A writers’ group or professional organisation can help develop confidence
Writing can be an isolating endeavour. It’s rarely
collaborative – at least in the early stages, when you’re drawing out ideas
into coherent stories. Time dissolves as you struggle over phrases, finding the
right words. Characters sometimes behave, sometimes they don’t; and manuscripts
can be put to one side, at least for a while, until you figure out what to do
with that collection of letters on the page. But when you’re in the midst of it
– when the story flows, the characters work and the setting is engaging to
create – you can disappear into the pages. Nothing outside the room matters,
time is irrelevant. Food, drink and sleep are no longer required. You’re alone
but not lonely, as you live in the world you create.
