CHANGE THE WORDS

'Never give up' came up again when I made a visit back 'home' to the Federal Writers' Group.

Our 'show-and-tell' of rejection letters was interesting.

I had my first from a publisher, (about a month ago) and while it was a positive letter with heaps of feedback about my manuscript and writing style, my book was rejected on the grounds that it wouldn't stand out in a competitive market.

While this is part of becoming a writer, your first rejection, no matter how 'nicely' worded, is hard to take.

A small part of me had unrealistically hoped they would say – yes, of course we want your book.

Oh, how I wished it could have been that easy.

So never give up came up again. The rejection letter reinforced my drive.

I tackled my manuscript with fresh eyes and took the radical step of deleting the first half of the book (about 30,000 words) and beginning the story where the action started. I think the book is all the better for it.

I'll be changing more of the words, rearranging others and giving my manuscript a face lift. I can't wait.

Never Give Up, taken near Bangalow by Susanna Freymark. 

Resident, Richard Jones said he saw a woman standing on her car bonnet reaching up to add the word Never, to the sign that had been changed to read Give Up. The sign is located on the road next to the drug rehabilitation centre. You've gotta love the north coast.

WORDS ARE NEVER BORING

It feels important to ask myself, at regular intervals, why do I write?

The whole concept of writing is a strange one.

I mean, stringing words together on a page, re-reading them, making changes and poring over each word and comma . . . until it is done, truly is a strange activity.

Yet it is that intense scrutiny of words – bordering on obsession that holds me.

Not only the words themselves but the way they sound . . .  together.

Pick up a good poetry book, bursting with inspirational words, a book like Michael Ondaatje's The Cinnamon Peeler. His words sing. . . in a language that paints a picture and captures your imagination and makes you want to write.

Words inspire us, they make us cry, make us think but . . . words can be confusing too.

I was once asked by author and mentor, Melissa Lucashenko, to find a perfect sentence.

I looked through books, thought about song lyrics and read poems. There were so many sentences I loved . .  for different reasons. But perfect. . .  a perfect sentence?

I couldn't pick one. It was like when my dad asked me to fetch a left-handed screwdriver. I searched his tool box but all I found was a screwdriver.

There is no perfect sentence.  No single perfect word. But there are right ones.

For your story. . . for my story. I write to tell my story in the very best words I can find.

Picture: The Boring Shop, at Cockatoo Island, Sydney by S. Freymark, 2010

Never, never give up.




There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

Ernest Hemingway

In writing, as in many artistic pursuits, it is easy to be hard on yourself.

When you receive your first rejection letter from a publisher.

When you think you've written a ripping short story and a reader is confused by your point of view.

When you've slaved over a chapter late into the night, only to find when you read it in the morning, it isn't nearly as good as you thought.

Never give up. Make time in your day to write. Make time to read.

I've never found it hard to find time to write.
It's a compulsion; whether it is done in a spare hour at my desk or when my 'desk' becomes the car while I wait for my son to finish soccer (oops, football) practice.
Never give up, because if you do, you'll feel lousy. Write like your life depends on it.

Don't put off writing your novel because you're busy, you're stressed, the kids are too little or your pencil isn't sharp enough..... make it a priority, make it a habit, make it work for you.

To keep my own writing on track I set myself writing goals.
Like – entering three stories in competitions, completing 1,000 words a day on my current manuscript or even something as simple as going to a writer's talk at the writers centre. Inspiration is a keen motivator.


Write every day, no matter what,  and preferably without bleeding.

An evolving Stop sign – words and their meanings change . . . pic taken in Federal, S.Freymark

Is it a plane? Is it a bird? No it's a blog.

Funny word, funny thing to do but here I am blogging . . . I think.

I've called my blog – at her desk.

I spend a lot of time at my desk – writing, thinking and distracting myself from writing by reading blogs.

I've found a lot of useful information and inspiration from the blogs of writers.

I'd like to share my own ups and downs in the journey of writing and being published.

My job as a journo supports my love of writing. It's a social job, done at high speed and one that has taught me more about editing than any course or book.

I love that I am paid for my writing, I love hearing the stories of other people and finding the best way to tell them. I truly believe in the maxim that – there is a story in every person.

This blog will tell my story. My own bumbling, frustrating writer's story.

Welcome to my world.