My Journey to Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I arrived in Narnia the evening that I joined my first writing class – never to return.  And what a journey!

I’ve always had to have my daily fix – reading.  As a child, I would be outdoors, playing with friends, but if I didn’t have a book waiting patiently by my bed, then I would feel a little out of sorts.  But the solution was easy – I just began another journey between the pages of a book.  Often, my parents would find me late into a school night, with my head buried beneath the covers with a torch, just finishing those elusive ‘last few pages’.

Although I’ve always written a little, it was when I joined my first Creative Writing Class that I felt as if I’d entered another world – my own, personal, Narnia.  Only this time, there was no wicked witch!  Instead, fellow writers I’ve met, at every stage of their career, have been nothing but a delight.  In Narnia-speak, pure Turkish Delight – but without the catch.  Every one of them has offered nuggets of advice, at the exact moment I needed them most, to push me forward.

And so, armed with all this knowledge, I talked about writing a novel, incessantly.  Then I finally began.  Taking on board, tips from Alex Barclay and John Connolly, I began again – this time changing the location from the streets of Dublin to those of New York.  It is October 2012 and I’ve finally done it – I’ve finished my debut novel!

Now, before we all get too excited – I do know it’s still only the first draft.  I know that I’ll probably have close to ten drafts before I’m entirely happy with it – so still a lot more work to be done.  BUT, at this moment in time, I am so happy to have 90,000 words which I have managed to spin into a story, printed and sitting on my kitchen table.

Maybe you’d care to follow my journey through Narnia as it continues or comment about your own writing journey.  I’d love to hear . . .