It’s Launch Day for Young Blood, my new Young Adult thriller! Thanks to my talented friend Dainty Dora for transforming my cover idea into the beauty below.
Today I’m doing an online celebration over on facebook. If you click this link you can view the posts on the Discussion page. I’m not doing a facebook live so anyone can drop in and out to view the posts at any point throughout the day https://www.facebook.com/share/RV6EhwXPKAUbmNHq/?mibextid=9l3rBW
I’m also busy getting organised for my in-person launch at the weekend where I’ll be selling signed copies. I’ll post more about that next week.
After what felt like a slow start to the year, Spring has raced forward at light speed (with some lovely sunshine along the way).
The past couple of months have been very busy for me as I’ve been working on final book edits, cover design chat, and more proofreads.
I also took part in the Paisley Book Festival Schools programme in April. This meant a lot to me as I lived in Paisley for many years and I wrote lots when I lived in the town. A couple of my flash fiction pieces were inspired by observations around town and I used to love sitting in cafes writing notes and reading and going wanders taking photographs of some of the beautiful buildings. I also wrote my first two books when I lived in Paisley.
Delivering creative writing workshops to a range of S1-S3 pupils was fun and I always love seeing what story ideas they come up with. As part of my sessions I had given the groups real-life news headlines for inspiration and the most popular one by far was ‘Girl finds criminal living in her attic.’ I really wanted to read the finished stories for that prompt!
School Workshop in action
After my workshops were over my husband and I headed across to the Isle of Arran, one of our favourite places to visit. We lucked out with the weather and it was so relaxing going walks along the beach and sitting outdoors for meals/drinks. I always think there is a real sense of calm on the Island and could happily spend weeks there writing and doing creative things (but sadly had to return home to my day job!!). Sometimes I dream about being successful enough to be a full-time writer and if it meant being able to spend more time hiding away on islands like this that would be the biggest motivator for me!
Beautiful Arran
Later this week I’m going to be doing a Cover Reveal for Young Blood, my new young adult crossover thriller and posting the trailer for this.
It’s always nerve-wracking releasing work out into the world but also exciting to see a project ‘come to life’ and now I can’t wait for the book to be published and story to be read.
It’s the last day in November and the last day of my writing challenge where I have used prompts every day (since the weekend I started) throughout the month to write a post on here.
Today’s prompt is to use the Emily Dickinson quote I dwell in possibility to write a poem, essay or story. I’m writing a straight forward post instead (though I guess it could be classed as an essay) as I feel this title is very apt to end on.
Successfully completing this challenge has reminded me it’s possible to make time, even if it’s just for an hour at the end of the day, to sit down and write, or focus on something creative. Waking up my imagination reminds me of the magic that exists in the everyday.
When I start a big project such as a novel, I love that feeling of anticipation, of not knowing exactly how a story is going to unfold or if I’m even going to be able to successfully transport what is in my head onto paper. Sadly it doesn’t always turn out the way I want it to – a bit like when you have a very vivid dream and it’s all so clear and you are sure you can relay it scene by scene, but something happens in those waking hours where you can’t quite capture the story in a cohesive way.
But then you tell yourself there are other dreams still to come, there are other stories that will be written. And it’s exciting thinking this could turn into something amazing, dazzling, which could be life-changing for you. Or at least sell and be read by a wider audience. Every time I hit send on a piece of work to a competition there is a sense of possibility – maybe, you never know…
My writing has enriched my life, not only be feeding my soul and giving me a feeling of purpose and drive, but by opening up a world where I’ve met so many interesting people – both other writers and readers, and creatives. It has taken me on adventures to schools, book shops, writing groups, conferences, community events, libraries, colleges and universities. It has kept me sane when the day job gets too intense, or real-life gets challenging. It has brought some of my best friends and best experiences into my life. It keeps me curious, and keeps me wanting to get better at my craft and try new things.
I saw a post on instagram earlier today with a quote from someone saying they were bored of reading the successful under 40 lists and they wanted to see stories of people later in life achieving their dreams, or striving for them. Someone in the comment section called @_d_u_n_e said in her tribe in Nigeria there is an adage which translates, ‘whenever a person wakes up, is their morning’
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow – each day I dwell in possibility.
Today’s prompt is to ‘Write a thank you note to my readers’. A good place to start is to thank you for reading my blog post/s. As we hurtle towards the end of November my challenge of writing a post a day is drawing to a close. I really appreciate the messages a couple of friends have sent to say they’ve enjoyed the email alert with my post dropping in each day, and for comments on here. I mainly set this particular challenge to test myself and see if I was disciplined enough to do it, as well as get a bit more creative with my writing, but it’s nice to know it’s not all falling into an ether abyss!
In previous posts I’ve talked about how as a writer a large proportion of my time is obviously spent alone when getting words down on paper/screen, attempting to shape the ideas and characters filling my head into some kind of story that makes sense. If I’m lucky those words will then reach readers, and there’s nothing better when a reader then makes contact out of the blue to tell me my words/story/book has resonated with them. When a reader takes the time to tag me on social media with a positive message, send me a direct message, or write a review for my books it really means so much.
When I was thinking about writing this post it made me reflect on some of my favourite comments/messages I’ve had from readers and I have posted some below, because I think writers can be really bad at celebrating the ‘wins’ -not book awards- for me, these are my ‘wins’. Also during in-person events having teenage boys (who we are told don’t read anymore – actually they do!), tell me my book is their all-time favourite/that they were up till the early hours finishing it, means so much.
I loved this story, so sad and poignant. *** Heartbreaking and heartwarming, this one had me bawling (in a good way) *** What a powerful story. It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for your beautiful words ***
This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I felt like I was living and breathing the story, and the characters were all so fascinating that at times it felt hypnotic…. Like all great books it’s the little things that make it special – this book has lots of special moments. Skilful dialogue, tension, dark tones and mystery… It’s the sort of book that readers mourn when they finish. (an early review for Follow Me that meant so much!)
IT WAS AMAZING!! I started it on Friday, and I couldn’t put it down!! I really, truly couldn’t stop reading, and I went to bed quite late over the past few nights because it was so good! Once you read one chapter, you HAVE to read another one, and another one, and another one. I loved it. (a heart-warming message a young person sent me after reading Follow Me after one of my earliest writer events)
I love love love your books ( a message from a reader who had just finished Promise Me)
I love your writing
Comments like these keep me going on the days I read my work and think it’s garbage, when I’m at the sticky middle of a project that feels like it’s sinking, when I question why I spend so much time in this mad world of my imagination when it really doesn’t always reap a lot of reward, when I’m tired and tell myself I’d rather spend my time doing a million other things that don’t involve sitting down and getting words on paper….
But then I remember the magic I felt at points of the story when it all started to come together, and when a reader tells me they felt a bit of that magic too, that is what makes all of this worth it. Thank you!
Today I am using the prompt ‘Interview someone who inspires you’ and I’m excited to have my very own writer Mum, Rosemary Gemmell, on my blog today. There was no better person I could think of to interview for this post as my mum has definitely been my biggest inspiration and support over the years, introducing me first to the world of books, then writing.
A talented and prolific writer since she put words to paper many years ago, here’s a wee insight into Rosemary’s world of writing.
When did you first start writing?
I first wrote poetry when a teenager in high school but I didn’t write anything else creative until after having my two children. Then I started experimenting with all kinds of writing, including academic essays as a mature student.
What do you write?
A little of everything (almost)! I mainly write short stories, articles, poetry, novels and novellas, with occasional children’s fiction.
What was your first published piece of work?
My very first published writing was a letter to a magazine, followed by several more. My first longer piece was an article in a Scottish Women’s Rural magazine. My first published short story was after winning the Short Story Competition at the Scottish Association of Writers conference, adjudicated by the then editor of My Weekly who bought the story for the magazine! My first novel, Dangerous Deceit, was published by a small Canadian company.
Why do you write?
I write partly to communicate and to entertain anyone who likes to read, as well as trying to make sense of all the ideas in my head that clamour for expression. When my imagination is stimulated, I explore it in fiction. But I also write because it’s fun, especially sending work out and waiting to see if anyone wants to buy or read it!
What or who helped you on your writing journey?
The single most useful and helpful decision I made for my writing was to join a local writing group at Erskine, near where I used to live. A wonderful writing tutor, Sheila Lewis (now sadly deceased), came to deliver a six-week session to get us started and ended up staying on as a valued member. She was probably my biggest influence, encouraging me all the way to publication. Lots of other writers have inspired me over the years, especially when attending the SAW conference and entering competitions. Strangely enough, my daughter (thank you, Victoria) also inspires me to be a better writer whenever I read her beautiful and often profound writing.
Share a writing low with us (if you feel comfortable doing so). What did you learn from this?
Although I was lucky to have my first novel published, it went through a few rejections first. The same with short stories – many published but many that just weren’t good enough. Now and then, it was discouraging but it taught me perseverance, to keep going and that the rejections were not personal; it was only a particular piece of writing that didn’t fit that time.
Share a writing high
Winning that short story competition with my first submitted story, then having it published in a well-known magazine, was one of the highlights of my writing career. It was followed by several other competition wins, including one where I was presented with a £1000 prize and a silver cup at a ceremony in Harrogate (Writing Magazine Love Story Winner – those were the days)! But nothing beats that initial confirmation that maybe my writing was good enough. The other main ‘high’ was getting my first full-length novel published as I wasn’t sure I could write longer fiction. Every success is still special.
Share some of your favourite lines from reviews/feedback of your work which boosted your confidence: (tell us what piece of work it’s about)
This was one of the many lovely comments for my first novel, the Regency-era Dangerous Deceit, which really made me want to continue writing books:
“I’ve just finished Dangerous Deceit and wanted to let you know how much I loved it. I feel incredibly guilty for racing through the pages when so much hard work went into them, but I couldn’t wait to see what happened. Feel a little sad now it’s over to be honest.”
And one from my most recent full-length Gothic suspense novel set in Scotland, HIGHCRAG:
“The characters and the plot blend seamlessly and, like Cate, the reader is unsure who totrust but in the ending all threads of the plot are skilfully brought together in a most satisfying way.”
Any tips for new writers?
First, read as much as you can. If you want to write short stories, read those published. Same with novels – we absorb the ‘how to’ while we read, much more than when reading ‘how to’ books (in my opinion). And read a variety of writing for inspiration.
Second, never give up writing and experimenting with different types and genres until you find the one that is just right for you. If your aim is to be published, keep sending work out – it maybe wasn’t the right piece at the right time to the right person.
And for all writers; any tips for keeping motivated?
Use any short snatches of time to get ideas and sentences down, without the pressure of having to sit and produce a set number of words, as they all add up. A good writing magazine is full of motivation and might help to get you going again. Reading can also help to motivate our own writing, and I find music good for stimulating ideas.
When do you write? Do you have a regular routine, or do you write in frantic bursts?
I’ve never really had a regular writing routine, although I do find my creativity is best in the mornings. I tend to write in short bursts and like going back to a piece to redraft it. I find it too boring to sit at the computer for long so I write shorter items in between novels!
Where do you write? (A dedicated room, or on-the-go)
Although I have a very pleasant room I call my study, with a desktop computer, I write far better with pen and paper when out and about, especially on trains and in cafés. The words seem to flow when writing, or scribbling, longhand and I can easily shut out distractions. I then redraft while typing it up at home. I wrote one of my first novellas almost entirely in longhand while out and about and enjoyed it far more than sitting at the home computer (until redrafting it!).
Any stand-out books you have read this year?
I loved Madeline Miller’s two fictionalized books about Greek mythological figures and their stories, Circe, and then Achilles. They inspired me to finally do an online course to learn Ancient Greek! I also read the wonderful complete Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths, and my favourite LJ Ross DCI Ryan books. There were lots more in paperback and on kindle, of course.
Please share links to your website and where to buy your work so that people can find you
Thanks to Rosemary for taking the time to answer my questions and for the lovely comment about my writing. I really enjoyed reading about your writing journey.
The Amazon link above will take you to all of Rosemary’s fabulous full length novels, novellas and short story collections. Also, if you are a People’s Friend fan then look out for their 2024 Annual in newsagents now where you will find one of Rosemary’s Christmas short stories
I’m hoping this ‘Interview with…’ spot might be something I continue to feature on my blog for future posts as I think it’s really interesting reading about fellow writers’ (and creatives) journeys and tips!
Home today after a night away in Stirling (and back on my laptop for this post, so hopefully the photos might not look so squashed together!). When looking through my prompts I landed on: ‘Write about the best trip you’ve ever taken’ and I decided to put a spin on this. I’ve been lucky enough to travel abroad to some spectacular places, and maybe I will still do a post about one of those holidays, but some of my favourite trips are ones that have become a bit of a tradition – small places not too far from home which have become favourite haunts. Stirling is a city my husband and I have visited a number of times over the years and we have a favourite B&B and a couple of favourite restaurants we go to now. We enjoy dropping in on the lovely indie bookshop/cafe the Book Nook., and on this trip we discovered a new shop, called Made in Stirling which was filled with amazing art products from local artists.
Another tradition is to drop in to Tir na NOg on the way home, which I call my ‘happy place’. I took some photos (above) but they don’t do it justice. I love the little shops here bursting with magical trinkets; candles, crystals, cute ornaments, gorgeous jewellery, cards and so on. The courtyard is always lit up which looks particularly nice in the darker, autumn months. Today it was looking quite festive, with colourful lights. The Soup Dragon cafe serves amazing food. We had too big a breakfast for lunch today, but I managed one of their very tasty brownies. As I was sitting in the courtyard I began to daydream about how great it would be to open a bookshop/cafe that captured the spirit of both The Book Nook, and Tir na NOg…. if anyone with any business sense wants to get in touch…
The best thing about the trip this weekend was we didn’t book it until the last minute and the spontaneity added to the fun.
Last month I mentioned taking part in the #writetoctober23 challenge over on Instagram which was a great way of making time to do short posts about my writing life and keeping my head focused on creative things. I didn’t take part some of the days when I was on my abroad honeymoon, but managed to keep up with the challenge for most of the month.
Since this ended I’ve missed having this fun creative focus, as often I’m so bogged down during the week with work brain I often find myself not having the headspace to work on longer novel projects. Then I get frustrated with myself because I’m not devoting any time during my week to anything creative at all.
Lots of people take part in NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month) every November, where they commit to writing a certain amount of words per day, usually with the aim to accumulate 50,000 words of a novel by the end of the month.
I thought it would be fun to set myself the challenge of writing a blog post a day (hopefully!) throughout November instead, with no word count goal imposed; the goal is just to get some words down every day. (Obviously a bit late to the party as we’re 5 days in to November, but I will make up for lost time).
So I went searching online for themes and prompts to inspire me and came across this great post here on the See Jane Write by Javacia site which contains a whole year’s worth of blog prompts. I also flicked through my helpful little book of creative prompts, The Pocket Muse by Moncia Wood and found there was actually an overlap in some of the themes.
I made a selection of ones I found most interesting, and I’ve listed them below so that anyone reading this can maybe join in or find your own inspiration from this. Even although I have made myself this list below there is probably going to be some variation on it (for one, I probably won’t do them in order as I feel some will be quicker posts than others, so this may be my deciding factor for which one I land on for a particular day).
I am also going to give myself permission to use the ‘prompt’ loosely as I know it may spark off alternative ideas.
I’ve listed 30 prompts and obviously we don’t have 30 days left in November – so this allows for space to skip past any I feel stuck with. I might duplicate some posts (interviews, cities I love) so again if you are using the prompts, don’t feel confined by them.
I plan to put the prompt I’ve selected for the day on my Instagram account so you can follow me over there for reminders: @victoriagemmellauthor
PROMPTS:
Why do you Blog?
Write about an outfit you associate with an important memory
Use an image as a prompt
Write about a City you love (I might use this prompt more than once)
Write a 6 word memoir
Take a negative comment and flip it into an essay or post
Write a love letter to your body
Write a letter to your younger self
What do you love most about writing
Write about a time you had to speak to a large crowd
Write a 6 word story
What songs would be included in a soundtrack of your life?
What is the opposite of cake?
Interview people who inspire you (I plan to make this a recurring post, interviewing writers/creatives)
Write about a milestone birthday (or birthdays)
Write a commencement address for girls graduating high school/college
Look out a window. What do you see?
Write an essay/poem with the title ‘This is what I say, but this is what I mean’
Write a 6 word poem
Take a notebook to a gallery or museum and write about something you see there
Write a post about an hour that changed your life
Write a thank you note to your readers
A high point or low point (or both) of your day/week/month/year
Imagine the day living as someone else (I’m going to use prompts alongside this from an exercise I did in the Artists Way)
Write about the best trip you’ve ever taken
Share your goals and how you plan to achieve them
Write about the 5 things you know for sure
Write a post celebrating winter
Explain what self-care means to you
Write a poem, essay or story inspired by the Emily Dickinson quote, “I dwell in possibility”
You’ll see number 1 is Why do you blog? I started seriously blogging on the blogger platform back in 2010. I flew out to Vancouver to visit my friend Jane who was living there and during this trip I realised I wanted to properly document my experience (as I was spending some days exploring the city alone when my friend was at work). I also wanted a platform where I could experiment with creative posts. I remember when I was staring at an Alice in Wonderland themed shop-front (photo below) on Commercial Drive I came up with the name of my blog ‘Through the Looking Glass’ and I started writing posts as soon as I returned home.
I stayed on blogger until 2017, which overlapped with the creation of this website here on WordPress (which I created during the launch of my first YA book). I switched to soley using this blog platform since I found it hard to maintain two separate sites, and this one has my writing domain name so I use it on contact cards/promotional materials.
I feel on this blog I’ve not been quite as creative and experimental as I used to be on Blogger so I guess this opens the door to try something new and return to the core of what I wanted to achieve through my blogging; to keep my creativity flowing, sparking off a more creative life in general and keeping the fun in the day-to-day when developing work. And also maybe daring to be a bit more personal in my posts again, not being so super-conscious of my audience and expressing opinions or writing about things I feel passionate about.
I was also much better at connecting with other bloggers through the Blogger platform and used to enjoy reading about other writers’ journeys, so if anyone decides to do a similar creative challenge for November leave your blog link/social media handle in my comments and I will give you a follow!
I’m sitting typing this on a dark, rainy afternoon thinking Autumn has truly arrived and on days like these it feels good to be indoors doing creative things. I’m still working on some final edits for my Young Adult thriller Young Blood. I don’t always talk much about books that aren’t out yet but I’m quite excited about this one and want to build up some momentum to the release (which will hopefully be in Spring). For Promise Me I did a launch online, two Octobers ago, when life still wasn’t quite ‘back to normal’, (whatever normal is these days!) and for Young Blood I’m hoping to have some fun organising a couple of in-person events.
I started working on this book a good few years ago, but it took me a while to settle on how to write it. The plot really started to take shape when I spent the weekend at the fantastic Chasing Time Writers’ retreat back in 2018, (which sadly is no more). I stayed in a big gothic style mansion dating back to the 1800s during the retreat, which was perfect as a similar house features in Young Blood and I found when I was there scenes started to jump into my head, helping me plot out the first eight chapters, which then gave me the momentum to really crack on with the book when I returned home. I finished my first draft in 2020 and then multiple rounds of edits took place. Last year I decided to give it some space, mulling over some further structural edits and now I’m nearly there with the final final draft. (Though I know there will still be lots of further proofreading and line edits!).
In the meantime here’s a short extract and blurb for the book:
“This place you’re taking me to, it sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?”
She hesitated, lowering her voice, “It’s all true; the luxuries, the comfort…
All they want in return is one little thing.
Your blood.”
Held captive in a gothic house, kidnapped teenagers from the care system are exploited by a wealthy ring of powerful individuals for their ‘pure plasma’ blood transfusions. To cure illness and chase the dream of eternal youth, no price is too high.
When fifteen year old Hope goes missing, her friend Ana starts to unravel dark secrets that could lead to her rescue.
But then Ana has to make an impossible choice, receiving an offer that could mean curing her mum of early on-set dementia, at the cost of friendships and lives.
Would you betray your friends to save your Mum?
At the same time as focusing on this project, I have a new book idea taking shape in my head (and sometimes on paper!) I’ve got lots of short notes about characters and plot and scenes that randomly keep popping in to my head. I can’t wait to properly get stuck in to get some chapters down. It might even turn into a series, and even although it looks like the story will have another teen protagonist, it’s a teen with a difference (I’m not revealing anything about this one yet!) and the themes lend themselves more to an adult novel, so that will be an exciting new challenge.
On Instagram this month I noticed a fun creative challenge #writetober23 created by the author Annalise Avery (you can find out more about Annalise and her books here) We’re given prompts every day to provide insight into our creative process.
I’ve found it hard lately to nurture my creative brain so I’ve found posting daily about my writing process and taking time to put together some creative Instagram posts has been really helpful to keep me in the right frame of mind! If you’re on Instagram you should join in, there’s still plenty of days left in October to get going! You can find the prompts on Annalise’s acccount – @annaliseavery and you can find me on at @victoriagemmellauthor
On Friday afternoon I was invited along to chat to the Storytellers Society at the University of the West of Scotland. It was nice to see students creating a space to talk about books and writing in amongst their studying.
Next month I will be visiting Erskine Writers to deliver a workshop on writing flash fiction which is always a fun topic.
I’ve been on a bit of a writing hiatus lately hence the lack of posts on here. I got married last month and wedding planning and admin took over a bit, alongside day job and other life stuff, meaning something had to give. I take my hat off to writers I read about in interviews who describe their chaotic lives and how they will grab every spare moment to still get words down on paper. Words were still there in my head, with scenes from a new book playing out often, but I just didn’t have the energy or headspace to really get stuck in. I’m excited to give some new focus to my creative life again, with my first goal to finish edits on a book I finished a while back (and put to one side after some feedback). This will hopefully be out by the end of this year, or the start of next, depending how fast I work.
I had a wonderful day on my wedding and naturally when big life events like this take place I think it makes you reflect on life in general. The playlist we chose for our wedding reception contained key songs from pinnacle moments of our youth and when surrounded by friends from different walks of life it made me feel lucky, and also happy and content with a real sense of ‘being in the right place at the right time.’
During our mini-moon to Arran I ventured out on a walk myself along the beach (as my new hubbie rested up to recover from a cold!). I stopped off at an amazing bakery to buy a sausage roll and as I sat on a bench watching the waves lap against the shore it reminded me of all of trips I went on during my 30s. I embraced the single life for most of my 30s and feel grateful for the adventures I went on to Paris alone, twice, where I sat eating a pastry on a bench in Jardin De Luxembourg feeling then too, I was in the right place, at the right time. When I met my husband in my late 30s I was truly happy with who I was, and what I had accomplished. Too often I feel we are made to feel pressured by some arbitrary timeline of expectation and I am so glad real love arrived a bit later in life for me. My husband joked when we first got together he had been in ‘the boyfriend oven’ getting ready for me and I loved this description as I think I was also in my own oven getting ready for him too.
When my first book came out I was delighted I had achieved this massive life goal of mine at the age of 35. Then this year I read one of the best books I’ve ever read ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ and the author Bonnie Garmus is in her 60s, and this is her debut and part of me thought maybe to write a truly amazing and insightful novel you actually need to wait a while to let life happen so you know how to write about it well. In recent years I definitely view my writing ‘career’ as a continuous work in progress and I’m not even sure what I want my goals to look like anymore – really just keeping words on a page, reaching readers somewhere feels like an achievement these days.
In my job as a careers adviser I come across a lot of young people putting immense pressure on themselves, often those in their 20s particularly hard on themselves, feeling like life is passing them by because they’re not where they thought they would be, or they’re not where they think they should be (or more often than not, after some unpicking, really they are worrying about other people judging them to not be where they think they should be).
I think we should all scrap the ‘timeline’ from our head and not get hung up on achieving our goals. I do think it can be energising and kind of exciting to have goals, but we shouldn’t be a slave to them, and we should leave room to let them change too because no one really wants to follow a linear path – often the detours make for a much more scenic adventure.
Recently I re-read Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ and for me, it still stands out as one of the best books focusing on ‘the craft’. The memoir conversational style of writing throughout creates a very honest and accessible account of King’s journey to becoming a best-selling author, with the technical advice neatly threaded into the narrative in a way that makes you think this guy clearly knows what he’s talking about, as you can read he’s a natural storyteller within the pages of this book.
Things that struck me this time around when I was reading was the fearlessness and tenacity King showed as a young writer when he would study the stories in numerous short story publications, then submit, submit, submit. If he got a rejection (and there were many as he started out), he simply kept going, often re-working and quickly re-submitting elsewhere, all the time consciously developing his craft. He did what we should all do really – don’t dwell on the ‘no’, just strive to get better and to find your story a home where it fits. (Keepreadingonand I’ll share a challenge which might help with this)
Ironically the one time King nearly gave up on a piece of writing was with Carrie, his debut novel that launched his career. When he started to write Carrie, it was as a short story, and he felt it just wasn’t working. I love the way King threads in stories about his wife Tabitha, often reminiscing about how she has supported him at key moments throughout his career. Nothing better illustrates this than when Tabitha retrieves the crumpled pages of Carrie out of the bin and tells King to keep going because she wants to see how the story ends. King reflects on what his experience with Carrie taught him and I’ll quote an abridged version here;
Don’t stop a piece of work because it’s hard (emotionally or imaginatively). Keep going even when you don’t feel like it, and ‘sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is shoveling shit from a sitting position.’ pg.82
Another section which stood out to me was when King described ‘the first time in (his) life, (when) writing was hard’. This was when he was working as a teacher, and even although he acknowledged the good parts – loving the kids and co-workers – he described ending the week feeling like he had ‘jumper cables clamped to (his) brain.’ (pg. 76) and it was the one time he, ..’came close to despairing about (his) future as a writer.’ I’ve included this in this post as it’s something, even with dropping a day at work, that really resonates with me. With a caseload of close to one hundred young people (doing indepth one to one work), and I’m now in an education setting one day a week, I understand the ‘jumper cables clamped to my brain’ description very well. It takes a lot to decompress, and stay creative.
Staying motivated to write when you have a lot of other things competing with your time is difficult. Especially if you don’t always see much reward.
So, something else I read lately which caught my attention, and actually gave me a spark of motivation, was an article about setting yourself Rejection Goals. You can read ‘Why You should aim to get 100 Rejections a Year’ here (The author of the article Kim Liao actually references King’s On Writing and the way he collected his initial rejections, nailing them to the wall, like a badge of honour).
The idea behind the 100 rejections goal is the more you submit, the more acceptances you are likely to get, and it quietens ‘your fragile ego.’ The perfectionist in me, never mind my fragile creative ego, thinks the psychology of this one is quite clever – if I can trick my brain into thinking my aim is to reach 100 rejections, I’m going to let go of any nagging doubts that I’m not good enough, and to let go of any disappointments of ‘set-backs’ because that simply is no longer the objective of my task.
So if you’re reading this and it seems like a great new challenge to embark upon, why don’t you join me?
We can sail into 2023 with the aim of racking up a lot of ‘nos’, or in the case of modern publishing, a big empty silence of never hearing back …
VICTORIA GEMMELL 