It takes incredible courage to become a writer, I think.
It is a path riddled with uncertainty. Much to my dismay, I've come to discover that no matter how much passion, ability, skill and knowledge you possess, these aptitudes can only take you so far and sometimes even that is not enough to get you where you want to be.
I studied Creative and Professional Writing at university, in the hopes of improving the odds. I knew becoming a writer would take more skill than I believed I had at the time, and I wanted desperately to resolve this.
In my first year, I studied four genres: Drama, Fiction, Non Fiction and Poetry. I enjoyed Fiction for obvious reasons, Drama too and Non Fiction become interesting by the end. On the professional side of things, we studied Contemporary English Usage and the Craft of Writing - so really looking at sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, tenses and dialect to name a few. It was during this time that I learned there was more to being a writer, than just thinking of a bright idea and writing it. It's not only passion you need, but you need the know how to turn an idea into something exciting, yet be grammatically and structurally pleasing.
Admittedly, this took the fun out of writing somewhat. I used to love writing, just writing without worrying too much about how I was writing. And the more I thought about sentence structure, and tense, and possible connotations, and other nitty gritty annoyances, the less enjoyment I found in the practice. I started to write less and less, and as a result my own stories took a back seat to the ever growing mountain of curriculum-based essays and portfolios.
Years two and three picked up dramatically. While writing more for a professional setting, there was more creative thinking involved than there was previously. In Writing for Radio, we were set the task of writing an original radio drama. This really pushed boundaries as I had never written in this format before, but I had so much fun exploring it. It was as if I was a director of an epic tale. In Writing for Children, I wrote about a young girl, lost in the woods with a fox whose tail glowed. In Screenwriting, I scripted a short film - a modern day Cinderella with a twist.
While these tasks really made me fall in love with writing again, I look back now and sometimes wonder what was the point of it all? It's difficult to imagine my radio play or my short film actually being produced, if I haven't any best selling novels or writing awards under my belt already.
For any chance of that really happening, you need experience in the publishing industry first. It makes sense, surely? And despite my numerous applications for month long work experiences, internships and the like, attempts have failed to enter the world. So far, she says trying to remain optimistic.
People believe having a university degree makes you more appealing to employers. Maybe, if you have a degree in criminology, or teaching, or sports therapy, or accounting. These are professions with certainty, with direction. You know what you need to succeed, you achieve this and there is a job waiting for you at the end. This is the way the world works. And for many students studying the creative arts, it is difficult to enter a industry which is either in decline, or just not hiring.
As a writer, you face a number of challenges. Some would think it's just finding the inspiration to write, to think of something original and turn it in to something wonderful. But for some, myself included, it is a challenge to keep writing, even when you know it could be years before you get your first real break. As a writer, you risk never fulfilling your dreams of becoming a recognised author, of seeing your words and worlds printed, and being read by people all around the world.
Yes, there are other ways of getting recognised I guess. Blogging is always a good way to start. Blog about your interests, your views, likes and dislikes. Submit your works to newspapers, small time magazines - or big ones if you are eager for a challenge. Social media is good way to communicate these days. Share, tweet, post your work anywhere and everywhere you can.
But for me, this is not enough. I guess a part of me is still yearning for that all important phone call from a publishing house, telling me they want to publish my novel. I don't expect things to come to me (though that would be nice) but I don't want to struggle so much just to get my foot in the door!
Writing is a difficult profession to pursue. There are days, even now, I doubt the path I have chosen. I could have pursued a career in computing. I've always been good with machines. Or I could have chosen to be a social worker or a travel stewardess, as I had dreamed growing up. I could have chosen anything, but the heart wants what it wants. And it wanted books. It wanted words. And, most importantly, it wanted to write books.
I want the chance to inspire others, to provide light and give hope, just as my favourite authors inspired and comforted me at dark and difficult times in my life. It is for that reason, that I will keep going. I will keep pursuing my dream. It may take time, perhaps longer than I wish, but I know it's going to be one enchanting ride.