PUBLISHED GRAD

What is the name of your book? Who is the publisher?

Look Through the Window
Published by Lisa Bell/Radical Women

Give us a short summary of your book.

Traumatic events never leave lives untouched, but often the effects hide beneath the surface. At only 20 years of age, a secret forced upon her pushes Arnita over the edge and she suffers a nervous breakdown with a subsequent diagnosis of bipolar disorder many years later. How can she overcome an illness she doesn’t understand, find the courage to share the truth of skeletons in her closet and encourage others to do the same? Through her shared story, original poetry and short pieces, Arnita takes a look through the window of her soul, daring the reader to open up and tell their own hidden story too.

Tell us a bit about your path to publishing, from idea to submission to published.

I always knew I would write a book one day, but what I didn’t realize is the journey that life would take me through to get me there. I had many lived experiences that propelled me into the beginning of my writing destiny. Believe it or not, I had recorded my story on a voice recorder and just kind of tucked it away in my drawer. I thought it would be a good idea to record the story while the events were fresh in my mind.

It was at least 30 years later when I decided to finally write my book. Later, when I began to “handwrite” my book, thinking I had written out all of my thoughts…that’s when I remembered I had recorded the story in little snippets of time, as time would permit. After listening to the recording from 30 years prior, I realized I was missing a lot of pertinent details that I had forgotten by memory.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was in Elementary school. I recall having to do daily writing journals starting in the 5th grade, approximately, 10 years old.

What’s your favorite genre to write and why?

Poetry & Short Story….I just love the way Poetry flows when I write it, and I also enjoy the idea of telling a quick story with my own unique flair. I have discovered I make a great “ghost writer.”

Please list the course or courses you’ve taken with us.

Breaking into Print

How has taking our courses helped your writing and/or career?

I always knew that I enjoyed writing and genuinely love it! I feel that it is very therapeutic for me. I also knew I would write a book one day. When I took the aptitude test and received a response from IFW (formerly Longridge Writer’s Group) that I was accepted into your program, I was ecstatic! It totally boosted my writing confidence.

Have any of your class assignments been published?

Yes, I believe it was  assignment 11. It was published in Texas in August, 2018.

Do you have a favorite writing tip you’d like to share?
Yes! Although I love the idea of having a “special” place to write…like your office/study, I also recommend changing the scenery. You can go to another room in the house or go to a special place by a lake, a library, a beach, a restaurant, on a mountain…just change it up and your thoughts are bound to flow more freely. You will be  surprised how when you are around other people and you just happen to “hear” their conversations, ideas, and topics will come to you. It is a good idea to keep a notebook with you to jot thoughts down or put them on a voice recorder so you won’t forget.

If you could travel back in time and give yourself one piece of writing advice, how far back would you go, and what would you tell yourself?
If I could travel back in time and give myself writing advice, I would start at six years old and tell myself to write about the way I feel since my cousin died. I would tell myself that writing is a  healer. It is okay to cry and write how you really feel. I would say writing is a true form of self expression. It is okay to be transparent and open.

Why write a story about your life and personal experiences?

I…write about my life and personal experiences because nobody can tell my story better than I can. I have earned the right to tell my own story.

Please tell us the best or most valuable thing you learned from your experience with ICL and IFW.

The most valuable thing I learned from my experience of taking this course is how helpful the constructive feedback was from the instructors. Sometimes the feedback gave great suggestions on how to improve the story or slightly tweak it. It helped me to tune in more and be more concise, but clear without being too wordy.