you. LOL

Some of my fondest October memories include growing up under the loving care of my grandparents on their small, rural farm in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Every October before the first frost, we’d harvest our yams and potatoes out of Mother Earth to store in a cool, dry cellar. October beans, homemade apple butter, and sweet potato pies are just a few of the seasonal delicacies that graced our dinner table. Boy could Grandmother and Mom cook.

In this newsletter, I would like to answer another question put to me as an author. I’m often asked, “When and how do you find the time to write out a full manuscript or story?” If I told you my story telling was born out of my passion for the craft, that would only be a small part of the truth. I still remember the labor of love as I sacrificed hours and hours to write my first manuscript in 2008. That time, labor of love, and the joy of completing that first manuscript remains etched in my mind and heart forever. “Now to the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey would say.

To become a writer, you must first adopt the 3 D’s in your daily life. A desire to write, discipline to stick with it, and determination to see it through. With these 3D’s you’re at least off to a great beginning. First, I would encourage you to read as many books as possible about the craft of writing. Also, attend writing conferences where you’ll gain mountains of information about writing, meet agents, authors, and industry people, who are more than willing to share their advice or answer your questions. And remember, to become an author, you must first write that first paragraph, first page, and first chapter. Then incorporating the 3D’s into your journey, you’re well on your way.

To conclude, I hope you’ll enjoy my October short story, “The Haunting Interview.” I’ll be posting it into my short story writing file along with this newsletter on my website, donniestevens.com. Enjoy, and until we meet again, keep writing, and keep those questions coming.