Mother Writes: Bloody-minded persistence

Monday, 16 September 2013

Bloody-minded persistence

'...the most significant difference between a writer and a would-be writer is simple bloody-minded persistence.' Melissa Benn

I've had a surprise full day to myself as the children have gone to a friend's house for the afternoon and I've spent the whole time (apart from writing this blog, of course) re-drafting my novel. Sometimes - actually, quite a lot - I ask myself the question why I am still working on this novel. I first had the idea for it in 2004 - that's nearly ten years ago, and here I still am, slogging over the same story, the same characters, the same words. Am I flogging that figurative dead horse to death?

There's no real answer to that question, other than the fact that I can't let go of it. It has been rejected by countless, countless agents but despite that, I believe in it. I was very heartened to read an article in the current edition of Mslexia entitled 'Survival of the fittest,' written by writer and journalist Melissa Benn, all about just that: that if you really believe in your work, keep going. Keep re-drafting. Keep learning from rejection. What is wrong with it? How can it be improved? It's tough, it really is, but I can't believe I won't get there.

1 comment:

Anonymous7 October 2013 at 14:37
GRANADA FERNANDO CARO...SIGUE!!!REBEKITA CON ESA NOVELA..BESOS
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Mother Writes...What's it all about?

When I was little, I imagined with the supreme confidence of a child that when I was all grown up, I'd be a celebrated writer. And by grown-up, I probably meant about eighteen. The concept of even reaching the age of thirty, let alone beyond, was off my radar and my seven-year old self shuddered at the ominious thought of not having published at least several novels by that grand old age.

Fast forward to the present. Here I am, age thirty-five, wife to a lovely hubby and mother to three gorgeous children. Now, am I writer? My seven-year old self would hold a very strong opinion on this: No, because I don't have a single published novel to my name. But I'm pleased to say that now I'm all grown-up, I'm also a bit more measured and realistic in my expectations of myself. Don't get me wrong - I love my seven-year old self for believing I could achieve that much but I have, over the years, come to an important conclusion:

If you dance, you are a dancer. If you paint, you are a painter. And if you write, you are a writer.

But we have to actually do it, not just talk about doing it. It's all too easy to procrastinate about our creative endeavours and that's all I ask of myself now: to create; to write. And if I'm lucky enough to get something published (which I'm pleased to say that I have done, in the form of short stories, reviews and articles), well, that's a bonus. And that's what this blog offers: little slices of honesty on my plate of life as mother, wife and creator of words. It's often not easy to juggle all three, particularly dealing with bouts of chronic insomnia. But I have to trust this is all part of the journey, and challenges are what make life interesting.