Day 29: The stress of being a writer...

So,remember how I told you I was reworking slightly Dairy Of The Dead for reissue with Time Of Tides in print? Well, yeah, I sent my Editor a copy then spent most of today stressing out about it. Parts of it, I realised, just weren't right, my writing voice has matured since I started last year, and I wanted it to reflect that.

So tonight, I went back and redid the bits of it I was not happy with.

Now I'm happy, though my Editor probably wants to kill me...lol.

That's the thing about writing, it is very hard to ever be entirely satisfied with what you've wrote. Very often you look back at it and just go - I wrote that, that's awful, and feel compelled to tweak the things you wish were right.

But there comes a point where you have to let it go. 

You have to say, this is the best its going to be. If the readers hate it, so be it, but the story has been told, now it's time to start something new.

There's this whole feeling where you complete a story, you sit back, and you just think Wow. I did it. I wrote that.

The sense of accomplishment, the euphoria rushing through you like a flood of clear blue, icy water is immense. It is also one of the best feelings in the world.

Then there's the moment self-doubt crawls in and you can't help but think your writing is utter crap, no ones gonna want to buy it, let alone read it. 

Time Of Tides sells. It sells well. I'm hopefully building a fan- base, more than that Catt says I'm building myself a brand. People see the name Mark Woods now and start thinking hey, that's that UK horror writer.

Money would be nice. I want to see a big, fat royalty check so big it won't fit in the door. Course I do. All writers do.

But more importantly than that, much more importantly, I want people to read my stuff. I want them to like what I write and eagerly anticipate the next horrific nightmare world I choose to create.

The greatest compliment I have received this year was  "Your writing is really good, why haven't you written before?" I keep asking myself that. Now I get to make up for lost time!

My name is Mark Woods. And I am a writer.

For tonight, that is all.