LitPick Review
M.C. Ryder has always been a writer since she was a young child. But now as an adult, her dream took her writing a step further for her. She wanted to be a published writer. So she set out on her journey, one with many trials and tribulations, but nonetheless she finally was able to say she was a published author.
In this memoir, she chronicled what her first year was like being an indie author and all the things she learned throughout the trying process. She explained that she never wanted to be under tight deadlines dictated by editors of the traditional publishing houses, so that’s what made her lean heavily toward the nontraditional publishing approach. She was skeptical of some of the stories she heard from other authors of how they were scammed out of the rights to their books, their contracts were bogus for one reason or another, and a long list of other unthinkable things. She set out on an adventure she truly didn’t have a set course for and hoped things would magically work out in the end for her. Fast forward to the present, she is a successfully published author with a fan base begging for her to write more books.
Opinion:
The first thing that really stood out to me about M.C. Ryder was her tenacity in wanting to not be published in the traditional sense because she wanted full control over her writing time and her stories. I loved how she knew what she wanted, and forged through however difficult the task at hand was in order to stand firm in her conviction that things were going to be done on her terms.
I loved the raw writing she did throughout this memoir. She wrote in a down-to-earth way in which any reader could step in her shoes and not only see what she was seeing, but feel what she was feeling. I truly related to her saying that she had no fancy degree, but with determination and plenty of hard work, she made it to be the successful writer she always wanted to be on her terms. Not many writers can say that. I say writers because a large majority of them don’t even make it into the publishing world, whether by means of traditional or self-publishing. They start experiencing the same obstacles that Ryder did and they give up before the fight even truly began for them. Her determination and strong will were a breath of fresh air for me, while writing in a simple, down-to-earth way her readers would love about her.
I really enjoyed reading about her writing approach, and although I never read any of her novels, I enjoyed learning how she liked writing from an animal’s perspective, such as she did in writing from a wolf’s perspective in one of her popular series. To me, this was a very unique approach to writing, something you really don’t hear many authors do. This made her stand out from the rest for me because she decided to come at her writing from a different perspective than other writers. Obviously, it worked because she has many adoring fans buying her work and begging for more from her.
Overall, My Journey as an Author was an entertaining memoir in which I got to learn firsthand what Ms. Ryder went through to secure the published author spot she holds today. Her memoir is an easy read for any reader, but especially aspiring writers who hope to be published one day themselves. It comes highly recommended! Well done, Ms. Ryder!
