I wish I’d known

‘The first thing I wish I’d known when I started off as a writer was that my love of writing wasn’t enough to lead me to publication. Writing is a craft and you have to make time to study it.

‘I wrote my first novel in my thirties and enjoyed writing it. I gave it to friends to read. They said it was good, so I sent it off to agents and got a pile of rejections. I licked my wounds and carried on writing. This time, focusing on short stories, it wasn’t until I enrolled on a course at my local library that I began to realise how much I had to learn about the craft.

‘Over the years I’ve learnt that every piece of writing, whether it’s an article, short story or a novel, starts life as a first draft. It’s not until it’s been through a series of edits, and maybe even one or two rewrites, that it becomes the wonderful read you and others enjoy, reflect on and maybe discuss.

‘My writing journey has taught me that the story you set out to write isn’t necessarily the story you end up writing. Sometimes a story cuts its own road. When I started writing This Other Island my plan was to give voices to older Caribbean people, women in particular. I had felt I was clear about who my protagonist would be. But three main characters emerged, presented themselves to me and, through me, they found a voice. I loosened the reins a little, ended up with three points of view, and it worked.

‘I’ve learnt that it’s important to listen to yourself when writing, but it’s also important to allow your characters to be themselves.

‘I also wished I’d known that ultimately agents and editors are people and, since different stories appeal to different people, it’s inevitable that you will get rejections. There will always be others to whom your well-written novel or other piece of writing will appeal.’