It turns out, COVID or no COVID, I don't get out much. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen editing movies. During the pandemic two of my documentary projects ground to a halt. Rather than sit around the house and binge Netflix, I continued my creative pursuits, but switched to writing books.
I can't stop!
I've always been a writer, starting with my first byline when I was 13 years old writing for "The Tumbleweed," published monthly by Carey Junior High School. I wrote and drew cartoons for my school papers through high school and college.
I set all that aside when I started working. When I was in Lander, Wyoming, I picked up a side gig writing sports and columns for the Wyoming State Journal. I compiled all my newspaper columns into an anthology called "Wyoming Graffiti." My uncle who was in the printing business sent it to a publisher. The book was rejected. As it turned out, my work was a memoir, but memoirs written by regular people weren't a thing yet.
Fast forward to 2019, I attended the Wyoming Writers Inc. conference. One of the conference offerings was pitching to publishers. I didn't know much about the writing business and signed up to talk to Jessica from Winter Goose Publishing. I hadn't planned anything, but told her about a story I wanted to develop based on a chapter in my "Grafitti" book. She liked my idea and asked me to send her a finished draft. Three months later, I had my first book deal for "Beyond Heart Mountain."
I was writing feverishly and sent in 80,000 words in December. Then the pandemic hit. That project stalled, but the road to my book contract was so remarkable, I started another book about my unorthodox process and discovered Shut Up and Write online writing groups.
I joined on in probably April 2020 based out of Bend, Oregon hosted by Lauren that met daily starting at 7am Mountain time. She changed the time to 7:45 am, which was too late for me and I started one that began at 5:30 a.m. that I've been hosting since then.
During COVID, I've completed and self-published four books, just finished "Views from Atop My Bedpan" and laying out my first novel "Libby Flats."
I also edited two documentaries that I shot prior to the pandemic that aired on PBS.
I keep thinking I'll run out of ideas, but they just keep on cropping up. Maybe COVID affected my brain health.
— alanohashi
I can't stop!
I've always been a writer, starting with my first byline when I was 13 years old writing for "The Tumbleweed," published monthly by Carey Junior High School. I wrote and drew cartoons for my school papers through high school and college.
I set all that aside when I started working. When I was in Lander, Wyoming, I picked up a side gig writing sports and columns for the Wyoming State Journal. I compiled all my newspaper columns into an anthology called "Wyoming Graffiti." My uncle who was in the printing business sent it to a publisher. The book was rejected. As it turned out, my work was a memoir, but memoirs written by regular people weren't a thing yet.
Fast forward to 2019, I attended the Wyoming Writers Inc. conference. One of the conference offerings was pitching to publishers. I didn't know much about the writing business and signed up to talk to Jessica from Winter Goose Publishing. I hadn't planned anything, but told her about a story I wanted to develop based on a chapter in my "Grafitti" book. She liked my idea and asked me to send her a finished draft. Three months later, I had my first book deal for "Beyond Heart Mountain."
I was writing feverishly and sent in 80,000 words in December. Then the pandemic hit. That project stalled, but the road to my book contract was so remarkable, I started another book about my unorthodox process and discovered Shut Up and Write online writing groups.
I joined on in probably April 2020 based out of Bend, Oregon hosted by Lauren that met daily starting at 7am Mountain time. She changed the time to 7:45 am, which was too late for me and I started one that began at 5:30 a.m. that I've been hosting since then.
During COVID, I've completed and self-published four books, just finished "Views from Atop My Bedpan" and laying out my first novel "Libby Flats."
I also edited two documentaries that I shot prior to the pandemic that aired on PBS.
I keep thinking I'll run out of ideas, but they just keep on cropping up. Maybe COVID affected my brain health.
— alanohashi
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