Stretching Your Imagination - Testing to see if you have a flair for writing.

How many times have you said “I should write a book,” and then you promptly forget that you ever thought or said that. However, the nagging wish to write a book keeps coming back, but you silence those thoughts with self-talk like, "I don't have time to write," or "I can't write anyway." What rubbish - have you ever given it a try? Next time you want to write, don’t ignore those feelings - try the following small experiment.

Grab a pen, writing pad and a good dose of determination and go to the nearest mall if the weather is cold and wet, or outside to the nearest park if the day is warm and dry. Look around for something that sparks your interest. In the mall it might be a display of shoes for sale outside the shoe store. At the park it may be a park bench with an inscription on the back of it that interests you. Now, zoom in on your subject, let your imagination go as far as it will go and write a one page story, or longer if you wish, about your topic, whether it be the shoe store, the park bench or something else you've chosen. You might, for example, imagine there is a microchip between the sole and instep of one of those pairs of shoes, or, that a shady character is sitting on the park bench!

Your written word can be secretive, ridiculous, emotional, devious, joyful, etc. etc., but WRITE. Don’t even think about grammar and spelling – just WRITE.

If your imagination is not working and you are having difficulty even getting to the half way mark, never mind the end of the page, perhaps the book idea should go to the bottom of your priority list for the time being. If, on the other hand, your imagination soars and at the end of the page you need several more pages to tell your story, then maybe you should think about writing. If you do the above exercise, at least you will know whether writing is something you should do now or perhaps later on.

Writing a book is a wonderful and gratifying experience but it is not easy. The general opinion seems to be that if you can put words on paper and your grammar is not too bad – then go for it. Not so, writing a book or any kind of story demands hard work. It requires a good knowledge of grammar and writing in various forms; most of all it needs bums in seats for a number of hours per day, every day, with no interruptions. Furthermore, if you think writing is hard work – wait until you have to sell a book - either to a publisher or to your audience. Having said that, writing is also fun and absorbing and you should write that book even if it is only a short one. Just don't trick yourself into believing that your first book will just walk off the shelves - it will require some marketing effort.

A best selling author suggests it is likely you can get a book published with three qualities, talent, passion and discipline, but that you are unlikely to get the book published if the word discipline is absent. Discipline is the key ingredient for all of us, and we know how tough that can be.

Put your writing skills to the test and if you feel like it, send the results to me at info@snosrappublishing.com for comment.

Susan Lancaster