Inspiration for the Writer's Soul

Writing is hard. It’s a tough business filled with highs and lows, and countless hours of isolation. Your non-writer friends and family won’t understand “why” your novel isn’t published yet. They don’t understand the publishing business and there’s no use trying to put it into perspective. They won’t get it. Think back to the first minute you decided you wanted to write a novel. At that time, did you have any idea what time and effort you would expend to make that dream a reality? One of my favorite quotes is by Ernest Hemingway: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Writers tap into their innermost fears, desires, and pain and instill them into their characters. Where else can you kill off your enemies and not go to jail for life? I can admit to exacting revenge on the ex-husbands of two of my daughters. I’m looking forward to plotting the demise of my boss very soon. Then there’s the romance. I am very much in love with my husband and I wouldn’t dream of cheating on him in real life, but I do take great pleasure in creating a hero who…well, never mind. You get the gist.

And why do I write? Because I can’t NOT write. Writers are driven to bleed onto the blank screen, painstakingly eking out every word, every sentence, every scene. So take heart. Whenever you feel like giving up, remember each of us goes through the same doubts, fears, highs and lows. You aren’t alone.


ISBN: 978-1601543219
2009 CAPA Nominee
2009 EPPIE Finalist

Carol Ann Erhardt
My Website
Inside the Writer's Mind
Keeping Hope Alive
White Roses in Bloom