I WANT TO WRITE A BOOK....
"Everyone has a book in them, but in most cases that's where they should stay." Christopher Hitchens.
We all know the above quote or one very similar and it appears that writing a book is on the bucket list of most people.
And it is so easy. After all we know that politicians and TV presenters have written books, athletes and footballers, singers and actors, criminals and celebrities, royalty and ratbags. They have written poetry and memoir, nonfiction and fiction...and even picture books.
And had these items published.
I surmise (or call it an educated guess) that a lot of these people have had 'help' of some description. Ghost writers, editors that push, goad and mould them in the right direction. They have not had to send a piece out into the ether and let it sit in the slush pile, waiting for that reader to pick it up and say 'WE SO NEED TO PUBLISH THIS'.
Most (once again an educated guess) have been commissioned to write such and such, or else their PA has talked to someone else's PA that has a friend in the publishing company and heh presto, a picture book appears written by a 'star'.
Yes, we all have stories but not all of them need to be told, or should be told.
Vicki
We all know the above quote or one very similar and it appears that writing a book is on the bucket list of most people.
And it is so easy. After all we know that politicians and TV presenters have written books, athletes and footballers, singers and actors, criminals and celebrities, royalty and ratbags. They have written poetry and memoir, nonfiction and fiction...and even picture books.
And had these items published.
I surmise (or call it an educated guess) that a lot of these people have had 'help' of some description. Ghost writers, editors that push, goad and mould them in the right direction. They have not had to send a piece out into the ether and let it sit in the slush pile, waiting for that reader to pick it up and say 'WE SO NEED TO PUBLISH THIS'.
Most (once again an educated guess) have been commissioned to write such and such, or else their PA has talked to someone else's PA that has a friend in the publishing company and heh presto, a picture book appears written by a 'star'.
You may think this is a case of sour grapes and yes it is. Working in a library means I get to see all the new books that come in, day after day after day. Our shelves are full of books and more are being published all the time.
Honestly I do wonder at some of these. Every second actor and celebrity seems to have their own cookbook or beauty book out. And those that are parents write parenting books, or shudder write books for children.
I'm sorry but I don't think all stories are worth telling. And most importantly, not everyone is a story teller.
For the average person that writes (and want their work out there) it is a passion. We dream scenarios, see plots and twists in every day happenings, listen to conversations that astound us, create characters and live in a world that we have created.
Our writing, even if not successful, takes us on a journey. We learn so much about ourselves. It is one thing to say 'I want to write a book'...it is another to actually put down over 50 000 words. Then reread it, and edit it, and rewrite it, and edit it and read it again, and put it away for several years months, only to repeat the entire process.
Perhaps I am being too harsh, perhaps all these celebrities, the television presenters and politicians, the singers and actors, the footballers and cricketers ...perhaps they have all been on a journey of discovery as well.
Vicki
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