Timeless. A summative word for one’s journey as an author, myself included.

Since graduating from the University of Roehampton, I have learned a lot about the aspects of authorship. Some of these things my degree in English Literature prepared me for, but most can only be known with experience, and conquered with dedication. I consider myself a student of the craft and I, like all students, am learning things every day.

However, since writing my first novel in my second year of university and now self-publishing my first novel under my own publishing imprint, I believe there are many things that I can share at this stage of my own, personal journey.  The journey of creating a story is one that is time consuming. From concept to completion, a novel requires careful story building as well as conveying your authorial message. In the book you need to balance plot, characters, style and, furthermore, you’ll need to balance writing time with your actual life. Time is of the essence: if you are not sufficiently motivated, a project can quickly become an unfinished work, put to the side.

Timeless – I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent on the creative process, but I can say that it seems like no time has passed at all. If you are passionate about the story you are trying to tell or message you are trying to convey, the intimidating time spent on writing, then perfecting, your work will measure insignificant to the satisfaction when you complete it. If you think it is worth beginning, it is probably worth finishing!

I also draw another meaning from the word Timeless – and that is intention. There may be many influences and pressures for your project, but it is important to remember that whatever you write will, at some point, be gifted to the world if you choose it. Once it is gifted, it becomes timeless in a sense. It is available for others to read and to take its place in the catalogue of stories of its generation. Most importantly, it should also feel timeless to you. There is no definition, nor objective measure of how this is achieved. I would just say, create a work that is genuine to your artistry and that you are proud of. The pressures of deadlines and expectation are most often internal – be patient. Also, following trends and trying to seek crowds through your work will almost always show – especially with works of longer lengths.

As is the theme of this blog, time will always tell. For these reasons, I advocate making a work that is timeless to you and that you persevere the timeless hours of curation that it may take.

To find out more about my work, visit: www.larakees.com