Hello there!
Today I received my self published little collection of short stories. It was nice to see my stories published and presented with some images from my Europe travels in a book format.
Something you can keep. Also I found myself reading the stories from a new and fresh perspective. I was (does this sound vain?) actually drawn in by the stories because I hadn't read them for ages. Does that ever happen to you, where you feel like you are reading your story as if someone else wrote it?
There's this great quote from Bob Dylan where he turns to his then girlfriend in the early 60's Joan Baez and says when he hears a song on the radio, "Hey, that's a pretty cool song, who wrote it?" and she says to him, "you did, you mug." Apparently he wrote so many songs that he forgot some of his own songs, that were being covered on the radio. I AM NOT COMPARING MYSELF TO BOB DYLAN! I just thought it was a funny anecdote.
On another note, the Year of the Novel at QWC is on this weekend and I have homework before I get there! Woe, Veny, who's a task master. No, I think it is great to have homework, it means we will go there prepared and be able to learn heaps more from our time together.
So, I recommend some form of self publishing to keep your creative juices flowing (to use a cliche, sorry). It really helps to see your work in a final form, to help you (and maybe others, who knows, but that's not really why you do it) respect your own work and keep going for more publication goals. Until one day, people will read your more major works published.
I agree with Barbara from the Queensland Writing blog, we do not do this for money. Some of us do it to communicate to the world. We write to experience to reach out, to empathise and help others to empathise.
There are a myriad of reasons why people write. I don't write for money. Even though I am a journalist, that is how I get paid for my professional words, but creatively, I hope one day people enjoy, get something out of and benefit from my books or stories and thus I may eventually make some money. Money the necessary evil, to survive, who was it that said "being published buys us time to write" basically, money allows us to keep creating.
Anyway, thanks for reading.
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2 comments:
Hi Suzanne are you planning to sell your book? I always like to buy Australian writers as it's so hard for any writer here to make much of a living. Don't forgot you should be able to deposit a copy with the State Library, and I found years ago that the Fryer Library at UQ collected Queensland writing as my name popped up in something, I can't remember what. Anyway, if it's not too expensive I'd like a copy, regards Barbara
Hey Barbara,
Thanks so much for offering to buy it. I am not selling this one at the moment but I will be in the future. So I will definitely let you know!
Thanks for being so supportive of other writers. I would like to buy your book when you do it too! we need to stick together!
One of the stories in my book is also entered in a competition and if it doesn't get anywhere I will then be free to publish it properly!
Thanks again for the offer!!! Suzanne
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