For me writing is personal and comes from a place of passion. I started by writing in a journal nothing anything I ever wanted anyone to read but it helped me to learn how to put my feelings into words. I have always viewed song lyrics as poetry put to a melody. My favorite bands are my favorite bands because they wrote the words I felt before I could find my own. I have a tattoo on my ancle of my favorite bands logo that's how much their words touched me. I now write poetry daily and my first book of poetry is in the process of publication. If you want to write the best way to start is to just start, you never have to show it to anyone if you don't want to, but just start and see where it leads you

My first book began as a suicide note. I don't suggest it

However, in that state of mind, I broke down and wrote the truth about my life for the first time. I wasn't going to be around when it was read, so, I wasn't afraid. It not only saved my life, it gave me reason to live. The truth really does set you free. If you write memoir, I'll say this: Don't be afraid to say the worst things about yourself. People actually embrace it. They're also more attracted to the good things because of it

It's been a heck of a few years. The greatest time of my life

Im so glad you are feeling better. I started writing poetry as an outlet for my own suicidal ideations. I unfortunatly did attempt suicide and had to have a liver transplant becuase of it, this was in 1995 when I was 17 years old. The poems in my book focus on a lot of battles I fought to get to this place of contentment I am now in.
I would love to read somethings you have written.♥

In the end, it became a five book memoir series. I have the first book loaned to someone here, but, when she returns it, I can send it to you. Just PM me your e-mail address

I've always wanted to write/be a writer. But then so many things happened in my life and I now am in some sort of a crisis. I sometimes write poems - although I don't really know how to do that. I just put words together and they seem to ... sound - but I feel there's nothing interesting about me and what I write. This hurts, a lot.
Does anyone have a suggestion?
How do you get over it and start writing again?

I have been writing all my life; I made my living writing, as a lawyer. I wrote wills, trusts, deeds, corporatae papers, pleadings, briefs, etc. Now I am retired and have decided to try my hand at fiction (my last 'published' fiction effort was in a college literary magazine over 50 years ago). So wish me luck.

Karel's comment about his uncle reminded me of a story I once heard about Mark Twain. Seems a reporter went to Hannibal, Missouri, Twain's home town, to do the typical 'local boy maykes goood' story. He got the standard applause from townsfolk, excpet for one old timer, who wasn't impressed by his (Twain's) success: "Hell," he said, "I knew just as many stories as old Sam (referring to Twain by his real name, Samuel Clemens), I just never writ any of 'em down."

Cattleman, thanks for your post, I know what you mean. It's just eel scared and tired of problems and this is just my big dream I don't want to fail this one because if I do what will be left then?

bookclover, if you fall off the horse, you get back on. Just keep trying... there is a story about how many times Abraham Lincoln failed in business, in politics, etc. Stephen King was a failure as a writer, and was ready to give it up and find another job, when his wife convinced him to submit one more story - if I remember, it was either "Carrie" or "Christine."

This was encouraging to read! I am a newly published author and I was about ready to give up too when I read this thread!
Writing is very rewarding but it can be hard waiting for your work to take off.
But armed with this bit of encouragement, I will persevere and I bid others to do the same!

I am a new author whose fiction book hasn't been published yet but has found a publisher. The amount of success my book receives is an entirely separate matter. My book is called Badal-which in the Pashto language translates to revenge. Revenge is one feature in the code of Pashtunwali (the code by which all Pashtuns are supposed to live)... Any guesses what my book is about? The war on terror and the role of Pashtuns in it and to a lesser extent the Pakistani state. These same Pashtun regions are deeply affected by the militancy. You will notice that in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pashtuns are present both in Pakistan (30 Million) and Afghanistan (13 Million)... from this it may be easy for the western reader to assume the Pashtuns are a source of all the trouble or are militant sympathizers. In my book however I try to present a different narrative as well... that though there is a fringe minority that may have supported the militants it is the Pashtun regions which have been afflicted the worst from militancy and these same people have suffered the most creating a form of hatred for the militants. So they are the victims too...

Call it an effort to show the hypocrisy of the militants or outline the challenges the state faces in the war on terror... up to the reader to decide. (No more spoilers-sorry :p )

But although I have something distinctive to present to the western reader there are still problems. Since there is a lot of uncertainty involved with authors, particularly those from a region where English is not the first language I am with a kind of weak publisher... one that does not have a strong setup in the country I intend to sell the book in though they probably have a strong setup in the US, particularly Houston.

I have strategies... frankly I may be at a disadvantage but I can turn this into an advantage- so one of my market segments is readers who want something exotic, who want to learn about a culture that is so separate, so unique from their own, where the children learn to hold a gun at the age of 9, where people have blood feuds that last generations (entreating no? kidding. Not for us. But the reader). I am also a designer so have a plan for a cover with a Pashtun boy holding a gun... a picture like that caused a flurry of support for militants (perhaps that's why we're suffering now) when it came in the Times magazine just because they were fighting the Soviets at that time.

I will be able to impart more information once my book hits bookshop shelves but I have high hopes despite the issues and my publishers limited reach in South Asia:
1) I have a package that is unique for the western reader. It presents a culture, a way of life that is just unheard of... unthinkable for the western reader-he just cannot imagine it-it's a totally separate world. This can be turned into an advantage. Its something exotic and it may attract the foreign reader.
2) The war on terror is in focus. People are interested in this and there's information proving the western reader is indeed trying to understand the problems the people of these regions are facing.
3) Great for military men/politicians, regional commentators, journalists and other people who want to understand the region better.
4) Readers who are interested in differing cultures and traditions and like learning about various cultures... who like books focusing on foreign lands.
5) Of course its also for the overseas Pakistanis (studies show these are highly interested in English rather than their native tongue) or Pakistani-Canadians-Americans-Britons etc who make up about 7 Million people.
6) Rich & middle class-literate Pakistanis who have acquired a taste for English novels (the decline of Urdu or Hindi in the region is sad but an advantage to us English authors). Pakistan is also (I just checked!) the third most English literate country in the world-mostly due to its large population-another advantage if we manage to market my book in Pakistan.
7) India & Afghanistan (Pashtuns are on both sides) and other neighbors. Surely neighboring nations (India) would have a wary eye on whats going on in a land close to theirs where the situation currently is not an ideal one. So maybe they want to understand the problem better.

Currently though... lots of work needed. So back to work. But I guess the strategy is to keep struggling as others said but also you must know your market and make sure you know who will buy and why-or who wants to buy-never ignore the marketing aspect of the book, know the target market and don't let the publishers or agents do all the work... reach out to your audience yourselves if you can. Call bookstores and request them to stock up on your book if they don't have it... visit book fairs and book shows.

And keep struggling. You never know when one of your titles can become a bestseller-the stephen king example will suffice in this regard. Though these are my initial stages as a book writer so you might be wondering who I am to give advice-this is my strategy and I am hoping it will work. It's untried! lol.

P.S. My book is still to be accomplished though I found a publisher early. Also people might say my book is pretty idealistic for a fiction novel... but don't worry. It presents these ideas by focusing on the lives of local people which have been overturned-each with his or her own story. As I have continuously stated its not just a fiction novel but a bisection of the challenges in the war on terror & a treatise on what needs to be corrected (actually without saying what needs to be corrected, just telling a tale :p).