Thanks UQ Brisbane - Sunday 18th May

Today I dropped in on one of the Travel Writing classes run by my editor, Lauren Daniels, at the University of Queensland. I talked to her students about my book, 'a Few Drops short of a Pint', and the publishing process. Lauren's class asked some great questions and I really enjoyed the morning.

I truly believe that writing is a skill that can be learned. I certainly wasn't born with the skills myself! Here are some key things that helped me get there:-

a) I had something to say, and I wanted to take the reader along with me. As Lauren said, the manuscript began as 'my story'. It evolved into 'our story', and then became 'the story'. 'The story' becomes much bigger than the author. In my case, the manuscript took me to places I hadn't expected at all when I'd began.
b) I got some education in the area of writing. I attended adult education courses and found a good coach to guide me.
c) I started writing down whatever rubbish I could: it really was rubbish! I then edited it and kept editing it.

d) I kept at it. Woody Allen says 80% of success is showing up. I worked on the manuscript each week, and took the coaching from my friends, editor and publisher to improve my writing. This wasn't always easy for me. When I got frustrated, I had to remind myself of the reason I was doing it - because I had something to say.
e) I had the support of friends who read the manuscript and gave me feedback (not easy for them or for me!). I also had friends who continually asked me how the book was going.
f) I took personal development classes to understand my reactions to life and other people. This let me cope with the constructive criticism I received along the way.

If you have an inkling that you'd like to write, start writing! It is possible to have your day job and have your dreams too.

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