Dream Writers

When does a person call themselves a writer and why are some people given an urge to write but are unsure what it is they actually want to write? Writers are interesting, eclectic, creatures. For some it may be a need to record a family history, others a biography of a family member or even themselves. I’ve often heard people say say they have this story floating around in their head and they just want to get it down on paper. A traveler might want to record a trip diary. Whatever the reason for wanting to write it is always a good idea to bite the bullet and just do it. You say, but I’m not trained,’ or I don’t know where to start,’ or `okay I’ve written it but I’m not that great at spelling and grammar.’ ‘I started well but now I’m stuck.’ One cry I hear a lot is ‘I’ve written it but I know it’s not nearly long enough to make a book out of. How do I pad it out?’ Every one of these is a legitimate sentiment for the beginning writer. For myself, I have been studying the art of writing since I was 15.

I have read a zillion (slightly exaggerated) books and articles on the subject, undertaken courses, attended international conferences and seminars, weekend workshops, and joined writers’ groups. Currently I am Past President of the Hibiscus Coast Writers Group, a well-organised group of prolific writers, several published, that held its inaugural meeting in 1993 and members are still meeting monthly today. Dream Writers is a small business I began when I saw the need for some extra encouragement and assistance for people who have reached the stage where they can go no further without help and they don’t have the kind of budget needed to employ a costly service.

The type of fiction I personally write is mostly romance. It suits my personality to write in this genre; most writers generally have one area of writing they feel more drawn to. For instance, I could never throw myself whole-heartedly into the writing of a thriller or horror story – I would probably frighten myself to death, and as we have to live daily with our characters and their dilemmas, I prefer mine to be of a gentler persuasion.

Today, the opportunities for writers are greater than ever before. This does not mean that we can be lax in what we produce – the standard still needs to be high to please our discerning readers – but the avenues for publication are more accessible.

We all said it at the beginning – `Ebooks will never catch on.’ Well, we have all been proved wrong. Ebooks have definitely caught on to the extent that in 2010 in the US, eBook sales surpassed traditionally published books. E-readers, that started with the Amazon Kindle, are now numerous and people are downloading their eBooks into their ereaders cheaply and for ease of reading/access. Apple, Sony, Kobo, Nook, PocketBook, Aluralek Libre, Cybook, Elonix, Icarus, Boox, VelocityMicro’s Cruz Tablet, Ipapyrus, Eslick, Jetbook, Cybook are a few of what are currently available and, clearly, the list will continue to grow. Users are even able to download to their iPods and iphones so, you can see, the market for eBooks is huge.

Here are a few – The Passionate Pen; Ellor’s Cave (sexually explicit welcome); Evernight Publishing; Noble Romance; Romance at Heart; Total E-Bound; Treble Heart; Vintage Romance; Wild Rose Press. There are many more as are there for other genres but, as romance holds a place dear to my own heart and it is what I write about, I am constantly reading and studying it. Romance was born for each of us when we took our first steps and it will still be in our hearts when we take our last so the importance of romance in our lives will remain so long as we have dreams in our hearts. Remember, romance is not just about falling in love, there is romance in our taste for decor – mine is shabby and French chic - to me there is nothing more romantic than a pink and white room full of roses, dainty pieces of white-painted furniture, chandelliers, paintings and knick knacks old and new, Romance is in our taste for all things, even the wines we drink, our gardens, the clothes we wear, jewellery and, of course, the books that we read.

Romance is all around us and, for those of us who choose to see our world through rose-tinted glasses, what a lovely world it is that we live in.