My journey started in 1998 with a big milestone in my life hovering on the horizon. I set myself a challenge to see if I could get something in print with in ten years.
First, I had to learn the basics like spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Yes, these are things I should’ve learnt while I was at school, but the sad truth is I left school not be able to understand any of it. Not because I was badly behaved, or didn’t want to learn, but because I was classed as a slower learner.
I could read, and understood that a sentence started with a capital letter and a full stop, but nothing more.
I’ve always enjoyed reading, so this became my starting point to learn how to write. With my husband’s help and Ebay I bought over 250 books on ‘How to’ write and English Grammar. While working full-time in a factory, and during tea breaks I read the ‘how to’ books. In 2010, my first story was published by English Heritage.
After learning my craft and building my confidence through getting short stories published and entering competitions, I’m now moving from writing short stories to writing novels. My first novel ‘ Stone Angels’ will be published this year after having 37 rejections and many hours of editing, rewriting and resubmitting. Never give up and always believe anything is possible with determination and hard work.
Thank you for joining me in my quest.
It’s nice to know one is never alone and a shared journey seems to fly by without being aware of the time.
I wish you well on your quest too.
Best wishes,
Paula R C.
From The Funeral Birds To As The Crow Flies 
Hey, just wanted to let you know I’ve nominated you for a Liebster Award… I’ve nominated blogs I enjoy reading and do so regularly. Here’s the link to follow… http://wp.me/p4sNgQ-2x
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A kindred spirit. I have the same hope as you this new year. To be a novelist.
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So pleased that you have joined me on my journey, Razorback. It’s a tough market to break into but as long as you keep believing in yourself you can do it.
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My journey didn’t have such a clear starting point as yours, but the calling for me to be an author has been as loud, I think. 🙂 How nice for me to have found you now that you are on the eve of publishing your novel! Exciting times!! I look forward to following you… Forza, Paula!
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Thank you for finding me too. I look forward to reading all about your journey too.
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It’s exciting reading this Paula it gives me a drive to take my writing more seriously. I always loved writing from as far back as I can remember but never thought I was good enough to have my writing published or was just too busy taking care of the family. People like you are an inspiration to others. Thanks for sharing your story. I wish you all the success.
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Thank you so much. ❤️
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Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your blog. I’m a struggling author and am always looking for inspiration and ways to promote myself and my books.
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Thank you so much, Kevin. If you would to join me in a chat about your writing and books please contact me. I will send you the questions via email. If you are on Facebook please join my group. For Writers only The Clubhouse. And the Clubhouse Books. Both links are on the clubhouse guest chat.
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Great site! Good luck on your writing and publishing journey. My first novel took me six years to write and received over 100 rejections along the way. To be fair, I revised the novel three times before I was satisfied. I self-published in March. It’s a long painful process. Your hard work paid off for you. Well done 🙂
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Thank you so much for drop by, Will. My first published novel Stone Angels took me eight years in the making. It took many rewrites, much editing and lots of rejections but I never gave up on getting it published. I know it was a case of waiting for the right person. I’ve never been brave enough to self-publish. Being self-taught I need someone to tell me I had got it right.
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Your tag line is brilliant: “Artist, James Ravencroft, thinks so. As his reputation as a painter grows, so does his need to find the next perfect model. They don’t just pose for him, they become his still life – his Stone Angels.”
Were I an agent, that line would have hooked me and had me read on.
I was never able to sell my novel with any of the tag lines I wrote. That’s what finally pushed me to self-pub. Maybe the next will be different.
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You must never give up. I knew what I wanted and focused on that. I watched many of my writing friends give in. When I got desperate after having so many rejections on Stone Angels, my darling husband offered to pay for my book to be published. I wept.
He couldn’t understand why I was crying and so annoyed with him. ‘but it’s what you want… to be published.’
I shouted back at him, ‘Yes, I want my book to be published, but not by sell out on my dream. I want someone to believe in my novel as much as I do.
I couldn’t live with myself if I had payed for it to be published. I reduced the word count, took eight more months editing it. Cut out the prologue, and the title headings for each chapter.
In the future maybe I will see Stone Angels with the cover picture I dreamt of, and printed in hardback but for now, I’m happy to see people I don’t know on a personal level who live in America, Canada, and U.K. leaving positive comments. I live in England.
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