So much of my life as a writer has been about waiting. It’s frustrating as a creative outlet in that for a lot of the time, your work has to be validated by someone else for it to appear in print.
Even now, there are a few pieces of my work that have been published, that appeared on an editor’s laptop at just the right time and were picked up, but there is so much still left on my laptop. It feels a bit like you’re trying to speak but are being gagged everywhere you turn. I feel like standing up and shouting ‘I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!’
The internet, of course has broadened up the marketplace somewhat. People can publish their own views and their own work but in the traditional publishing world, this is looked down upon. If I post a poem my blog, it is published and won’t be taken by any publication. If I self-publish a book, it just means it wasn’t good enough to be taken on by a publisher.
But at the end of the day, publishers are just trying to make money. Why would they take on a risky book? You need a tribe these days it seems, and ready sales.
But in spite of this, I still believe, as a Christian that I do have something to say and that writing is the way to do it, and however many obstacles I face, I will keep going because that is just who I am. Writing to express myself is just a part of me. This quote from Marianne Williamson is one that I come back to all the time.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others” (A Return to Love.)
And it is true, and yes there is space for us all. So hang a poem on the wall*, share your creations, let your voice be heard! It may be small today but it will grow..we all have to start somewhere.
*My other business Little Bird Editions can help you with this. I take poems and beautify them into bespoke hand lettered giclée prints so your poems will look too good to be true on your wall. Check it out here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LittleBirdEditions
elisabeth pike 