Juggling by Misha Herwin

 

Cover detail by Michael Walters

Years ago I was featured in an article in “Writing Magazine” which took writers who were looking to be published and analysed the steps they were taking towards their goal. At the time I was writing a play, while simultaneously working on a novel and mulling over the idea for a children’s book. The play was to be performed at the school where I was a drama teacher, the novel would be sent out to a list of agents and in the meantime I would begin the children’s book.

The feedback when it came was not encouraging. Although I was commended for working hard it seemed that if I wanted to make it in the publishing world I needed to concentrate on one thing and one genre at a time. That way I could put the maximum effort into succeeding as a playwright, novelist, or children’s author. 

I probably should have taken the advice, but over the years I’ve come to accept that this is my approach to writing and that having a number of projects on the go is, for me, the most fulfilling way of working. Currently this involves a final, final edit of “Freecycling for Beginners”, carrying on with the first draft of my new novel, while putting the finishing touches to “The Hanging Tree”, Letty Parker’s fourth adventure. Then there are the notes for another Awesome Adventure of Poppy and Amelia and the idea I’ve just had for a short story…

The more creative I am, the more stories clamour to be written. The trick is to give each one the time and attention it needs and once it is ready to factor in the marketing and the blogging and the tweeting…

On a good day this is challenging and invigorating, on a bad one it’s overwhelming and dispiriting.

Today is good. I’ve been creative, I’ve edited, I’ve blogged and now I'm off to have a look at social media.