Erin Fanning

I’m taking a break from my literary journey to share a smattering of good news and a moral of sorts.

First the good news:

I recently discovered that Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA chose my short story, The Quincienera Text, to be part of their Women of Promise Scholarship:

“Each student read a beautiful story – The Quinceañera Text, by Erin Fanning – with a cross-generational theme that resounded with the students own experiences. When they arrived at Pine Manor each student wrote an essay on the story and later participated in a seminar-style discussion with their peers and a member of the faculty.”

I felt as if I’d won a contest I hadn’t been aware of entering. And I learned that touching someone with my writing was the ultimate reward for taking pen to paper (or, rather, fingers to keyboard).

I was equally honored to be profiled in the October issue of Toledo Reads. Sharon Arquette, the writer, told me she had been looking for an author with an eclectic career, someone who pursued a variety of literary avenues. She came across my website and was intrigued by my publication history. What I viewed as a scattered, unfocussed writing “career”—calling it that is a bit of a stretch—she found interesting (and, although flattering, the profile exaggerates my accomplishments a bit).

Which leads to my moral:

Enter contests, answer calls for submissions, promote your writing, and, most of all, learn the ins and outs of patience and perseverance. I could go on and on with numerous cliches and tired advice that you’ve head a million times but I think you get the idea: if you give up, you’ll never discover where all those hours of translating your imagination into words might lead you. You, along with your readers, could end up in a pretty spectacular place, where storytelling meets inspiration and promise.

I better wrap this up. My snake-wrangling buddies, Mano and Rafael, are honking the horn of their rusty F-250. They’re ready to hit the road and neither one of them is exactly known for patience—it’s the beginning of another literary adventure.

Happy holidays and see you in 2013!