It would be hard for me not to write. It would feel like losing a limb. What drives me mostly is economics. Putting all that energy and time into a book that may or may not amount to anything doesn’t pay my bills. Whereas editing and writing content for websites does. It’s hard to marry the two. However, I am determined to get there!

Hi KAREN,
I would join your writers group in a second. There are days when I wish I didn’t live all the way down under. I was in a writer’s group for about five years but the whole thing gradually fizzled out. People had babies, moved, got ‘proper’ jobs. There were two girls though who got publishing deals and I edited their books (non-fiction) so I was really happy to be a part of that. The fiction writers seemed to give up for some reason. It is a tougher market to break into in Australia. That isn’t really an excuse but because it is so tough it does challenge your level of dedication. I have a new mantra – ‘If I write it they will come’ they being the unsuspecting publishers and/or agents. I wonder if it will work for me.

Hi LISSA,
I think it’s 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration
That is so true.
It’s only natural to wonder if it’s all worth it. I call it having an ‘Alfie’ moment. I know you like the old movies. Do you know ‘Alfie’ with Michael Caine? The theme song had a line that said: ‘What’s it all about, Alfie?’ Hence the Alfie moment when questioning things.
Hope your NaNo progress is going well too!

Hi LAURI,
I won’t let you down. I mean it.
I do have a plot map and a character bible, so it’s not like I’m sitting there for hours trying to figure out what should happen next. I just need to colour in the outlines. I actually learned about those things from you when you wrote that article for The Blood Red Pencil a while back. It has proven to be absolutely invaluable. Thanks so much for writing about it.

Hi JOANNA,
As I’ve gotten older I’ve felt the need to be more honest with myself. Sometimes it can be hard, but in the long run it seems to be the way to go!

Hi DANA,
You have summed it up so well. How can the two states be possible simultaneously? It’s very strange. I think what it is for me is that I love the story when it’s in my head. I really love it. So I’m afraid that when translated onto paper it loses some of the zing it has in my head. Upon reflection, I think that’s what is holding me back. I will come and read your story anon. Thanks once again, for your wonderful insights!

Hi PAUL,
Well, never saying never worked for James Bond, right? If it’s good enough for 007, it’s good enough for me!

A bit of practical advice- do you have a plot map? Even a loose one? If you set out your main plot point and the ending then it is just connecting the dots. I used to just let the words flow where they would but those words sometimes led me to deadends and made me give up. Now I take control at the front and let the words play around in the back seat as we get on our way.

But… to be honest, the thought of you not writing makes my head spin, and not in a good way. I love your words, the way you put them together.

I also have a couple of “finished” manuscripts on my hard drive, and another that might be ready early next year, and so on. I want to submit them, but I know they’ll never be ready in my eyes. There will always be something that needs to be changed, something I could have written better, a plot point that pointed the wrong way… There are also MANY that I’ve started and stopped cold with no rhyme or reason. I’m sure those will be joined by others.

So, a question for you. What if you worked with someone? In my former writer’s group, we often talked about how different our styles are, how our strengths and weaknesses overlap each other. Then we thought how cool it would be to write a book together. We never did, which is sad, but if we’d continued as a group, I’ll bet we would have finished it and one of us would have submitted it for publication.

You’re not alone in your exile, my dear. I have a feeling that piece of Siberia is well populated with folks like us. Maybe it’s time to lean over to the next table and ask, “May I join you?”

This is just an idea…what drives you in other areas of your life? Some people are competitive in nature, some people are driven by an ideal, for me…it depends on the situation. Maybe think about what it is – in general in your life – that propels you no matter what, and apply that to your writing. I think it could be a matter of framing the entire process – start to finish – in a different way.

By the way, the Elvis song coming on when it did was no accident. It’s called synchronicity, and it’s the Universe telling you to “get on the good foot”! (This is me being New Age)