AUTHOR'S CORNER;

THINGS A WRITER SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER!

I have recently been a little despondent; my resolve, my determination, my ambitions to make it big in writing has somewhat dwindled and seems to be fast fading as I desperately await accolade for my work.  In an attempt to perk myself up and infuse a little motivation into my life, I found myself searching the net, late last night, searching for some literary inspiration, some guiding hand or words of wisdom!  I love writing, I live and breath words and in almost everything I encounter I come up with a scenario in my mind and a new plot for a book!  I am only ever truly happy when I write, and miserable when I don't!  But of late, my resolve has weakened and my faith in my own ability has faltered....it happens, I am only human!  And yes, I know I am a good writer, I know that I am published already and am 'living the dream' so to speak. Except the dream is not as....dreamy as I had imagined and sometimes, when I find it hard to get book signings or promote my work, the dream fast turns into a nightmare!  Common phenomenon amongst writers, I know.  We start off with quite a lot of self doubt and when we finally make it to the publishing houses, we are eager not to fail, this in itself makes us believe that we can and will fail!

But my bored and feeble efforts to search the net for some inspirational quotes have paid off, for in finding them, I found inspiration and new found hope.  There is nothing quite like hearing it from the horse's mouth, no one can explain you better than another writer.  So in finding this new found inspiration, I have decided to share and remind the rest of 'us' writers that we truly are magical and wonderful beings with a talent that is a pure gift from God!

  

Yes writers see the world differently, they really do see the world differently and are moody and temperamental with it.  But oh so brilliant at interpretation of it, that mostly our books are magic!  We weave magic in our words and bring life upon the pages.

 

 A good book is like a whole world for the readers to immerse themselves in.  Never forget the power in our fingertips, the power we possess, the joy we can bring, the thought we can invoke!

A writer is a being who has a lot of words inside their heads.  Just as a musician sees the world in notes and keys, an artist sees the world in shapes and colours, a writer sees the world in words, in scenarios and in spells that can literally transform peoples' thinking!

 

 I suppose the reason we are so passionate about our writing is the fact that in our writing there is an element of ourselves, hidden within the chapters of our stories.  In essence we are sharing our soul with the world, giving away secrets and allowing the whole world into our world.  failing is personal rejection!

The art of writing is actually and truly discovering what you believe!  Not what your parents have taught you, not what society wants you to believe, but what you know to be true, how you see the world. It is the most liberating thing in the world!

And what's more, here is a few things you must remember to keep you on track....

If you do not believe, really believe in your writing...(forget what the agents think, what the publishers say) if you doubt yourself for a moment, your writing will be...doubtful!

Writing is a skill.  making up stories is a talent.  Remember, like any other craft, practice, practice and practice!  The talent is there but the skills must be developed! If you can write a novel, then baby, you can write.  Now polish up those skills!

Every single writer on the planet has dark, blocked days.  It is a big effort to drag yourself to that computer and make something out of a blank page, especially when there is no guarantee that you will ever be published, ever be read or ever 

make any money!  The determination is the only reward you have!

And after all your hard work, guess what?The hard work has just begun!  You will need to dispel with your self assurance and take a long hard look at your work and dismiss that you thought brilliant and restore that you deemed good!  It is almost like rejecting your own child for what they are and making them what they ought to be!

This is the truth and probably the saddest part of being a writer; nobody actually cares that you are writing a novel, nobody is actually that interested in your unfinished work.  It does not matter to anyone that you have been writing a novel for the past year!  If relying on praise is what you are hoping for...well then baby, you need to find another job!