Not the gospel according to me...

A lot of writing advice is predicated on general truths about the writing and publishing business. But for every truth, there is an exception. And for every bit of advice it pays to remember that this advice is generally the product of someone's experience. Anything I say on this blog is based on my experience over the years. The more time that passes, the more experience I gain. I'm active in the writing and publishing world here in New Zealand and network with others who do the same. I read blogs written by folk doing the same in other countries. Where possible I try to pool the experience and give you a range of information, or give you links to check out for yourselves and make up your own mind about. No one has all the answers and anyone who says they do is worthy of your suspicion. And ultimately I can only tell you what worked and didn't work for me. Please don't think that anything I say here is the final word. Keep an open mind. Do some research. Read widely. And then make informed decisions and do what you feel is right for you. The things I always do are trust my intuition, and know the world is not irreparably broken if I make a mistake. Politeness and professionalism are my mantra (and no I don't always get these right, but I do try to). You've read that here before. You'll probably read those words here again. As time passes and I gain more experience I continually revise my understanding of the writing and publishing world, how it works and my place in it. I am  still surprised by things that happen. Just when I feel like I have a handle on the rules and know how things work something happens to prove me wrong. I should learn not to say 'that'll never happen to me'. You shouldn't say it either. Its good to have a little faith. And its embarrassing when you say 'that'll never happen to me' and then it does (although that's not always a bad thing to be embarrassed about).   But being polite and professional will always be the right thing to do.

and if you are wondering what I am going on about, after my blog post last week about my life being the result of the unexpected, I got a pleasant surprise on Friday which hopefully will result in a new book by me out next year. But it didn't seem to follow the usual rules I have become familiar with. When details are sorted and confirmed I will tell you all about it.