This instalment of “the best and worst” is by mother, author and blogger DG Torrens. Her blog, My Books and I, covers the writer’s experience as well as book reviews and previews of her own book (kind of like this one).

I have also contributed a guest post on her blog. But read this one first!

The best thing that has come from my writing…

The best thing that has come from my writing is the ability to inspire others. Amelia’s Story is my true story, a very hard read for anybody but especially for parents. Since publishing my story, I have received messages from all over the world, telling me how my story has inspired them personally. I cannot tell you how this has made me feel. I cried, I smiled, and I replied to each one of those messages I received. I had messages from people who had suffered like me, who had given up on themselves for a long time, but my story gave them hope. To have inspired people in this way is the single most amazing thing that has come out of my writing. I am a great supporter of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (http://nspcc.org.uk) and Barnardo’s (http://www.barnardos.org.uk), and through my writing I am able to give back by donating a percentage of all my sales to these charities.

Another great thing that has come from my writing is the amount of wonderful people, mainly other indie authors, that I have met and who have now become great friends. The overwhelming support and advice I have received has been incredibly humbling. The indie world is an amazing network of authors, all helpin

g each other and promoting each other.

When I first published my book, I was a complete novice! However, the advice I have received along the way from other indie authors armed me well for my second book, Amelia’s Destiny. I have learned so much about myself through my writing journey that has had a positive affect on my life.

Finally, I have realized my dream, a dream I have had since I was a child. One that seemed so far away at the time I never thought it would happen!

The worst thing that has come from my writing…

The very worst thing that has come from my writing was my over-eagerness to publish my first book. I once read somewhere that authors who edit their own books have not had their books edited at all. As far as I am concerned, truer words have never been spoken! I made the fatal mistake of editing my first book. When it went “live,” there were a few typos. These of course have been corrected now.

I learned a very valuable lesson: employ an editor—that is the best thing indie authors can do for themselves if they can afford it. For me, there is no option from now on. My next two books are currently in the hands of editing professionals. I realize now that we don’t always spot our own mistakes. You need fresh eyes to glance over your work; beta readers are another great resource. I learned a very important lesson, one that I will never forget!

Another thing that I have discovered is that not everyone will have great things to say about your work. No matter what genre you write in, or how well you have written a book and told a story, there will always be someone that it won’t appeal too. Everyone has different tastes — it’s as simple as that. One person may give you a five-star rating, but another may give you one star. I have learned to separate myself from this and just appreciate that people have taken the time to download and read my work, whatever their opinion is at the finish. This is the nature of the business we are in; we have to take the bad with the good. It’s not always easy though!

About me…

As a mother of a three-year-old princess, a blogger and a writer, my time is very limited. I write into the early hours of the morning, when my house is quiet. Writing is my passion, and I want to write books that people just love to read. I also love to write poems, which are currently unpublished; however, I hope one day to publish my collection of heartfelt poems, too. Writing gives me wings, it gives me freedom, and I could not imagine my life without writing!!

A big thank you to Scott for inviting me here today, it is truly a great pleasure.

DG, or Dawn Torrens is the author of the Amelia trilogy: Amelia’s Story, Amelia’s Destiny and Amelia the Mother. She lives in Birmingham, UK. She has also published 10 other novels and two volumes of poetry. They’re all available on Amazon. The Amelia trilogy is also available from Audible. 

You can also find all of Dawn’s books on her page on Goodreads. And don’t neglect blog, My books & I, where you can read my guest post. Please leave comments and questions for me and Dawn below, or on her blog.