Don’t Give Up on Your (Writing) Dreams

by Mike Martin, @mike54martin

I have been a writer all of my life. As long as I can remember I was captivated by the magic and wonder of books. And I wanted to be a writer, a published writer, part of that community. But I did not come from a family or an environment where that was even considered as a career possibility. It was great that you could sing in the choir, but don’t even think about doing that for a living. Not for you. Same with writing. Great that you got an A on that essay, but keep studying and go to school for a real job.

So, I did what I could, tucking my writing dream under my hat as I took on all kinds of jobs and responsibilities in what my parents would call the ‘real’ world. But even as I did this I found a way to write in just about every job I found myself in. Along the way I wrote policy papers and backgrounders and then speaking notes and speeches, graduating to ghost writing editorials and opinion pieces for the big cheeses I worked for. What I found was that this sustained me, kept me going, kept my writing dreams alive.

It wasn’t until much later in life, maybe in my mid-forties that I had to write more. I just had to. That’s when I turned to freelance writing. For newspapers, magazines, business publications. Sometimes I had a by-line, but mostly it was anonymous, under-paid and under recognized work. But I was still writing, I told myself. That’s what really mattered.

But underneath all of this, the writing urge was not just percolating, it felt like a volcano was erupting. I couldn’t afford to quit my day job, so I started writing at night. Short stories, story ideas, poetry, screenplays, it didn’t matter. Slowly, over time I turned my career into part-time and writing into my vocation. I wrote and published a self-help book which to my embarrassment is still in publication. Needless to say, that was not enough to quench my writing thirst.

Finally in my early fifties, the idea for writing a book came into my mind and five years later at age 55 I published The Walker on the Cape, the first book in the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries series. And I have never looked back. This month I am celebrating the launch of Book 13 in the series, All That Glitters, and I already have Book 14 just about finished. I don’t how much longer I will continue, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. I have succeeded in achieving my writing dreams. And so can you.

I don’t have a lot of advice to offer. But I do know that writing and publishing a book takes time and determination. You have to have the physical time and space to be able to create. That will come. At some point in your life you will have that. The determination, the drive has to stay with you and that is what will propel you over the finish line. Every author I know has projects and plans and half-finished books in their writing file. Those who succeed in making them a reality are those are determined and never give up on their writing dreams.

All That Glitters is available in fine bookstores all over Canada and around the world on Amazon

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning and best-selling author of the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 13 books in this light mystery series with the publication of All That Glitters.

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award.

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest A Tangled Web was released as an audiobook in 2023. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

You can follow the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore/

Have Writing Dreams? Don't Give Up (by @mike54martin ): Share on X

Image by bess.hamiti@gmail.com from Pixabay