Suzanna is giving away to one lucky commenter a copy of her previous release Trust In Me or a copy of her Short Story Book. So over to Suzanna...
The Magic of
Writing Friends
I’ve been trying
to establish a writing career for a long time. Such a long time that I wrote in
the days before
word processors – and in the days before the Internet. And I wrote when therewere no writing groups geographically close enough to join.
It was a very
lonely and scary place to be.
In those dark
days of being alone with my writing, my sales successes were limited: A
handful of short
stories. An article and filler or two. Obviously, each hit was to be
celebrated,but they were very few and far between. Besides, even when I did make a rare sale, who was
there to tell? My family and non-writing friends didn’t understand.
Then I found the
online writing community. And I did nothing but read writing blogs and
online forums
for weeks. It seemed Christmas had arrived with the discovery of the like-minded members of these groups.
My first
tentative steps into blogging were ignored. But, gradually, I gained the
confidence
to comment on others’
blog posts – and those comments were returned. Friendships wereformed. Eventually, these friendships developed into invitations to join private groups.
And my hit rate
exploded.
Yes, I do think
my writing has improved in that time – but that can be attributed to my
friendships with
other writers, too. Because these friendships – some involving critiquing andbeing critiqued – have increased my confidence in my abilities. And increased confidence can
only result in better writing.
I’m no longer in
that scary, lonely, place. Now I have people I can tell when I make a sale.
People who are
pleased for me – and who share their own successes, too.
The writing
community – real or virtual – is a great thing to be a part of.
Above all, the
generosity of writing friends is endless. They’ll spend time reading my work
and tell me
straight if the story isn’t working. They’ll help me to find solutions to
problemsthat I might not see a way out of. They’ll talk about my characters as though they’re real
people. They cheer me on when I’m feeling down and talk me out of it when I’m ready to
give it all up. And, they’ll share contact details, submission guidelines – and shout if they
notice something they think might benefit my career.
Most of all,
they cheer loudest of all when I place a piece of writing. At last, someone to
tell
who actually
cares.
Even if I
haven’t met most of them in real life, these are real friends. People I turn to
first
when thing go
wrong – in my writing or in my real life.And they’ve made a world of difference.
Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog today. And for the opportunity to write
this post – because it’s made me realise just how lucky I am.
Suzanna on the Web:
Dr Emma
Bradshaw’s life is disrupted when Nick Rudd arrives back in town to take up a
post at the GP practice where Emma works. The bad boy attitude is still very
much in evidence, but Nick is a doctor now – against the odds – and Emma’s
forced to work closely with him. Not so easy to ignore the love of your life
when you have to see him on a daily basis. And Nick’s getting perilously close
to breaking down the barriers Emma’s built to protect herself from the tragedy
in her past.
Nick thought, as
a doctor, it would be easy to command respect from the residents of his
hometown – and most are pleased to see how well he’s done. But, the one person
he wants to impress remains unmoved. Emma is keeping her distance. And she’s
changed – the fun loving girl he knew has gone. She’s hiding something big,
he’s sure, but she’s not telling. He can’t blame her – he knows he let her down
badly in the past. But now he’ll do anything to rekindle the trust and love she
once showed him.
Buy Links:
