Encourage

We have a three-fold philosophy for our publishing company; Encourage, Develop, and Publish.

Encourage – the writer.

Develop – the piece.

Publish – the product.

My hope is that we get to do all three with a client, but if we can do any of them, it’s a good exchange.

I want to focus on ‘encourage’ today. My aim is that we have the chance to encourage the writer. With the conclusion of NaNoWriMo on November 30, I have done my little bit to help everyone along. Most times it has been to hit the ‘like’ button to a post. Sometimes it might be to add a comment in answer to their question. Sometimes it might be a comment in response to their statement. At all times my I endeavour to be positive, even if they have asked for a critique on a piece of writing they are struggling with.

Through our website, we are open to people making contact if they wish to ask a question about the process of writing. Sometimes we get a question about the process of publishing. We try to be frank, once we’ve had a chance to review. Unfortunately, my responses to whether or not we will publish are usually delivered a little quicker. We have need to review our whole process and as such, we’re not taking any new submissions.

That aside, there are so many avenues for a writer to be encouraged. Depending on what they are asking, we could refer to them to their local library, council or state-based writer’s centre for a list of writer’s groups in their area.

Writer’s groups are one of the best ways to get a feel for your work. Provided the writer’s group they decide to attend is one that resides in an air of openness and constructive criticism. The one group I went to (as I’ve not been able to find another since) allowed everyone the chance to read and share their works with the other members. Each member would then critique the work, hand it back (if copies were provided) and the writer could then absorb all of the information shared. The critique could be anything from simple spelling and grammar, to more complex comments on structure, characterisation, and setting. If people were good enough, they might even pick up on any continuity issues. We were also encouraged that if we felt we had nothing constructive to say, or didn’t like the piece for whatever reason, then we were not to negatively criticise the work. The author could ask that member if they would be willing to share their concerns and if they didn’t, the class would move on. For the most part, the air was warm, positive and welcoming. If it is difficult to get to a physical group, then check for online groups. Positive feedback, like-minded people, and an open forum allows for great energy for your writing.

There is a booklet I’ve been trying to write for a number of years, but the inspiration hasn’t struck me square in the face yet, but it is a book dealing with encouragement and sometimes as writer’s we get told that we’re not good enough to write.

Well, (gratuitous use of clichés coming up) that gets my goat up, my blood boiling, and it raises my hackles (plus a few more). If you feel that you have a book, poem (or series of), a short story, a YA story, and so on, inside of you, then write it. No one said you actually had to publish it, but no one is stopping you from writing it. There is one person. You. You and only you are the only person who can stop yourself from writing. If you wake up and want to write, then write. It can be for half an hour each day. When the partner has gone to work, the kids have gone to school, whilst you’re on holiday, on your lunch break at work, in the morning before afternoon shift, or whenever you feel that you can schedule in some time to write.

Be encouraged. Feel encouraged. Write because you want to.

Even for those people who write for a living, be encouraged. Perhaps give yourself the freedom to write a purely creative and frivolous piece for a change. Go outside the comfort zone. Let the creativity flow. Then let it backwash into your regular writing career.

There are so many different types of writing and they can even cross-over. Fiction. Science Fiction. Speculative Fiction. Creative Non-Fiction. Children’s. Young Adult. Journalism. Fantasy. Romance. Erotica. Poetry. Yes, that’s quote a comprehensive list, but you get the idea. If you start mixing some of these up, you can get some very interesting stories.

Be encouraged to write what you want to write.