Writers Who Kill

 

What I Learned about Writing from The Wizard of Oz

by Heather Weidner

The 1939 MGM version of The Wizard of Oz is my all-time favorite movie. It used to be a once-a-year treat when it aired on TV, but when technology changed, I bought the VHS tape and DVD for on demand viewing. I even took a two-week fun course on it as an undergrad. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it, but I still find surprises each time I watch it. 

Here’s what I learned as an author from it. 

You Had the Power All Along - You do. You have the grit and determination to fulfill your writing dreams. It’s there. You just need to harness it and figure out your plan. Make a plan and follow it. Don’t give up! Keep writing.  

Use Your Assets - You have the tools to be a writer. Like Dorothy and the gang, you’ve had them all along. You will need to put in the time and energy to hone them, but you have the brain, the heart, and the courage to do it. 

Everyone Needs Friends - The writing life is often a long and solitary journey, and you need friends, mentors, coaches, and cheerleaders. Find your crew and support each other.

People (or Scarecrows, Tinmen, and Cowardly Lions) Are Willing to Help - The Writing Community is full of authors at different stages who are gracious with their time and advice. Find your writing allies and cherish them. Find a writers’ group. Joining Sisters in Crime was the best thing I did for my writing career. 

Be Part of The Group - Make sure that you’re an active participant with the writing community. You don’t have to do everything, but you need to do something. Share ideas, experiences, and contacts. Provide feedback and guidance. Support other writers and look for opportunities to partner with others. 

Sometimes It’s Scary - The witch’s flying monkeys scared me so badly as a kid. (And when I was little, I found it hard to fathom that the lady in the Maxwell House coffee commercials was really the Wicked Witch. But that’s another story.) There are some rough patches and scary stuff along the writing journey. Rejections, bad critiques, and nasty reviews are the worst. Learn what you can from them and keep going. You are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. 

Be Flexible - You are going to run into all kinds of roadblocks and dead ends. Figure out ways to move forward and to advance your goals. Use your gifts. Be creative and find your way out of the dark places and the haunted forest.

And remember, one encounter and one pair of shoes can change your life.

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. 

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Murder by the Glass, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and Crime in the Old Dominion, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Jack Russell Terrier.