Went to a book launch for New Writers UK group recently. They looked like a very supportive group who’ve been established for a couple of years. They started with only 3 people and now have membershop in the fifties.

On 27th September at Nottinghamshire County Hall in West Bridgford they’re hold a writers event, with speakers, writers selling books and help on hand for budding authors.

I’d love to go but I’ll be away at the Scarborough Jazz Festival. For more details see their website.

www.newwritersuk.co.uk

With writing the first draft of the book of inspiration, I was thinking a lot about how we deal with setbacks in relation to people writing in particular.

When I was in the sixth form at school, I took a very unpopular subject at ‘A’ level.  Latin.  Why did I take it?  Well the teachers wouldn’t let me take English because they said my grades hadn’t been good enough so it was History which I adored and Latin which I was quite good at.

Or had been.  Of course when you step up a notch to ‘A’ level it all suddenly seems harder.

And there was no doubt that I was the weakest person in the small group who took it.  We had three different teachers for the separate parts of the syllabus and for two years they made it plain to me that they thought my chances of passing the exam were equivalent to the snowball and hell combination.

I was allocated extra tuition and even then I struggled.  Felt bad didn’t I?  Some days I hated the lessons but this was in the days when pupil choice was not to the fore in schools. 

Even if they’d allowed me to drop it my mother wouldn’t have agreed.  You have to understand that my mother was fair.  But firm!  On the rare occasions when I allowed myself a grumble about Latin her advice was blunt.  “Try your best.  You can do no more.”

So I did.  Hating a lot of it but I tried. 

Came the exam and I remember finishing and thinking that wasn’t so bad.  Then immediately covering myself by thinking I probably had blown it.

You know in Roman times they had many different gods.  For all sorts of causes.  I like to think that there was a god for those who persist even when it doesn’t seem sensible.

If there was then the god had looked after me.  Because I passed.  Yippee!

Not a distinction but a definite pass.

And you know what?  Two of the other members of the group failed.  I didn’t gloat did I?  Course I did.  I’m only human not a divine Roman after all.

It wasn’t until many years later that I came across the Thomas Edison quote:

“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.”

I know that the high flyers sometimes seem to look down on those of us who just keep going.  But if you don’t keep going you don’t reach your goal, or your heart’s desires.

Went to a lovely book launch this week for New Writers UK, a Nottingham writers group.  They were celebrating that six of their group had published books.

The more I write and the more I talk to people who want to write, the more I realise how much it can achieve for the writer.  Not just money, though of course everyone wants to make money from it.  But for each of the writers featured at the launch there was a story behind the book and why they’d written it.

So come on all you writers out there.  You can do it.  Take your pencils out or power up your computers and get going.

Remember, till you start you can’t finish.  And if you keep going and finish, you too can pay homage to the god of those who persist.

Found some information about a local Nottingham group which is holding a book launch for 5 of its authors and its new publishing imprint.

Date: 4th September

Time: 7.30 pm

Place: Bar Risa, Waterways Building, Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH

If you’re hoping to write a book or get one published, it will be a great place to be, to celebrate and be inspired.  See you there.