I think one of the things that holds new writers back is the idea that a first draft is supposed to be perfect. It’s easy to fall into the trap of self-editing or giving up partway through a manuscript, but first drafts aren’t supposed to be perfect or pretty. They’re supposed to be messy.
I really enjoyed the creative aspect of crafting the magical elements. They often came to me unbidden, whether it was the village backstory of the Jin ancestors or the supernatural talent of Whiskers, the magical bunny (with a nod to Chinese mythology) in the Jin family.
I was at university the year I got The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart for Christmas. That was more years ago than I care to remember, but I have never forgotten the impact the book had on me.
Revisiting favourite books can be a gift in itself.
I received a copy of *Frenchman’s Creek*, by Daphne du Maurier, for Christmas, when I was eighteen years old.
Out of all the gifts I’ve received throughout life I always love the bookish ones. The most memorable of the book-related gifts I’ve been given was Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
Books given as gifts do so much more than just tell a story. They hold memories.
The activities in the book, which included writing a personal mission statement, led to major life changes including a new job, moving to a new state, an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction, and a career as a published mystery writer.
Our reading tastes change and evolve and I don’t want to lose the magic of getting lost in its pages many years ago. But, the book also sits front and center as a reminder that the best gifts come from the heart.
It’s that vividness that inspired me to create my own stories, first as a child, making them up in my head before I fell asleep at night, and later, as an adult, writing romances.
Even in this age of internet recipes, I still use my copy of THE JOY OF COOKING and wouldn’t dream of parting with it, despite the stained cover and pages, the broken spine, and the place-marker ribbons worn to shreds.
