We’d like to thank Amy Fellner Dominy, author of DIE FOR YOU, for stopping by to talk about the connection between writing and a bathtub.
“Here’s how it works. You picture a bathtub that’s full of water and you’re a wave beneath the surface. If you can break the surface, you’ve written a book good enough to be published.”
For many, many years I was a writer in dreams only. But I always believed I could sell a book. Why?
Because of a bathtub.
This is a bathtub in my head—one that was described to me at a writer’s conference years ago. A bathtub that I never forgot.
Here’s how it works. You picture a bathtub that’s full of water and you’re a wave beneath the surface. If you can break the surface, you’ve written a book good enough to be published. So imagine this gentle wave rising and falling with every story you write…as you get more experience and expand your talent, your wave rises, taking you closer and closer to the water line.
Still with me?
At first, you might just barely clear the water for an instant. One quick gulp of air that comes when an agent says “yes.” Or when you win a contest. Or when an editor writes a personal note on a rejection letter. What a rush it is…but then you sink back down because that’s what waves do. But you don’t sink as low. You’re right there, hovering so close, until finally you get that sale and you find yourself above the line again and again.
Why is this image so helpful for me? Because the bathtub is all about me getting better. It’s about making sure I rise to higher and higher levels.
Ultimately, that’s the only thing that we, as writers, control. Our writing.
So as you work and you write, always strive to improve, to rise on the tide of your talent a bit higher with every project. Don’t give up if it takes a while—it certainly did for me—but I learned the things I needed to know along the way.
“But you must write. Writing is what creates the waves. Otherwise, the water is still…unmoving…and so are you.”
With best wishes and cheers for your success!
Amy
ABOUT THE BOOK
by Amy Fellner Dominy
Hardcover
Published Delacorte PressReleased 11/8/2016
Theirs was the perfect love story.
After Emma Lorde’s parents’ divorce forces her to move halfway across the state of Arizona to live with her father, Emma must face her senior year in a new school knowing absolutely no one.
Then she meets Dillon Hobbs and something just clicks.
Dillon introduces Emma to friends she can call her own. He provides a refuge from the chaos of her past and the security of a commitment that he promises will last forever. And because circumstances of her messy life forced Emma to put aside her dream of pursuing archaeology, Dillon creates a blueprint for a future together.
He saves her, over and over, by loving her more than she thought anyone ever would.
But just when everything seems picture-perfect, Emma is offered an opportunity that will upend the future they’ve planned. Uncertainty grows, and fear spirals into something darker.
Now Dillon is the one who needs saving.
But how much do you sacrifice for the one you love? What if saving Dillon means losing herself?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Fellner Dominy is the award-winning author of novels for teens and tweens including A MATTER OF HEART, an ALA Top 10 Sports Book for Youth; OyMG, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, and AUDITION & SUBTRACTION, a Bank Street College ‘Best Coming of Age’ novel. Next up: DIE FOR YOU, a dark romance for teens out 11/8/16.
And coming in 2017 from Disney, Amy’s first picture book, COOKIESAURUS REX, with writing partner Nate Evans.
