Inspiring Women Summer 2018

41
Colombia) and Alone Together
(Tales of Sisterhood and Solitude
in Latin America.) Besides writing
and lecturing, I participate in
panels, interviews and signings.
Writing and reading are solitary
activities and I think it’s
important we writers play our
part in inspiring others, helping
them to discover new books
and genres, maybe even start
writing themselves.
I’ve learned to walk the line
between protecting my
treasured ‘writing time’ and
accepting that life is a tough
beast to tame. Learning to say ‘no’ as a freelance writer is challenging, but I am improving.
Every time I refuse to write something for someone else, I grab that time to write for myself and
I’m now happier with the balance. I’m learning all the time too. I’ve noticed that my
relationship with other people’s books is evolving. Sometimes I find I’m studying books more
than reading them (How did the author do that? How were we brought here?) and then every
now and again a book will knock me sideways and I’ll think, “Yep. That’s why words matter.”
Working with words is easier than many of us are taught to believe. Towering walls are built
around the literary world, including the myth that writing is a difficult job, that you need to type
through the night fuelled by cocaine and whiskey, leaving relationships in your wake as you
surge towards a tragic end – a tragic end that was foretold since the day you emerged from
your tragic childhood, which is the only reason anyone allows you to write in the first place. Can
we set that one to rest please? There are difficult jobs out there and sitting in our pajamas, rearranging
sentences is not one of them. The knowledge that being a writer was something I
could do, an ordinary human being, was the biggest surprise to me. If I can do it, so can you.
Authors are not deities. Readers will always have the final say and potentially, there are seven
billion of them, with diverse experiences and attitudes to our writing. I’ve had readers remark,
“Yours was the worst book I have ever purchased and I only made it to page two!” and
another, on the same day, “I love your book. I’ve read it three times and bought copies for all
my friends. How did you do
it?” and I enjoyed meeting
them both. Our writing will not
touch everyone. It will not
convince everyone and it will
not be deemed worthwhile
by everyone. And therein lies
our freedom. Providing our
work is as touching,
convincing and worthwhile as
we can make it; we are the
only reader that matters. The
rest are far too unpredictable.
I’ve been involved in writing
and editing three books so far
and they have had their share
of success, from becoming
bestsellers in various countries