published Essays

It's always an honor to be asked to write an essay for Women Writers and Women’s Books. When writing these, I kept in mind that as authors, we are required to be immune to criticism, stumbling blocks, mistakes, and so much more.

Essay #1 was written when I was brand new in this world of writing and publishing. It’s about not letting the negative overshadow the positive. Easier said than done!

Essay #2 was written when I was getting close to finishing Callahan’s Cottage. I was experiencing writer’s block, not for the first time. This is a tough one: writer’s block, and we all get it.

I hope that these short essays might help you if you are doubting yourself and your creativity. Sometimes, knowing you’re not alone pushes you over the hurdles.

- Judy Lannon

Maneuvering the Writing World in my Late Sixties.

I was thrilled to be asked to write a piece for Women Writers, Women’s Books and I knew exactly what I would write about. How did I, an average person with no writing experience, write and publish an award-winning book at the age of sixty-eight years young? I would write about my rookie missteps, my endless google searches, and my drive to figure out what happens after I type The End. I mean, how many women have accomplished what I have at this stage in their life?

Turns out there are lots of us out there. Lorna Page published her debut novel, A Dangerous Weakness, at ninety-three. Laura Ingalls Wilder was sixty-five when she published her first book. Just Google How to Publish a Book at 70-you will be amazed at what comes up.

The realization that I wasn’t a “unicorn” among female writers left me feeling like an imposter who didn’t belong in such a talented group. But I quickly felt a kinship to these unknown women. Women who stepped out of their comfort zone put their heart and soul on paper for the world to read and for the world to judge. Because this is exactly what I did, left my comfortable, judge free world and stepped into an entirely different universe. Even though I had this realization, I still couldn’t come up with a clear direction for my essay. That was until this week when I received the following emails in less than twenty-four hours.

Monday 6:00 PM

Hi Judy,

I’m sorry this is so late. We do not have any registrations for your event tomorrow, so I am canceling. I’m not sure if people have already heard you somewhere or if it’s just the last hurrah of summer and people are busy. I would be happy to reschedule later in the fall – maybe a daytime event instead?

Tuesday 8:25 AM

Dear Judy Lannon,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to read “Nine Days” for consideration in our 2023 First Chapters Contest. As we can send so few excerpts into the next round, we do have to release interesting work—we’re sorry your entry has not advanced.

We’re grateful you chose to share your writing with us, and for your support. We wish you good luck with your manuscript and hope you will send us work again.

Tuesday 8:26 AM

Hi Judy,

There are 24 people registered for your event tomorrow at the Duxbury Free Library. We are really looking forward to it.

Rejection, rejection, exhilaration!

I would imagine no matter who you are, or where you are, as a writer you must learn how to maneuver the world of editing, publishing and the dreaded marketing and promoting.

In my case, that is when the really hard work began. Somehow, I survived the endless rounds of edits, the pain of query letters, and the search for someone to believe in my book. What I wasn’t prepared for was the challenge of promoting and marketing. There’s a thin line between skillful promotion and obnoxious behavior that leads to people crossing the street when they see you coming. I’ve learned to grow a thick skin, well I must admit, I’m still working on that and I’ve learned to accept rejection. When you put yourself out there, you must be prepared for criticism. With each passing day, I am getting better at navigating the roller coaster that is this journey.

I think that my affirmation will be:

I will continue to

sell copies of my book out of the back of my car
email, visit, and send promotional packets to local bookstores
speak at author events, whether to a room of twenty or an intimate gathering of two
research and strategically enter contests
post somewhat flattering pictures of myself with the book on social media
believe in myself

So onward and upward, or something like that. No matter what your age, be proud and let the world know what you have accomplished. Keep writing, keep selling your book, keep going!

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Writer's Block and the Refridgerator

What is the spark that ignites your creativity? What sets your imagination on fire, sending you to your laptop or notebook to record those thoughts before they fly away? What keeps you moving forward? This is the best part of writing, letting the words fly across the page as your characters take shape and you listen to them, you allow them to take over.

“I have fallen in love with the imagination. And if you fall in love with the imagination, you understand that it is a free spirit. It will go anywhere and it can do anything.” Alice Walker spoke these words in an interview in 2006. She is so much more than an author and a poet, and these particular words struck my soul.

When I first dipped my toe into the world of writing and publishing, I was amazed when my characters took over the narrative. There were times when I would argue with one of them, “You want to do what? How do you propose I write that from your POV when the story is written in the third person?” Don’t get me started on the whole POV topic.

For me, despite the arguments, I love this part of writing. I don’t hold back; it’s not me writing those scenes, it’s the characters I’ve created. But what happens when your protagonist leaves, taking your creativity with her? Do you find yourself pacing around the house, going down the social media rabbit hole, or staring inside your refrigerator? One very successful author told me she wound up renting an office space that didn’t have a refrigerator. I thought this was odd, but too many pounds later, I now know what she was referring to. Writer’s block!

What do you do when you find yourself with writer’s block? I’m pretty sure every author has experienced this phenomenon.

I’m struggling to write this essay. I feel uninspired, watching the wind and rain outside my window tempting me to go back to bed or get a snack from the refrigerator. I am suffering from writer’s block, or what I like to call my creative crash. Besides writing this essay, I am supposed to be working with my editor to finish the second round of edits for my third book and to move forward with the progress of my fourth book, which is currently in a rather underdeveloped state.

I suggest we try to look at writer’s block from the perspective of-our creativity is on a much-needed holiday. Our minds, just like our bodies, know what we need. If we are running on empty, we usually get sick. When we are overthinking everything, our mind shuts down.

So instead of getting frustrated and staring inside the refrigerator or mindlessly scrolling on social media, embrace what is happening or not happening and enjoy this temporary moment of a quiet mind.

I think that Alice Walker would agree that even our imagination and free spirit need time to rest, recover, and rejuvenate so we can get back to doing what we love. Write!

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