Tuesday 9 February 2016

Writing and chronic illness

This is going to be a very brief post, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to express these thoughts within the character limitations of a Tweet, so chose to include it as a blog post instead.

There isn't much specific advice out there about there about writing whilst struggling with chronic illness. However, what I have found is that the information that is out there in abundance - along the lines of "finding time to write whilst juggling a career and six kids" - can be easily adapted, to apply to our circumstances. We are busy, and have very limited time for writing, and the fact that what we are spending our time and energy on is being ill, rather than doing positive and proactive things with our lives, doesn't mean that much of the "busy lifestyle" advice cannot be applied to our own situations. Not all of it can, of course - but take what you can, from what is out there.

Keep writing, and keep believing.

Monday 8 February 2016

How do you stay inspired when you don't receive support?

If you are someone who feels fully supported by your family and friends, then that's awesome. Maybe you are secure in the knowledge that, if you set up a new page on Facebook or Twitter right now, your friends and family would automatically "like" or follow, and post links to your page. If you were to bring out anything from a poetry collection to a novel, your loved ones would be there to support and encourage you, and might even - God forbid - purchase copies of your book. Sadly, not all of us are in this position. This blog post is aimed specifically at those who do not feel encouraged or supported, and feel like giving up on their dreams - because long-term writing goals, such as writing a novel, are not easy to sustain, in the face of zero enthusiasm, including from those whose support you have come to depend upon. Being a writer is an uphill battle, and lonely at times, even for introverts, like myself.

In my opinion, all we can do is to carry on doing what we do. One positive aspect of knowing that people won't support what I do purely out of love, is the knowledge that what I do achieve is down to me - and my talent, and hard work, or lack of. If you are not guaranteed to sell a single copy of your books, even to family or friends, you should write, anyway. You should work on your craft, and ensure that your work is the best that it can possibly be, so that strangers, with no reason to care about you or what you write, will want to read what you put out there. At the end of the day, it isn't a popularity contest, and I don't actually want people to buy my novel, or novels, if and when they are published, out of kindness, or because they care about me, as a person. It isn't me they should be caring about, but my characters.

I will continue to do what I do. I will continue to "like" friends' Facebook pages, and follow them on Twitter, because it costs me nothing to do so. I will focus on my writing, as much as I can, and I will speak out on behalf of everyone who has ever felt alone, as a creative artist. I believe in you, and you need to believe in you. Rejection hurts, but you should never give up on your dreams because of it. You should instead become stronger, as a result.

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Welcome to my new blog

I hope to add some content soon.  I am also in the process of setting up an additional Twitter account, but am currently experiencing some technical issues with this. 

Thank you for checking out this blog.