Write and see where it takes you by Ruth Clemence

I have always loved writing. When I was about 10 or 11 I loved creating stories, and in an English lesson at school, we were given the opportunity to create our own fantasy world based on different locations, missions and characters. It was so much fun creating something from nothing and making it my own. My imagination was stretched. I was an author. A very young, ambitious author.

When I was 12, I started submitting poetry for publication and had three poems published in three separate books. I loved to make words rhyme together and to hear poetry like that read aloud. I was a poet. A preteen, published, determined poet.

A great way to get the creative juices flowing...

I went through a phase at sixth form where I wanted to be a screenwriter and write movies for Hollywood. That lasted all but a few short months, even though I am still fascinated by the art of writing a screenplay and Robert McKee's book 'Story' still looks at me from my bookshelf. Maybe one day I will give a screenplay a good go - even if it's just for me. I have attempted a comedy script and thought about sending it to the BBC Writer's Room, but it remains a lonely file on my computer lodged between similarly abandoned writing projects.

Currently, I have a fantasy fiction novel on the go which is purely an experiment and it's a genre that I haven't got much experience in. Many will tell me to leave it because I need to know the market before attempting to contribute to it, and they're probably right. However, just like my 10 or 11 year-old self who got excited about creating a world of her own, the novel is my own creation and I am still very much excited about writing it.

I have experienced yet another transition in my focus as a writer. It really is a journey isn't it? Recently, I have enjoyed writing articles for different publications. The more I pitch, write and edit various articles, the more of a 'buzz' I get. I'm not sure everyone needs to have a 'buzz' when they write, but for me, it keeps me on my toes and I love thinking of several different ideas and developing them into something (hopefully) interesting. It's a new, fun, creative challenge and I love it!

Copies of the magazine 'Geographical'

For me, I have found that I have started to develop my focus as a writer the more that I write in a particular area. The more I have tried out a particular type of writing, the more I have tested the water to see if it's really for me - or should I say if I'm really best suited to contributing to that part of the craft.

Do all writers need to focus on one particular type of writing? Definitely not! Express the words in whatever medium works - even if that happens to be several! Just love what you do. Just write.

Ruth Clemence is a writer and blogger living in South West England. She has written for Devon Life, The War Cry, The Baptist Times, threads and Plymouth's daily newspaper The Herald. A graduate in Geography with International Relations, she has swapped a map and compass for a pen and notebook to pursue that writer life.

Blog: www.ruthclemence.com
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