I write because there is this longing deep inside me that makes me feel lost when I miss a day of writing.
I would have to say self-doubt is my biggest challenge. I work so hard to be good at what I do—be the best writer that I know I can be—but I tell myself that I’m not good enough.
I’ll never achieve my writing goals of becoming a known writer to thousands and thousands of people all over the world, when I should just be happy for everything I have already achieved with my writing.
Help Me!, my young adult novella about teen suicide and bullying, has won over fifteen awards since it was released January 2016.
How have I coped with this emotional challenge? I love to go on walks, exercise, and listen to my favorite music that helps get me out of my depression cocoon that I sometimes get in.
I have these periods where I get very depressed and don’t feel like doing anything or being around anyone. All I want to do is sleep instead of write. It may take several hours to a day or two before I come out of them and I’m able to write again.
I get past these periods by fighting through the depression and not letting it win.
Writers Must Deal with Neck, Back, and Arm Issues
I would have to say my biggest physical challenge is dealing with my neck issues.
When I sit too long at the computer, I tend to slouch and my neck starts to get tight and I get really bad headaches. I have this chiropractor that I found and he helps release the tension in my neck and back.
I recently had both of my arms done; ulnar nerve and carpel tunnel release all this year. Have I made changes to feel better? I take multiple breaks now so I’m not sitting at the computer for hours at a time. I love to go for walks when the weather permits to help work all the rest of my muscles.
Each Character Was a Part of Me
My greatest triumph has been writing a series.
I wanted to write several books that were connected to my two best friends. I had asked them a couple pages of questions about themselves and then with that, I wrote my three-book series.
Another triumph that I was able to accomplish and enjoyed doing was writing a multiple-character story. It was exhilarating and I couldn’t stop myself from working on it every day because each character was a part of me that came alive on each page.
The More I Write, the More the Plot Comes Alive
The one thing that has kept me going is the need to write. I have these voices that whisper in my head and I need to get them out and in a story.
I’ve been working on my latest book and the more I work on it the more the plot becomes twisted and alive.
Advice to a Young Writer: Even Five Minutes of Writing is Worth It
Live your dream and write every chance you get.
I know that sometimes in life things get in the way, but even if you take five to ten minutes out of your day to write just a few words it’s worth it.
Also, read as much as you can. Read the books that intrigue you and that you want to write about.
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Donna M. Zadunajsky started out writing children’s books before she accomplished and published her first novel, Broken Promises, in June 2012. She since has written several more novels and her first novella, HELP ME!, Book 1 in the series, which is about teen suicide and bullying.
For more information about Donna and her work, please see her website, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and GooglePlus. She is available for speaking on the matters of teen suicide, bullying and for author events.
Not Forgotten: Twenty-six years later, Deanna Iris and her son Brent move back to the town she grew up in—back where her secret began and when her life changed forever.
As she’s unpacking boxes, she receives a call from Officer Bates stating her sister and son have been taken to Mendota Community Hospital after being critically injured in a car accident.
Sitting with her son who is unconscious and her sister Sheila who is in a coma, Deanna meets their doctor who reminds her of someone she once knew. Could it be possible that Dr. Sheldon is her daughter, who Deanna was told died minutes after being born?
After meeting her old friend who knew about her secret, and is later found murdered, Deanna receives a note in her mailbox telling her to leave town or she will suffer the same fate. What transpired all those years ago and who is the mysterious woman she spots as she drives by her sister’s house?
Will Deanna ever allow herself to be loved and to let go of the past? Or will searching for the answers lead to her death? Available at Amazon.
Family Secrets: Alexis has had big dreams all her life, and she’s worked hard to make them happen! After college, she married and had a beautiful baby boy, living her dream as “Mommy” until Colton was safely entrenched in grade school. She lands her dream job at NASA, and her supportive husband, Jay, takes the lead on raising their son. The perfect family, right?
Twelve years later with no warning and no reason, Jay commits suicide. Colton goes into denial and blames his mother; Alexis buries herself in her work.
Seven months later, Alexis’s biggest dream comes true. She’s going to be on the next space shuttle! Her victory is short-lived when she finds out she has breast cancer. As her health declines, Colton delves into the dangerous circumstances of his father’s death.
“Family Secrets” crept into Alexis’s life when she wasn’t paying attention. Will she and her son ever find out the truth? Or is it too late?
Available at Amazon.
Help Me!: A novella about a boy named Mick and his struggles with life. His parent’s divorce and a friend’s suicide make his world unbearable. Each “cut” has a deeper meaning. A cry for help.
“I spin my dad’s Ruger SP101 revolver on the wood floor of my bedroom. Sometimes, just to see what it feels like, I place the tip of the gun against my temple, but I never once pull the trigger. NO!”
“I’m more into the slice of the blade against my skin and the blood running down my arm.”
“It relieves so much pressure.”
“And I can breathe again…”
Available at Amazon.
Talk to Me: Crowded halls filled with noisy teenagers. Teachers, homework, and never ending tests. Hanging with friends, dating boys, gossip, and preparing for the future.
Isn’t that what high school is supposed to be all about?
Carly Boyles was once popular and dated the Captain of the football team. She wanted to be like any other fifteen-year-old teenage girl at Lakeport Central High School, but Taylor Ryans changed everything.
Two weeks after their break-up, Carly can’t find a reason to live after she finds her best friend Staci Garrison; hanging all over her ex-boyfriend Taylor Ryans. Carly decides to take matters into her own hands, but is it more than just the break-up that has her world falling apart?
The rules no longer apply between two best friends when a boy comes between their once forever-friendship since elementary school. One phone message changes everything and Carly’s world is shattered to pieces.
Will she find a reason to live? Will she tell the one secret that is killing her from the inside out?
Available at Amazon.