Tom Bombadil Dreams

Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! 

My darling!

Light goes the weather-wind and the

 feathered starling.

Down along under Hill, shining in the sunlight,

Waiting on the doorstep for the cold 

starlight,

There my pretty lady is, River-woman's daughter,

Slender as the willow-wand, clearer

 than water.

Old Tom Bombadil water-lilies 

bringing

Comes hopping home again. Can you hear him 

singing?

Hey! Come merry dol! derry dol! and merry-o,

Goldberry, Goldberry, merry yellow berry-o!

Poor old Willow-man, you tuck your roots away!

Tom's in a hurry now. Evening will follow day.

Tom's going home again water-lilies bringing.

Hey! Come merry dol! Can you hear him 

singing?

Well.... what a bunch of nonsense some would say, but I rather like this sort of strange, 

nonsensical rhyme that is found in a lot of older books. It also surprised me to discover how much I loved not just the Lord of the Rings movies, but also the books. Probably even I would say that the books are ten times better than the movies. It just surprised me when I 

read them, about how powerful the writing is, and that even though it may not be considered modern, it's still really impactive. What I'm trying to say is that I fell in love with the books. (Although I still haven't been able to master the Hobbit yet).

  I also wanted to speak a little bit about my story, :D if you would be so kind as to indulge me. :D Originally the story was a trilogy for me. I only ever planned to write three books as part of Cara's story, but once I reached the end of them, I just had the knowledge that there was meant to be more. So I wrote two more books.

  I really hate telling people how many books I have written, as it makes me feel like I'm boasting and that no one will believe me. Same as if I say I'm a writer, but then again what defines a writer? Is there a certain number of copies of your book one must have sold to be considered a writer? How about the fact that sometimes published books are terrible and unoriginal and some unpublished ones are brilliant. What one person loves in a novel, another will despise.

So really I think that if you're struggling with the whole issue of: I'm-not-a-writer-because-I'm-not-published mindset, really the fact is that if you write, and write enough for it to always be on your mind, and if people have read your work and don't think it's shit, then you are a writer.

  So for the record, I have written seven and a half books (two and a half of those are single novels, while the other five are the Golden Dragon Series), not counting the documentation books on the islands of the Black Ocean. All of them still need editing, but when I really get focussed I can complete the initial draft of a novel in a month or two. The longest I spent on writing a novel (first draft), was three or so months, the shortest was a week. (I'm serious!). However the refining and editing of my books still extends today, so it can take years in that aspect.

  I think really you just need to write and write often. Read other books, watch movies, daydream, find ways to get inspiration and collect words to help you along your way. And I think the hugest thing is that we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously, or rather, we need to - if we want to become great writers - be able to handle and accept criticism that is sometimes below the belt. I'm always getting new feedback on my work, and I think I'm better able to handle it now. In the past any negative viewpoints would have me going melodramatic for days. Just, think it all through, and take tiny steps. The hugest thing is to be careful not to 

gallop when writing. Which just means, that when you first get an idea, you tend to race ahead to try and get to the stories end. That's okay when it's the first draft perhaps, but when you're editing you need to look at every single word, and consider it.

  It's really trying at times, but worth it I think.

Ah and if you're in need of more advice, check out this website:

http://www.jackiefrench.com/firstnovel.html

  She's very good - the author who owns that site - and she knows her stuff, so to speak.

 This all also makes me think about destiny and fate. Is someone born, pre-determined to live a certain life? Or is it like life is a huge game in which a different story is played out with each life each time. Sort of a reincarnation idea. :D What I'm saying is that the more I look at my life and my past, the more I see things that point to the fact that I was meant to be a writer. 

  My whole childhood was filled with stories, and all of the artwork and Writing DreamTime I did, was all the things that honed what are my stories today. My characters were always around me in real life and in my dreams, I'd make up stories in my head about situations in real life becoming extraordinary, and before my characters, I had a lot of other similar imaginings. I've always loved to read, and even as early as year five in school it was instilled into me. Namely we did this activity called DEAW (Drop Everything and Write). Which was literally what it says.

  It's also peculiar that every time I start to give up on writing and ever getting published, and I turn to go off this road, something happens to nudge me back onto it. Does this mean I'm destined to be a fully published author? Maybe, hopefully. Positive reinforcement always helps. :]

But anyhow, I hope I haven't overloaded you all.

Much love darlings,

Miss CLScarlett xx