A Writers Lot

The life of a published writer must be all glamour right?

Most of the time it is spent behind a screen, writing, editing, writing some more. Maybe even scrapping what you wrote because it doesn’t sound right. Hemmingway had it partly right.

Your first draft is always rubbish – although what about the second, third and so on?

I’ve beta read for other authors, when I did use Goodreads.

I don’t much any more. There was a lot of trolling, not just with me, but other authors. Why is it people seem to think it is okay to say something on line when it wouldn’t be acceptable face to face.

Back to beta reading though – There are times when you wonder whether it has been through any editing. Saying that, I can’t spot a mistake in my own writing. I will miss punctuation, spelling errors, the lot. When I take parts of my novel to my writing group, I need to have a thick skin that’s for sure – but that’s how we get better. My novel ”It Won’t Happen Again,” wouldn’t have the reviews it did get without the help of them and, of course, my editor at the time, Emily Randle.

That is why using another eye is a must. Even if you are self-publishing, that much is a given. When I look at what I used to write (especially my first book) I wonder why I thought it was good enough to publish. In my defence, I used a vanity publisher. Back then I didn’t know to avoid them (lesson learnt)

When you tell someone else you are a writer, they almost brush past it, like writing is a hobby. Yes, in a way, it is true. But for those of us, who invest in our stories, it is more than that. It is an unpaid job, hard work, and not as simple as typing a few words on a page. There is so much to worry about – plot, character, narrative, sentence structure, tone, audience, research, sending off to agents, publishers, rejection.

But true to our art, we keep going. Why? Because we are writers.

The one thing I have noticed with bloggers is they care about what they write. I am truly amongst people who want to be here. Knowing it is a craft they are willing to work hard for. The quality is better here, than on other social media sites.

I can’t believe I have been blogging for nearly a year, but I will carry on (prices permitting). I love reading other blogs, I love taking part in word prompts and I love being part of a community, who loves writing.