Pauline Barclay – her thoughts on ideas.

So you’ve decided that you want to write. Then start straight away. Start by jotting down all your thoughts related to what you might want to write about. I find that words grow words and the more you write, the more your word power will grow. Don’t worry if your words are not coming fast enough, they will. But most importantly don’t be put off by what is deemed as correct at this stage. Just go with the flow of your thoughts and imagination. Think of your writing as if it was a piece of music that makes you stand up and dance even if you don’t know the right steps or movement, it doesn’t matter because you just want to dance until the music stops. Approach your writing in the same way. Relax, enjoy and write. There will be plenty of time for tidying things up later. Just don’t be afraid.
Once I start writing, ideas, words, phrases begin to rattle around in my head, even characters can turn up unexpectedly. A character in one of my short stories was written from a conversation that I had with my neighbour. She suddenly started talking about a friend who had used a private detective to find her estranged husband. I knew this would make a good short story and as soon as I got back home, I wrote down all my thoughts. From this an outline of a story emerged. After much editing and rewriting, my short story was finished and I titled it, Without a Shadow of Doubt. It is one of the sixteen short stories I have written and will appear over the coming months on my web site.
For me, writing is not a switch that I turn on and off, the writing process is there all the time. I am listening and watching everything around me because something that I see or hear just might form part of one of my stories. So if you want to write, don’t be afraid to do have a go. Write with passion and energy and remember; write to enjoy and enjoy your writing!

For more information about Pauline Barclay and her writing, visit her web site: www.paulinebarclay.co.uk

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.