A little inspiration

Writing is an uncertain business. Those who engage in the craft spend many solitary hours wrapped up in a world of their own creation, never knowing whether their book will ever be read by anyone other than themselves. So it is always encouraging to hear about authors who have been successful.

I recently attended a talk by Ruth Dugdall, author or The Woman Before Me, who reinforced the view that although getting into print is difficult; it can be done if you persevere.

Ruth came to writing accidentally (it is, by her own admission, a long story) but she has stuck with it even though it took a while for The Woman Before Me to make it into print. The book but was not published until August 2010 despite winning The Debut Dagger in 2004.

I read Ruth’s novel and couldn’t put it down. There were little imperfections but nothing that detracted from a good story told well and, in some ways, this added credibility to the flaws in the characters themselves. As founder member of a book group, I am always on the look out for a good read and I would highly recommend The Woman Before Me to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller. 

Ruth is an engaging and inspirational speaker and I enjoyed hearing about her journey into writing. It certainly gave me motivation to get on with my own novel which is growing more slowly than I would like, in spite of this blog.

I have been to several similar talks and, listening to the authors detailing the road to publication, the one thing that they all have in common is perseverance. There is no quick fix and getting into print is hard work, but one thing is certain, if you never start the journey, you will never reach your goal.

The Woman Before Me by Ruth Dugdall is published by Legend press