Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Mossgrove. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Megan, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
The women in my life, hands down. My mom and my aunt are the hardest working people I know and both have supported or raised more children than just their own. Every step of the way, they put their heads down and did what was needed, while working to improve themselves and every life they touched. More than that, they each trusted that I could do the same. My mom was the breadwinner or a single parent for much of my childhood, and my aunt has opened and helped open several restaurants, pouring all her love into the success of each one. Overall, both taught me, in separate ways, to keep going.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Megan G. Mossgrove and I’m a homeschooling mom of two–that also writes fantasy books! My first book, The Wingbreaker, released earlier this year. It started as a promise to myself and my inner child. I’d always wanted to write, but each time I tried, I couldn’t make it to the end of the manuscript. After my littles were a bit bigger, the itch started again–but there was the nagging worry I’d fail. At the time, we were playing D&D a lot, and I thought I’d chronicle our adventures. Well, it turns out our shenanigans didn’t make a whole ton of narrative sense. One day, casually, I said, “I could just drop a couple of other characters in here and make them fall in love,” and my husband (our DM and the creator of the Atlas World) loved the idea! I started drafting by the end of that week. Every day for 85 days I sat down and wrote one thousand words, from the beginning of the story, to “The End.” And then I cried for probably a whole two days. That worry that I wouldn’t finish the draft morphed into so many others–but that’s part of being an author. The learning curve is STEEP, and every story is different, but now I’m looking at releasing an adorable companion novel in December and I couldn’t be more excited to share these characters.
One of my biggest goals is to improve my craft with every book, with the hope that I can use beautiful prose to best explore the duality of characters as they grow and change. My passion for musical/intentional prose led me to some line editing courses, and I’ve been doing that professionally since the beginning of this year. Both my amazing clients and readers have played a huge role in affirming that this is where I’m meant to be.
Other than my companion novel, Satyr, coming out in December, I’ve also had the amazing honor of being part of a writing team for a fantasy thriller audio drama–The Long Rest. The Kickstarter is open for pre-registration, and on that page, you can see the teaser trailer that demonstrates the pride, quality, and sheer talent involved. While, like many indie authors, I struggle to promote my own work, this project involves eighteen wonderful people that I would gladly crow about to anyone willing to listen.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience, focus, and a willingness to learn. I have a sensitive heart, and for better or worse I tend towards people pleasing. It took a few rounds of critique for me to recognize that feedback on my work was not feedback on who I am. Failing to ensure that my female character had enough interiority in the second draft of my very first book, didn’t mean anything except I needed to do another edit round with that in mind. Having family and friends who don’t enjoy my writing style or high fantasy in general, doesn’t mean that I need to change. It was a huge mindset shift for me, as writing has always been personal, very close to the chest. I value my beta readers so SO much after seeing the improvement that was possible with a few sets of fresh eyes that wanted the story to be the best it could be. Now I will beg for critique. It’s vital when it aligns with your vision and comes from those you trust. At the same time, once a book is published, its done. I don’t read reviews, and that’s because I know that I went through the ringer with feedback already and done the work to publish something I’m proud to put my name on. Some people can continue to read reviews and find value in them, but it’s a boundary I’m happy to keep in order to protect my creative space.
Now for focus: you’ve got to keep your eyes on your own plate. It’s so easy to see what other creatives are doing, what they’re having success with, what changes they’re making or how they’re faring while doing similar or different things than you are. There’s value in observing, in learning, but for the most part, if you’re focused on anything that takes your focus off writing, it may be time to reevaluate. Put pen to paper and list your goals, then do what brings you closer. For me, that’s actually writing the books. I spend a lot of time nurturing community because that’s important to me, but I do it in a way that keeps my hands on the keyboard–writing sprints, body doubling. These keep me focused, and keep those who join me focused too, and I like to think we are all better off for it.
A willingness to learn. There is nothing that amazes me more than when I edit both a clients first book and their second. The difference is staggering and gives me so much hope for … well … all of us! Every writer I know improves with every story they write. “Improves” is subjective of course, but I mean I witness already talented writers sharpen their unique style. Writing is learning, there’s no way around it. There are a million ways to craft a story, infinite voices, and every book will have different needs. That ability to know your goal and apply general advice or critique in a way you know will bring you towards that goal is a valuable skill. There’s a difference between learning and memorizing “best practices.” (Or being distracted by arguing with them). Applying “writing rules” like a blanket will smother any story. If you learn the “why” then you can play with the “when.” The simplest way to do both is to read with writer eyes–and to write!
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I’d say I’ve improved in recognizing that I can fail and still be valued. Like I said earlier, the learning curve is steep, and I could write a book (heh) with the number of things I wish I’d done better, or known sooner. Even sending books to beta readers used to be terrifying, because I was too much of a perfectionist. I only wanted readers/critique partners to see a perfect, polished manuscript. But that only worked against me when it came time for revisions. I’m in a headspace now where I can send collogues my raw, unedited work, knowing that we both realize that that’s not ALL it will be. That it will grow and improve and be shaped by their suggestions and sharpened by the time spent with it. It’s a very specific kind of trust to have in your peers, and it’s been the perfect cradle for my sensitive soul. A book doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved, and neither do I.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mossgrovewrites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megan_g._mossgrove/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Megangmossgroveauthor
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mossgrovewrites?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Newsletter: https://mossgrovewrites.substack.com/
Image Credits
@gewska @M.T. Zimny
