Carry on Writing!

Early in 2014, I wrote a romantic poem called ‘The De La Warr Date’. It was about an older couple who went on a blind date at the De La Warr Pavillion in Bexhill On Sea. A friend later suggested that I sent it to Silversurfers, who very kindly published it on the ‘Showcase’ section of the website. I was delighted by the number of positive comments from readers, and the poem won the Silversurfers ‘Write to Win’ monthly prize. This response gave me confidence, and I continued to write. Three years later, I have self-published four booklets of poetry, and a short autobiographical ebook. All publications have made a profit, with funds raised donated to my chosen charity, Diabetes UK.

Last November I took the plunge and registered with National Novel Writing Month. I succeeded in hitting the target of 50,000 words in a month. After further editing, I had produced my first full length novel by Christmas. It is a romantic story about a sixty-one heroine who discovers she is adopted. It is called ‘Different Genes’.

So here I am in March 2017, with a publishing contract for my novel in my hand. I will sign it and post it this weekend. The book won’t be ready for several months, but I wanted to say a massive thank you to Silversurfers for encouraging me on my writing journey. I am especially grateful to the many readers who commented on my original poem, and others since then. I honestly don’t think I would have had the courage to publish a novel without your support.

And to all those wonderful writers who submit work to the Showcase………keep it coming. You never know where it will lead.

You can view all Claire’s poems in our Showcase here ←