Rejection is just a state of mind

But the book I was about to start writing was for me too. I had climbed so far out of my comfort zone that I had to use my imagination to create ways to generate income.

I wrote the whole story within a few months mainly while sitting in a forest near my house and at times on the slopes of Table Mountain.

I was asked Lois, my astrology teacher, who was also an artist how she created her paintings. She replied that she was just a conduit and at times only once she was finished a painting session did she notice what she had actually painted.

At times when I was writing The Magic that's Ours it seemed as if the same had happened. I had become a conduit. Once I started writing it really started to flow and at times I would write for about 2-3 hours straight.

At the time I was computer illiterate and everything I wrote was penned onto full scap paper.

Now that I thought the manuscript was done I started to send the it out to publishers in South Africa. My expectations were high as that is how they should be but also, I was a first time author completely clueless about anything to do writing and publishing.

Pursuing my dream of becoming a photographer I had done a 6 week course, getting to know the basics and then I started to work in the Cape Town film industry. I was working as an assistant photographer, assisting international fashion, catalogue and advertising photographers. Money was coming in so that part of my life was sorted. Rejections from publishers were also coming in but their refusals to publish my work i put down to their ignorance and stupidity and not to  my under par manuscript.

As my photography was taking centre stage my manuscript had been put away into the bottom draw of my desk and though not forgotten, was just placed on leave while I concentrated on my photography.

In the winter of that year I decided to go to London to carry on being a photo assistant and to learn lighting techniques while working in studios. My now dust laden manuscript accompanied me.

While in London I did send my manuscript to some really big publishers. I have since written such books as "The Guide to finding literary agents" etc and I can just imagine one of the manuscript readers laughing themselves sick when first seeing my manuscript. But still I never gave up. Once again the rejections poured in and this time instead of gathering dust at the bottom of my desk drawer my rejected manuscript was stowed deeply away in the depths of my back pack.

After a year in London I returned back to Cape Town to pursue my career as a photographer...