To An Author

To An Author,

I know what you're thinking, I'm not an author. Well, that's strictly true, but it won't be much longer. Soon something will happen, and the drive to tell a story will be so great that you'll want nothing more. You'll create diagrams and pages upon pages of notes to stay ahead of yourself, to tame the beast in your head you didn't even realise existed until you let it out.

Before you even know it, you will have written your first novel.

Well, that's what it was like for me, fellow author. The first novel was a rocket I struggled to hold on to the desire to get it all down was so great. It was the single greatest experience I'd ever had.

Which leads to more.

Without even thinking much about it, a new idea will be forming in your head and characters will be strolling around like your head's a London street. But don't be afraid, be amazed. The strange workings of your mind could be genius. Learn to write everything down, even if it doesn't seem relevant. Knowing your complicated brain is important. Believe me.

So you continue to write, and let me tell you, you adore every minute of it, perhaps more now because now you've realised this is exactly what you want to do. Now your actions have meaning because now you see yourself as an author. Before it was just child's play, seeing if you had the stamina for a whole story. Now you're writing something much more complicated. This book is going to change you as an author.

They all do.

During the writing of every novel, you realise what you were doing wrong last time. You learn new rules about grammar and punctuation you didn't even know existed, and you try and learn the difference between 'affect' and 'effect' but just end up writing which is which in your note book for when you need to double check.

Around here the editor in your head wakes up and tries to gain  your attention. If you're anything like me, fellow author, you'll just bat it away, doing the most minimal of editing to quiet the noise. You'll just make it technically correct. I hate to tell you that you have a lot to learn.

But that doesn't matter, it doesn't take long for your editor to explode out of you. All of a sudden, you're cutting whole paragraphs and yes, fellow author, you did just cut an entire chapter. Well done! You don't tell yourself that enough and you should.

Your inner editor is quite like your inner author because neither can leave you once they've shown themselves.

Now you understand how to write and perfect a story. Now you feel indestructible. You try agents again. You dread it. Of course you do. These people are the next step in getting you your dream, getting published. But don't be naive, fellow author, they're not the only ones. You need an editor in a publishing house interested and then a team of people have to back it. Then you'll have to edit according to them, and you'll stress about cover design, and what you're trying to achieve, and at some point you might think back to that enthusiastic writer you were before and how you wish it was that simple again.

Publishing a book doesn't make you an author, writing a book does. I can't stress that enough. Already, fellow author, you're living your dream. Forget the big publishers for now, they'll come around. After all, the people who get published are the people too stupid to give up.

You're one of those wonderful people and you will live your dream. And you're okay with waiting. And you'll never stop writing.

That's what makes you an author.

So listen to criticism if it's constructive and let everyone share their ideas with you. Listen, watch, and learn. And most importantly of all, never stop writing.

One day, fellow author, one day, we will rule the world.

Your Future Writer.

Molly Looby

Became an author five years ago today.

molly.looby@hotmail.com