Writing stories again

Over the past year or so, I've not only rediscovered a love of reading fiction, but I've also experienced a renewed love of writing it.

I wrote a lot of fiction during my school years (both at school, and in my spare time. Gosh. Remember when there was such a thing as having 'spare time'?). The creative writing section of my English exam papers was the only part I could truly rely on to get me a pass mark on my paper. (I was terrible at comprehension and only mediocre at essay writing.) But once I left school, I stopped writing fiction altogether.

When I started blogging in 2009, people around me started saying things like, 'You should write a story!' I laughed the suggestions off. I hadn't written fiction for so long, and I was convinced I couldn't do it anymore.

However, last year a fellow blogger and friend on Twitter (thanks Susan!) linked to InkPaperPen where Gill hosts a writing exercise called Write on Wednesdays ('WoW'). The first week I tentatively checked out WoW, Allison Tait (a very talented writer, author and blogger), was hosting a 'Master Class', and the subject was 'Romance'. This used to be my thing: writing romance. So I decided to join in, and was hooked.

During the summer school holidays earlier this year, my confidence in writing fiction had increased just enough for me to enter a flash fiction competition on a whim. My 100-word entry, along with ninety-nine others, was chosen to be included in an eBook to be sold on Amazon later this year. (I'll tell you more about the eBook as more details come to hand.) Having a win under my belt with an albeit very small fiction piece, was further encouragement for me. One hundred words is not a lot, but it's a start, right?

And so, I decided to tackle a creative writing course that I will start next week through the Sydney Writers' Centre. I've chosen their online course because it suits me to do it in my own time, and from the comfort of my own home.

Wish me luck, will you? I'm nervous. But I'm also really excited to be doing something I've wanted to do for a very, very long time.

J
xox