Write without self doubt

Why do we doubt ourselves?

As a writer I am plagued by this corrosive and totally unnecessary aspect of my life. I can get trapped in a negative spiral of uncertain outcomes and thoughts. Will I succeed as a writer? Am I good enough?

I am sure I not the only one.

As with many things in life, the secret to unlocking the puzzle is simply to have confidence in ourselves. I know this is true. I spent many years seriously ill solely due to the lack of belief in my own abilities. I recovered when my confidence rose. Don't think yourself into failure.

Writing is a craft. We all can learn to be good and successful authors. The old saying that success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration is very relevant here. If you have a weakness in an area then simply work on it. A positive attitude will lead to amazing results.

When I close my eyes I often see images of the stories I am writing. The imagery is wonderful. My job is to convey these scenes across to others. I know I have what it takes. I believe most people have what it takes!
The ideas and concepts and pictures that occupy my thoughts demand to be express in my books. I should not worry about their quality.

And neither should you worry about your stories. Get writing!

A science fiction 'mini series' (Sharp Light)

Isn't it always the way when you are planning a simple project and it takes on a life of its own.

My short story is growing by the day.

I had originally planned 'Sharp Light' to be a simple 2,000 short piece. I want a break from my Fantasy series and get back to writing science fiction.

Well plans have changed.

I have begun to design an interactive 'Choose your own adventure' style interactive story and I am also considering whether I write a short story and then publish each scene a few days apart (and then publish the entire manuscript at the conclusion of the mini series)

It will all be free for anyone to read and play.

This will be fun to do. However the down side is that it will also delay my other creative projects. I think it is worth trying to do this project. I will not publish any of the story until the entire work is finished. It is good to be different.

So watch this space. I will cut the first words either today or tomorrow and I expect to be able to start posting early in the new year.

Do not publish until you are ready

If you do not feel ready to publish then you probably shouldn't

That is my feelings for my books.

I have nearly finished my fantasy novella and I am going to have resist with all my willpower the urge to convert the manuscript into an e-book and 'put it out there.' I need to complete my edits, get the document proofread and reviewed by an external editor and then make the corrections, more proofreading and maybe after that it will be ready.

Truth is, the longer I take the better the finished story will be.

And I think that there is too much pressure on writers to publish before they are ready. Resist!

I would love to have several full length novels or collections of novella published around the same time. It would be fabulous. It would also be commercially sensible. I am going to wait until this becomes a possibility

So sorry to everyone who wants to read my books. I will produce short stories for you all. I am a perfectionist and I will not compromise on the quality of my work.

It will be worth the wait...

Risk making mistakes.

Every now and then something happens that trips me up in some way.

This week I attended a conference organised by my employer. It was useful in many ways but I was tired and I let the stress get to me.

I tripped up.

I am a great believer in learning from mistakes and I attempt to leave the failed experiments of the past where they belong. In the past.

I thought I had conquered stress. I wanted to move on. A twelve hour stint in a conference centre should have been straight forward. I was wrong. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Never mind.

When these things happen it important to maintain perspective. I am positive about the progress I have made in fighting stress. 99% of the time I know will cope. That is better than a lot of other people. In another year or so I will be even stronger still. 

One day I will be able to pay back the debt I owe to society. So many people have helped me. I want help others. I want my stories to be of use. I have many talents of which I do not make enough use. 

And if I do take the risk of making a few minor mistakes then I will not be able to realise my dreams. 

That would be a shame.