2013...Your Second Chance...or Third...

It's 2013 and despite the discussions last year that the world was going to end on December 21, we're still here. Does that mean we've all been given a second chance?

Sometimes we feel we've been thrown in the deep end of life and something bad has happened that rips our confidence out of the core of us. Have you ever been in that place? I guarantee every person on this planet has been there and sometimes it hurts so bad, we wonder if we will ever recover.

I don't know about you, I believe in second chances, or third or fourth. When I've been knocked down I have the choice to reach out and take hold of whatever is offered, a hand, rope, inner strength, whatever you want to call it, and know that I can get up and try again, or I can choose to wallow in my own self pity and let life pass me by.

Yes, you have worked your heart out in 2012 to write that novel and you received a rejection from the agent or publisher of your dreams just before Christmas. So now you feel you just can't get out of bed because you feel you've failed. Have you failed? Or you got the rejection because the market isn't ready for your work, or maybe you might just need a little more time to practise and hone your craft? When a publisher or agent says 'no', it's easy to feel hurt and unappreciated. Feeling hurt and unappreciated is the writer's life. Writers need to grow a thick skin.

When I started my writing career, I wrote five books. Hours and hours of time sitting at my desk handwriting, and typing my stories up on a portable typewriter, then I graduated to a basic wordprocessor and then came the computer. I lost contact with friends, I had to write ... nobody understood why I had to write. Some of my friends still don't understand why I leave the real world to enter my imaginary world to tap on a keyboard. I need to write every day, so that I feel sane and calm at the end of the day. It's an inner obsession I just can't ignore or I'm difficult to live with. Early in my writing career my compulsion had been fed, but my work was still being rejected. Why?

Rejection means I'll try harder next time.

In my next post I'm going to share how I overcame rejection and continued the journey into my writing life. Until then, keep writing!! Don't give up!!

Are you in the doldrums with your writing? Unsure of where to turn next? I'd like to hear from you. This year I want to help you achieve your writing dreams.

Inside The Writer's Mind

Being a writer means communicating at multi-levels.

There are a lot of books on finding your writing voice in the market place. Ever since I was six years old I found the magic in being able to read a book and get inside the writer's mind. The words took me to outer space, into the future, on the farm, overseas and places I'd never known. It was wonderful and exciting to be inside the mind of another person. Intriguing, too ...

When I started writing I didn't understand what was meant by 'writing voice'. My writing seemed lame compared to all the published work. What was I doing wrong? Lots..!

Well, I was trying to be like some of the greats that I'd read, Pearl S Buck, Virginia Woolf, Ray Bradbury, and all the others. I wanted to write like them when I grew up. I'm still growing up, so there's hope yet. However, now that I've found the confidence to put pen to paper, I've realised I can't write like them. I'm not them, I'm Laura, and so I have to write like Laura with her personality. My first unpublished works resembled others I'd read and it sounded like I was trying to be someone I wasn't. No wonder I wasn't getting published. My writing was bland, bland, plain boring.

So how do you find your writing voice? Write, write and write some more. From the heart with the words that are yours in the way you would say it because of the life experiences you have had. It's your life experiences that have made you the person you are and there is no one in the world like you. Really. Your perception of the world and what you see as important or unimportant is different to Pearl, Virginia or Ray, and all the others. Now that I've realised my writing is different from every other writer's on this sphere we call Earth, I hope to find the voice that is uniquely mine. I don't think this will happen overnight, but with practice I'm sure I'll find the unique way of writing that says 'It's Laura'. I'm hoping my future works will reflect the 'genuine article'.

How about you? Are you writing from the heart with your unique perspective on the world? I'd really like to hear about your journey in how you got to that point.

Brisbane Writers' Fair

I've just returned from the Writer's Fair in Brisbane. I met lots of interesting people and the number of published authors attending was way beyond my expectations, and they were generous in their time to connect with writers at all levels. There were many workshops to attend including: how to write a book, how to approach a publisher with your work, marketing, time management, kids books, how to add rhyme and rhythm to your writing, fantasy writing, romance writing, how to stay motivated when you're in the middle of your book, self-publishing, and much more... All workshops and author panels were professionally presented and relevant to improving our work.

Several new books were launched, and the authors were available to sign their books.

A bonus at this Writers' Fair was the opportunity to meet with a publisher and an appraiser of your work. I'm sure this popular session will be there again next year.

There were lots of attendees which was terrific because I got to meet lots of great people, who were willing to share so much about themselves and their writing life that made me feel 'normal' as a writer and that I wasn't alone in this writing journey.

I'd recommend this Writers' Fair to all aspiring and published authors. There are great opportunities to connect with other writers and make lasting friendships. Mark your diary for 14th November, 2011 because it will be an event you won't want to miss.

Looking forward to seeing you all there next year!