19 Comments
User's avatar
Spiritual Entertainer's avatar

Your writing is always motivating, thank you Amanda. I've been procrastinating about writing my first book but partly is because of lack of enough clarity of mind due to the constant noises from making a living.

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

Thank you so much. That's lovely to hear my writing is motivating for you. Yes, that pesky need to make a living always gets in the way of writing too. Where are all the philanthropists nowadays?!

Expand full comment
Lizzie Swift's avatar

This rings very true, Amanda, although I don't write fiction my writing does come from a truth I am experiencing in the moment. I also wanted to say, I finished reading Pressure Drop and really enjoyed it. I wanted it to go on, to become a novel, but it is also so perfectly formed as it is. Thank you.

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

Ah thanks, Lizzie. That is so lovely to hear. I really appreciate you buying it and taking the time to tell me this. And yes, truth has to be where all our writing comes from I believe. Or what's the point?

Expand full comment
Kathryn Anna Marshall's avatar

This couldn't have come at a better time - I'm slowly realising how much I need to face my truth and gain the courage to tell it. Ive spent the morning taking a poem from being about birds to its true self. It was painful. Courage is needed - knowing others feel the same is invaluable.

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

Hi Kathryn, I’m glad it landed with you just when you needed it. And that your courage took your poem where it needed to go. Thanks for sharing this with me 💙

Expand full comment
We Heal's avatar

That's was so incredibly helpful!🥰♥️🙏Thank you

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

I’m so glad it was helpful, Niki!

Expand full comment
Ali Thurm's avatar

Yes I feel it’s hard to reach those truths because they can be very frightening. It takes a lot of courage to do that and I can see you’re leading the way by speaking out, Amanda. Making yourself vulnerable is very brave. Inspiring us to dig deeper to find what’s true. Thank you x

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

The longer I live and write the less admitting vulnerability feels brave. It feels necessary. I really need my writing to mean something to me as I write it, and to any readers it may reach in the future. I’ve let go of any publishing ambitions and all my hopes for my writing are now purely connected to the craft and the doing of it. A x

Expand full comment
Ali Thurm's avatar

Good point, Amanda. I wish I could get there… I’d still like to see my other novels in print, and that’s getting in the way of my writing!

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

Oh dear! I’m publishing my work myself. Just released a novella-in-flash a couple of months ago which is available in paperback. I still want to publish my work just not through the traditional industry route. And I’m also not worried about what happens to it when I’ve published it. When my first 2 novels came out I was obsessed with reviews and ratings! Now I’ve done my work and let it go. I did my best with it and now I’m working on the next. I feel much saner! 😂

Expand full comment
Emily Conway's avatar

I’m not a fiction writer, but I agree that the practice of looking at myself, how i work and what I believe, is essential to my writing. And my writing helps me to do this as it doesn’t work if I don’t, just as you say!

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

Yep the words just won’t come unless I do this work!

Expand full comment
Emily Conway's avatar

My words seem to be fairly directly about this work, so if I don’t do it, there are no words - which I think is the same thing you are saying!😊

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

I think it is! 😂

Expand full comment
Emily Conway's avatar

I’m not a fiction writer, but I agree that the practice of looking at myself, how i work and what I believe, is essential to my writing. And my writing helps me to do this as it doesn’t work if I don’t, just as you say!

Expand full comment
Sally Curtis's avatar

Hi Amanda. I read this the other night and earmarked it to read again as it made so much sense, which I just have. This has unlocked the theme to my attempt at a Novella-in-flash. Like you, I know my character’s stories but I was picking themes from fresh air Thanks so much. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to mention it when I post my next Substack piece.

Expand full comment
Amanda Saint's avatar

Hi Sally, I’m so glad to hear it helped you with your novella. Yes of course you can mention it in your post 😊 Since I wrote this post and went away and did the theme work, I’ve got on with it and now have four chapters written 🥳

Expand full comment