Most people are like cats – they live not just one life, but many. Writers are no exception. Here’s me as I spiral through the eddies of my ninth writing life.
Life 9 – The Road Ahead
It’s been two and a half years since my last entry in this rolling autobiography. I’ve spent much of that time believing I was in a kind of hiatus, waiting for my next writing life to begin. Recently, however, I’ve come to realise I’ve been living my ninth writing life for quite some time.
In the late summer of 2023, I was simultaneously ghostwriting the last novel of a middle grade fantasy trilogy, and finishing the job of self-publishing my back catalogue. As I came to the end of these two monumental tasks, I asked myself the question: “What next?”
The answer came readily enough. Five years had passed since the publication of my fantasy thriller String City. As rewarding as the ghostwriting gigs were (and continue to be), I was desperate to write a new novel that I could properly call my own.
The next question followed hot on the heels of the first: “What’s the new novel going to be?”
I wrestled with this for several months. As was my habit, I spent an inordinate amount of time browsing through piles of old notebooks in search of that elusive Big Idea. I made some faltering starts, rehashing various high concept outlines I’d come up with in the past, often writing 20,000 words of prose before grudgingly admitting that the damn thing wasn’t working. I became intensely frustrated. What was the problem? More to the point, what was the solution?
Finally, I had an epiphany. No wonder I kept tripping up. I was seeking inspiration by looking backwards. How can you possibly move forward if you don’t have your eyes on the road ahead?
I immediately established a new Golden Rule. Every time I found myself reheating an old idea, I turned off the gas. It was a sobering process. Looking back had become my default safety behaviour … and I hadn’t even realised I was doing it. I forced myself to set those old notebooks aside, turn my face into the fresh breeze, and set my sights on the far horizon.
One epiphany led to another. I’d spent years working as a ghostwriter of children’s fiction, yet my own novels had always been aimed at the adult market. Why not write my own novel for young readers?
Almost at once, an idea began to form. It remained blurry, until a critical conversation with my wife brought it into sharp focus. After that, things moved fast. I spent a month plotting and preparing a detailed outline, began writing on 10th November, 2023, and finished the first draft on 5th February, 2024. I urged the manuscript through several more drafts, greatly helped by feedback from a select group of first readers. By the beginning of April, I’d begun submitting the finished novel to agents.
As I write this, seven months on, that novel has received over 30 rejections, and shows no sign yet of being picked up. Am I disappointed? Of course. Am I disheartened? Truthfully, not in the slightest. I’m still exploring avenues to publication but, even if it never sees the light of day, I’m very proud both of the novel, and of the way it came about.
In the meantime, I’m over halfway through another new children’s book. I began writing it on 18th August, 2024, and hope to complete the first draft early in the New Year. This novel, like the last one, is wholly new, like nothing I’ve done before. What will come of it? I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. Because the feeling I get by doing it is unbeatable.
As I exited my eighth writing life, I imagined the next phase of my writing career would be heralded by the publication of the Next Big Thing. Until I was in a position to share this spectacular news, I would remain silent.
Now, I see that my ninth writing life is already happening. I announce this without fanfare, because this time it’s not about splashy headlines. As the old saying goes, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.
Therefore, my message to all writers, published or unpublished, is simple: pin your heart to the far horizon, and keep your eyes on the road ahead. Every word you write is a step along the path. Where will the journey lead you? It doesn’t matter. Just stretch your legs, keep moving, and don’t forget to take in the view.
Graham Edwards 
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