It is a fact of life that writers spend more time not writing that anything else they do.  We should probably be called researchers or thinkers rather than writers because we surely do more of that than anything.

We cannot not do that though or we wouldn’t be able to write.  I still find it fascinating to explore where the ideas come from that we exploit to turn into the written word.

For me I get inspiration from so many areas that I’m spoilt for choice on what to write about.  So much so that I often don’t get around to writing a single word on most of the ideas.

I get ideas from the newspapers I read on the weekend, from comments by the people around me, from the radio, from browsing the internet, advertising billboards, graffiti, watching nature and people watching (my favourite pastime is to sit in a mall or street cafe with a coffee and watch those around me).

All of these areas are rich in material to write about, you learn about characters, personal interactions, activities of society (including ants).  I get flooded with things to write about but I write about very few of them.  Why?

I talk myself out of them for many reasons, not the least of which is “who would want to read about that?” which can stifle a good creative idea permanently.  And then you see something in Borders or Angus & Robertson which is almost the same as your idea.  Grrrrrr.  That could have been me.

But it isn’t.  The reason it isn’t is because you didn’t do anything about it.  Having ideas, researching the subject, taking copious notes is all very helpful but it isn’t writing.  You can get stuck in any of these stages and never produce a novel, a report, a short story or even a major work spanning multiple novels.

To be a writer you have to write.  You don’t have to be perfect first time, second time, third time or any time but you do have to write and you have to keep writing until your first novel is done, then you start the second and third etc.

I’m reminded of one of the Amway training tapes stating that, I don’t remember who said it but it is true, the work will teach you how to do it.  This hold true in everything I have ever done.  You cannot learn anything by reading about it.  You have to DO something, anything, to do with what you are trying to learn or accomplish.

You will make mistakes, you will have to rewrite stuff, sometimes all of it just to start it off in a better way.  That’s why this site exists, so you can write, publish it here, have people read it and talk to you about it.  You can take on board all, some or none of what they say and re-write your book, re-publish it and get more feedback from the readers.

This constant polishing of your book will teach you how to write better and better.  This beats the hell out of an editing publisher who is intent on moulding you to their audience.  This is your natural audience telling you what they want.  And one of the things they want is new and interesting writers, that’s you.

So get on with it, just sit down and write furiously for 20 minutes and then read it again tomorrow.  That could be the beginning of your newest novel.  Go on, take one idea, any idea and go for it.  You can do it.  Then show us.  Put it on your blog here, we’ll be kind, I promise.