Taylor Talks
Life as an Author, Disney World Cast Member, and Big Sister through Foster Care & Adoption
                              Currently pursuing my own adoption journey... I'm #DreamingofaDaughter!
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Dreaming of a Daughter
  • Small Businesses
    • The Write Creations
    • Enhanced Edits
  • About Taylor
  • Contact

Tangled Web of Decisions

10/12/2015

2 Comments

 
Welcome back to Taylor Talks!

Today, I faced a really difficult decision concerning my writing and my beliefs. Actually, I faced two big decisions, one regarding a guest blog post, and one regarding my novel.
Picture
I'll start with the decision I had to make for my novel, as that came first in my day. I haven't written a lot since we moved, because I had to avoid looking at my writing for long enough that a new idea would come to me; I couldn't force something when it wasn't there. So yesterday I suddenly had an idea that I could get started on, and I was excited to get back to writing.

Today, I continued writing a little, finding some time here and there to sit at the computer, and I came to a part in my story where I had a big decision to make. I had outlined my novel chapter by chapter early on in my writing process, and I was up to this huge conflict that the protagonist faces that kind of shifts the story line... but I had to decide which conflict I was going to use.

​One conflict would be kind of meek and mild; it would get the job done and move the story along as I wanted it to, but it wouldn't be truly relatable to many readers. The other conflict would be hard-hitting news; people would be able to relate to it, understand it, and feel the protagonist's pain as she faced this conflict. It seems like a no-brainer, right? Go with the more exciting, relatable conflict?

Wrong.

If I chose the more dramatic conflict, then I entered into this territory where I walked a fine line between being too realistic and rubbing people the wrong way, or just calling attention to a real problem in the world and setting a good example for conflict-resolution through my novel.

I thought about it for quite a while, and decided to go with the bigger, more dramatic conflict. I'm no where near being finished with this part of the novel; it's only just beginning to take shape. I feel better knowing that I have a direction in mind, though, and even if I change the path to that destination slightly, I know what I want to accomplish with this conflict. With this decision made, I thought all major thought-provoking problems were finished for the day.

I should have known better.

My second major decision was more pressing than the first. I had to make this decision today because it was time sensitive. This decision wasn't like which conflict to include in my novel, option A or option B. No, this decision was more like the knot I had to untangle on my sister's shoe last week, a tangled web which left me wondering where to start.

A few weeks ago, I had written a guest post for another blog, and it was due to be published tomorrow. It was your basic introductory post, explaining who I am and how my family got started as a foster/adoptive family. Somewhat similar to a guest post that I had written once before, but still very different since this was a brand new writing. The blogger had given me guidelines to adhere to, as far as length and topic, and I was excited for the post to be featured.

This morning I received an email from this blogger with a link to view the post before it was actually published. I was told to respond with anything that I thought had to be edited, though I knew I had already re-read my post multiple times before sending it over. Still, I pulled up the link, and I re-opened my saved document on my computer, and I started reading. Wow, it was a good thing I checked it over carefully! An entire chunk of my post was missing. A whole piece of my family's story. Where was it?

To make a long story short, the blogger had purposefully cut my writing. I had never been asked if it was okay for my post to be changed in any way, and yet this complete stranger was changing my work. By deleting the paragraph from my post, this blogger was changing my family's history. So I emailed the blogger very politely and tried to get it changed back to the way I had originally written it, but I was told that the post needed to be shorter.

I had written a post that fell within the guidelines the blogger had given me for a length requirement. I had followed what this blogger had asked. Yet this blogger couldn't include my entire post no matter what I said. So I had to make a decision: let the post go up without the full story, or ask the blogger not to put up my guest post at all.

I struggled with the decision and slowly had to sort through what I believe in bit by bit. I wanted the exposure. I wanted to stick to my guns. I wanted my story out there. I didn't want just half of the story out there. I felt torn in so many directions and didn't know what I wanted to do. But by the end of the night, I decided that I had to be true to myself and tell the other blogger that I did not want my post being featured. Instead, I would hold the post until I found another blogger who wanted to feature it in its entirety. Sure, I wish that things could have worked out differently, but I feel like I made the right call.

Standing up for what you believe in may not always be easy, but it's what must be done.

Thank you so much for your continued support! I look forward to sharing more stories about my experience with foster care, and hopefully hearing from readers who have questions or similar stories to share. I'm always willing to answer questions and hear about other experiences! Please don't forget to like and share my Facebook author page as well!

I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.

Thanks!
Taylor

Previous Post
Next Post
2 Comments
Pam
10/12/2015 11:09:20 pm

If I were your Mom, I'd be so proud of you! Standing by your convictions is not easy, but the right thing to do! I've written three novels so far, but have published none of them. Each one was exhausting to write, took me more than six months each and went through a few edits by a fellow author, however the rewrites were so extensive, I took a break from writing altogether. I always wondered when people would say it took them two or three years to write a book how astonishing that was, yet I completely understand now. While the words pour out, and the writing is the easy part, it is the editing and rewriting that is so draining. Don't ever give up; keep trying and read a lot. Finding a style of writing that works for you is sometimes what makes the entire book. Sometimes when I read a book, I even find what I don't like about it, and make sure I don't incorporate that particular style in my own. For instance, there is a very famous Christian author who ends each chapter with a one line "bomb." Kind of like da-da-da-daaaa. It's fine once in a while, but oh my gosh it gets so completely old every single chapter, every single book. I know in beginner creative writing they want us to end a chapter with something that will make a person want to read the next chapter, but still this form of one-liners at the end gets a little old. I've read books already that didn't have a great story line, but their style of writing was so captivating that I'd finish the book despite the story itself. So be energized, follow your heart, don't compromise, and remember God really sees a much bigger picture than we can ever imagine, so let Him guide you! Blessings sent your way!

Reply
Taylor Faith Krigsman link
10/13/2015 09:10:52 pm

Hi Pam, thank you so much!! The funny thing is that my mom doesn't even know that any of this happened yet... my little sisters have been sick for the past few days, so I had to put on my big girl pants and make some decisions for myself. Usually I run all of my big decisions past her, but I didn't want to bother her while she was busy with the girls. I felt really proud of myself for coming to these decisions on my own, even though it may not matter as much in a few months (or even a few days). But in the moment, it felt really good to stand up for what I believe in, and choose not to get the exposure on this blog instead of giving in to the blogger. I'll find a new home for my blog post where it will be given the recognition that it deserves, because I think my family's story is amazing and deserves to be told completely!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Picture
    My family started doing foster care when I was three years old. We took in nineteen children over the course of eighteen years, with our last placement leaving in December 2014. I'm the only biological child in my family, though my parents adopted five of my siblings.

    I love to share my perspective on the foster care system and share how my unique upbringing shaped my life.

    I'm also a Cast Member at Walt Disney World and lover of all things Disney! My career allows me the opportunity to find a little bit of Magic in life every day.


    I enjoy sharing my journey as a writer as well. Find my children's books on Amazon and keep following my blog for updates on future books that I'll be releasing!

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014


    Categories

    All
    About My Family
    About The Blog
    Adoption
    Baking
    Birthdays
    Career
    Cast Member Mondays
    Day To Day
    Disney
    Family Life
    Foster Care
    Foster Parent Fridays
    Holidays
    Informative
    Inspiration
    Memories
    My Life
    Our Experience
    School
    Shared Stories
    Sign Language
    The Write Creations
    Writing


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.