Confidence – It’s No Trick!

I recently decided to ‘practise what I preach’, and started to respond to people who ask me what work I do, with the answer, “I’m a writer.”

It took a lot of courage, and I’ve had varying reactions, particularly when responding to the inevitable question, “Have you had anything published?” with, “No, not yet.” Then, people tend to smile condescendingly, or pityingly, I can’t always tell the difference.
Many seem to presume that I am writing short stories, as a hobby. I generally leave them with their presumption. I tell few that I’ve almost completed a novel of almost four hundred pages, and I haven’t even told my own parents. It’s easier just to keep things low key, and say nothing until it’s finished.

So, what’s the point of this then? Well, as I mentioned in the previous post, to be able to write with confidence, I need to have confidence in myself generally. I’m currently preparing the first three chapters of my novel for submission to a literary agent. I’m looking forward to the feedback I get from that, even if it’s a rejection. But I also need to mix with other writer’s, and let them read what I’ve been working on for the last eighteen months. I need to get some reasonably knowledgeable opinion on my writing style, so, with this in mind, I have decided to join a local writers group.

Soviet Writers Group – Read Your Own Work Night!

I have to admit to having mixed feelings about this. Despite being gregarious by nature, I have always stayed well away from clubs and groups of any kind. Even as a boy I refused to join the Cubs or Scouts, or any of my school’s after-lessons clubs. I have always preferred to choose myself who I associate with, on the ‘birds of a feather’ principal. As Groucho Marx famously said, ‘I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member’, but in the interests of research for Beyond 1984, it is something that must be done.
I have already attended one meeting of the group, as a guest. The members I’ve met so far seemed to be friendly and interesting, and I’m looking forward to attending the next meeting. I’m aware that writers groups don’t always get ‘good press’, but there’s only one way to find out. I’ll be providing my feedback and opinion in subsequent posts, and again I’m hoping that it will be useful and interesting. We shall see.

Ian.