I wish I’d known

‘What do I wish I had known at the start of my writing career?

‘Let’s talk about resilience. When you first start seeing your work published, you imagine your writing career will be a steady climb up the story mountain with – who knows – a breakthrough firework display at the peak.

‘We can all dream. What you don’t realise is that just like the mountainous peaks and troughs that bring energy to a plot line, it is going to be a rollercoaster of a ride, even if you work steadily, improving your writing with every book.

‘We all know brilliant writers who are still chasing the publishing dream. Why aren’t they published when others are? What is that magic – that certain something – which sees an author break through and their sales rocket? Talking to writer friends, it’s clear that nobody knows why some books take off and others don’t. As a writer, there is so much that’s beyond your control: titles, covers, publicity budgets, publishing schedules, trends and fashions.

‘All you can do is produce your best work. Show up at your desk every day and keep climbing that mountain. Simple. Then at least you’ll know you gave it everything. So much of writing for publication is down to luck: the right story at the right time hitting the right editor’s desk. Be ready for that luck to find you and, when it does, embrace it.

‘How do you keep going when rejection hits you? The thing that has to sustain you is your love of writing. You write because you can’t not write. You write because you have something urgent to say.

You write because you feel: why don’t people know about this incredible thing?

‘Writing is a craft. It’s a long apprenticeship and, thirty years after my first story being published while I was still at school, I am learning every single day. I love that.’

Website: www.katelordbrown.com