AUTHOR SITE
I’ve already fessed up on my Instagram page but yep, I did a newbie mistake!
I left out a field from my contact form on this site 🙁
So, I apologise if you have subscribed to be on my newsletter list and haven’t received anything as yet…
I’ve fixed it and if you would like to hear from me – please re-subscribe and make my day/month/year!
So when you finally get published do you have a reward planned for yourself? Other than of course having the privilege of actually being published! I’d always promised myself I would get a small tattoo of a quill. It would have a thin line and possibly be in navy ink… I’m a clean skin, so it’d be a big thing for me to get one.
Something like this perhaps?
Or maybe this one?
I’m undecided, it may even be the title of my book? What would you get if you were publishing for the first time and were inclined to celebrate with an inking?
I mean there are other different ways you could mark the occasion, you could get some jewellery, or take your significant other to a slap-up dinner? The latter would create memories, but wouldn’t give you something tangible.
I have looked around online for some interesting author type presents for myself. There is always a new writer’s planner, or notebook – some magnificent ones around! I don’t mind the leather, it’s always durable and lasts a lifetime if you look after it.
I did also find this bracelet while I was searching:
I write in my home office, so to ward off the teenagers – this would also be a great little present for myself.
There were some crude sayings for mugs and things, but I have my own shop – so I’m covered for that stuff. I’ve already spoilt myself by spending money on courses. I just bought the Self Published Formula’s Ads for Authors – which was a significant purchase, especially considering I haven’t finished my book (insert eye roll here).
Anyhoo, I’ve been a bit slack with my so-called weekly blog posts. It’s been a busy time getting things ready for the next quarter and fulfilling some of my other online shop requirements. I’ll try and do better.
In the meantime, I’m 3/4 into the first draft and have done a re-read to map the plot points to a plot diagram and see if I have any gaps in the storyline. I figure it’ll be another month or so to get the first draft completed and given to my beta readers.
Thank you for reading, will be in touch again soon!
Ainsley x
I’ve tried to write this first item a number of times, either I accidentally ‘lost’ the actual post or just couldn’t find the words… Either way, I have found it difficult to start this post – how do I provide value for fledgling writers/authors like myself, and do I even have an audience?
I realized it doesn’t matter either way, as I want to document a genuine and open dialog of someone who starts off as a writer and becomes a published author. I will add to this blog regularly and impart whatever sound advice I’ve gathered by reaching milestones and on finding useful information because it’s been tough to work through the mire and get to the good stuff!
If you read my other pages you know I am starting out fresh as a full-time writer and artist this year after what I feel is both a heroic and virtuous stand in the public/civil service. My intention is to write this blog as a review of the interesting things I find in my travels (research was my bag in my former life). I’m going to show what resonates with me in terms of helping with the writing basics, like; planning, plotting, writing, editing, and finally publishing.
To recap – I wasn’t really a good student at school with creative writing or English in particular – I was average at best. I like to believe I had an imaginative spark in me, but no real sense of how to put the words together, despite attending a brilliantly scholastic school.
It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my first child that I had the opportunity to attend a 2-day workshop with a local television personality that I really found my stride. This wonderful gentleman was a seasoned journalist and gave of his knowledge graciously, he managed to teach me more in two days than in all my schooling years. My lecturer was Peter Leonard, we lost him to cancer many years ago, but he left an indelible mark on the majority of people he met – a truly beautiful man. After just two days, I felt confident to tackle whatever form of writing the corporate world threw at me and it became a comfortable space.
Now that I have been gifted the time to embrace a fully creative life, it feels strange to not have the shackles or boundaries of the restrictions from my former workplace.
So what now? I can continue to procrastinate and flail about under the guise of learning the craft in a theoretical sense with my various online courses, or I can learn by doing. Malcolm Gladwell suggested it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field, and this is based on 20 hours a week over 10 years.
I’ve started on this new journey with a positive outlook and want to reach a new level of comfort in writing without the formality and structure of my former life. I do find immense joy in writing and will continue to by forging ahead into this chapter of my creative life.
Thanks for coming along with me, I hope you continue this path alongside 🙂
Cheers,
Ainsley x
