“My Pen, My Voice”: Writing a book her way

Violetta Holl
Web Editor
Would you ever publish your diary? York graduate Vanessa Grillone did.
“This is what I did. This is all mine,” says Grillone as she flips through her recently published book, My Pen, My Voice. Grillone is a 22-year-old writer who graduated fromYork University’s English program in 2010. Faced with the “real world,” Grillone wanted to follow her dream and publish a book. She had been keeping a diary since before she was twelve and knew that she had a story that should be told. Upon graduation, she decided there was no better time to pursue her dream of being a writer than now, while she was still young.
She sent out manuscripts, but received no replies. Most publishers rarely look at unsolicited manuscripts and Grillone did not have a literary agent. After a few months, though, she found some hope when a publisher vacationing in India promised to look at her work after she returned to Toronto. Grillone waited eagerly, but her hopes were crushed when she found out the publisher fell ill on her trip and passed away. Grillone lost not only a friend, but also her only connection to the publishing industry.

Grillone was convinced publishing the book was simply not meant to be. Her parents were determined to see their daughter succeed and suggested self-publishing. She researched her options and decided to go with a self-publishing package from iUniverse, a company linked to Chapters.
The self-publishing package suggested writers hire a copy editor and line editor–but Grillone didn’t. Instead, she used the skills she learned in school to edit her own work. It worked out great, she said.  The finished book is her real diary, filled with  her “raw emotions.” While some editors suggested she tweak it in some parts — changing  some prose to poetry, for example — Grillone kept it the way it was because she didn’t want to alter the reality of the diary.
The result is a book that’s all hers — from the words on the page to the choice of cover. It illustrates her improvements in her writing abilities and her growth as a person.
Grillone wants people who are thinking about self-publishing to “make sure they are ready.”
Her book recounts her life from when she first began writing it at age 12, before she’d ever considered publishing it, even revealing  the minutaie of her relationships and notes on a hidden tattoo most people didn’t know she had. It feels odd for her to hear strangers talking about the details of her history.

There were some reprecussions to revealing that much about herself, though–for example, her family’s reactions.
There is one reason Grillone is glad she revealed her diary to the world: her 16-year-old cousin. When Grillone looks at her, she sees herself–a shy teenage girl struggling with growing up. Grillone is not a conversationalist, and feels the best way for her to communicate to teenagers is through writing. “That’s her — and my — thing. She likes to write.”
Grillone hopes that this book can help her and other teenage girls relate to someone just like them. She feels that today’s society is making it increasingly difficult for young girls to be confident and independent. “I want to encourage teens to not only be comfortable in their own skin but to find their voice, whether it be through writing, or music, or actually speaking. Nothing will change unless you raise your voice.”
Vanessa Grillone will be having a book singing on April 16, 2011 12pm-2pm at Chapters Woodbridge 3900 Hwy 7 West, Unit 1 Woodbridge.