There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
Ernest Hemingway

In writing, as in many artistic pursuits, it is easy to be hard on yourself.

When you receive your first rejection letter from a publisher.

When you think you’ve written a ripping short story and a reader is confused by your point of view.

When you’ve slaved over a chapter late into the night, only to find when you read it in the morning, it isn’t nearly as good as you thought.

Never give up. Make time in your day to write. Make time to read.

I’ve never found it hard to find time to write.

It’s a compulsion; whether it is done in a spare hour at my desk or when my ‘desk’ becomes the car while I wait for my son to finish soccer (oops, football) practice.

Never give up, because if you do, you’ll feel lousy. Write like your life depends on it.

Don’t put off writing your novel because you’re busy, you’re stressed, the kids are too little or your pencil isn’t sharp enough….. make it a priority, make it a habit, make it work for you.

To keep my own writing on track I set myself writing goals.

Like – entering three stories in competitions, completing 1,000 words a day on my current manuscript or even something as simple as going to a writer’s talk at the writers centre. Inspiration is a keen motivator.

Write every day, no matter what, and preferably without bleeding.

An evolving Stop sign – words and their meanings change . . . pic taken in Federal, S.Freymark