Writing brings me an enormous amount of joy. It absorbs me, it can be therapeutic (when it’s flowing smoothly), and it allows me to explore other emotions and circumstances I would not necessarily experience in my every day life.

One aspect of writing that really suits me, is it’s an act I can do in solitude. Ah, the joys of one’s own company. Writing is akin to retreating to a world I’ve imagined, and conversing with people I’ve chosen to be with, even the antagonist. I can express views I don’t necessarily agree with, I can be rude, violent, aggressive, and ascorbic; attitudes I tend to avoid in reality, but don’t always manage to. I’m talking about being ascorbic, not aggressive or violent, you understand. I’m happy in my own company, so writing is perfect for me.

I love words, especially learning new ones. I find these words in novels, newspapers, and from the TV. I keep a note of them in a notebook, and write down the definitions, to be used in a novel at a later date. Exploring language is a perk of writing, in my opinion. I’ve had few readers tell me saying they’ve come across words they didn’t know in my novels, so i hope I’m contributing to expanding the vocabulary of a few people. Let’s face it, there’s always something new to learn about our wonderful language.

Receiving feedback from readers makes all the hours of hard work worth while. Naturally, positive feedback is the most joyous to receive; it’s positively uplifting, but even constructive criticism is beneficial. it’s good to learn not only what works, but what doesn’t work. I’m aware I can be too verbose, but I’ve become adept at culling my words during the editing phase. I don’t believe I will ever know everything I need to know about the art of writing, I’ll be a perpetual student of the craft, hopefully honing my skills with  each novel that is published.

Happy Word Flow One & All