Please note. *‘Now’ is an Irish-mammy-saying for ‘I mean business’ statements.
Now…
I attended a poetry workshop last Sunday. A wonderful writing group member applied to Poetry Ireland for the Poet on Tour opportunity. The application was successful and we had a glorious poetry day facilitated by Anne Tannam, Poet in Residence with Poetry Ireland, in Greencastle Community Centre on 23rd June from 10 am - 4 pm.
Participants traveled near and far to bask in brilliant poetry, talented contributions, and the Inishowen sunshine. The Greencastle Writers Group wishes to thank Poetry Ireland, Anne Tannam, and the Greencastle Community Centre. Special mention and appreciation must go to; the participants on the day, Trisha for her hosting duties/lemon drizzle cake, Catherine for refreshments/flowers, and David who applied for and secured this great opportunity for Greencastle.
One theme I took away from the great day was bravery. A poet or creative person is a brave soul.
Now… do we always feel or acknowledge this? Nope.
Writing in a small, rural community can be a daunting task. There can be comments like ‘I thought you were a nice person until I read your book.’
I wrote my debut without thinking of anyone reading it. The scene on the kitchen table (no spoilers) would never see the light of day. I tapped away merrily. Then, it was published. Oops.
I braved my book launch with a historical novel I hoped people would buy and never read! I know! What?
With the second, I figured I didn’t care if I shocked people. I still did though.
On the third, I imagined no one I knew read my stuff anymore. This is accurate. Hardly anyone mentions it. Phew
The fourth, I barely mention.
Now… the point I’ve discovered — is simple as feck really
There’s complete freedom when no one you deeply care about is reading your work.
Is my non-reading-for-pleasure-Irish-mammy an ideal reader? Christ no!
Instead, I look for interested readers and search for ‘ideal readers’ outside my circle, who aren’t necessarily going to look at me strangely over a dining table or meet me in the pub.
Do I hope my family, friends, and acquaintances purchase my work? God yeah.
Am I going to feel unsupported if they don’t? Nope. I’m relieved.
Can I tackle sex scenes, and themes like abortion, murder, and infanticide, without thinking about my uncles reading them? Hell, yes.
Do I still have to explain to people ‘it’s fiction’ over and over again? Sometimes
Is there a sense of safety with strangers then? Oddly, yes!
Now…A long time ago, when I started writing, a so-called pal mentioned local people were reading my work and laughing at my silly naive blog posts. Nice, eh?
Every now and again, I wonder if she still reads them. I doubt she bothers but if you’re here — Hullo!
Do opinions like this stop me from writing? No. Thankfully I don’t care enough.
Now… Back to my point. A creative person is brave. We are.
Writing what we want is not always possible if we constantly worry about our readers. The weight of others’ opinions can be heavy — especially if we care.
I’ve heard some writers despair at the lack of support from family and friends. I take a lack of known readers as a blessing.
Now… My debut was published in Jan 2018. All of these readers and reviewers below are strangers (I’ve not met them. They’re not family). I copied this from my Amazon page. Feel free to scroll on. I place them here to prove things to myself. LOOK MISSIE people like your work. Stop with the negativity. You’re a brave bitch.
Reviews
“Great fast-paced book, great strong characters . . ." ―Wendy Haines
"An engrossing story which is so hard to look back at and think that things like this really happened not that long ago. A superb debut." ―Susan Hampson, Books From Dusk Till Dawn
"I loved how fast-paced and chilling every part of this novel was, as it certainly kept me on my toes from start to finish, keeping my level of intrigued peaked until the very last second." ―Kaisha Holloway, The Writing Garnet
"Brilliant. High expectations are set for future books by Sharon Thompson an author to keep your eye on. A story you won’t forget quickly." ―Gemma Myers, Between The Pages Book Club
"The pace throughout is steady with some of the faster-paced parts providing some darker more grittier moments." ―Rachel Broughton, Rae Reads
"The perfect mix of Historical Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, and Crime. I'm excited to read more from Sharon Thompson." ―Dash Fan Book Reviews
"The Abandoned is a fabulous historical thriller and though I disproved of Peggy’s actions, I thoroughly enjoyed her story." ―Susan Corcoran, Booksaremycwtches
"Cannot praise this author highly enough. I will be recommending this to anyone who listens." ―Philomena Callan, Cheekypee Reads And Reviews
"This is a superbly written book with a good heavy plot that keeps on giving and opening more." ―Sue Ward, Read Along With Sue
"It’s gritty, dark, vivid and sometimes very very brutal (see the blurb for her job descriptions, throw in some violence and you’re halfway there), but always gripping, with dark laughs in there to keep your head above water." ―Bernadette Maycock, BRMaycock's Book Blog
"A very good read that will appeal to readers of thrillers and crime fiction." ―Jill Burkinshaw, Books n All
"The Abandoned is a raw and gritty read that I couldn’t put down. Gripped from the off, Peggy’s life is a captivating one that you won’t want to miss. A promising debut from a very promising author. " ―Sarah Hardy, By The Letter Book Reviews
"Gripping, emotive, raw, and compelling are just some of the adjectives I could use to describe this stunning debut that will take your breath away." ―Linda Green, Books Of All Kinds
487 reviewers (with an average of 3.8 stars) are mostly ALL strangers to me and they are my ideal readers. I’m grateful to them. More than I can express. They make me brave.
Now… I popped on to X this morning and forget strangers may still find, pick, and read The Abandoned. There was a tweet (an X?) from a reviewer called Jen https://jenmedsbookreviews.com/2024/06/27/the-abandoned-by-sharon-thompson/
With great bravery, I clicked and read her review.
Boy oh boy did I need her darling opinion of my work today. Check out her website but here is the main takeaway —
‘The narrative is perfectly paced, and the descriptions clear, allowing me to clearly picture both time and space, and the characters who inhabited it.
This was, as I say, a really intriguing, often thought-provoking read. Seeing everything that is happening in the world of late, particularly in North America where women’s rights are slowly but surely being eroded in many ultra-conservative states, it’s a very relevant novel too. The ‘Me Too’ movement is too well established to allow our rights to be set back as far as this perhaps, but it certainly doesn’t take a lot of imagination to put ourselves into some of these women’s shoes when perhaps, just a few short years ago, we might have been able to say ‘never again.’
THANK YOU JEN x
This review came when my bravery was low and I needed positivity from a stranger.
I thought about the freedom of not knowing or emotionally connecting with every reader. I pondered on the joy of being me without the constraints of fear.
If I worried about what my family and friends thought, or concerned myself with pleasing everyone, and got disappointed when loved ones didn’t read some/all of my words, I would not be writing at all.
Quite agree about friends and family reading our work: a blessing and a curse. I can't wait until I get the inevitable questions about my novel Watrspout - how much is real and how much fiction? Jesus take the wheel.