Independent Wellies

A few days ago, I was introduced to the joy of the Write Club Podcast. Author Linda Newbery talked about her passion for writing and the benefits of community in what is often a solitary occupation. I was interested to hear that she is very secretive about her new work, not allowing anyone to see it until she feels that it is finished. What she writes is hers, and she likes to keep it that way until she is ready. This message resonates very strongly with me. I want to learn the craft of writing and I know that I am going to have to share my work at some point as part of that process, but I can’t pretend that it doesn’t scare me. Linda has the benefit of many years of experience and a successful writing career. She knows when something is ready. Will I when the time comes?

I have an old wooden box in which I keep all sorts of photos and pieces of paper which are important to me. They are not organised, just dropped in when they pass a mysterious, uncodified test of worthiness. At the very bottom of the box, where it has languished for more years than I am prepared to divulge, is a folder marked ‘No Entry to Unauthorised Personnel. The Collected Poems of Midge.’ It is fair to say that the quality of the poetry is dubious to say the least, but I’m going to share this one with you anyway. You will see why, but I’ll let you decide whether I’ve made the right decision.

There is a wealth of really great and totally free information available about writing and trying to get published. Right now I’m on a webinar about how to get an agent. In the past two weeks, I’ve read the latest edition of Writer Magazine, attended several webinars and listened to podcasts. I’m aiming to do at least one thing every day to make my dream of writing my novel and getting it published just that little bit closer.

I’m learning about querying, pitching, genres, blurbs, plot points, researching agents, comps and a whole lot more. And I’m loving every minute of it! It’s all completely new to me. New and exciting. So much more exciting than my day job, but let’s not talk about that right now. It isn’t relevant or interesting, trust me.

So this is it. My first blog post in well over a decade. And that wasn’t really a blog. I just used WordPress to create a website, which I took down a few years later because a few people had the audacity to leave comments. To be honest, it wasn’t really a website. It was a place to store a very large amount of research, some of which I have now turned into a non-fiction book of dubious commercial value which will probably never see the light of day.

So, why have I returned to the delights of WordPress tonight? Because this is the beginning of a new adventure for me. I’ve always enjoyed researching and writing, and now I have decided to have a go at writing a novel. So far, I have about 20,000 words written, not necessarily the best words but still I’m learning about the writing and editing process. Hopefully one day we will look back on this blog post together and have a giggle at my naivety. For now, I am content to have made a start and to be following the perceived wisdom of getting into the habit of writing every day – even if it is just a little blog post!