So what's the first step to becoming an author?

Well obviously I had to actually write something - something that I would want to read, but more importantly, something that other people would want to read too... I had been dreaming of it for years, had even had the temerity to mention to a few people that I wanted to be an author. So where was my credibility? And how would I know my writing would be worth reading?

I have read thousands of books, I know what I like, I know the sorts of characters who engage me, the sorts of stories that carry me along. That gets me part of the way there. But there is so much more to it than that...

The most important thing though is not to get bogged down by all the reasons why you shouldn't be writing. Just start. Often the hardest thing is starting.... And don't expect that every idea you have will turn into a full-length novel or even a shorter novella. Some stories just won't fly.

My first attempt at writing a book flowed beautifully. I spent days writing for hours on end and the characters and story-lines just flew onto the page. I loved it - but then it stalled. For no particular reason it just stopped emerging. I couldn't think where it would go next, and so I shelved it.

A few months later, I started another book, but again it didn't get very far. I began to wonder if I would ever actually finish a book. Surely if I couldn't actually finish a book, then I couldn't call myself a writer. But I tried not to lose heart and kept practicing by writing down ideas and scenes, until suddenly one of my books went all the way. The story and characters grew and (to my mind) progressed and reached a satisfying conclusion. Definitely time to celebrate. Yep.

But now what? Then its time for the hard stuff... editing, sharing, redrafting, editing, redrafting, publishing, promoting, etc., etc. Now it's time for some serious research...