NOW I WRITE

A great deal has happened in my life. I’ve had lots of years breeding Arabian horses, lots of years of being a Dental assistant, lots of years of selling over the public address system in Toowoomba BigW. But this week I celebrated lots of years, in fact forty two years of being married to a wonderful man.

Is there a moment when you realise the precise number of sunrises, hugs, laughter and sunsets in relation to your years? This week I thought about it. I also thought about the invincible attitude of the young and the thankful though no less determined attitude of the not so young. Whether young or older there have been times when I’ve mourned the human condition.

Now as I look back I realise the human condition has always been an ongoing fascination to me. I’ve thought a lot about life choices, the worth of failure, the chemistry of confidence and taking the steps to begin and finish your heart’s desire, in work and life. Did this give birth to my writing? Did it all begin as a novelty thing or an infinite possibility? I suspect both.

Now I look back some fourteen years ago and see the writing my first novel Tails Carried High to be the road to discovery. The discovery being, writing a book was hard work. My friends and family and curious readers often wondered how I managed it. To be honest I never considered I had to manage it. I simply wrote when the ideas came (I guess it’s why it took ten years) and when the yearning to continue the story came over me. I didn’t hurry at the time and I still don’t. I write when the ideas come. If they don’t come I blog or something else that remains on my long list of things to do.

I did believe in the messages I wrote about in my book BUT I wrote first for me, which is exactly the way I bred Arabian horses. My husband Don and I bred the horses we loved and surprise, surprise many others loved the same thing. As with my loyalty to breeding goals I decided I must also be loyal to my book. There wasn’t lots of mind changing from the beginning I was clear about the type of book I wanted to write.

Here’s a thought. Does it actually matter what age you are when you begin to write. No it doesn’t. In fact the older group are buying horses and doing what they may have always wanted to do. It’s the same with writing. The fact that I was middle aged when I began Tails didn’t concern me because I knew I would never have written the same story had I begun decades before.

I must have read this somewhere and never forgotten the words – your loyalty must be to the book you’re writing, not to the age you hope to be when you publish it.

When I began and by the time Tails was finished my life was frantically busy with work and our breeding program. This is where life choices come to play. I knew I couldn’t abandon my husband (who worked off the farm) to manage the horses or if by some miracle I was picked up by a publishing house, so I chose to look for alternatives. This of course eventually ended up being Digital Printing with Griffin Press in South Australia. Griffin Press provides printing services for leading read for pleasure publishers, and also a quality service to small and self-publishers. I wish I could say all went smoothly but it didn’t before and even now there are moments …
I was incredibly naive. I did all the right things employing an editor and a designer, set up a website and joined the social media sites I could manage. If there was one wish looking back it would be to have an army of people to check every word.

Publishing a novel is an astonishing exercise and sometimes I can hardly believe I’ve done it, let alone now six (2016) of them. I still find it incredible. By the time each book is all stitched up and arrives to be sold I’ve managed to stick the stitching needle into my fingers dozens of times. But the puncture wounds heal when you know it’s done. Although—it should seem—marvellous, I usually let out a long sigh of relief. Then, everyone wants to know when you’re going to bring out the next one. But how could writing get any better than that? People wanting your books!

It does appear that all my life experiences, the horses, the dentists, the selling on the public address system all contributed in their own way to direct me to where I am now. Let me tell you the sunset tonight was astoundingly lovely. For once there was absolute stillness about me as I took time to watch the sky. The thought that occurred to me was how I managed my writing journey to suit me. Never the conformist, I like being in control.

Now I look back now six books later and know it’s a privilege to be read by the many faithful people who support my writing. Without sales I cannot continue, I rely on the generosity of my readers and to them I’m forever thankful.
Writers have to learn patience, determination and solitude. To know my books sell in the stores that stock thousands of titles is unreal. I often go into book stores and cannot make up my mind what I want to buy.

But what happens now? It’s already happened. I’ve two new books on the go. The astonishing – miracle continues.

You can buy Carmel Rowley books at http://www.carmelrowley.com.au/buyonline.html