How do you explain the pleasure of writing to someone who would rather stick pins in their eyes than put pen to paper? How do you then explain that sometimes you too would rather stick pins in your eyes than put pen to paper, but you are compelled to do it nonetheless?
It’s very tricky.
The truth is that writing is all about graft. It takes years of practise to write well: reading until the rhythms of language sing in your mind; scribbling and scoring out, over and over, until you find your voice, your story and your characters; picking yourself up when you discover that no one else loves them the way that you do.
But the sheer joy of getting lost in your imagination, of creating something bigger than yourself, makes up for it all. And you know that each time you put yourself out there you learn something new. You become a better writer. And you take a step towards the goal of publication.
I’m not there yet – but I’m closer than I was. Here are a few things I’ve discovered on the way:
Helen MacKenzie 