For those of you who have kindly returned here, and those of you who are new, you'll see that the blog hasn't been updated in a while. If you're a reader of this blog, you'll know that part of this was because I was madly writing for a deadline and since then, have been involved in promotion such as guest blog pieces, etc. It's left little time for my own blog - although I'm not complaining!
The other reason is that I've been moving to a new blog. This one will be left for old posts but new things are now going up on my website www.scribblermaxi.co.uk. I'd love it if you started to follow me there now, instead. I've also got an Author Facebook page here.
There aren't too many posts yet but there are some fun blog posts that were done as part of the promotion for 'Winter's Fairytale' and the online RomanceFest that took place in November, as well as a link to a playlist I compiled for the publisher to go with the new book, so feel free to pop over and have a look around.
I'm still working on it, and hope to make it a bit 'prettier' and add posts, but I'm still working out the best way of doing everything at the moment, so I'm not promising weekly updates, or anything. I know from the past that this just doesn't work for me but I will be doing my best to keep it active!
For those of you who have followed me on here, I very much appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you on the new one!
In the meantime, happy writing!
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 January 2016
Friday, 19 June 2015
So You Think You Can Write (SYTYCW) - Boot Camp Two - The Sequel
Yesterday, Harlequin held their second Boot Camp of the Year the So You Think You Can Write (SYTYCW) Boot Camp - this was the sequel!
If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may remember that I took part in last month's Boot Camp (post here) which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was interesting and fun, and good for motivation, plus I also connected with a few more romance writers whom I have kept in touch with on Twitter, so that was a really fun aspect of the day.
Last month I was lucky enough to have pretty much the whole day to myself and devote to the Boot Camp - although by the nature of it, you can dip in and out, which can be handy. This month it fell on a day when there were other things going on, so I wasn't as in depth with it, but I did still get to read all the blog posts, and most of the chats. There was one on the forum on the subject of research which I highly recommend. Reading about what other people do was both useful - and amusing!
Another fun part was the Twitter chat on 'hero and heroine inspiration' - participants tweeted pictures of actors/models whom they used as inspiration for different novels. Looking at pics of gorgeousness - what's not to like? I can certainly think of worse ways to spend time!
The whole thing is to help motivate romance writers, especially those taking part in Harlequin competitions. They also set a challenge each month in the Boot Camp - last month was to send in a first page, from which six are picked for critique on the site. This month's challenge was for a synopsis. I thought I'd have a shot at this. I didn't get picked last month but you've got to keep trying, haven't you? Because this was obviously a challenge that could take longer (is there anyone that enjoys writing a synopsis?), they opened the doors for this the previous evening. I pootled along and got a good half way through mine. It was going quite well and then, disaster! My WP programme just died. For no reason. I went to save it and it effectively told me: 'No, I don't want to.' And promptly shut down. Without saving my work. As it happened, I'd had a pretty rubbish day and the only thing that had gone well was that synopsis. And then it was just gone.
I realise I probably should have saved earlier, which I normally do and then at least I would have lost a smaller amount but still. It was pretty upsetting. By that point it was later in the evening and I didn't have time to start over again then and there. I decided to start again in the morning. Because of the time differences, I had a few hours in the morning to work on it before I needed to get it over for the challenge. However, it seemed the Writing Gods weren't in the same mood yesterday because, wow, it was hard going and it didn't sound anywhere near as good as the previous days work had. Also, with the other stuff going on yesterday, it was a bit harder to absorb into it. In the end, I decided that it just wasn't going to work if I rushed it. I actually have a couple of other WIPs, one of which the synopsis was pretty much done. I decided to tweak this, and make sure it looked ok and then sent that over.
As it was, after all the drama, mine wasn't one of the ones picked for assessment, but I was still glad that I submitted something. Just in case!
I don't know if there will be another Boot Camp next month. They did put out a survey asking what we'd like to see another time, so hopefully there will be more. They're definitely good fun and a good place to link up. May's one had a chat with Editors which was a good opportunity to ask questions that you might not otherwise get to ask, so I'm hoping they might include something like that again. I'll be posting on Twitter if I see any updates, so don't forget to follow me there.
Apart from taking part in the above, I have been really getting on with my writing, which feels great! It's been a bit nuts here because, apart from being up and down with being ill (finally got an appointment on Thursday, wish me luck!), putting in some new front garden borders and doing a bit of temp cover last week, I've been just so eager to get on and write, and read! Which is great! I think I'd lost that a little bit but it really feels like it's back at the moment, which is good.
Now all I need is an acceptance from somewhere to boost that...
Hi to everyone who took part in the Boot Camps and I look forward to carrying on our chats - writing, and non writing related, and good wishes to every writer out there. May you and your pen have a good day!
Happy writing!
If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may remember that I took part in last month's Boot Camp (post here) which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was interesting and fun, and good for motivation, plus I also connected with a few more romance writers whom I have kept in touch with on Twitter, so that was a really fun aspect of the day.
Last month I was lucky enough to have pretty much the whole day to myself and devote to the Boot Camp - although by the nature of it, you can dip in and out, which can be handy. This month it fell on a day when there were other things going on, so I wasn't as in depth with it, but I did still get to read all the blog posts, and most of the chats. There was one on the forum on the subject of research which I highly recommend. Reading about what other people do was both useful - and amusing!
Another fun part was the Twitter chat on 'hero and heroine inspiration' - participants tweeted pictures of actors/models whom they used as inspiration for different novels. Looking at pics of gorgeousness - what's not to like? I can certainly think of worse ways to spend time!
The whole thing is to help motivate romance writers, especially those taking part in Harlequin competitions. They also set a challenge each month in the Boot Camp - last month was to send in a first page, from which six are picked for critique on the site. This month's challenge was for a synopsis. I thought I'd have a shot at this. I didn't get picked last month but you've got to keep trying, haven't you? Because this was obviously a challenge that could take longer (is there anyone that enjoys writing a synopsis?), they opened the doors for this the previous evening. I pootled along and got a good half way through mine. It was going quite well and then, disaster! My WP programme just died. For no reason. I went to save it and it effectively told me: 'No, I don't want to.' And promptly shut down. Without saving my work. As it happened, I'd had a pretty rubbish day and the only thing that had gone well was that synopsis. And then it was just gone.
I realise I probably should have saved earlier, which I normally do and then at least I would have lost a smaller amount but still. It was pretty upsetting. By that point it was later in the evening and I didn't have time to start over again then and there. I decided to start again in the morning. Because of the time differences, I had a few hours in the morning to work on it before I needed to get it over for the challenge. However, it seemed the Writing Gods weren't in the same mood yesterday because, wow, it was hard going and it didn't sound anywhere near as good as the previous days work had. Also, with the other stuff going on yesterday, it was a bit harder to absorb into it. In the end, I decided that it just wasn't going to work if I rushed it. I actually have a couple of other WIPs, one of which the synopsis was pretty much done. I decided to tweak this, and make sure it looked ok and then sent that over.
As it was, after all the drama, mine wasn't one of the ones picked for assessment, but I was still glad that I submitted something. Just in case!
I don't know if there will be another Boot Camp next month. They did put out a survey asking what we'd like to see another time, so hopefully there will be more. They're definitely good fun and a good place to link up. May's one had a chat with Editors which was a good opportunity to ask questions that you might not otherwise get to ask, so I'm hoping they might include something like that again. I'll be posting on Twitter if I see any updates, so don't forget to follow me there.
Apart from taking part in the above, I have been really getting on with my writing, which feels great! It's been a bit nuts here because, apart from being up and down with being ill (finally got an appointment on Thursday, wish me luck!), putting in some new front garden borders and doing a bit of temp cover last week, I've been just so eager to get on and write, and read! Which is great! I think I'd lost that a little bit but it really feels like it's back at the moment, which is good.
Now all I need is an acceptance from somewhere to boost that...
Hi to everyone who took part in the Boot Camps and I look forward to carrying on our chats - writing, and non writing related, and good wishes to every writer out there. May you and your pen have a good day!
Happy writing!
Sunday, 24 May 2015
Competition Update and So You Think You Can Write Bootcamp
Well, sad to say I didn't place anywhere in the Prima Flirty Fiction competition that I mentioned in a previous post. Obviously, it's disappointing but not necessarily surprising. From what I understand, they were swamped with entries so it was always going to be difficult. But it was still a good experience and it's good to have things out there, even if the chances are slim.
I've been trying to make an effort to enter more competitions and just generally submit things a bit more so far this year and, despite nothing having come of it at the time of writing, I'm still fairly pleased with my progress and efforts. It does at least make you feel like you're doing something towards the dream!
This week I also took part in the So You Think You Can Write boot camp - this is an event that Harlequin holds fairly regularly. Throughout the day, there are various 'events' like a Twitter chat with editors, and another on the forum - allowing you to ask questions of the specific genre editors that you might not otherwise get the chance to.
During the day, you were also given the opportunity to send in the first page of a novel, of which 5 (which actually turned to 6) would be critiqued later that day on the site. I did enter this, again, for the challenge, but wasn't lucky enough to be one of the ones picked. Congratulations to those that did though, as it's a great opportunity - even a few short words letting you know as to whether you are heading in the right direction or not can make a world of difference.
It was a fun day, and I met a few other writers on Twitter through the event, so that was great. I don't know anyone IRL who writes, so it's great to connect with people in this way. The day starts at 5am EST, and some people in various parts of the world were up at an ungodly hour to take part. I would say that, if they stick to a similar schedule in the next one (June I believe), you can probably catch a few more hours sleep as everything stays on the site, and the first couple of events weren't time critical - just posts on the blog, etc. I'll certainly try and take part again next time though as I did enjoy it and the layout still lets you scoot off and get other things done as and when you need to.
If you also took part, I'd love to hear from you, and what you thought of it.
Until then, happy writing!
I've been trying to make an effort to enter more competitions and just generally submit things a bit more so far this year and, despite nothing having come of it at the time of writing, I'm still fairly pleased with my progress and efforts. It does at least make you feel like you're doing something towards the dream!
This week I also took part in the So You Think You Can Write boot camp - this is an event that Harlequin holds fairly regularly. Throughout the day, there are various 'events' like a Twitter chat with editors, and another on the forum - allowing you to ask questions of the specific genre editors that you might not otherwise get the chance to.
During the day, you were also given the opportunity to send in the first page of a novel, of which 5 (which actually turned to 6) would be critiqued later that day on the site. I did enter this, again, for the challenge, but wasn't lucky enough to be one of the ones picked. Congratulations to those that did though, as it's a great opportunity - even a few short words letting you know as to whether you are heading in the right direction or not can make a world of difference.
It was a fun day, and I met a few other writers on Twitter through the event, so that was great. I don't know anyone IRL who writes, so it's great to connect with people in this way. The day starts at 5am EST, and some people in various parts of the world were up at an ungodly hour to take part. I would say that, if they stick to a similar schedule in the next one (June I believe), you can probably catch a few more hours sleep as everything stays on the site, and the first couple of events weren't time critical - just posts on the blog, etc. I'll certainly try and take part again next time though as I did enjoy it and the layout still lets you scoot off and get other things done as and when you need to.
If you also took part, I'd love to hear from you, and what you thought of it.
Until then, happy writing!
Thursday, 23 April 2015
Maintaining The Search
So, just a quick update for you on the Great Agent Search.
The quest didn't get off to a great start when the first agent that I approached, one that in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook mentioned their speciality as 'encouraging new writers' replied advising that they weren't accepting new submissions at present.
With that one out of the way, I tried my next favourite. I got a reply back from this company on Tuesday. Unfortunately, another rejection. Also unfortunately, the agent advises - as is often the case, that they are too swamped to go over the reasons as to why it wasn't suitable. I completely understand this situation but it can be a little frustrating to not know what areas may need some improvement in order to give the work a better chance. They did advise to try another agent because publishing is such a subjective business, but, as far as my experience goes, I think that's just a pretty standard final paragraph on a rejection letter.
Yesterday morning (Wednesday), I went back to the list I'd made and chose another agency before heading to their website to read up on them, and check their submission procedure. The first two both took about a week or so to get back to me, which is much quicker than when I was doing an agent search a number of years ago now for my first novel - the delights of the digital age! However, this one does warn of a longer waiting period, so I may well do as I'd mentioned in my previous post and get off another couple of submissions during the next couple of days as well.
That's all the news for now. Sorry I don't have anything more exciting to report! I hope all of your writing is going well, and if you are also in search of an agent, that your own quest is faring a little better than mine at present.
Happy Writing!
The quest didn't get off to a great start when the first agent that I approached, one that in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook mentioned their speciality as 'encouraging new writers' replied advising that they weren't accepting new submissions at present.
With that one out of the way, I tried my next favourite. I got a reply back from this company on Tuesday. Unfortunately, another rejection. Also unfortunately, the agent advises - as is often the case, that they are too swamped to go over the reasons as to why it wasn't suitable. I completely understand this situation but it can be a little frustrating to not know what areas may need some improvement in order to give the work a better chance. They did advise to try another agent because publishing is such a subjective business, but, as far as my experience goes, I think that's just a pretty standard final paragraph on a rejection letter.
Yesterday morning (Wednesday), I went back to the list I'd made and chose another agency before heading to their website to read up on them, and check their submission procedure. The first two both took about a week or so to get back to me, which is much quicker than when I was doing an agent search a number of years ago now for my first novel - the delights of the digital age! However, this one does warn of a longer waiting period, so I may well do as I'd mentioned in my previous post and get off another couple of submissions during the next couple of days as well.
That's all the news for now. Sorry I don't have anything more exciting to report! I hope all of your writing is going well, and if you are also in search of an agent, that your own quest is faring a little better than mine at present.
Happy Writing!
Saturday, 7 February 2015
Are Self Help Books Helpful?
I know! A post. An actual post! Wow, right? I've had the draft of this post written for ages but somehow it just didn't get as far as here. I've had my head down working on something else and this got a bit neglected. Sorry about that. I'm still beavering away on the other thing but I decided that this post is definitely going up today. So here we go.
I have a shelf entirely dedicated to 'How to Write' type books. A couple of them cover individual genres, and the rest are a varied selection including the always to be recommended, Stephen King's 'On Writing'
Admittedly, with exception of the latter, and a couple of specifically recommended ones, most of them were bought many years ago almost in bulk in a Writing Magazine book sale. Although the knowledge I hoped that these tomes would impart was a significant reason for placing the order, I cannot truthfully say that knowing a box would soon turn up, filled entirely with books, did not also hold some sway.
I still have not read them all. Don't get me wrong, I didn't order hundreds - possibly six or seven, and I have read others around them, including a couple I found in a wonderful bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road. This, at a time, when there were many more there than there are today. The shop was all angles and stairs and I spent a good long time in there, mooching about. I've no idea if it survived the swing of the Amazon blade (a blade I admittedly help sharpen), but I'd like to think it has.
But back to the books. The funny thing is, and I realise there is nothing especially new in this thought, but sometimes 'how to' books - on any subject - can be a double edged sword. Reading them is time you could actually be writing your own words. I know of people who spend ages reading such books, websites, articles, etc but never write a word. Only they can answer the question as to why that is the case for them, but it's no secret that such books can certainly be a distraction.
So, perhaps the trick is finding a good balance. Because there's no doubt that some of the information contained in these books is most helpful. Some, as previously mentioned, are extremely helpful and regularly recommended by writers from all levels on the success scale. Reading them can really motivate you. They can really make you believe that, yes, I can actually do this!
And there's the key - you need to actually do this. It's not going to be great immediately. That's why it's called a First Draft. It's ok. As had been said before, it's pretty damn hard to edit a blank page, so at some point you need to put down the self help books and pick up your pen. Information is great. But sometimes too much information can be just that - too much. Sometimes we just have to jump in and flail around a bit. And it's amazing what can be learned during that time, however inelegant it looks to start with.
What's your opinion on How To books - help or hindrance, or a bit of both? I'd love to hear!
Happy Writing!
I have a shelf entirely dedicated to 'How to Write' type books. A couple of them cover individual genres, and the rest are a varied selection including the always to be recommended, Stephen King's 'On Writing'
Admittedly, with exception of the latter, and a couple of specifically recommended ones, most of them were bought many years ago almost in bulk in a Writing Magazine book sale. Although the knowledge I hoped that these tomes would impart was a significant reason for placing the order, I cannot truthfully say that knowing a box would soon turn up, filled entirely with books, did not also hold some sway.
I still have not read them all. Don't get me wrong, I didn't order hundreds - possibly six or seven, and I have read others around them, including a couple I found in a wonderful bookshop in London's Charing Cross Road. This, at a time, when there were many more there than there are today. The shop was all angles and stairs and I spent a good long time in there, mooching about. I've no idea if it survived the swing of the Amazon blade (a blade I admittedly help sharpen), but I'd like to think it has.
But back to the books. The funny thing is, and I realise there is nothing especially new in this thought, but sometimes 'how to' books - on any subject - can be a double edged sword. Reading them is time you could actually be writing your own words. I know of people who spend ages reading such books, websites, articles, etc but never write a word. Only they can answer the question as to why that is the case for them, but it's no secret that such books can certainly be a distraction.
So, perhaps the trick is finding a good balance. Because there's no doubt that some of the information contained in these books is most helpful. Some, as previously mentioned, are extremely helpful and regularly recommended by writers from all levels on the success scale. Reading them can really motivate you. They can really make you believe that, yes, I can actually do this!
And there's the key - you need to actually do this. It's not going to be great immediately. That's why it's called a First Draft. It's ok. As had been said before, it's pretty damn hard to edit a blank page, so at some point you need to put down the self help books and pick up your pen. Information is great. But sometimes too much information can be just that - too much. Sometimes we just have to jump in and flail around a bit. And it's amazing what can be learned during that time, however inelegant it looks to start with.
What's your opinion on How To books - help or hindrance, or a bit of both? I'd love to hear!
Happy Writing!
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Time Out and a Submission
Hello everyone!
It's been several weeks since I was here so, sorry about that, but I've come to realise that sometimes life just gets in the way of all our plans and that just has to be accepted, mostly by me. I'm getting better at that, but that isn't to say I don't still find it frustrating when health and stuff gets the upper hand for a while.
Still! I haven't been totally resting on my laurels - although resting was something that took up a few weeks, unfortunately. Firstly, I'd been having some pain and numbness in my hands and knew this as a sign than I needed a trip to the osteopath. True to form, there were some pretty big knots that had built up and so a fair amount of squashing, twisting and crunching went on.
I usually feel a bit off for a couple of days after these sessions but this one was particularly bad and I was pretty ill for about a week. Just as I was picking up from that, my ankle decided it was time to have one of the worst flare ups it has ever done. Perfect timing. Just as we book a real holiday for the first time in nine years, I can't even walk on it! There was nothing to do but rest it as totally as I could in the hope that it'd be ok in time for the trip. I was so stressed as it was so bad, we really were unsure as to whether we would be able to go. The holiday involved a certain amount of walking and hopping on and off trains, so crutches wasn't exactly an option.
Long story short, a perfectly timed check up with my surgeon meant that he was able to whack a steroid injection in to help settle it in time. I'm not a big 'trainers as fashion' girl but I could get my ankle supports in my boots so with a bit of fudging about, as much resting as possible, and a stock of painkillers, we were ready to go!
It's been several weeks since I was here so, sorry about that, but I've come to realise that sometimes life just gets in the way of all our plans and that just has to be accepted, mostly by me. I'm getting better at that, but that isn't to say I don't still find it frustrating when health and stuff gets the upper hand for a while.
Still! I haven't been totally resting on my laurels - although resting was something that took up a few weeks, unfortunately. Firstly, I'd been having some pain and numbness in my hands and knew this as a sign than I needed a trip to the osteopath. True to form, there were some pretty big knots that had built up and so a fair amount of squashing, twisting and crunching went on.
I usually feel a bit off for a couple of days after these sessions but this one was particularly bad and I was pretty ill for about a week. Just as I was picking up from that, my ankle decided it was time to have one of the worst flare ups it has ever done. Perfect timing. Just as we book a real holiday for the first time in nine years, I can't even walk on it! There was nothing to do but rest it as totally as I could in the hope that it'd be ok in time for the trip. I was so stressed as it was so bad, we really were unsure as to whether we would be able to go. The holiday involved a certain amount of walking and hopping on and off trains, so crutches wasn't exactly an option.
Long story short, a perfectly timed check up with my surgeon meant that he was able to whack a steroid injection in to help settle it in time. I'm not a big 'trainers as fashion' girl but I could get my ankle supports in my boots so with a bit of fudging about, as much resting as possible, and a stock of painkillers, we were ready to go!
The flower garlands we were greeted with
Finally at the top after five hours on the UNESCO 'Toy Train' from Kalka to Shimla
Last time we visited here, it was dazzling in midday sun. The sunset visit this was just as amazing
The incredible sight of the Palace of the Winds, Jaipur
We took the trip through Great Rail Journeys and whilst it was great to visit, and sometimes for us, revisit the sights of India, the schedule was pretty full on. I'd taken my writing pad for any ideas and scribbles on our days off, and a journal to record thoughts in, but I only got a few days journaling in and never even got to look at the pad! It was literally up, breakfast, trip, dinner, bed. And there were some very early starts (4.50am in the foyer, anyone?!). Hence, very little inspirational writing took place.
On the other hand, I did have a couple of ideas and one of which was to twiddle and then send off a short story that I'd had written for ages as part of the Writers Bureau Course - an assignment I still haven't finished. Oops. And guess what, I actually did it! Off it tootled in an email. Whether anything comes of it, who knows, but at least I have tried. Short story writing isn't something I've done a lot of at all so I'd be over the moon if it did get published!
And whilst time to ourselves was very short, and brain and body was generally too exhausted to even think of picking up a pen, I've stored all the sights, sounds, and yes, smells (!) away for reference purposes in the future. That's the good thing about being a writer, no experience, big or small, is ever wasted.
I hope all of your projects are coming along well, and good luck to anyone tackling NaNoWriMo this month!
Happy writing!
Saturday, 13 September 2014
A Reading Suggestion
I've just finished reading a really interesting book called The Housekeepers' Tale by Tessa Boase, and I wanted to pass on the recommendation to read it.
The book takes five different housekeepers, of varying periods and tells of their lives below stairs, the sometimes complicated relationships between them and their employers and what happened to them if they fell foul of these employers. It really shines a light on how hard their work could be, especially when hired as a cook slash housekeeper, which wasn't uncommon when the gentry were trying to tighten their belts. What surprised me is the age that many of these women worked until - and no extra consideration apparently thought of with their age in mind. Yet many of these women continued to work for the house for decades, even though they may note their frustrations in their private diary. It is easy to see how servants could be almost institutionalised within the walls of the house when you think that they lived in, working often seven days a week, with time off only for church attendance, and perhaps one afternoon a week. With the ease of travel today, it is easy to forget how limited movement was the servants of these great houses, which were often situated miles from towns.
I was especially interested to read of one of the housekeepers of Uppark. We know more of Sarah, this housekeeper, perhaps because she was mother to H G Wells. This grand house is now in the hands of the National Trust, and one we visited several years ago. It has a run of underground tunnels, lit by skylights, for the servants to go about the house without the fear of bumping into one of the family. It was chilly the day we went and the tunnels felt a little dank, despite the light streaming down. A great fire tore through the house in 1989, destroying much, but the 'below stairs' area was pretty much untouched, with thoughts that the dampness of the area made it much harder for the fire to gain any ground here. And yet this was where people lived and worked every day - it makes you wonder for their health, both physical and mental. Having read this book, I am now keen to go and revisit the house with this extra insight into Sarah's life.
This book was a gift, and I think it is always wonderful to be given a book that you then thoroughly enjoy. I am a lover of visiting these great houses, so it was intriguing to read about the people who haven't got their paintings on the wall, (for the most part - some families had a quirky tradition of having some of their staff painted), and how a life could depend on the whim of a mistress.
I really recommend this book. It is an enjoyable, and interesting read. My only quibble was that the author did occasionally drop in her 'imaginings' of what the housekeepers were thinking, etc, but it was only on occasion and not enough to ruin the book by any means. Should you be writing any sort of historical novel, I think this would be a great read to get a information and a feel for how servants were treated, and also an insight into the lives of those employing such staff. The trials and tribulations of trying to find a good housekeeper are in fact illustrated in one of the chapters.
If you do get a chance to buy or borrow this book from the library, I do hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear your opinion on it.
Happy writing!
The book takes five different housekeepers, of varying periods and tells of their lives below stairs, the sometimes complicated relationships between them and their employers and what happened to them if they fell foul of these employers. It really shines a light on how hard their work could be, especially when hired as a cook slash housekeeper, which wasn't uncommon when the gentry were trying to tighten their belts. What surprised me is the age that many of these women worked until - and no extra consideration apparently thought of with their age in mind. Yet many of these women continued to work for the house for decades, even though they may note their frustrations in their private diary. It is easy to see how servants could be almost institutionalised within the walls of the house when you think that they lived in, working often seven days a week, with time off only for church attendance, and perhaps one afternoon a week. With the ease of travel today, it is easy to forget how limited movement was the servants of these great houses, which were often situated miles from towns.
I was especially interested to read of one of the housekeepers of Uppark. We know more of Sarah, this housekeeper, perhaps because she was mother to H G Wells. This grand house is now in the hands of the National Trust, and one we visited several years ago. It has a run of underground tunnels, lit by skylights, for the servants to go about the house without the fear of bumping into one of the family. It was chilly the day we went and the tunnels felt a little dank, despite the light streaming down. A great fire tore through the house in 1989, destroying much, but the 'below stairs' area was pretty much untouched, with thoughts that the dampness of the area made it much harder for the fire to gain any ground here. And yet this was where people lived and worked every day - it makes you wonder for their health, both physical and mental. Having read this book, I am now keen to go and revisit the house with this extra insight into Sarah's life.
This book was a gift, and I think it is always wonderful to be given a book that you then thoroughly enjoy. I am a lover of visiting these great houses, so it was intriguing to read about the people who haven't got their paintings on the wall, (for the most part - some families had a quirky tradition of having some of their staff painted), and how a life could depend on the whim of a mistress.
I really recommend this book. It is an enjoyable, and interesting read. My only quibble was that the author did occasionally drop in her 'imaginings' of what the housekeepers were thinking, etc, but it was only on occasion and not enough to ruin the book by any means. Should you be writing any sort of historical novel, I think this would be a great read to get a information and a feel for how servants were treated, and also an insight into the lives of those employing such staff. The trials and tribulations of trying to find a good housekeeper are in fact illustrated in one of the chapters.
If you do get a chance to buy or borrow this book from the library, I do hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear your opinion on it.
Happy writing!
Monday, 21 July 2014
Could New 'Snooping' Law Cause Trouble For Writers?
News of a controversial new 'snooping' law the Government is trying to introduce in Britain has caused upset amongst some who feel this is too much of an invasion of privacy. The law will give the police and MI5 the power to read peoples' email and tap into phone conversations. This new law is a reaction to the unrest in the Middle East and the threat of terrorism on home soil.
Personally, I'm not bothered. In the same way that I'm not against the many CCTV cameras that span our towns and cities. These have proved themselves in the past to be of use in providing evidence in crimes and really came into their own with the London Bombings in 2005. My view is that if I'm not doing anything wrong, then I've nothing to worry about. This goes for the emails and phone too. Perhaps that's a little naive but if someone wants to listen in on how well my tomatoes are doing, then so be it. I know this isn't the view of everyone, and that's fair enough. But I do have one slight niggle...
What happens if they look at browser history? I, like many other writers, use the internet as a research tool. And sometimes I'm researching how a person could commit a crime of some sort; if they did so and so, would forensics be able to track them? What is the least traceable poison? Looking at a writer's browsing history could give a very false impression of the kind of person they are! Let's hope the powers that be have allowance for us creative types.
Happy writing!
Personally, I'm not bothered. In the same way that I'm not against the many CCTV cameras that span our towns and cities. These have proved themselves in the past to be of use in providing evidence in crimes and really came into their own with the London Bombings in 2005. My view is that if I'm not doing anything wrong, then I've nothing to worry about. This goes for the emails and phone too. Perhaps that's a little naive but if someone wants to listen in on how well my tomatoes are doing, then so be it. I know this isn't the view of everyone, and that's fair enough. But I do have one slight niggle...
What happens if they look at browser history? I, like many other writers, use the internet as a research tool. And sometimes I'm researching how a person could commit a crime of some sort; if they did so and so, would forensics be able to track them? What is the least traceable poison? Looking at a writer's browsing history could give a very false impression of the kind of person they are! Let's hope the powers that be have allowance for us creative types.
Happy writing!
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Paper Editing
Yes, I am still editing the current novel. I'm on the paper version now, having already gone through it on screen. I'm about half way through at the moment and hoping to get a bit more done later on today. It's turning into a fairly big job as there were some scenes that needed to be moved about to stop a bit of 'time travel' and I think it'll flow better in the places that I've put them. That's the plan anyway.
I know a lot of writers really dislike editing but I'm not too worried about it. It's all part of the process to me and at least, when I print it out, even though I still know there's a tonne of work to do yet, I can still see that I've got a novel in front of me. Which is pretty exciting!
And come to think of it, it's just as well I am on the paper edit at the moment as I'm about to be offline for a little while for a computer rebuild. When I replaced my laptop a while ago, following a long and loyal service from my Sony Vaio which needed retiring thanks to the many strange noises it made, not to mention the fact that it was even slower than me at waking up in the morning, I wanted something a bit smaller and opted for a SSD. On the plus side, this is super whizzy, on the down side it has less storage. So, the time has come to upgrade its innards to give me some more space. We knew this time would come, and I'm still really happy with the machine itself. The slow start up used to drive me mad and the fact there's no moving parts is great when you're clumsy like me and it wouldn't be unheard of for you to trip over the lead...
So, I may be offline for a little while but I shall be back and hopefully I'll be reporting that Paper Draft Number One has been completed! Let's hope!
Good luck to anyone else editing at the moment.
I know a lot of writers really dislike editing but I'm not too worried about it. It's all part of the process to me and at least, when I print it out, even though I still know there's a tonne of work to do yet, I can still see that I've got a novel in front of me. Which is pretty exciting!
And come to think of it, it's just as well I am on the paper edit at the moment as I'm about to be offline for a little while for a computer rebuild. When I replaced my laptop a while ago, following a long and loyal service from my Sony Vaio which needed retiring thanks to the many strange noises it made, not to mention the fact that it was even slower than me at waking up in the morning, I wanted something a bit smaller and opted for a SSD. On the plus side, this is super whizzy, on the down side it has less storage. So, the time has come to upgrade its innards to give me some more space. We knew this time would come, and I'm still really happy with the machine itself. The slow start up used to drive me mad and the fact there's no moving parts is great when you're clumsy like me and it wouldn't be unheard of for you to trip over the lead...
So, I may be offline for a little while but I shall be back and hopefully I'll be reporting that Paper Draft Number One has been completed! Let's hope!
Good luck to anyone else editing at the moment.
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Does Spelling Matter?
Spelling is one of those things that seem to incite fairly different views - a bit like Marmite. Either bad spelling really bothers you or you're really not too bothered by it at all.
I fall into the first category and it seems that to some, this means I am labelled a pedant. I don't think that's necessarily true. It just means that I was taught that spelling was important and whilst I agree and accept that language changes, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse (don't even get me started on 'chillaxing'!), I still think there's a very big place for correct spelling.
When I read a book or a magazine then I expect things to be spelled correctly. After all, this is something I have paid money out for and these people are doing it for a living. And for the most part, things are, although I did come across a bit of a honker in a copy of Sew magazine a couple of issues back, and it wasn't an isolated incident. There does seem to be an issue with the production in some magazines, not so much with spelling, but with getting the 'right' version of words when there are two that sound the same. English is not an easy language as we have an abundance of such words to trip us up, but these are people who are being paid to publish something made of words. Shouldn't they therefore have higher standards?
The argument brought up against 'good' spelling is that language evolves and we shouldn't be so hung up on the idea of how something is actually written down, but should instead concentrate more on the meaning. I can see the point of this argument in that the meaning of something is obviously tantamount to the experience of reading, but to make it into a 'one or the other' choice is detrimental.
Pre school children can work smartphones and the like better than the actual owners in a lot of cases and that's understandable. They are being born into a world of technology that has moved on faster than almost, if not any, other period in history. It's part of their world. It's not 'new technology' to them, it's just there. It's normal. However, when children are handing in essays written in text speak, and are either losing the ability, or never even being taught how to really spell words, then we have a problem.
Arguing that they don't need to learn spelling because even homework is done on a computer these days, as handwriting becomes a lost art, is only a half truth. Yes, a computer can check the spelling, but is your computer set to the correct language? Not correcting 'color' for 'colour' isn't an error if the language default is still US English and you're writing for a UK audience, whether that's a teacher or a magazine readership. And of course, the other thing with computers is that they are checking for spelling but don't know the difference in context between there, their and they're, for example. All of these are correct but they don't all fit in the same hole.
Personally I don't think we're doing any favours with the lack of spelling education in the classrooms. It's like the lack of competition debate. Yes, I get the idea of not encouraging competition so that 'everyone's a winner'. That made sense in a meeting, I'm sure. But in reality? Perhaps less so. And this is coming from someone who was pretty much always in the last couple to be picked for sports teams. Teams were generally picked by the cliquey kids who were also often good at sport and I was neither cliquey not sporty, so whilst an attempt to make me feel more included would have been nice, I don't think it would have worked. Competition is part of human nature. It's going to happen. Out in the big wide world we have to fight for everything - including jobs, which is where we come back to the spelling issue.
One of my PA jobs involved opening the CVs (or resumes, depending where you are reading this) received whenever we had a employment opportunity. I had a pile that I'd hand to the boss and a pile that went to the shredder. My boss' first criteria was that he didn't want to see CVs or application letters that were full of mistakes. His view, and one held by many employers, was that if someone hadn't taken the time to get things right in the application, how much commitment would they have to their work? That might seem unfair but applicants get whittled down and that was the first hurdle. It's important to remember that, whatever technology gives us, spelling is not irrelevant.
I'm not saying choose spelling over creativity, not at all! I'm just hoping that we can have both.
As a last note, these thoughts are only about 'everyday' spelling. Issues like dyslexia, etc are obviously a lot more complex and are in no way being included in these thoughts. As someone who has both relatives and friends who deal with such struggles, I completely understand what a challenge these can be and would never trivialise such things.
I also realise that 'resume' should have an accent over the last 'e' but there doesn't seem to be any way to insert anything like this within Blogger. Perhaps I need to start writing the posts in Word and then copy and paste. If anyone does know any different, I'd love to hear from you.
So, am I being pedantic in liking things to be spelled correctly? What's your view?
I fall into the first category and it seems that to some, this means I am labelled a pedant. I don't think that's necessarily true. It just means that I was taught that spelling was important and whilst I agree and accept that language changes, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse (don't even get me started on 'chillaxing'!), I still think there's a very big place for correct spelling.
When I read a book or a magazine then I expect things to be spelled correctly. After all, this is something I have paid money out for and these people are doing it for a living. And for the most part, things are, although I did come across a bit of a honker in a copy of Sew magazine a couple of issues back, and it wasn't an isolated incident. There does seem to be an issue with the production in some magazines, not so much with spelling, but with getting the 'right' version of words when there are two that sound the same. English is not an easy language as we have an abundance of such words to trip us up, but these are people who are being paid to publish something made of words. Shouldn't they therefore have higher standards?
The argument brought up against 'good' spelling is that language evolves and we shouldn't be so hung up on the idea of how something is actually written down, but should instead concentrate more on the meaning. I can see the point of this argument in that the meaning of something is obviously tantamount to the experience of reading, but to make it into a 'one or the other' choice is detrimental.
Pre school children can work smartphones and the like better than the actual owners in a lot of cases and that's understandable. They are being born into a world of technology that has moved on faster than almost, if not any, other period in history. It's part of their world. It's not 'new technology' to them, it's just there. It's normal. However, when children are handing in essays written in text speak, and are either losing the ability, or never even being taught how to really spell words, then we have a problem.
Arguing that they don't need to learn spelling because even homework is done on a computer these days, as handwriting becomes a lost art, is only a half truth. Yes, a computer can check the spelling, but is your computer set to the correct language? Not correcting 'color' for 'colour' isn't an error if the language default is still US English and you're writing for a UK audience, whether that's a teacher or a magazine readership. And of course, the other thing with computers is that they are checking for spelling but don't know the difference in context between there, their and they're, for example. All of these are correct but they don't all fit in the same hole.
Personally I don't think we're doing any favours with the lack of spelling education in the classrooms. It's like the lack of competition debate. Yes, I get the idea of not encouraging competition so that 'everyone's a winner'. That made sense in a meeting, I'm sure. But in reality? Perhaps less so. And this is coming from someone who was pretty much always in the last couple to be picked for sports teams. Teams were generally picked by the cliquey kids who were also often good at sport and I was neither cliquey not sporty, so whilst an attempt to make me feel more included would have been nice, I don't think it would have worked. Competition is part of human nature. It's going to happen. Out in the big wide world we have to fight for everything - including jobs, which is where we come back to the spelling issue.
One of my PA jobs involved opening the CVs (or resumes, depending where you are reading this) received whenever we had a employment opportunity. I had a pile that I'd hand to the boss and a pile that went to the shredder. My boss' first criteria was that he didn't want to see CVs or application letters that were full of mistakes. His view, and one held by many employers, was that if someone hadn't taken the time to get things right in the application, how much commitment would they have to their work? That might seem unfair but applicants get whittled down and that was the first hurdle. It's important to remember that, whatever technology gives us, spelling is not irrelevant.
I'm not saying choose spelling over creativity, not at all! I'm just hoping that we can have both.
As a last note, these thoughts are only about 'everyday' spelling. Issues like dyslexia, etc are obviously a lot more complex and are in no way being included in these thoughts. As someone who has both relatives and friends who deal with such struggles, I completely understand what a challenge these can be and would never trivialise such things.
I also realise that 'resume' should have an accent over the last 'e' but there doesn't seem to be any way to insert anything like this within Blogger. Perhaps I need to start writing the posts in Word and then copy and paste. If anyone does know any different, I'd love to hear from you.
So, am I being pedantic in liking things to be spelled correctly? What's your view?
Monday, 3 March 2014
Falling in Love Again
Apologies for the absence. Any of you that have read the blog before will know that last year I had a publisher let me down on a contracted book right at the last minute and, to be honest, it put me off writing for longer than I expected. I did take a break at the time and then try and get back into it, but I don't think my heart was in it. It was the second time I'd experienced a deal being pulled, despite a contract and I think there was a lot of 'why am I bothering' still lingering around inside me.
However, I pulled out a novel that I've been trying to finish editing for ages and got stuck into it. I really enjoyed the first read through (I hope that doesn't sound too vain!) and now Screen Edit 1 is complete, I'm about to start the first paper edit - having first had to schedule in some serious paper buying!
It's taken a while but I've fallen back in love again with, not only my current novel, but also the act of writing itself. I am, once more, bumbling about with my head in the clouds and talking to people who don't exist. It's brilliant!
However, I pulled out a novel that I've been trying to finish editing for ages and got stuck into it. I really enjoyed the first read through (I hope that doesn't sound too vain!) and now Screen Edit 1 is complete, I'm about to start the first paper edit - having first had to schedule in some serious paper buying!
It's taken a while but I've fallen back in love again with, not only my current novel, but also the act of writing itself. I am, once more, bumbling about with my head in the clouds and talking to people who don't exist. It's brilliant!
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Editing - still!
As I mentioned previously, following the disappointment of having a publisher pull out of a contract on a self help book, I've turned back to novels and pulled out one that I wrote some time ago with the aim of doing some serious editing and rewriting.
Editing Pass One is now complete and I have more of an idea as to what needs to be changed and added in order to help make it a better piece. I've done some of this but there's still definitely plenty to go and sometimes it does feel a bit overwhelming and a case of 'I'm not even sure how to do all this!'. That's a bit scary and the confidence goes a bit wobbly and I have plenty of moments when I sit there and think 'What on Earth made me think I could do this?!'
But then I read this quote on Twitter:
'A writer should always feel like he’s in over his head'. ~Michael Cunningham
To be honest, it made me feel a lot better, and relieved a bit of that 'Is it just me?' worry. So whilst I may well be in over my head, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
In the meantime, I shall keep doing my best to bob to the surface for large gulps of air and then dive back in with my characters. With a bit of luck, we'll all get there in the end.
Do you ever feel like you're in over you head, and has there been a quote that's helped you along? I'd love to hear so feel free to leave a comment below!
Editing Pass One is now complete and I have more of an idea as to what needs to be changed and added in order to help make it a better piece. I've done some of this but there's still definitely plenty to go and sometimes it does feel a bit overwhelming and a case of 'I'm not even sure how to do all this!'. That's a bit scary and the confidence goes a bit wobbly and I have plenty of moments when I sit there and think 'What on Earth made me think I could do this?!'
But then I read this quote on Twitter:
'A writer should always feel like he’s in over his head'. ~Michael Cunningham
To be honest, it made me feel a lot better, and relieved a bit of that 'Is it just me?' worry. So whilst I may well be in over my head, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
In the meantime, I shall keep doing my best to bob to the surface for large gulps of air and then dive back in with my characters. With a bit of luck, we'll all get there in the end.
Do you ever feel like you're in over you head, and has there been a quote that's helped you along? I'd love to hear so feel free to leave a comment below!
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Unintended Hiatus
I've been away from blogging for a while, but I'm now hoping to get back to it more regularly. Apologies to anyone who follows on a regular basis, and thank you for sticking with me.
There were a couple of reasons for the break, and I didn't intend to stop blogging, it just sort of happened. At the beginning of the year, I got the contract through for a non fiction self help book. It needed a fair amount of research and I was headlong into this. I got the research done and started actually putting the book together. I was two thirds through when I thought I'd contact the publisher just to check that everything was good in publishing land. His reply was less than enthusiastic and he wasn't even bothered about me finishing it if I didn't want to. It appeared that there wouldn't be any promotion done, despite what had been agreed previously.
In the circumstances, I felt that the best thing to do would be to walk away. I got a confirmation in writing that the contract was no longer valid and that all the work I had done was mine and there could be no claim on it if I were to publish elsewhere.
I'm sure you can understand how much of a disappointment this was. Especially as this is the second time I have found myself in a similar situation - a fact this publisher knew. I lost the enthusiasm for the project and, to be honest, writing. It seemed that I had just wasted six months and felt very let down. Just putting the whole thing aside for a while seemed the best option.
I haven't decided exactly what to do about that project yet. I may look for a new publisher or I may self publish. At the moment, I still don't have the enthusiasm back for that one, so I'll wait until I do and in the meantime I can just ponder over what I what I want to do with it.
I am back to writing though, well, editing. I've pulled out a novel which has been waiting for a new edit and some rewrites for a long time. I've really enjoyed getting into the story and the characters again. I enquired with a publisher some time ago about sending it in (as it's a little shorter than the standard) and they were happy to take a look. I'll check this again when it's closer to being polished and shiny. Hopefully the answer will still be 'send it in'. After that, it'll just be a case of fingers crossed!
So, again, apologies for the break. I hope your writing has been going well and would love to hear your news!
Happy Writing!
There were a couple of reasons for the break, and I didn't intend to stop blogging, it just sort of happened. At the beginning of the year, I got the contract through for a non fiction self help book. It needed a fair amount of research and I was headlong into this. I got the research done and started actually putting the book together. I was two thirds through when I thought I'd contact the publisher just to check that everything was good in publishing land. His reply was less than enthusiastic and he wasn't even bothered about me finishing it if I didn't want to. It appeared that there wouldn't be any promotion done, despite what had been agreed previously.
In the circumstances, I felt that the best thing to do would be to walk away. I got a confirmation in writing that the contract was no longer valid and that all the work I had done was mine and there could be no claim on it if I were to publish elsewhere.
I'm sure you can understand how much of a disappointment this was. Especially as this is the second time I have found myself in a similar situation - a fact this publisher knew. I lost the enthusiasm for the project and, to be honest, writing. It seemed that I had just wasted six months and felt very let down. Just putting the whole thing aside for a while seemed the best option.
I haven't decided exactly what to do about that project yet. I may look for a new publisher or I may self publish. At the moment, I still don't have the enthusiasm back for that one, so I'll wait until I do and in the meantime I can just ponder over what I what I want to do with it.
I am back to writing though, well, editing. I've pulled out a novel which has been waiting for a new edit and some rewrites for a long time. I've really enjoyed getting into the story and the characters again. I enquired with a publisher some time ago about sending it in (as it's a little shorter than the standard) and they were happy to take a look. I'll check this again when it's closer to being polished and shiny. Hopefully the answer will still be 'send it in'. After that, it'll just be a case of fingers crossed!
So, again, apologies for the break. I hope your writing has been going well and would love to hear your news!
Happy Writing!
Sunday, 21 April 2013
More Notes!
Writing is a little samey at the moment as I continue with the typing up of the various notebooks I have made so far for my non fiction self help book. We're getting there though. I hope. I've felt I had to force myself to carry on for longer than I really wanted to today. This could be just tiredness (late night last night - rather fabulous fancy dress party to attend!) or it could just be a bit of burnout after working at it solidly yesterday.
Either way. I've been at it since early morning so I'm giving myself permission to take a break. In truth I'd like to think this was to go off and do something fun and delightful. In actuality, it's to go and hang the rest of the washing out and then make a start of the European Ironing Mountain which has built up in my lounge having been laid low all week with a stinker of a cold. Not exactly fun but there we are. If anyone has any ironing fairies they're not currently using, please do send them my way!
Have fun in the sunshine (at last!) and happy writing!
Either way. I've been at it since early morning so I'm giving myself permission to take a break. In truth I'd like to think this was to go off and do something fun and delightful. In actuality, it's to go and hang the rest of the washing out and then make a start of the European Ironing Mountain which has built up in my lounge having been laid low all week with a stinker of a cold. Not exactly fun but there we are. If anyone has any ironing fairies they're not currently using, please do send them my way!
Have fun in the sunshine (at last!) and happy writing!
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Tricky Subjects and Being Brave
Yesterday I read an interesting post by Emily Benet about religion. Before you all go scurrying away, hear me out. It really was interesting. And the best thing about it was that it was from the heart.
Her post, entitled Catholics - We aren't all bad told of her acceptance that attending church sometimes feels, well, a little bit bonkers, but that keeping her faith has been helped by the wonderful priest they are lucky enough to have at their church. A man, I am told, who can do a mean salsa. Seriously, if I knew a priest that could do that, I may just start attending in the hope of catching a glimpse of salsa practice between mass!
With the Catholic church in the news at the moment because of the recent vacancy in the Vatican, and yet another dark scandal involving a member of the clergy, it can seem like it is a free for all for a bit of Catholic belief bashing. But I think that's unfair. And I'm sure others do too. Like any part of society, there are good people as well as the bad.
But it does take some bravery to talk about it on a blog normally keeps away from subjects like religion and politics that can often invoke such strong feeling. So, hats off to Emily who had the bravery to write what was in her heart.
Her post, entitled Catholics - We aren't all bad told of her acceptance that attending church sometimes feels, well, a little bit bonkers, but that keeping her faith has been helped by the wonderful priest they are lucky enough to have at their church. A man, I am told, who can do a mean salsa. Seriously, if I knew a priest that could do that, I may just start attending in the hope of catching a glimpse of salsa practice between mass!
With the Catholic church in the news at the moment because of the recent vacancy in the Vatican, and yet another dark scandal involving a member of the clergy, it can seem like it is a free for all for a bit of Catholic belief bashing. But I think that's unfair. And I'm sure others do too. Like any part of society, there are good people as well as the bad.
But it does take some bravery to talk about it on a blog normally keeps away from subjects like religion and politics that can often invoke such strong feeling. So, hats off to Emily who had the bravery to write what was in her heart.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Catching up...
It was quite a busy week for me, with one thing and another. I took a walk on Monday morning, taking advantage of a dry day which made me feel good at getting some exercise, provided the opportunity for people watching and inspiration, and just helped get the brain unclogged, as a good walk can.
Getting some fresh air
I finally got the contract back this week, so we are back up and running on the research front so that's taking up some time, but in a good way. I'm still fairly nervous about the book, but I don't think that's an unusual thing - I've yet to meet a writer who isn't worrying about their current/past/future project! I'm making notes aplenty, and although I was going to put the notes directly onto the computer, and did in fact start that way, it's turned out to be easier to write them in a notebook which will get transcribed in with the rest as and when. This way I can just grab the research info, notebook and pencil and go. Like anything, it's finding what works best at a certain time for you.
I keep thinking about my novels. I miss them, and really want to get back to them. I've also come up with another couple of ideas over the past few weeks which are just bubbling about and fermenting in my brain at present. They're not ready to be written down, even in note form at the moment, but are firm enough not to be forgotten. They're well and truly stuck there now which is good. I'm not sure how they're going to progress but that's all part of the brewing-in-the-brain stage. And that's fine for now. I really want to get a long completed one edited and ready for submission. It's just finding the time to do everything at the moment. I don't think my brain will cope with working on both projects at the same time right at the moment. Perhaps when it gets to the actual writing bit, I might be able to switch between. Has anyone else had any experience of this - do you find it easy to switch between different forms of writing?
Unfortunately I had a fibromyalgia flare up on Wednesday which lasted a few days and put a bit of a spanner in the works, but it's something I just have to accept and work around as and when I can.
Back to the research now...
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Writing A Good Baddie
It's often said that 'baddies' can be the most fun to write, and if the latest offering from the James Bond stable, 'Skyfall' is anything to go by, the writers must have had an absolute ball!
And don't worry, there are no spoilers here!
Silva has the required sinister undertones (and shockingly bad hair) for a satisfying baddie but he also had a personality. Albeit one with a rather warped view of things but it's still there for all to see. He isn't just nasty for nasty's sake. He isn't a caricature of a baddie as some have been - Jonathan Pryce's media mogul in 'Tomorrow Never Dies', springs to mind for that one. Unlike that film, Skyfall's writers have actually managed to create a likeable baddie. It's fun when he's on screen, even though he's doing terrible things - we want to see what he's going to get up to next - and how he's going to react to the attempts to thwart him. Of course, credit must go to Javier Bardem for making those writers' words come to life so well.
Of course, we have to be careful not to make the badddie TOO likeable. We don't want him to succeed in his dastardly plan after all! But we do want him (or her!) to be interesting, and we do want him to be an admirable and worthy opponent for our hero (or heroine). If our hero is a genius and the baddie can barely remember his own name, it's hardly a challenge. Of course we want things to end well, but a bit of struggle, whether that be mental, physical or both, to get to that point is required to make us want to keep turning the page (or watching the film).
I'd highly recommend taking a trip to see 'Skyfall' if you haven't already for a chance to see a really 'good' baddie!
So, any favourite baddies spring to mind for you?
And don't worry, there are no spoilers here!
Silva has the required sinister undertones (and shockingly bad hair) for a satisfying baddie but he also had a personality. Albeit one with a rather warped view of things but it's still there for all to see. He isn't just nasty for nasty's sake. He isn't a caricature of a baddie as some have been - Jonathan Pryce's media mogul in 'Tomorrow Never Dies', springs to mind for that one. Unlike that film, Skyfall's writers have actually managed to create a likeable baddie. It's fun when he's on screen, even though he's doing terrible things - we want to see what he's going to get up to next - and how he's going to react to the attempts to thwart him. Of course, credit must go to Javier Bardem for making those writers' words come to life so well.
Of course, we have to be careful not to make the badddie TOO likeable. We don't want him to succeed in his dastardly plan after all! But we do want him (or her!) to be interesting, and we do want him to be an admirable and worthy opponent for our hero (or heroine). If our hero is a genius and the baddie can barely remember his own name, it's hardly a challenge. Of course we want things to end well, but a bit of struggle, whether that be mental, physical or both, to get to that point is required to make us want to keep turning the page (or watching the film).
I'd highly recommend taking a trip to see 'Skyfall' if you haven't already for a chance to see a really 'good' baddie!
So, any favourite baddies spring to mind for you?
Monday, 29 October 2012
To Nano or Not To Nano
That is the question...well, it is for a lot of people around this time of year. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and the idea is that you write 50,000 words - effectively a short novel, or at least a good chunk of an average size one, within the month of November.
It's not an easy task and I am yet to take part - although I did get very close to it in 2007 but things sort of fell apart and it went by the wayside. There is always something else going on around that time, it seems. But I would like to do it one day - just because. I haven't decided whether to take part this year. I'm thinking probably not just because there are others things that need my attention and if I do it, I really want to do it and not just have a half hearted attempt.
There does seem to be a lot more snobbery around this year about Nanowrimo, which is a shame. I don't know where that's come from, and why. It's a fun thing to do - but it is hard word and I admire those that do complete it. No-one for a minute imagines that what they produce in that mad, mayhem filled, Red Bull fuelled month is worthy of publication. That's not the point. It's a challenge and it is a starting point. A starting point for something that, with a lot more work, and a lot more editing, may in time become something worthy of publication.
So , are you taking part in Nanowrimo this year? And if so, why? And if not, why not?
One last thing about November - it is also the month for Movember - you grow a moustache during the month of November, getting sponsorship along the way. It's all in an effort to raise awareness and funds for mens' cancer, specifically prostate and testicular. I'm sure you'll agree it's a great cause and I'm proud to say that my hubby and his business partner at Advance Helicopters are taking part this year. Please feel free to offer your support, and any donation, if you are able - there's more about it on their Movember page here. Weekly updates will be posted, of course!
It's not an easy task and I am yet to take part - although I did get very close to it in 2007 but things sort of fell apart and it went by the wayside. There is always something else going on around that time, it seems. But I would like to do it one day - just because. I haven't decided whether to take part this year. I'm thinking probably not just because there are others things that need my attention and if I do it, I really want to do it and not just have a half hearted attempt.
There does seem to be a lot more snobbery around this year about Nanowrimo, which is a shame. I don't know where that's come from, and why. It's a fun thing to do - but it is hard word and I admire those that do complete it. No-one for a minute imagines that what they produce in that mad, mayhem filled, Red Bull fuelled month is worthy of publication. That's not the point. It's a challenge and it is a starting point. A starting point for something that, with a lot more work, and a lot more editing, may in time become something worthy of publication.
So , are you taking part in Nanowrimo this year? And if so, why? And if not, why not?
One last thing about November - it is also the month for Movember - you grow a moustache during the month of November, getting sponsorship along the way. It's all in an effort to raise awareness and funds for mens' cancer, specifically prostate and testicular. I'm sure you'll agree it's a great cause and I'm proud to say that my hubby and his business partner at Advance Helicopters are taking part this year. Please feel free to offer your support, and any donation, if you are able - there's more about it on their Movember page here. Weekly updates will be posted, of course!
Sunday, 26 August 2012
The Daily Constitutional
I've come to notice a trend whenever I read interviews with writers, and writing blogs - something that a good majority of us do, and no, it's not procrastinate, but if we're honest, that's probably just as common.
No, the habit in question is that most writers make sure they take a walk at some point during the day, possibly accompanied by a pooch. I'm sure that having said animal looking up at you with doleful please-can-we-go-for-a-walk eyes, does do something to motivate one to getting up and on with it. It sort of gives a purpose to a walk. We no longer have a dog so it's up to me to provide my own motivation (not always easy!). And sometimes it takes a while, but I'm always glad I've made the effort when I get back.
(I was going to put a photo in here that I just took on my evening constitutional but Blogger has decided it doesn't want to play tonight, so words it is).
Walking gives you the chance to think - whether that's about what you're writing or something completely different. It also means a gentle workout for your body, as well as your mind. It's all too easy to stay inside and stare at a screen, especially when it's cold or rainy outside but I still try and make the effort, knowing that it's for the best - both mentally and physically.
Of course, there are days that you're not going to be able to fit it in - you have to wait in for a delivery which has helpfully been scheduled 'between 8am and 8pm', you're not feeling well or it's absolutely bucketing and neither you, nor the dog is going to go out there without a boat. And that's ok. Don't feel guilty if you have to miss a day. It happens. Thanks to a medical condition, there are days when a walk for me just isn't possible, so I accept that and just try and make sure I get out when things feel better.
Any sort of exercise will do really. Sometimes my walk is replaced by gardening, or a cycle ride if I'm feeling really brave!
The main thing is just to get out and away from the keyboard for a bit. Let your mind wander, take in the sights and sounds of where you walk, whether it's city or countryside. You'll feel more energised and ready to get back to your WIP, and who knows, you may even come back with a new idea or two!
Happy walking!
No, the habit in question is that most writers make sure they take a walk at some point during the day, possibly accompanied by a pooch. I'm sure that having said animal looking up at you with doleful please-can-we-go-for-a-walk eyes, does do something to motivate one to getting up and on with it. It sort of gives a purpose to a walk. We no longer have a dog so it's up to me to provide my own motivation (not always easy!). And sometimes it takes a while, but I'm always glad I've made the effort when I get back.
(I was going to put a photo in here that I just took on my evening constitutional but Blogger has decided it doesn't want to play tonight, so words it is).
Walking gives you the chance to think - whether that's about what you're writing or something completely different. It also means a gentle workout for your body, as well as your mind. It's all too easy to stay inside and stare at a screen, especially when it's cold or rainy outside but I still try and make the effort, knowing that it's for the best - both mentally and physically.
Of course, there are days that you're not going to be able to fit it in - you have to wait in for a delivery which has helpfully been scheduled 'between 8am and 8pm', you're not feeling well or it's absolutely bucketing and neither you, nor the dog is going to go out there without a boat. And that's ok. Don't feel guilty if you have to miss a day. It happens. Thanks to a medical condition, there are days when a walk for me just isn't possible, so I accept that and just try and make sure I get out when things feel better.
Any sort of exercise will do really. Sometimes my walk is replaced by gardening, or a cycle ride if I'm feeling really brave!
The main thing is just to get out and away from the keyboard for a bit. Let your mind wander, take in the sights and sounds of where you walk, whether it's city or countryside. You'll feel more energised and ready to get back to your WIP, and who knows, you may even come back with a new idea or two!
Happy walking!
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Rescue Remedy, Nice Surprises and Writing Competitions
A little while ago I had an article accepted by an outdoors magazine which it always jolly nice. Their planner was full for this year, so it was to be held over until sometime next year. However, as I stood waiting for something in Boots I heard my phone give an email ping. With nothing better to do at that very moment, I had a look. It was the notification of publication and payment - for this month's edition! Yippee! What a lovely surprise. Needless to say, I then whizzed up to Smiths' and got a copy.
So, if you're planning on visiting Tewkesbury, or the surrounding area of Gloucestershire, you'll find all you need to know in the August edition of MMM (Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly) magazine.
On another note, the reason I was in Boots was to get some Rescue Remedy. I picked up a box, and then went to get another so I could get the offer. And it was empty. At the desk, I mentioned this, and they were kind enough to check the stock for me - as they did this, the assistant mentioned that it happened a lot with these as they aren't the cheapest. This was something most odd - as Monsieur Poirot would say. I mean, Rescue Remedy is to help calm the nerves. But surely if you're calm enough to steal something, it seems unlikely you are particularly troubled by stressful situations. Most strange.
And finally, I've just come across two competitions - one for fiction and two for poetry. Good luck!
* Write a bedtime story and win £500 here
* Two poetry competitions here
So, if you're planning on visiting Tewkesbury, or the surrounding area of Gloucestershire, you'll find all you need to know in the August edition of MMM (Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly) magazine.
On another note, the reason I was in Boots was to get some Rescue Remedy. I picked up a box, and then went to get another so I could get the offer. And it was empty. At the desk, I mentioned this, and they were kind enough to check the stock for me - as they did this, the assistant mentioned that it happened a lot with these as they aren't the cheapest. This was something most odd - as Monsieur Poirot would say. I mean, Rescue Remedy is to help calm the nerves. But surely if you're calm enough to steal something, it seems unlikely you are particularly troubled by stressful situations. Most strange.
And finally, I've just come across two competitions - one for fiction and two for poetry. Good luck!
* Write a bedtime story and win £500 here
* Two poetry competitions here
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