Dear Reader,

So this one’s the last one.

Thank you for being supportive by signing up and also taking the time out to comment, reply, encourage and share your own thoughts with me. It means a lot to me. Especially this January when things haven’t been the greatest, knowing I’m being read by you makes me feel warm and well…useful.

There are various kinds of writing jobs, but mine seems to centre around being read for pleasure. While this is the most fulfilling part of my work, it’s also the most debilitating. In this kind of writing you must add value to your reader’s life. Besides you have to depend on the judgement of editors, publishers, agents, marketing people and so on to gauge your work and believe in it enough to support it. To cut a long story short, my January began with a massive rejection. It was massive because I’d (foolishly) pinned all my hopes on a particular project. When the rejection arrived I felt like I was working towards nothing, that my work was worthless and I couldn’t even ask/tell where I’d gone wrong. I’m not going to lie, I spent two days indulging in self pity and tears.

The good thing about rejection however is that it makes you take a good hard look at yourself. It shakes you up and makes you want to fix things.