The rules police still don't have a book published or maybe they are the arrogant writers who have a book published, with a major publishing house and look down on the rest of us poor mortals. Enough! Finally, I told myself; sit down, type words and let them energize each other as they create vivid word pictures that become vivid mental images for my readers. I'm on my wiriting schedule and I believe in myself.

I wasn't always this confident in my writing ability. I listened to the "RULES POLICE" and didn't believe enough to even look inside myself to write. I was scared at one time in my life, many years ago, in the turbulent sixties. What helped develop confidence in my writing ability occured on a faithful fall day when I was a junior at Bushwick High School in Brooklyn, New York. I was scared to express any thoughts, any opinions, and had trouble looking people in the eye. I knew I had this ability to write, but the motivation and confidence was zero. I was in the second year, at Bushwick, after moving from Statham, Georgia, population 300 and segregated, to Brooklyn, population 3,000,000 and integrated. I got up enough nerve to ask my English teacher and student council/general organization sponsor, Miss Egan, the question. If the answer was negative, all my hopes and dreams of being the next great writer would be dashed.

I knocked hard on the door to her office, entered, and asked her, "Can I be a writer?" She stared at me for a few seconds and then said, "Do it." I haven't looked back. I wrote articles for The New York Times, The Philadelphia Bulletin (National Award Winning Sports Writer), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press, Sports Scene, Parade Magazines and now two published novels witha third in the editing stage. Not bad for a scared little kid from a small town in Georgia. Now, I tell You as I tell my Creative Writing/Publishing students at Evening at Emory: Believe in yourself and follow the advice of the unknown author: "Keep Believing, Keep Writing and never give up on your dreams."

When I received those sixty plus rejection letters before the publication of A Brownstone In Brooklyn, I just kept writing, kept believing and nver gave up. I'm telling you lke my high school English teacher, Miss Egan told me, "Do it!"

About the Author

Julius Thompson is a published author with two novels, A Brownstone in Brooklyn and Philly Style and Philly Profile, in print. He is currently editing his third book, The Ghost of Atlanta, which will be published in 2009. Mr. Thompson received a Georgia Author Of The Year Nomination for the publication of Philly Style and Philly Profile in 2008.

Please visit his website, www.jtwrites.com for more writing information or email, JuliusThompsonWrites@yahoo.com, with any comments.