The most important thing a writer will ever learn is to be true to herself. Yes, we write for our readers. We write to improve our work. Our editors, both freelance and the ones that work in publishing houses, give us notes to make our books better. All that is true. And none of it will help us unless we write for ourselves first.<\/p>\n
I am re-reading THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand. I go this this book for inspiration, and I always find it.\u00c2\u00a0 Ms. Rand says in her introduction that the novel is a touchstone…it has definitely been that for me since I discovered her work fourteen years ago. I’ll give one quote from it here, adapted from the original subject, architecture, to what I love, writing.<\/p>\n
Writing “…is not a business, not a career, but a crusade and a consecration to a joy that justifies the existence of the earth.”<\/p>\n
I return to my own touchstones, this novel and the work of Mary Renault, to remind myself of that. In the midst of working for and with others, we must keep a part of our work for ourselves alone, to bring us joy. My joy in finding my own voice is why I keep doing this. It’s what kept me in the chair for all the years\u00c2\u00a0 I did not make a sale, when I was told that it simply could not be done. It can be done. THE QUEEN’S PAWN and TO BE QUEEN\u00c2\u00a0 are proof.\u00c2\u00a0 And as I begin to dive into my work on the next novel, QUEEN OF FIRE, I remind myself of why I am doing this in the first place. I am doing it because I love it. For my own joy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The most important thing a writer will ever learn is to be true to herself. Yes, we write for our readers. We write to improve our work. Our editors, both freelance and the ones that work in publishing houses, give us notes to make our books better. All that is true. And none of it …<\/p>\n