There’s a well-known phrase which is ‘we all have a book in us. The first step is recognising this. Writing it is a whole new journey.’
Its true. Unless you live under a rock, we do all have a story to tell. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something that pans decades, but it could be a small snapshot of life. One day. One hour. One moment.
It will come as no surprise that I love writing. Ive been a bookworm since I could read, often hiding under the bedcovers with a torch long after bedtime, reading the latest Enid Blyton until my eyes could no longer stay open.
As a girl I wrote short stories, and some toe-curling poems about boys that I fancied at school. As I got older my reading progressed from Enid Blyton to Jilly Cooper, the stories I wrote got longer, and the poems progressed to attempts at writing for Mills & Boon.
They were still terrible, and I never got published but I didn’t care as I enjoyed doing it. I didn’t realise back then, but writing was mindful, and cathartic and it was so much fun creating characters and worlds for them to live in. I still feel that way, even now.
Obviously, I know writing isn’t for everyone, but as 19th June celebrates National Writing Day, and if you’ve ever wondered whether you could be the next JK Rowling, then it’s the perfect excuse to have a go. Just embrace your self-expression and get creative. Oh, and if you’re worried that you’ll be rubbish, I’ll let you in on a secret, no-one has to see what you write other than you.
If you want to try, but you’re feeling uninspired, then maybe visit one of the many local literary festivals. You can listen to popular authors talk about their own journeys, try workshops, or just soak up the atmosphere of likeminded people.
A great annual festival to try is Beaconlit, held in the village of Ivinghoe on 13th July. I always come away inspired, clutching big pile of books to read. They also hold an online writing competition every month with a limit of 500 words. So, if that piece you wrote on National Writing Day is any good, why not try your luck? What have you got to lose?
And if you really can’t face writing, then why not lose yourself in someone else’s? Mine preferably, all available on Amazon – LOL.
Sherry x
