About Writing
How often have you heard someone say, ‘One day I’ll write a book’? Perhaps you’ve said it yourself - I know I did.
Then I read an article about a young woman who suddenly lost her husband, and whilst raising her children started to write, and persisted until she was published. That woman is now one of the world’s most famous crime authors.
I was working full-time and writing short stories, but I decided if this woman could write novels through her adversity, then frankly I’d run out of excuses. It was then I decided to extend my writing to novels, and I wrote my first.
I started writing for adults, and then discovered an absolute love of children’s fiction. It was four years until I was published, and now my second and third books are also out there.
If you feel you don’t have time to write, use a schedule like I do. It’s a bit like a school timetable and lists the hours during the day in hour blocks, seven days a week. I simply slot an hour in here and a couple of hours in there after work and on weekends, until I find I’m writing for several hours each week. You may find you need to sacrifice other enjoyable pursuits, but hey - do you want to finish that book or don’t you?
What’s better than finishing your novel? Opening an envelope that contains a contract for publication. And what’s the greatest feeling of all? Seeing your novel in print!
But writing is also about pain and perseverance. There’s one word that all authors know intimately. Rejection. We all suffer from it, and we all get depressed about it. But we need to learn to get over it and keep trying. Never, never, never give up!