I have a very special guest today, one well known to almost every female writer in this country through her work as Historical Fiction Editor with the Australian Women Writers Challenge. You couldn’t find a bigger advocate or a more generous supporter of Australian women writers.
Normally, Theresa is the host of guest posts by other writers on her blog, but today she’s the guest on this blog. Her piece reminds us that there are many different ways of writing and that not all of them involve writing books.
‘Does being a blogger make me any less of a writer than when I was a novelist? Absolutely not.’
Theresa Smith is a writer, avid reader, keen reviewer, book collector, drinker of all tea blends originating from Earl Grey, and modern history enthusiast. She enjoys reading many genres but has a particular interest in historical fiction. As I noted above, Theresa is the Historical Fiction Editor with the Australian Women Writers Challenge.
You can find Theresa and all of her book related news and reviews on her website, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.
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The Bend in my Writing Road
Five years ago I wrote a novel. I had taken six months off from working while my family settled into a new town and I found myself irresistibly drawn to the keyboard, the words flying out faster than my fingers could type them. It wasn’t the first novel I had ever written; I wrote the first one while I was at university and it was terrible. Truly, it was. But this one was different, it seemed like a real story and if we fast forward to now, five published novels later, suffice to say it was real enough. Over the years I’ve had countless rejections, a couple of offers of publication that have either fallen through or been declined by myself, and many requests for full manuscripts. In the end, I self-published each novel because that’s what worked for me at the time. Each of my novels have received great reviews and while I’ve made very little money from them, this was in line with my expectations.
Towards the end of last year, I had a nearly finished fifth novel that was just awaiting a final edit and the bare bones of a sixth novel taking shape within a notebook. I had achieved so much in such a short amount of time and while on the one hand I was thrilled with what I had done, on the other, I began to feel this inexplicable barrier between myself and my keyboard. I would sit in front of it and just stare at it, not typing a single thing. I had plenty to write, ideas and words tumbling around in my head; this wasn’t writer’s block. More and more I avoided sitting down to write. In the end I had to force myself to finish the final edits on my novel, working for seventeen hours straight while my family was away on a fishing trip. I cried when I finished, not because I had finally done it and overcome whatever it was that had been holding me back. No, I cried because even though I had finished, I knew I was still a way from being completely done with it in terms of having it published and released, completely off my hands. I never wanted to work on it again but to leave it would have be an utter waste and it is, I will now acknowledge, the best novel I’ve ever written.
‘I bowed out and gave myself permission to write differently. I have never regretted this for a single moment.’
I couldn’t understand why I had such a sudden aversion to writing. Over the entire Christmas summer holiday break, usually my peak writing time, I wrote one paragraph and then deleted it. I drew up a timeline of events and wrote up the character profiles for my new novel and then stuffed the notebook into a drawer. Any time I thought of working on it I felt overwhelmed. I felt the loss deeply but could do nothing to overcome it. In the end, instead of fighting against the barrier and feeling increasingly overwhelmed, I just gave into it. I bowed out and gave myself permission to write differently. I have never regretted this for a single moment.
I joined the Australian Women Writers team as the editor for Historical Fiction, set up my own blog and began to review books on it, slowly expanding to author interviews and reflective essays. I write all the time again, every day, and I love it and thrive on the creativity that I am experiencing. I studied journalism at university but then left it behind in favour of a different career path, but this year I’ve rediscovered my love of feature writing. I can write whatever I like, publish it to my blog, and then move on to the next piece of writing. The barrier is gone and so is the crushing weight of feeling overwhelmed each time I sit down to write. In giving myself permission to write the way I want, I’ve created a new writing life for myself that I absolutely love. I am a blogger now, no longer a novelist, and I am happy, creative, and extremely satisfied. Blogging has taken the isolation away from my writing and replaced it with a community of readers and writers who are just as keen as I am to talk about books morning, noon, and night. Does being a blogger make me any less of a writer than when I was a novelist?
Absolutely not. Follow your writing dreams. Give yourself permission to write what you really want to write. And above all, write for yourself. The rest will all fall into place.
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The Sisters’ Song is available for pre-order!
The Sisters’ Song will be available in bookstores and online from 2 January, 2018. Meanwhile, it can be pre-ordered from the following outlets (click the link to go to the website):
What a wonderfully positive way to start the day, Louise and Theresa. I’m such a big fan of the Australian Women Writers Challenge, so I salute you for your efforts, Theresa, and I congratulate you for your ownership of your writing dreams. Thanks, too, for encouraging the rest of us to write what works for us. Thanks, as always, Louise, for introducing us to another inspirational writer from your attic.
It’s such a delightful post, I agree. I have the utmost respect and admiration for all the work the AWW and Theresa do in supporting women writers in this country—it’s so needed and such a help!
I also have a sneaking suspicion that Theresa’s novel writing is just on the back-burner and she’ll return to it one day! Once a novelist, always a novelist!
Thank you Maureen. Your support for AWW is very much appreciated!
Your honesty is refreshing Theresa… thank you for sharing ❤
It *is* a refreshing post, and it’s great to see that there are ways to write other than authoring books. Thank you, Leanda! 🙂
You’re most welcome Leanda. Thank you for reading!
Such an inspiring post, Theresa. I couldn’t agree more: write for yourself, write what you like and need to write. Don’t write for others, to meet their imagined or real expectations while yours sit alone high and dry. I love to blog as well, that fast thrill in putting something out here without all the onerous vetting that comes with ‘proper’ publication. It might be necessary for finished works but the breathless, in-your-ear quality of blogs, flawed and half baked as they may sometimes be, is the best way to write for me, too. Thanks for reinforcing the permission to write to my own drum. As you write to yours.
I love the line, ‘the breathless, in-your-ear quality of blogs, flawed and half baked as they may sometimes be’. It rings very true for me—there’s something refreshing and down-to-earth about them.
I appreciated this reminder to write to the beat of my own drum, too. 🙂
What a wonderful description of blogging! So true. Thank you Elisabeth. I appreciate you reading and commenting.
A timely post for me. Thank you, Louise and Theresa. I’ve often wondered about this. I write for family and prefer not to publish at this stage. Recent events confirm this is my path for now and it gives me pleasure and peace of mind to follow what is right for me.
Writing for family’s a great aim, Susan! Sometimes, I think that’s what I should be doing—recording everything I remember for future generations before I die so it’s not lost. It saddens me how much of our family history is already sleeping in graves. x
I’m so pleased this was useful for you. Thanks for reading!
A wonderful and honest account Theresa and thanks so much for sharing. I have published but it’s a hard road isn’t it? I’m hoping to attract an agent the next time around as self-publishing and marketing isn’t for the faint hearted- I suspect I’m not a shining star at that yet. I look forward to reading more about women writers in your blog, Theresa and in yours Louise.
From what I’ve heard, self-publishing is really hard work and not for the faint-hearted. Good on you for taking the leap. I hope your next novel is coming along and good luck securing an agent for it! 🙂
It is indeed a very hard road. Good luck with your bid for an agent, fingers crossed for you. Thanks Annie!
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to leave comments. I’m so pleased my words resonated in some way and grateful to you for your appreciation. 😊
Your post has resonated with many, Theresa. Especially the words, ‘Write for yourself.’ Thank you so much for penning it! 🙂
Theresa, you really have your priorities right. Writing should be about what we want to put down in words, not about forcing out what we feel we ‘should’. I’m so glad to hear you’re thriving in your current writing life.
Thank you Fiona! Sometimes we have to take the wrong path to find the right one.
Yes, yes and yes! There is no point forcing out words and writing something we hate—it’s excruciating for the writer, and for the reader. Readers detect if a writer’s bored or grinding out each word. Equally, they pick up if the words have been written with joy or passion or energy.
I like your words about taking the wrong path to find the right one, Theresa. I heard someone say recently that there is no such thing as failure, it’s just the universe telling us we’ve taken a wrong direction. I’m so glad you’ve found your pathway—and you’re very good at it, too! 🙂
Such a refreshing perspective on writing, Thank you Theresa and Louise. I have become thoroughly bogged down about writing ‘proper’ pieces, but love blogging. I plan to pursue that form of writing and see where it leads.
It’s that bogged down aspect that was poisoning my writing Maureen. You may be surprised where your blogging leads you. Good luck, and thank you!
I get bogged down when I’m writing things I don’t feel passionately about. Keep going with your blogging, Maureen—you’re very good at it and are a much needed voice. 🙂
Good on you Theresa. Writing when it’s a chore is no fun at all, so I think well done to you in finding a way to write that makes you happy, and provides this great community for those around you. That must feel very satisfying.
It is! Thank you Lily. It’s all about writing because you love it in the end, no matter what form that takes. The satisfaction is the reward!
We only have one life and enough of our time already is taken up with doing things we don’t enjoy. The last thing you want to do is take the love out of writing! 🙂
Wow, such a refreshing post. Thank you girls. Writing what, when and how you want. I imagine has taken the pressure off. That’s just what I’m doing x
Exactly, Rae. I’m glad you’re following that philosophy, too! 🙂
And I love that you are a blogger and that you have found your happy place. But I agree with ‘once a novelist, always a novelist’. The time isn;t right for you. I often tell people who ask me why I waited until I was 50 to get published!! Well, one: it wasn;t my choice really!! But also, I wasn;t ready. I wasn’t in the best place for the task until I was ready. So never say never. 🙂
I’m a late-starter, too, Jenn. For me, writing a novel wasn’t something I’d ever thought I’d be able to do. Now, I sure am glad I gave it a try!
I agree that we all come to it when we’re ready, and I suspect Tess will return one day! 🙂
I found your blog post honestly refreshing, Theresa.
Blogging about books and authors provides such an invaluable service for the Australian book industry. I imagine as well as enjoying the actual writing, it must provide you with a huge sense of satisfaction to know you are supporting so many others.
Hear, hear! Theresa gives up so much time to do it—I can’t thank her enough. She makes such a valuable contribution to the literary scene here in Australia, particularly for women authors. Where would we be without people to review our books and spread the word? 🙂