On Being A Writer

When I dreamed of becoming a writer many, many years ago, I swung between it being an unachievable goal and imagining myself walking into bookshops and seeing my books on the shelves. However, all of that all got put aside as life took over. When I revisited my dream some forty years later, with the encouragement and support of my family and late husband, it was just about completing a novel and seeing what happens next.

I have several finished manuscripts, of different genres, sitting on my laptop; some will never see the light of day without some serious editing. Each one of them I thought was wonderful when it was completed, but when I read them back now I realise they need crafting into shape and I’m pleased they didn’t get published, which shows how my learning has progressed.

My first venture into publication was short stories, and I believe this is an art in itself. It teaches you about word count and choices. Magazines are looking for specific story lengths so it’s no good sending something that’s a thousand words over, and you still need to have a structure as you do in a full novel. It’s a challenge but one definitely worth doing. When my first short story was published I couldn’t believe someone actually wanted to buy something I had written, it was an amazing feeling and gave me a real boost to continue writing.

My journey into novel writing started with contemporary, which I did enjoy and again have some stories that I love sitting on my computer. However, I decided to delve into a period of time I personally enjoy, Victorian. Unfortunately, that novel is also sitting on my laptop but it’s one that I love and will publish one day, even if it means self-publishing it. 

If any readers have read my World War One saga series The Foyles Bookshop Girls you will know it starts with Alice’s story. That book was born from my Victorian novel, which is set n the 1870’s. Alice’s mother is a child, her grandfather is a young man and her great grandfather and aunts have real personalities. It’s a story about money and status. Publishers and agents enjoyed it but because I wasn’t established at that time they felt unable to take it but I’m not giving up hope that one day it will fly. It’s one I thoroughly enjoyed writing and started writing a sequel about another member of the family but that is only part written because I started to write The Foyles Bookshop Girls series.

As a writer I believe it’s important to try writing different genres until you find one that you enjoy, and don’t be afraid, it’s all about learning and honing your craft. Having said that, I love to watch crime programmes on television but, much to everyone’s amazement, I can’t imagine ever writing about crime. Although crime and romance can and do feature in most genres, whether that’s pinching an apple off a stall or having a fling with a work colleague, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s believable.

Life and things people say are full of inspiration to make into, or add to, a story. Taking a simple example of the people standing in a bus queue, where are they going and why, are they meeting someone exciting or are they going to a very boring job? The questions are endless so the stories are also; they are inside us just waiting to burst out on to the page.

Measuring success is different for everyone, when I started my journey as a writer I thought if one person I don’t know buys a book I have written that would be a major success. I’m pleased to say I’m now beyond that and I’m gradually finding my own style of story telling. I am also in another three-book contract with Aria Publishing with the first book of another series written, staying in World War One London.

If I could give any budding writers any tips it would be:

• Don’t give up; some of the best authors of our time were rejected many times.
• Don’t stop learning. There are classes and, thanks to the Internet, there are loads of resources out there but do check that they are worth using first.
• If you want to be published then it’s important to make your work commercial so keep an eye on the market but don’t chase it.
• Join organisations that offer support and feedback on your work.
• Write from the heart and believe what you are writing.

I have been very lucky with all the support from family, friends and my publisher but it takes time and a little bit of luck that when you submit your manuscript it is exactly what the publisher/agent is looking for.

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Elaine Roberts had a dream to write for a living. She completed her first novel in her twenties and received her first very nice rejection. Life then got in the way until circumstances made her re-evaluate her life, and she picked up her dream again in 2010. She joined a creative writing class, The Write Place, in 2012 and shortly afterwards had her first short story published. She was thrilled when many more followed and started to believe in herself.

As a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Women Writers & Journalists, Elaine attends many conferences, workshops, seminars and wonderful parties. Meeting other writers gives her encouragement, finding most face similar problems. 

Elaine and her late husband, Dave, have five children who have flown the nest. Home is in Dartford, Kent and is always busy with their children, grandchildren, grand dogs and cats visiting. Without her wonderful family and supportive friends, she knows the dream would never have been realised. 

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Book Link: Christmas At The Foyles Bookshop

A fabulous, uplifting tale of friendship at the heart of wartime, with well-crafted and richly drawn characters in the perfect setting of the wonderful Foyles bookshop. This gem is the perfect Christmas read’ Fiona Ford.

With the war raging on, can there be peace, love and joy this Christmas?
London, 1917. After her parents died in a tragic accident, Victoria did everything she could to keep her siblings safe and off the streets. Working at the Foyles Bookshop with her best friends is a dream come true – but now the war has put everything she holds dear in danger.

With her brother fighting on the frontline, Victoria wants to do her part. Little does she know that volunteering to spend time with injured soldiers at Endell Street Military Hospital will reward her in ways she could never have imagined. There are family secrets to uncover, along with love, once lost but never forgotten.

This Christmas, all the Foyles girls want is their loved ones back safe and sound…

The final heartwarming novel in the Foyles Girls trilogy, Christmas at the Foyles Bookshop is perfect for fans of Daisy Styles and Rosie Hendry.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips