You Must Show Up for Your Writing

By Ana Shapkaliska, Ana’s Author Page

One beautiful spring afternoon in 2016, my dear friend and neighbor, Ms. Angelica, showed up at my door. We were looking forward to enjoying our coffee together and catching up on the latest news, since she had just come back from her yearly trip to her native Brazil.

As I opened the door to greet her, I noticed she was holding a newspaper clipping in her hand. Her face was beaming with a special glee.

“What is that?” I asked with curiosity.

“This is something that you will appreciate very much. I believe your days as an isolated writer in this country are over,” she replied.

In going through the clipping, I found out that it was an advertisement for a writer’s conference, called Write Now!, which was going to be held at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh.

Wow, this is unbelievable. It’s only 10 minutes by car from here, I thought with excitement.

So, that’s how it happened. By the grace of my good friend, I came to know about Write Now! and the wonderful association called TAF.

Being an immigrant from North Macedonia in South Europe who relocated to Cary, North Carolina, I had been feeling like I had landed on a deserted island in my professional landscape.

In my home country, I used to work in the National Broadcasting Company as a senior scriptwriter. Three thousand people were employed there. Numerous TV movies and TV series were produced based on my original and adapted screenplays, as well as more than 10 documentaries. Many of them received recognition at prestigious European TV festivals. My debut novel was published by one of the best publishers and was shortlisted for a national award.

Leaving all that behind, I felt terribly alone. I was longing to have writers as friends around me, to whom I could reach out and get the guidance I so badly needed in my new environment.

I remember being super excited as I was preparing to attend Write Now! for the first time. I was not sure how to dress, whether I should apply makeup, or if I should bring my designer purse to the conference.

But all my fears and insecurities disappeared as soon as I got there. From the friendly and welcoming people at the registration area to all the wonderful presentations that followed, it felt like a fairy tale to me. I felt that I had found my tribe. For the very first time in my U.S. years, I felt that I belonged.  

The year was 2016. I remember the presentation of Don Vaughan. I didn’t know at that time that he was the founder of TAF and the mastermind for the conference. He spoke about his freelance career in a way that left me mesmerized. I clearly recall him saying that it is a very risky proposition to leave a stable job and embark on freelance writing. He mentioned examples from his own life, and that he felt confident to take that step since he knew the bills and the mortgage would still be paid because his wife had a steady job.

After attending the conference and filling out the forms to become a member of TAF, I felt genuinely happy that I finally got in touch with “my people.” My desire to make it as a writer in this country only increased, and left me with the feeling that if I persevere, my time will come.

Listening to different presentations inspired me to publish my novella “Good Morning, Mr. Dalton” on Amazon. It provided me with visibility and garnered some great reviews.

I attended all the conferences that followed except one. I couldn’t be more grateful for my good fortune. The board is doing an exceptional job, carefully inviting top presenters, but I will mention only a few.

Scott Meyers confirmed to me what a good fortune it is to be trained as a screenplay writer, and to be writing novels or novellas in a way that could easily be adapted into series or movies.

Sandra Gutierrez, a food writer, put it nicely that there is a place for everyone at the table. That no matter what genre you are writing in or where you come from, your dreams are valid.

Lisa Hagan assured me that even though the social media following is important nowadays, and the agents pay attention to that, the best advertising is the book itself.

Joseph Finder said that talented writers who don’t put much effort into their writing don’t make it farther at the end of the day than the less talented writers who put a lot of work and discipline into their writing routines.

Tiffany Yates Martin asked the best possible questions: “Why do you write? What is your motivation?” When we know the answers to those questions, we will know how to pursue our calling.

S.A. Cosby, who got rejected 70 times for his first book and more than 100 times for his first story, said: “You must show up. Talent and good luck are very important, but we must work very hard to make our dreams come true. My life was not easy, but my writing saved me.”

Write Now! conferences have reinforced my desire to stay on the path of writing, since that’s my life’s calling. The only downside for me is that after attending them, I become so energized, so inspired and full of positive energy that I want to leave everything behind and dedicate my time and my life only to writing.

And I don’t care anymore about what people used to tell me: “You are in the worst possible place for your career. You should live in New York or in L.A.”

Now that Write Now! and TAF are next to me on my writing journey, I’m good to go.

Ana Shapkaliska is a Macedonian-American scriptwriter, novelist and short story writer. She used to work in the TV Industry in her hometown of Skopje City, N. Macedonia. Her feature movies and series, as well as documentaries, got recognition at prestigious European TV festivals. Her debut novel, “Govinda, Anuttam and the Juhu Temple,” was published by TRI. Her novella “Good Morning, Mr. Dalton” is available on Amazon. She resides with her husband in Cary, NC.

You can subscribe to the TAF Blog here.