I thought I’d take this Friday Feature to introduce you to an important fixture in my life, Misty Moncur. In addition to authoring more than 10 books over the last three years, she’s been my BFF since we were children.
Misty has always been a stand-out when it comes to anything brainy. She’s one of those people who is just good at everything which was lucky for me because in addition to being my best friend she also tutored me in almost every subject from junior high through college.
Misty has recently taken her long standing love and talent for writing to a whole new level. That’s why I am featuring her here today. If there is anyone out there that has ever wanted to write, you probably want to hear her story. It’s a “how-to” on beginning to write a novel.
A few years ago I took several excited phone calls from Misty about an organization she’d found called NaNoWriMo.org (National Novel Writing Month). It’s an online program that issues a challenge to aspiring writers every November. The challenge is to inspire hopeful writers to put pen to paper every day during the month. At the end of the month, the author has written enough content to fill the pages of a short novel.
“I have a full time job and I’m a full time mom, so I don’t have a lot of time to write. I would carry a small notebook in my purse, and on my five minute break at work I would pull out the notebook and a pen, open up the notebook and just start writing,” Misty said. “I would write like crazy for five minutes because I knew I only had those five minutes–no time for staring at a blank paper trying to think of the exact perfect words.”
For a first time author, creating an entire book full of words seems insurmountable. The NaNoWriMo breaks it up in to daily bite-sized pieces. By the end of the month, you’ve accomplished the impossible.
After participating in NaNoWriMo for a few years Misty had first novel published. Daughter of Helaman is available on Amazon.com. 
Misty has taken the success of her first novel and turned it into an 8 book series! If you liked the Hunger Games, you’ll LOVE this series. The second and third novels in the series are now available on WattPad.com.
Several years ago if anyone had told Misty she’d be a published author she would have told them to get lost! She’s long had a passion for writing but was intimidated at the writing process. “I’m a total perfectionist by nature, and I don’t want to start things I can’t do perfectly the first time. To be a writer, you have to bag that philosophy. You can’t edit something you have not written,” she said. “I don’t keep rough drafts around. I keep a work in progress. I think that’s how life is too. We don’t keep old, imperfect versions of ourselves lying around. We are continually making ourselves better.”
I admire Misty for finding a way of accomplishing her life-long goal. Since she’s broken through this barrier, she’s really awakened her senses. She participate in writing groups, book clubs, on-line author forums and keeps a professional blog. I’m so proud of her and her accomplishments.
She’d tell you that if she can write a book, anyone can. So here’s the permission you’ve been waiting for. Go for it!
I read the first book and am really excited to read the second and third. The first was great, an interesting take on a very familiar Book of Mormon story.
A great book Misty and so proud of your success! I’m looking forward to many more good reads.
I read the sample of the book. It definitely sounds like something I’d enjoy reading. I will have to buy it now because I want to know what happens next.