Perhaps it can be a new genre. 

Yes there is always happily ever after and a formulaic plot but I try to add my own spin.  Whether that is anyone’s cup of tea, well I’m starting to find out.  AGAIN?  No this is about something else.  Well sort of...

I believe there was a writer within me for a long time but I wasn’t listening.  I only wish I realised how much it would become part of me, I would have woken up sooner.  But I didn’t.  When I started it was rough.  No ‘skills’ and a bad memory meant I had to learn again.  I read how to books, I got advice from writers I admired and I tried to get better.  I hope I have.  So when my first story went free on a little place called Amazon Kindle I was so not prepared for what would happen.

So from the first moment of plotting out my first, short, rough draft of my first story to the day I discovered it to be ‘taking off’ as a freebie, three years had passed.  I still don’t think I believe it.   After many, many hours of reading other amateur’s work (like myself) on authonomy, where I could also learn by reviewing which in turn helped me to find out how to improve myself, editing and re-writing scenes and the thing I’m worst at, cutting (I don’t write enough as it is), Spoilt was born.  My first ‘finished’ manuscript.  Was I ever wrong.  After being so dumbfounded by winning the ‘First Chapter of the Month’ competition at Night I went through it all again.  Editing, rewriting.... My point out of all of that is; I am only a ‘young’ writer but I believe I have stories to tell. 

What I got from all this, the most amazing thing of all, was the friends I made.  From all over the world I have a community of writers who I can share my woes with and they will pat me on the back, give me a reality check and send me on my way.  I can share my news with them and they are excited.  I can share their joys and say yay for them.  All of that plus many others who support me, always, is how I keep going.  Nothing could ever replace that community and what it has done for me and my writing.  At the top of that is Tim.  I have shouted out for him this week already.  When I considered throwing in the towel this week, Tim supported me through every high and low.  To him I am the most grateful. 

Then there is the emails I have received, the 'fan' type ones that aren't public, that people don't see... these are touching and make it all worthwhile.  But writing isn't just about the 'accolades', it is about the love of it but knowing you are bringing something to someone's life... that's pretty cool too. 

At the end of the day, I was lucky but with that luck came nastiness.  I may be an average writer with three stars who disappointed people enough to write bad reviews but 17 out of 60,000 isn’t too bad.  Maybe the people who haven’t reviewed are enjoying it.  That is all I can hope for. 

I may write poorly and maybe I should give it away... yet I will still write because I love it.  Because the muse comes calling and being in the zone...is unexplainable.  I do the best I can to hopefully give someone a few hours escape, like reading has been for me.  So yes the bad reviews really, really hurt and I thought about giving it up.  Instead I’m going to take a few days and re-group.  Becoming a ‘bestseller’ was amazing and unbelievable and I wish I had been able to enjoy it more.  After my retreat I hopefully will.

I have never said I wrote anything but adult fairytales.

This has been a remarkable journey.