How do you know?

by Emma Dickson
18th January 2012

I am a new and very inexperienced writer. I have long day dreamed of having a book published and for years now have been slowly gathering stacks of notebooks full of scribbled ideas. My brain however, is slowly being filled with the niggles. How do you know if it's the right time to start focusing on the writing as a possible career? How do you know whether you have a credible idea or if it is quite frankly rubbish? How do you know when your work is READY?

Replies

Thank you to all those posting answers here. Sorry I can't read them at the moment because of the "more" issue with IE but I will get to them as soon as the problem is fixed.

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Emma
Dickson
330 points
Starting out
Fiction
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Emma Dickson
23/01/2012

Check out The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron for some great tips and exercises in building confidence in one's own ability - it helped me with my niggles!

It also helped me to find the faith within to believe I was doing something with a purpose. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most prolific of people when it comes to submitting material, but I never lose faith in what I can learn from the industry itself, and my peers, and what I can bring to the world of writing as a result.

Also to quote a classic funk song of the 70's (oooops, there goes my credibility!) 'If it feels go - do it!'

Mark

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Mark J
Braybrook
3005 points
Developing your craft
Film, Music, Theatre, TV and Radio
Short stories
Fiction
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Mark J Braybrook
23/01/2012

Hi all! Thank you for all the responses. This is the first time I have asked a question on here and I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of you. Saying that, I can't actually see any replies after Louise at the moment. (for some reason my "more" button does nothing!)

I look forward to seeing the rest when the site allows

; )

Profile picture for user emma1310_7092
Emma
Dickson
330 points
Starting out
Fiction
Autobiography, Biography and Memoir
Middle Grade (Children's)
Picture Books (Children's)
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Business, Management and Education
Speculative Fiction
Adventure
Gothic and Horror
Romance
Emma Dickson
19/01/2012