Saturday, 08 July 2006
Writing Hopes & Dreams
I succeeded in finishing and sending my entry for the Mere Literary Festival before last post yesterday. The next competition deadline is the end of this month, and I plan to write a children's story for it. After that, I plan to edit and adapt an old short story, and I have recently written a short short that I also plan to refine for a comp. Once these are all sent off, I might lay off the competitions, at least until September. ;)
I also have web plans over summer, which are writing related. I really want to make a name for myself, make people aware that I'm out there, scribbling away, and that one day I plan to make it into the world of the published author.
Am I mad? Is all this a waste of money? Those of you who have read examples of my writing, what do you think? Have I got what it takes? Would you buy my books in a shop (or on the web)?
Maybe I am just trying too hard right now. Then again, Thomas Edison said the following on a similar subject:
- "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
- "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
- "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."
- "If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves"
He may not have said any of the above with writing in mind, but it is all appropriate to the topic. You can have fantastic ideas, but you need to work hard to convey them to paper (or computer memory). If I give up writing now, then I will have failed in my attempt to get published before I've even started. Writing is hard work (it may not involve overalls, but it can be messy, frustrating and requires dedication!). To invent in writing, you still need a good imagination, although you can substitute a pile of junk (though I do have that, too) for reams of paper, and a pile of pens (or a decent computer - probably only slightly lighter).
All the above I know, and am prepared for, which is pleasing to realise. If I keep writing and achieve what I am capable of, anything is possible! I'm looking forward to being astounded. :)
So I think I'll go on hoping and working at my dreams. Who knows what treasure lies in store...?
