September 1st: 10 years of writing

I’ve always loved writing, ever since I was a little boy. For years it was comic strips, then it was TV and film scripts, and in between I dabbled with writing a book, but I never got much further than a chapter or three. It always seemed like too big a task. I’d write a few pages, stop to read it, then edit it, over and over again. Eventually, I’d give up, put the project to one side and do something more manageable.

Back in the summer of 2009 I was in the highlands of Scotland, spending time at my Aunt and Uncle’s home in the picturesque countryside close to Balmoral Castle. I’d picked up Stephen King’s book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, and was eagerly reading it, trying to learn from the Master’s experience. It’s an invaluable resource for any writer, with plenty of things to consider, but the main lesson from that book is a simple one: Read every day, write every day.

A few months earlier, I’d started writing a book, another failed attempt that didn’t get further than Chapter Three. It was about a young boy who could travel in time through gravestones.

By the end of the holiday I’d finished King’s book. I came home and vowed to put into action what I’d learned on holiday. Neatly, it was the start of September, so I began to write every day, as much as I could. I picked up the barely-started time-travel novel and began to write, resisting the temptation to stop and go back over what I’d written.

And it worked! I got further than I ever had before! And I kept going until, by the 21st of November I’d completed the first draft of Yard Boy (later renamed Sorrowline). I’d managed to average just under 800 words per day, and I’d only failed to write anything at all on three days. On Writing had shown me how to complete a book.

Of course the book needed lots of editing before it was any good, but at least I had something to edit. I knew what my book was about because I’d actually finished it.

Eventually, after several rewrites, in 2011 Sorrowline won a Northern Writers Award, which helped me to find an agent, who managed to get me a two-book deal for Sorrowline and its sequel. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t read (and chosen to follow) the advice in On Writing.

Ten years later, I’ve written ten books and counting. Writing a book is possible, it just takes focus, dedication and perseverance.

Read every day, write every day. It really is that simple.

I’ve always loved writing, ever since I was a little boy. For years it was comic strips, then it was TV and film scripts, and in between I’d dabbled with writing a book, but I never got much further than a chapter or three. It always seemed like too big a task. I’d write a chapter, stop to read over it, then edit it, over and over again. Eventually, I’d give up, put the project to one side and do something more manageable.

Back in the summer of 2009 I was in the highlands of Scotland, spending time at my Aunt and Uncle’s home in the picturesque surroundings close to Balmoral Castle. I’d picked up Stephen King’s book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, and was eagerly reading it, trying to learn from the Master’s experience. It’s an invaluable recourse for any writer, with plenty of things to consider, but the main lesson from that book is a simple one: Read every day, write every day.

A few months earlier, I’d started writing a book, another failed attempt to get further than Chapter Three. It was about a young boy who could travel in time through gravestones.

By the end of the holiday I’d finished King’s book. I came home and vowed to put into action what I’d learned on holiday. Neatly, it was the start of September, so I began to write every day, as much as I could. I picked up the barely-started time-travel novel and began to write, resisting the temptation to stop and go back over what I’d written.

And it worked! I got further than I ever had before! And I kept going until, by the 21st of November I’d completed the first draft of Yard Boy (later renamed Sorrowline). I’d managed to average just under 800 words per day, and I’d only failed to write anything at all on three days. On Writing had shown me how to complete a book.

Of course the book needed lots of editing before it was any good, but at least I had something to edit. I knew what my book was about because I’d actually finished it.

Eventually, after several rewrites, in 2011 Sorrowline won a Northern Writers Award, which helped me to find an agent, who managed to get me a two-book deal for Sorrowline and its sequel. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t read (and chosen to follow) the advice in On Writing.

Ten years later, I’ve written ten books and counting. Writing a book is possible, it just takes focus, dedication and perseverance.

Read every day, write every day. It really is that simple.