Advice from the Experts: Terry Deighton (Author, Wife, Mother)

By Lessa Harding

One thing few people know about me is that I have pointed ears. I remember coming home from school crying because the kids in my class teased me about my ears. When I started reading fantasy novels and role playing with my daddy as a teenager, I thought my pointed ears were cool. On occasion, I even used dark eyeshadow to accentuate the pointiness and I styled my hair to draw attention to my ears. Who am I kidding? I did that through my 20s.

I secretly loved my ears, even when I was teased about them as a kid. I was certain I was really an elf princess with auburn hair to match the color of the Redwoods and with green eyes to match the leaves. My ears made me the heroine in many an imaginative story. I was drawn back into this reverie about my ears as I got to know author Terry Deighton.

After speaking with Terry, I can’t help but wonder how many of us have envisioned ourselves as the courageous hero who saves the day and changes the world. The thing about a courageous hero, though, is you can’t be one unless there is conflict or fear that has to be overcome. WWI hero Eddie Rickenbacker said that “courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

Terry is a quiet hero who loves reading, crafting, watching television, and talking with her family. Her friend Ann Acton, author of The Miracle Maker, describes Terry as a “grammar goddess,” but Terry describes herself as an introvert who “always wanted to write books that would affect readers the way [she] has been affected by [her own] reading.” Terry also fully admits to having to work to develop the thick skin—and, I would add, the courage—required to send her work into the wide world of publishing. Terry told me that “the hardest thing I’ve had to learn is not to be hurt by criticism. It’s important to let it sit until it doesn’t hurt anymore and then look at it objectively and see how you can revise your writing to make it better.”

Terry is the author of three Christmas novellas and a five-book middle-grade series called Tweaks. Her blog describes her series as having “a dash of science, a splash of humor, and a generous portion of character development.” Having read the books, I fully agree with that description and the 4-star and higher ratings her books have received on Goodreads. I’m pretty sure Terry is one of those amazing heroes who “is doing what [she] is afraid to do.” I hope her advice helps you find the courage you need to be a hero too:

• “Try to get an agent, but if that doesn’t happen in a reasonable amount of time, give self-publishing a try. You don’t have to choose one or the other.”
• You may wish you could just “write your books, publish them, and send them out on their own. Unfortunately, they just sit if you do that. . . . All authors have to do a lot of marketing, so understanding social media and setting up Amazon ads is important.”
• “Write when and where inspiration strikes.”
• In terms of balancing family and work, “you have to decide what is most important and organize your time according to those priorities. Give up what isn’t important so you have time for both family and writing.”
• “Don’t set arbitrary deadlines for yourself, and don’t compare your output to anyone else’s.”
• “Use rejection to fuel the desire to write better, to learn the craft, to find your niche.”
• “Above all, don’t give up. [Giving up] won’t make you happy. If you are a writer, you have to write. Write for yourself, and publish when it seems right.”