Lisa Braxton always dreamed of writing a novel. As a child, she would curl up with her copies of Little Women or Charlotte’s Web and imagine creating her own stories. However, it wasn’t until many decades later that she began to pursue this dream in earnest. Her journalism career taught her the fundamentals of storytelling, the necessity of rewriting, and the importance of a good editor. But covering stories about missing children, murders, tragic accidents, and severe weather left her with little time or energy for creative writing.
Everything changed after Lisa concluded her journalism career. She enrolled in a low-residency MFA program at Southern New Hampshire University and completed her novel within two years. Excitedly, she sent sample pages to agents, only to be met with a wave of rejections. She revised and sent it out again, but the rejections continued. Seven years after completing her manuscript, Lisa pitched it to a literary agent at a Women’s National Book Association Boston gathering. The agent was encouraging, and Lisa thought she was on the brink of becoming a published novelist.
However, after months of revisions, the agent ultimately turned it down, stating that it needed more work. Devastated, Lisa contemplated discarding her manuscript and starting over. Her husband, also a writer, advised her to “pause.” He suggested she join a writing group to get support and feedback from her peers before deciding her next steps. Taking his advice, Lisa found the South Shore Scribes on Meetup.com, a group of writers who met weekly at the local library.
Each week, Lisa presented seven to ten pages of her manuscript to the group, which included playwrights, horror writers, poets, short story writers, and novelists. Their feedback was invaluable. They reassured her that her story was compelling, with a strong narrative drive and well-developed characters. They also provided detailed suggestions for revisions.
Their encouragement and constructive criticism convinced Lisa to persevere. This led to her novel, The Talking Drum, being published by Inanna Publications in Toronto. Later, members of a different writing group she joined after The Talking Drum critiqued many essays in her memoir, Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss. Their feedback was instrumental in polishing her memoir to a level that attracted Sea Crow Press, a woman-owned publisher.
While Lisa has since moved on from both groups, she occasionally hears from members on social media and sees them at literary events. They congratulate her on her publications and express their pride in her achievements. Lisa is grateful she didn’t give up.
ABOUT LISA BRAXTON:
Lisa Braxton is the author of Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss, published by Sea Crow Press, and The Talking Drum, published by Inanna Publications. She teaches writing at Grub Street Boston and serves on the executive board of the Writers Room of Boston. Lisa is also the president of the Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
In Dancing Between the Raindrops, Lisa explores the depths of grief following the deaths of her parents within two years of each other—her mother from ovarian cancer and her father from prostate cancer. While caring for her mother, Lisa was stunned to discover she had breast cancer. This intimate, lyrical work offers a powerful meditation on grief and a lifeline of comfort to anyone navigating the world without a loved one.
For more information, visit LisaBraxton.com.
