[Shadow Warrior Blog Tour] Guest Post: Courtney Rene on The Road to Becoming A Writer

The Fairytale Nerd is the next stop on the Shadow Warrior Blog Tour! Courtney Rene, author of Shadow Warrior is here to talk about the road to becoming a writer.

Courtney Rene lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, and her Shadow Dancer series, published through Rogue Phoenix Press. For a complete listing, visit www.ctnyrene.blogspot com. Please feel free to contact her at ctnyrene@aol.com.

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The road to being a writer…you hear people, writers, whoever spout off about their journeys and all the trials that went with it. But, let’s face it if they, we, or I didn’t enjoy what we do, we wouldn’t put ourselves through it. The journey is part of it.


Like most journeys mine began when I was a small child, early, early on when I wrote a silly story about a pig and won a young authors award for it. I can’t express the excitement and pride that I felt seeing that silver sticker embossed on the cover of my hand drawn and crayola crayon colored book. It was also the door that opened up the writer’s world for me. It was but a crack, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but that feeling of accomplishment was my beginning.


I wrote here and there after that, when I HAD too for school, but that was it. I was too busy reading everything I could get my hands on. Then my senior year in high school I got stuck having to take a composition class. I dreaded that class like you have not idea. I was forced to write within lines and confines and I hated it and bucked those lines as often as possible. I have the grade to prove it too. But as much as I loathe admitting it, I also learned the rules, the grammar, and the map to writing. Yes, I still struggle mightily with grammar sadly but thank goodness for spell check!


I began to write seriously several years ago. I broke down and took a writing class through the Institute of Children’s Literature and began to see what I could do, for real. Not for a grade, not for money, but for me. I learned, and I researched, and I failed more times that I care to admit, but I pressed forward and slowly but surely I began to make my way up that ladder a rung or two. I found my way into magazines, and anthologies, and finally books.


One of the hardest things for me though, was learning that not everyone is going to enjoy what I write. I may love a story and think it’s wonderful, but some people will hate it and not be afraid to say they hate it in no uncertain terms. That was very hard. It hurt my feelings and almost made me stop writing. Rejection is difficult in all things, but having your work that has your blood, sweat, and tears inside rejected, and criticized was crippling. But since I am no wimp, and I am stubborn as all heck, I learned to find the constructive help within the hate and used it to learn. I actually love hearing from people now. The good, the bad, the in between, I want to know what people think. If someone didn’t like something, I want to know why so that next time I can do it better. I don’t pretend to be perfect. I am far from it, but I try to get better every day.


I look back on some of my first published works and see so many things I could have done better. I see areas that could have been expounded upon or added more depth too, areas that seem rushed. That is what time and practice are for after all.


So yeah, my journey to being a published writer was not a cakewalk, but I am still kicking. I am still learning and I am still churning out stories. Some that are good, some that are great, and some that still need some work. But then again, who says my journey is over? Maybe it is only just begun.

Shadow Warrior 

by Courtney Rene

Sunny finally makes her first jump to the Kingdom of Acadia that is on the other side of the shadows, for what she hopes is a vacation. Only her vacation turns into quite an unwanted adventure. Aside from new and unexpected issues regarding her relationship with Leif, Sunny meets the rebel group, makes new friends, fights with controlling her powers, and finds herself neck deep within a county that is torn apart by two sides, each fighting for power. Acadia is not quite what she imagined. How is she, one young girl, supposed to unite the Kingdom as well as unseat a King to take her place as ruler of Acadia.