Unexpected Perks (or Blessings) from being an Author

by Marilyn Turk @MarilynTurk

Someone once said, “I don’t enjoy writing, but I enjoy having written.” I have to agree with that statement. While I find it miraculous the way a story develops while I write, I didn’t expect the process to be so hard. At least for me, the perfectionist over-achiever pantser, it is. And part of the added difficulty for me is the fact that I’m a historical writer, so I obsess over having details about the era and setting accurate. After all, it’s my job to show the reader the scene as if they were watching a movie. But then again, the upside is that I love learning, so I love research and often get lost on rabbit trails. So I guess the required research is an unexpected perk.

But along the way, I’ve also experienced some other unexpected perks.

One was entering the world of writing where other authors live. What a delightful perk it is to meet other people like myself, a little strange because they think their stories and the people in them are real. They’re not? Going to writers’ conferences gets us out of our somewhat lonely existence and makes us part of a community. My first experience at a conference reminded me of poking an anthill and seeing hundreds of previously unseen ants surface and scurry around.

As a lighthouse fan, I’ve written blogs and stories about lighthouses for years. One unexpected perk from that endeavor is hearing from those who were related to the people in my story. Since my stories are historical, those people are no longer around. Another side perk is that people have found each other commenting on my blog post, as it’s a version of ancestry.com.

Maybe you did, but I didn’t expect to be asked to speak to groups when the public found out I’m an author. So, in order to have a professional image, those requests required me to work on my speaking ability, get over my fear of speaking, and organize my thoughts into a topic. And since I was expected to talk about what I wrote about, I had to become somewhat of an “expert” on the topic. For me, those topics include lighthouses, the Civil War, and World War II, which means more research. (Always a perk.)

Here’s an unexpected perk you might want to use carefully: telling people you’re an author so you can be allowed an opportunity not given to everyone. The first time I used that ploy was when I “stumbled upon” a lighthouse in my travels. Okay, so it’s hard to imagine how one can stumble upon a lighthouse. But seriously, I wasn’t aware a lighthouse was near me until I spotted it towering over the trees. So being the avid researcher and curious person that I am, I followed a truck and parked in front of it beside the truck. It just happened to be pouring down rain that day, so I sat in the car, waiting for the rain to stop. When I made eye contact with the driver of the truck, he rolled down his window and I did mine. He asked me why I was there because they weren’t open on a weekday. I told him I wanted to go inside. He asked me to come back on the weekend. Since I lived in another town, I told him I couldn’t, but that I NEEDED to get in that day, and here’s the punch line, “because I am an author.” I couldn’t believe I said that, but it worked, so he told me to come back in an hour when other people were there, and he’d let me in. So I did and got a personal tour of the lighthouse, keeper’s house and the history about them. I was permanently smitten with lighthouses after that.

Another really cool thing that happened was when a new US Coast Guard cutter named for Margaret Norvell, a woman lighthouse keeper in New Orleans, was being launched, and I was invited to attend because I wrote a blog about the woman. Speaking of cool. My husband and I drove to New Orleans for the event, and I met many of Margaret’s descendants. I even got to climb onboard the ship!

I may not have achieved the “rich and famous” expectations I hoped for when I began this writing journey, but God has blessed me with unexpected perks I never would have had if I hadn’t taken that first step, then the next, and so on.

What unexpected perks have you experienced because you are an author?

Award-winning author Marilyn Turk writes historical and contemporary fiction flavored with suspense and romance. Marilyn also writes devotions for Daily Guideposts, Walking in Grace, and contributes to other Guideposts publications. She and her husband are lighthouse enthusiasts, have visited over 100 lighthouses and also served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine. When not writing or visiting lighthouses, Marilyn enjoys walking, boating, fishing, gardening, tennis, and playing with her golden retriever. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Word Weavers International, and the United States Lighthouse Society. Marilyn is also the director of the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference. Find Marilyn and her books on Fiction Finder, as well as her website, Facebook, and Pinterest.