On a personal level, as much enjoyment as I can manage and for it to continue to be a useful therapy device for me. I obviously hope to become a published author and whilst writing I can continue to aim for that. I also would like to have scripts produced by the BBC for Radio 4. I do enjoy having lots of projects on the go and I hope writing will keep my mind active and busy, something I’m keen to watch given Mum’s illness. I hope to develop links/friendships via Facebook as I love talking about writing if I can’t actually be doing some! I would like to achieve more shortlistings and see if I can get a collection of short stories out there. I hope to just keep going and see if the break through comes. The great thing is I lose nothing in writing and it is such fun to do.
How do you define success in writing? Is it just by publication?
I think success in writing is more than just about being published, though obviously that’s important. I think success comes when you keep on writing despite all life’s hassles at times, when you write when it would be so easy not to and you take a positive attitude to rejections and try to learn from them. (A writer with that attitude rather than the “sod them” attitude is far more likely to improve their skill and get published eventually). Success in writing is completing a piece of work to the right word count and deadline. Success is also when you are short-listed or win. Success is when you have a body of work you can send out to publishers (rather than just dreams you hope to fulfil one day). Success also comes when you spot the scams a mile off, when you find yourself at writing conferences pointing people in the way of useful websites like the Jonathan Clifford one, to prevent them from pursuing the vanity publication route.
If you can’t get published the conventional way, would you consider self publishing?
Yes though I’m conscious I’d need to have my own website up and running and I’d want to use connections with Brit Writers and Shortbread to help with publicity. I think I’d start out on my short stories as a self published item. I think I also need to start a blog before too long so I can have a link there. I still want to focus ideally on being published “properly” as I think this is every author’s ambition but I am open to using new methods to get my work out there. Who knows? I wouldn’t mind at all being an author who’s partly done things her way and has followed the traditional route for the rest. Mind, I’d want to get all the advice going before taking the plunge….