The obstacle course writers face has several stations. But first, you have to get in shape to even begin. So, flex those fingers, bring your typing up to speed, read lots of books, and when you’re sure you want to be an Author, then you start the obstacle Course.

The Tunnel Crawl

This is the place to start: in the tunnel to learning the basics. Don’t be tempted to crawl out too soon. What you’re doing by studying the guidelines of good writing, is exercising the memory muscle of craft. You’re building a good foundation. If you don’t learn the basic “rules” of good writing, how will you ever know when avoid the Stutter-step Tires*?

The Low Hurdles

Reading writing how-to books can be daunting. Some are downright boring. But others are eye-popping great. These are simply the low hurdles you need to jump. You’ll get the training you need to move on to the high hurdles.

*The Stutter-step Tires

Did you ever have a critique partner put the acronym RUE beside a sentence? Resist the Urge to Explain? I call these the stutter-steps. You’ve learned to show instead of tell, but then you don’t trust the reader to get it, so you tell it after showing it. Overcome this obstacle, because it will slow you down on your way to being published.

The High Hurdles

You’ve finally mastered the tunnel crawl and learned the craft. You’ve polished it and now avoid the stutter-steps. Now comes the high hurdle of editing. You’ve read your manuscript at least twenty times until you’re sick of it. Now you have to print it out and read it again???!! Yep. Told you it was a HIGH hurdle. Get going. You’ll thank me at the High Wall of submission.

The High Wall 

To leap this wall, you have to submit your work. Pry it out of your sweaty little hands and send it to an agent. If you’ve gone through the obstacle course, your manuscript is noes hinging like a new penny. It’s worthy of sunglasses. So submit it. And while it’s out on submission trail, start your next manuscript.

One final warning. The obstacle course contains Interruption Hill. And it’s often combined with the Sand Bag Carry. Slogging up that hill carrying sand bags of guilt, all the while trying to ignore the sideline voices of waiting chores isn’t easy. You have to practice it. But hey, your teenagers perfected selective hearing. You can too! The dishes will still be in the sink, and after all, paper plates can be a novelty. And I’ve told y’all before that dust bunnies are an endangered species. Let them propagate. Make PITA proud.

Way Down Upon a Suwanee Murder: 

a short ghost story

The Mackeys and the Halberts have been feuding for generations, but on one can remember why.

When Savannah met Jackson, she fell in love before she knew his last name. Now engaged, they have to end the feud so they can get married with each family's blessing. But if no one knows why the feud started, how can they end it? Savannah is sure the answer is hidden somewhere within the old—and haunted—Mackey mansion, now turned museum.

MICHELLE HERE: Just breaking in to say I've read this story and it's a HEAP of fun! Perfect time of year to read a ghost story, and don't worry . . . it's not scary. It's just a sweet, sweet read you won't want to miss!

About Ane Mulligan

While a floppy straw hat is her favorite, novelist Ane Mulligan has worn many including pro-family lobbyist, drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. Ane writes her Southern-fried fiction in Sugar Hill, GA, where she resides with her artist husband and chef son. Her debut novel, Chapel Springs Revival, was an Amazon bestseller. Chapel Springs Survival releases in Dec 2015, and Home to Chapel Springs, in May 2016. You can find Ane on her Southern-fried Fiction website, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and Pinterest.