My Road to Writing, Barbara Murphy
My Road to Writing, Barbara Murphy
What makes a person write a book? To come up with a plot, characters, and a tale that holds the reader’s attention? Taking thoughts in your head and translating them on to paper, ultimately creating a novel? It isn’t an easy thing to do, and every author will have her own story to tell.
I suppose I can only write about my own experiences and share some useful tips I have picked up along the way—some of which I wish someone told me before I started writing.
My writing journey started a long time ago in Austria, the country of my childhood. My father was an English professor who, after years of teaching, started to write educational books about English taught as a foreign language. I grew up with the two languages, English and German, and although I spent many years in a German-speaking country I always felt more at ease with English. I moved to the United States in my teenage years and later I moved to Ireland. Writing books in English wasn’t a conscious decision but a natural progression.
I did, however, write my first pieces as a child in German. I mainly wrote short stories that I gave my family to read. As a teenager, I wrote a few articles for German women’s magazines and some stories for my father’s English books.
Creative writing was in my blood and was the subject I liked best in school. Besides writing fictional stories, I also kept a diary. Putting down thoughts and feelings on paper—even if it was a lot of teenage nonsense—was like therapy for me.
I stopped writing when life got busy, and I did not pick it up again until my father’s death. The urge to write a novel had always been there for me, even if it sometimes lay dormant. After my father’s passing, I simply wanted to give it a go, not knowing where it would lead.
The story of my first book, Second Chances, formed in my head—characters developed and so did the plot. I wrote it all down, without giving much thought to the finer details. For me, it was important to get the story out first. Once I finished the entirety of the book, I was prepared to start my first round of editing.
But before I had a chance to dive in, I pressed a button on my laptop and everything I had written vanished. You have probably put two and two together and concluded that I am not very technical. And you are right!
We authors might have creative brains, but our computer skills are often lacking. Well, at least in my case they certainly are.
Here we arrive at my first piece of advice, one that might seem obvious, but can easily be put on the back burner when you’re itching to get to writing: Familiarize yourself with your PC and save, save, save! Have a backup, not only on your computer but also on the cloud.
After nearly having a heart attack, I was lucky enough to find a computer wiz who was able to find my file somewhere on the laptop. It took him all night as the document had been saved under a random, very long number.
After a hard lesson learned, moving forward I took the time to make copies of my writing. I also found it useful to email the document to myself as an additional backup.
Once I secured the location of my draft, I dove into the revision process. It was all well and good to edit through it, reading the story over and over again, making changes as I went. But there comes a point where you are just going around in circles.
This brings me to my second tip: Give your book to someone else to read. Better yet, give it to a few people to read. Ask people in your life who have a keen interest in books, who are honest, and who tend to offer kind and constructive criticism.
And here goes the third piece of advice: Be open to criticism. This is easier said than done. You are talking about your own sweat and blood here—your baby. You feel vulnerable, protective, and proud of your creation, and it can be painful to be told that some parts of your story don’t make sense, aren’t engaging enough, or need more details. It’s a hard pill to swallow. But remember this: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. They might even have a fair point you can take into consideration. Getting published means putting yourself out there, and some readers will love your book while some won’t. At the end of the day, it is your story and the direction you take it is your decision. I encourage you to be open to criticism but take it with a pinch of salt.
Nothing about publishing a book is easy, but things that are truly worth the effort never are.
My last bit of advice is to enjoy your journey—the good and the bad— have fun with the process and be proud of what you have created!
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Barbara Francesca Murphy was born in Austria in the 70s. She started writing at an early age, with some of her short stories published in local magazines. As a child and teenager she travelled extensively, getting a taste and knowledge for foreign cultures and fuelling her imagination.
She graduated from high school in America and went on to study tourism and management shortly after completing her college course. She settled in Ireland, where she has been living ever since. Lucina’s Letters is her second published book. Her first one, Second Chances, was published in 2019.
LUCINDA’S LETTERS
“They did not mean to hurt the boy, much less kill him. They only wanted to teach him a lesson.”A stunning family saga set in Ireland and Italy, Lucina’s Letters is a gripping character study that explores the deep, dark repercussions of one long-ago deed.
But what will the consequences be; will the now-grown-up girls come to terms with their actions on that fateful day and subsequently their own struggles in life? Were the messenger’s intentions just honourable and will the truth set them free and restore the family unit once again?
Category: How To and Tips
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