Thinking about New Year Resolutions?

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Top Ten Tips for Writing a Novel

Came across these tips at: www.be-a-better-writer.com/tips-for-writing-a-novel.html and thought I would share them as they got me thinking......

1. Read a lot-both novels and nonfiction. The novels will inspire you. They will create a need to write, and they will teach you about craft.
2. Know your premise. Every good novel is "about" something.
3. Stay focused on your premise.
4. Focus on the action the character must take to remedy the situation he or she has been thrown into. First and foremost, your characters must take action as they attempt to satisfy their most urgent needs.
5. Your character's actions must force them into problematic situations.
6. Develop your plot through cause and effect. Every action the character takes will have some effect.
7. Be clear about your characters' values, as it is their values that cause them to act as they do. Give characters opposing values so that nothing comes too easily for anyone.
8. Write every day, or five days a week, even if it is only for thirty minutes a day. Writing requires discipline, and having the discipline to write regularly keeps the story percolating in your mind.
9. Write original scenes. Surprise readers and make your story unpredictable, while still believable.
10. Focus on one scene at a time, one page at a time. Before you begin writing, know what the character's goal is for that scene, and know how he or she will achieve the goal or be prevented from achieving it.

De-Cluttering Only Causes Piles....

I didn't disappoint myself last Tuesday as I had a right good clear out of old writing and other stuff I had saved. Previous to Jamie's arrival the nursery had been used as my writing room and so all my books, notes and resources are currently in there, but I have now managed to streamline at least some of them....

After Tuesday, the week then went slightly manic as I started wrapping the Christmas presents as well as de-cluttering. Currently there is stuff everywhere but I keep telling myself it is all part of the plan….. The house is not exactly baby proof so this also focuses my mind, and the need to ‘get rid’ as Uncle Dean would say. However, none of these jobs have been helped by the fact that Jamie is still teething and has also been suffering with a cough and a runny nose; leading to a few broken nights.

Hoped to get on top of the 'stuff' on Thursday, while Jamie was at Nanna's, but Kate came to check out what has been happening on FaceBook (its not allowed at their house) and once she had gone I found it very difficult to get anything started as I knew Nanna would not be long bringing Jamie back. Its nice to have friends..... The weekend came and went in a kinda blur - shopping with Daddy, visiting cousins and other housework - but yesterday I managed to get back and finish off the piles of stuff in the nursery! Looking good.....only now Jamie has started Commando crawling and we are having a carpet fitted in there on Saturday morning!! Panic!!

Looking at the calendar I/we are very busy up until Christmas, so I doubt I am going to have much time for myself, my piles and my writing. But I do feel less compulsive about the need for a tidy house and more relaxed about the future....

The Never Ending To Do List

Can’t believe it is nearly a month since I last did an entry. Time just seems to be flying past at the moment. Jamie changes so much from day to day (see: http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.com/) and there is so much to learn and adapt to. It must be good for my brain on some level!!

Today I was given an extra few hours when the event planned for this afternoon failed to happen as my friend was ill. So I used the time to go through the December editions of Writers News and Writing Magazine – as I do every month – and look up interesting Internet sites referenced in the magazines, copy articles I thought were particularly relevant, and I then made a note of competitions I might enter if I have any spare time….

A couple of good websites I came across today were; http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/ with Pearl Luke, and http://www.writingforward.com/

And I understand what the Grumpy Old Bookman (Writers News’ December 2009 http://www.writersnews.co.uk/ means when he says: ‘The best advice I can give you is to do the job of novelist (or any other kind of writer) because its fun. Expecting it to lead to ‘success’ in the worldly sense will only cause heartache’. This echoes what Pete and I discussed at the Scribes meeting with Bead Roberts i.e. no point doing anything unless its enjoyable. Writing should be seen as a hobby and then you won’t get hurt!!

Having a couple of quiet hours has spurred me on to go back to my To Do list I put together at the beginning of November. I intend to get up early tomorrow and spend the day working through the writing resources recently collected; to file them away for the time being, and also contemplate where to go next. I shall report back how it went in a few days….

One Quiet Thursday Afternoon..

First must say a big 'Thank You' to the Anonymous person who posted a comment to my last entry. Your response really meant a lot.

Having a good afternoon today. Been pretty pleased with myself the last few days as Christmas is just about sorted and so is the house. As Nanna has Jamie every Thursday afternoon I have been able to sit down and wade through all the piles of 'interesting stuff' I seem to have acquired recently. My Writing Magazine and Writers News arrived this morning but I am leaving them until I have cleared the decks (and they are a good night time read once Jamie is asleep!). I have just bought myself a book from the Mills and Boon Black Star Crime imprint to see what they are like and whether I could perhaps try my hand at one. (I believe they are shorter than mainstream crime novels). What I have left myself with now is a pile of 'filing' to put away in my writers cabinet which unfortunately currently resides in the nursery. I plan (am hoping to) spend next Thursday having a clear out and eventually (fingers crossed finances-wise) the cabinet should end up somewhere more suitable. And as for my ever increasing 'To Do' list, I have streamlined it. After severe meditation decided 'Who Cares if it doesn't get done?' In fact, the simple task of saying that actually makes me more likely To Do it!!

That's all my piles and my photos sorted in one afternoon - and 2 blog entries completed (not to mention the small amount of hoovering and washing I have also done).
Well Done Me!

Two Years On.....

I am ashamed to say that in the last year, I have not really progressed any further with the novel that I started all those months ago. My review at one year http://theonlyconsequence.blogspot.com/2008/11/year-on.html lists all my excuses and the attached photo shows the main reason I am strapped for time. But, I really would not have it any other way. Having a baby turns you into a totally different person to the one you were before - its as if a switch gets flicked in your head and your whole being exists only to look after your little bundle of joy!! Having a baby forces you to streamline your life in a way you would not have thought possible before. You realize just how precious time actually is and the need not to waste it. When I had all the time in the world after I left work, my writing should have been proficient but it wasn’t. Now I only have a few snatched minutes of time, I find I am using my time so much better - although not necessarily for writing.

At my recent visit to Lindum Scribes Pete clarified the situation with regards to the time spent on writing and my demands as a parent. He said writing should be seen as a hobby and therefore enjoyment. If it isn’t giving you enjoyment then why are you doing it? Yes, I would love to be the next Ruth Rendell (or whoever) but at the end of the day the chance of this is very slim and so time spent on my writing needs to be pleasurable.

I am pleased to say I have maintained my baby blog http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.com/ which enables me to write about being a mother and at the same time give myself a free therapy session but I feel that if I am to begin writing again, the novel I have been looking at for the last 2 years is probably not the one that I am going to finish. I am a totally different person to the one who started this blog 2 years ago. Re-reading this blog I realise I have always set myself too many (impossible) tasks and I have always been too hard on myself when they don't get done!! I can't be sure, but perhaps this is one of the reasons that Jamie decided to appear 5 weeks early - mummy rushing around like a blue arse trying to do a million jobs before he arrived. This stems I am sure from a feeling at school of not being quite good enough....

A quote to consider: "You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not." Isabel Allende

William Safire's Rules for Writers

Thanks to www.writers.com - THE NEWSLETTER - 10/09 for reprinting William Safire's Rules for Writers following his death last month. His sense of fun pervades his famous (or infamous) "rules for writers" which we republish below.

Remember to never split an infinitive.
The passive voice should never be used.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
The adverb always follows the verb.
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

Manic Mums.....

Can't say I have done much writing recently. I am pleased with myself for at least reading a few books including one of fiction; The Other Hand by Chris Cleave (very good. Read it!). Although I didn't make the actual Book Club evening for which I was reading it for I was still pleased I had read it! I have also read both Writing Magazine and Writing News this month with Mslexia waiting for me this evening. Oh yes, and to maintain my commitment to writing I have already purchased next years Mslexia diary!!

So, the mind is willing but the flesh weak. Having a baby seriously interferes with life outside your little bundle of joy!! However, I recently bought a very good book which helps to put everything into perspective and I must try to remember some of the valuable advice when I get a bit 'manic' with regards to not accomplishing everything on my 'Must Do' list. Time Management for Manic Mums by Allison Mitchell, published by Hay House (2009), has some great points for any mum struggling to cope with the demands of a baby and a house, families and husbands etc. not to mention that burning desire to see your name in print - or at least a completed manuscript - and I have summarised some of the more relevant ones below:-

• Time is precious. You have a tight budget of just 24 hours.
• Ask yourself: is this the best use of my time now?
• Unless you know what you want to do with your time, you’ll never find time to do it.
• Break down jobs into smaller chunks – start the journey…
• Reframe jobs i.e. cleaning party / space for something else / exercise!!
• Don’t put it down. Put it away.
• Remove distractions to the job in hand.
• Define the actions needed to step towards your goals.
• Look to the future – what happens if you do, what happens if you don’t?
• Focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want.
• We become what we think about.
• Focus only on what is valuable to you.
• It’s about choice and focus and priorities.
• What future is your present creating for you?
• Savour / enjoy every moment.
  

One tool against procrastination

Jurgen Wolff's August Brainstorm E-Bulletin discusses Tyler Cowen writing in Money Magazine, who offered an insight into one of the major causes of procrastination: we over-estimate the amount of control we have over our day.

So we could do that unwelcome task first thing in the morning but we say we'll do it later. However, as the day goes on there are more interruptions and more demands from others and it becomes more and more difficult to do what we've postponed - so we promise ourselves we'll do it tomorrow... but not necessarily first thing...

ACTION: Apply the micro-task method to this. Spend a minimum of five minutes on the hardest or least appealing task first thing. Often going that far makes it easier to finish right then. If not, then give it another five minutes first thing the next day.

How to write like George Orwell

In Writing Magazine (September 2009) www.writingmagazine.co.uk Tony Rossiter writes about what you can learn from one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers.

He discusses Orwell’s 6 elementary rules but under the 6th Break any of these rules rather than write anything outright barbarous, Rossiter quotes Orwell as saying ‘Good Prose is like a window-pane.’ He believed that before putting pen to paper a writer should ask himself 4 key questions:

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

Today's Quote

Life is like a narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to be afraid.......

Old Rabbi’s saying referenced in Writing Magazine: September 2009 by www.meggardiner.com/

A couple of Haiku's

As I said in my last post I have written a few Haiku's in the last week. Two I will be sending of to the Writing Magazine, but here are two that didn't make the shortlist:

Newborn in the Sun.
Leaves fall and die as he cries.
Burnt by nature’s gift.


Black and white keys. Played
in a trance. We do not speak.
Thoughts echo the sound.

Joanne Borrill

August 2009

Bead Roberts at the Lindum Scribes

On Monday I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Lindum Scribes (www.lindumscribes.org) workshop evening with Bead Roberts. Bead has written plays and radio stories and has had over 100 short stories published in small press and commercial magazines. She has won or been short-listed in several national and international short story competitions and is a Course Leader for Writing School Leicester (www.writingschoolleicester.co.uk).

She gave us loads of useful advice with regards to both novels and short stories and I have summarised some of her main points below:

 When writing, it is easier to take out than to put in – so get it written. Remember it’s only a first draft. Then Edit!!

 Ensure your beginning holds the promise of what is to come. If you start with a joke, you have promised a funny story.

 People grow into their names in a novel. In a short story they have to work straight away. The name has a job to do – to show gender / age / personality e.g. Lavinda Luscious.

 Dialogue needs to advance the plot and define character, so ensure your characters speak differently. Dialogue does not need to be grammatically correct. Do not include chit chat e.g. would you like a cup of tea?

 Be specific in your descriptions. Readers need to be able to see your scene. It’s more than a small, tidy yard. Ensure you are showing not telling.

 Don’t tell your readers something twice e.g. Mary was poor, she didn’t have much money.

 Your presentation needs to look professional. Try not to look like a beginner.

 Write something / anything for 15 minutes at the same time every day to ensure you get into the habit of writing.


I came away feeling energised and motivated (have I said the same thing twice there?) and yesterday wrote 5 Haiku’s for possible entry into a Writing Magazine Competition. Now, where’s my novel……

The Challenge of Your Transformation

by Ingrid Bacci www.ingridbacci.com

All transformation involves change. Life periodically asks us to change. What worked at one time no longer works for us. We need to move on.

The most important gift you can bring to yourself when transformation calls is to recognize that the voices of fear, despair or pain that fill you are nothing more than a pause or a hesitation before your forward movement. Don't give them too much weight. Fear, despair and pain are frequently forms of addictive self-disempowerment: ways of telling yourself "I can't" or "I won't." I can't go forward. I won't go forward. They are the voices of conservative, resistant habit.

Let yourself be adventuresome. Embrace the call of the next phase of your life......

Watch this space!!!

Don't let the woods be silent

Jurgen Wolff's Brainstorm E-Bulletin (July 2009) www.timetowrite.blogs.com relates a story which Michael Michalko - one of the top creativity gurus - told about his godfather, John Haffich, a poet who tried to encourage Michalko to write poetry. Michalko tried, but never felt they were good enough.

He picks up the story: "When he was in a nursing home and dying, I visited him and told him my thoughts about my inadequacies as a poet. He could barely whisper at the time and asked for a pencil and paper. He wrote the following poem and gave it to me with a smile."

Use what talents you have.
The woods would be silent
if no bird sang
except those that sang best.

Catalyst Online

Discovered a good resource in Writers News this month www.annarushton.co.uk/ including www.catalystonline.co.uk/ These are the websites of Anna Rushton and of particular interest to me is a section on 'Overcoming Creative Blocks and Barriers'. She has some great tips including:

Try saying to yourself; "I will just do 10minutes on my creative project, then I can stop and so something else." Just giving yourself permission can lead you to getting absorbed and involved in it again. If its not working then stop in 10minutes and if it is then stay with it!!

As for judging yourself, Anna says; All creativity comes from chaos, a divine spark, leave space to create in. Your creative project is your baby, so praise it, be delighted at any progress it has made and celebrate the fact it has happened at all.

Following on with the birth analogy; A woman in labour doesn't start thinking about the family's dinner or whether the mower needs repairing. She is focused on bringing in new life - you need to be focused on bringing your creative project to life.

And during your creating time; Never do anything else!! Treat your creativity with respect and don't allow your energy to be diluted with everyday administration. We are often concerned to be 'productive' so would rather do something than nothing. Creativity needs space and time to think, dream, prepare so don't dismiss this time as 'wasted'. It is 'seeding time' for projects and ideas and highly important.

Give yourself permission to create rubbish. Did Picasso produce a masterpiece the first time he picked up a brush? Creativity is about learning how to use your skills and talents to produce something from within you that you are proud of and that does not happen overnight. A diamond has to be cut and polished for its true beauty to be revealed and a diamond cutter has years of learning that skill - so take heart and don't give up because you think your work isn't good enough.

Thank you Anna

Be who you are and say what you feel

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr Seuss)

Leisure, by W.H. Davies

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

http://www.englishverse.com/poems/leisure

Those are the books you never wrote....

Keith Waterhouse in Saga Magazine tells the story of a writer who goes to Heaven and finds himself in a beautiful library with books stretching into infinity.

‘And he says to the angel, “Whose are all these books?”
and the angel says, “Those are the books you never wrote”.

(Writing Magazine: June 2009)

Mslexia & Writing Magazine comparing Crime Fiction

Still keeping up with my reading of writing materials and I found it quite weird that in both magazines this month there was an analysis of crime writing. In Writing Magazine (July 09) Linda Castillo compares crime writing with romantic suspense - emphasising the need for strong characters and high stakes, and in Mslexia (Apr/May/Jun 09) Sophie Hannah compares crime fiction to poetry. She writes: "In a crime novel events need to be spaced in the right way. Several min-revelations are necessary in a detective story, prior to the big revelation at the end, and gaps of appropriate sizes must be present between these gasp-inducing moments."

They say that crime fiction can never be seen as literary fiction, but I for one feel that there are so many levels in a good crime novel that crime fiction really should be taken more seriously!!

Quotes for the Day (Thanks Shad)

You pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll be left with nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make today worth remembering.
Meredith Willson, The Music Man

What you will do matters. All you need is to do it.
Judy Grahan, Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, Gay Worlds, 1984

It’s the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you’re mad, then dangerous, then there’s a pause and then you can’t find anyone who disagrees with you.
Tony Benn

The Jam Jar Illustration

A few months ago I read The Big Book of Me: Become your own life coach by Nina Grunfeld, Short Books (2006). In it she describes the Jam Jar Illustration. At the time I was impressed and took it on board with regards to my writing. However, since having Jamie it applies to every part of your life and makes you think about what really matters....Here goes:

Imagine a jam jar into which you put 3 large stones. It seems quite full. Now tip in as many pebbles as you can. Watch them go into all the cracks. Is the jar full now? Not quite. Pour in some sand. That will seep in between the pebbles. The jar must be full now. No its not. Pour in some water until the water reaches the brim. Your jam jar is now full.

Now try doing it the other way round. Put in the same amount of water, then sand, then pebbles. Now try putting in the stones – they won’t fit. They’ll stick out at the top, resting on the pebbles and sand which have sunk to the bottom.

This is a metaphor for your life:
The jam jar = your day.
The Stones = your priorities / goals – the things that will move you forward in your life.
The Pebbles = fixed commitments (work, committee meetings, evening classes).
The Sand = other major chores you have to do (commuting, food shopping, school runs).
The Water = never ending little tasks (replying to emails, paying bills, tidying up).

Some of our days can appear full of water or sand. It’s difficult to fit the stones in and feels frustrating. You can’t move forward.

Take control. Every day, first schedule in your goals (the stones) so your other priorities (pebbles, sand, water) have to fit around them... That way, even if you have a day that appears full of water (niggly tasks) you can work out an appropriate stone (goal) for it e.g. instead of being annoyed that you have to stay in all day and wait for the plumber, think of a stone you can do at home while you’re waiting for them. Or make mending the blocked drain one of your stones, then you won’t mind waiting.

Your stones are the future of your life – so find time for them first.

3 stones are about right for a day. Each stone is a very small chunk – the very next thing that you want to do on your project or towards your goal. It’s a manageable piece of your goal. Once it is done you break off another chunk (your next stone) and so on, until the goal is completed. Make each chunk small so you can achieve it and give yourself a feeling of satisfaction.

Remember....

...You'll never have enough money to buy all the stuff you don't really need, and you'll never have enough time to do all the things you really don't want to do.
www.timetowrite.blogs.com

Shoot me....

If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of 'The Elements of Style'. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy. - Dorothy Parker

The Best Excuse of All.....

Jamie George Francis Simpson

Born - 5 weeks early - at 7.17am on the 4th April 2009

Weight: 6lb, 4oz Length:47cm

Baby First....

.....or rather my back first. Still rather painful and aggravated by going out Thursday night and sitting in the pub gossiping (good) for 3 hours+ (bad) but of the 10 items on my list I have actually crossed off half of them: Update and Plan Competition entries for next few months, Update Writing ‘How To’ Documents, Update Writers Webpages Document (last updated June 2007), and Read Phil’s 17chapters. I decided against pushing myself to enter the competitions, as although I had already started the entries I was less than pleased with them. Also, while updating my 'Writing' documents I was reminded of the fact I want to finish the novel (any novel) and how long I have been pursuing this dream with little to show for it!! And while I have been not writing my novel, Phil is on his re-write!

As well as these 5 from the list, I also read a Company of Liars by Karen Maitland, and 'The Rough Guide to Blogging' by Jonathan Yang. This has helped me to improve this Blog (and my other one) by adding a 'best of' section.

I have also completed a number of jobs on my Baby List, and been to visit friends and relations, so I can't say I am not happy with what I have done in the last week. However, still 5 items still on my original writing list (although one should actually be on my 'Baby' to do list). Looks like I am going to have more time over the next 4-6 weeks as my back is stopping me doing too much which means I will need to stay at home more.

My aim is to have completed at least 4 out of the 5 this week - back and baby willing....

No Excuses but Baby First……

Writers Magazine / News arrived last week and I was quick to read them both. Chiefly due to the bad back and not really being able to do much more. However, it’s not just my back that has gone. At times it also feels like my mind is going too. I certainly feel sleepy a lot of the time – neither side effects conducive to writing!! And I have also given myself a bit of a (non-writing) list to complete before the baby arrives in 57ish days!!

Oh my god! This Blog is called ‘No Excuses’ and that is all I have come up with for oh so many posts!! But it is a well known phenomenon that tiredness increases in the third trimester and from the 7th month onwards……

I had a lovely lunch with my writing buddies Phil and Liz on Thursday which I am afraid consisted of more talk of babies than writing, but Phil gave me his novel so far (17 chapters) so that will keep me busy while resting for the next week or so.

A good consequence of the nest building (other than previously mentioned) is that now all the out of date paperwork has gone and all my ‘ongoing’ writing materials are now in one basket which is easily carried about and serves as a reminder of what I should be doing.

However, to have totally finished the de-cluttering and the nest building ‘writing-wise’ I still need to accomplish a few goals. So this week (and possibly next) I have set myself 10 goals (back and belly willing):

1. Enter 1 / 2 Writing Magazine comps to catch up with Feb goals. Poem / 150 words already started. Closing dates 17th March.
2. Investigate introductory letter for Cygnus Review using information in file and other Blog.
3. Update and Plan Competition entries for next few months.
4. Update Writing ‘How To’ Documents.
5. Update Computer Files and Back up everything.
6. Update Writers WebPages Document.
7. Update Resources Document.
8. Update ToDo List.
9. Read Phil’s 17chapters (when back no longer allows working at table).
10. Go through the novel(s) and see what I have done and what needs doing. Plan and Plot!!!

Will report back over the weekend. Saturday is supposed to be a meeting of the Poison Pens but I doubt I will make it. The drive takes 45mins and it is just a bit too far in my current state. I miss those guys.....

Maternity Leave has started....

....will I get chance to do any (real) writing before the baby comes in 69 days time?

My last week I actually had to ring in sick on one day due to a bad back. Consequently, most of the week was spent in bed reading; The Killing Kind by John Connolly, which I quite enjoyed. I have seen him at WaterStones and bought (and tried unsuccessfully to read) Book of Lost Things.

Feel bad that March has arrived and I did not complete my goal for February of entering one competition. However, I have maintained both my blogs.......and done a load of decluttering. I also feel bad because it has been a while since I have attended a meeting of the Poison Pens. The next one is the 14th March so - body and mind willing - I am going to try my best to attend and take something with me!!

Finished my Jan/Feb/March copy of MsLexia and started a short story book but gave up after 3/4 stories as I didn't like them - a bit too graphic for me! MsLexia is certainly very different to anything I currently read on the subject of 'writing'. The 'new writing' section is certainly more literary than that which you find in Writing Magazine; although that is not to say I liked (or understood) all of it - especially the poetry!! Writing Magazine is due in the next few days and it only seems 5 minutes since the last one arrived - and so the circle starts over......

Still nest building....

......and reading when I wear myself out. As well as the very good The Brilliant Book of Baby Names: What’s Best, What’s Hot & What’s Not by Pamela Redmoind Satran & Linda Rosenkrantz, Collins (2007), I have also finished Enough: Breaking Free from the World of More by John Naish (2008) which is to the point when discussing society's obsession with more, more, more. The book can almost be summed up with one of the quotes:

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
Seneca, Epistulae Morales

He also quotes Charles Handy who says; a few years ago decided we didn’t need to maximise our income; we wanted to maximise our life.

I feel that my nest building this week has followed at least some of the principles in Enough as I have been ruthlessly streamlining all the crap and papers I have acumulated over decades and have given some books away, sent a good proportion of books, clothes etc. to the charity shop, put another load in the recycle bin and I have a small pile for ebay....

It certainly feels good and can only be of benefit to both baby and my writing!?

Baby Business...

Nothing more to be said other than this seems to have been a week full of baby stuff rather than writing stuff. I have been visiting new babies, waiting for news of babies being born and there was the dreaded bloods appointment with the midwife for me which was less than pleasant.

One side effect of the baby business (I am currently 28weeks) is that I have gone all 'nest building' this week and as my study/spare room is going to have to be the nursery - at least temporarily - I have had chance to go through all my books; both fiction and non-fiction. Some have been moved to pride of place in the lounge, some have been shifted into the loft. A few remain in the room on my 'writing' bookshelf and then of course there have been a number consigned to the charity box.... It actually feels very good to know I have streamlined them.

During all this I did have chance to read another non-fiction book; Life's too f***ing short by Janet Street Porter (2008), which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also managed to request details about the MA in Creative Writing at Lincoln University which will have to wait til next year (at least!) I suspect. It looks like they expect approx. 20hours a week for reading/writing/study. The information they sent showed that I will have to start reading wider than a few crime novels. The reading list is massive and obviously contains a lot of literary titles - back to A Level English I think!! But first, back to the sorting......

Reading Matters...

Pleased with my little self as during the 2 days I have not been at work this week I have managed to finish a number of (non-fiction) books:-

Master Class in Fiction Writing (already mentioned and recommended). Seen on The Book Show in Tony Parsons ‘Write Place’.

Lateral Thinking: A Textbook of Creativity by Edward de Bono (1970). As recommended by Mike Skinner from the streets re: dealing with Writers Block – "don’t discount an ideas as all could be useful".

Crime Fiction: From Poe to the Present: Martin Priestman (1998) A brief history, but ends 1995ish. Still interesting and asks the question –What Next?

Patricia Highsmith: Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction (1983). Highly recommended.

Phew!! Going to try to get to work today (snow permitting) for a rest!!

Goal for January Completed

Pleased to say that despite everything I managed to send off two entries to a Humorous Poetry Competition in The Writing Magazine. And over the weekend I managed to read (and can recommend) Master Class in Fiction Writing by Adam Sexton.

Planning for January / February 2009

Although I have been totally exhausted over the last few weeks – a big birthday and pregnancy takes a lot out of a girl – I do feel I have done a fair bit with regards to my ‘writing’. By this I mean reading…….and I have had enough strength over the last few days (which I have not been working) to be able to take stock of what I have done and what needs doing to achieve my 3 goals for this year. I have decided NOT to enter the CWA Debut Dagger this year but think a few short story comps might ease me back in. Firstly however, I have a couple of poems I have tweaked which I am going to enter into a humorous poetry competition. This will achieve the goal ‘enter one competition a month’ for January.

I have also decided that while I am still working for the library services I am going to take advantage of one of the perks and try and borrow as many non-fiction books I have been wanting to read – and read them – before I leave at the end of February. I have already borrowed 4 books this year and have another 3 at the moment that I have ‘reserved’. I happen to know there is one waiting for me when I get back tomorrow……

How NOT to Write a Novel

Article from the Times - Saturday 17th January 2009 : http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article5565968.ece

The Temptations of Procrastination

After Christmas I decided to treat myself to Focus: The Power of Targeted Thinking, written by Jurgen Wolff; Pearson Education Ltd (2008).

He discusses the Temptations of Procrastination;
"One reason is that the attractiveness of the ‘bad’ option is very strong in the here and now. The attractiveness of the ‘good’ option (or the punishment of ignoring it) tends to be weak in the here and now, and strong only in the long term. The ‘bad’ option therefore is stronger in the moment e.g. if I chose to surf the web for the next couple of hours that is fun right now. If I don’t work on the project that is due in 2 weeks there is no immediate punishment or drawback. The punishment will arrive later… The short term option often engages our senses and emotions whereas the long term option – because it is not present right now – only engages our intellect i.e. cream cake now or losing weight…

The secret of choosing the ‘good’ option is to make as vivid, emotional and compelling in the moment as the ‘bad’ option. Use your imagination to see, hear, taste, smell and feel the ‘good’ choice even more strongly than the ‘bad’ choice. Close your eyes and visualize the outcome (end result) of your ‘good’ choice. What will you see, hear, feel? The more vivid and exciting you can make this, the more energy you will free up for getting started.

When you’ve visualized whatever is most motivating for you, stay in that state of excitement after you open your eyes, and suddenly watching TV or surfing the internet will seem pretty boring by comparison. Launch into the task while the feeling is still fresh."

He also says:
Think: What would it be like to be the person who does what you dream of (writes)? What qualities do they have? Imagine you are that person…..
Imagine who you will be if you Don’t do it!

Happy Birthday!!

40 wasted years....

I must remember to write off December and January as not a lot gets done because of Christmas and the amount of birthdays that take place within the first few weeks of the year - including mine. And this year it was a big one!!

This time last year I was appearing in the staring role as part of the Lincolnshire Echo Resolutions feature. Strange then that the paper should ring again yesterday - NOT to ask how the resolutions went - but to get a quote regarding the new Health in Pregnancy Grant.....

Sad to say that the novel did not get completed but at the same time I do feel I have done an awful lot to move my writing as well as my general life forward.

It is amazing how time flys......

Writers and Artists Yearbook 2009

Thanks to Michael and Hannah for buying it for my Christmas Present.
Kate Mosse makes a few observations (rather than advice):

There are no tricks of the trade that work for everyone. Be a jackdaw. Take lots of advice, then figure out what suits you and stick with it. I plan, plot, research, first; then write last. I’m a lark not a nightingale, so prefer the early morning, alone at my desk with a cup of strong sweet coffee and the white glow of the computer screen. Others do late nights with a bottle of Glenmorangie or spend afternoons at their keyboard with tea and Marmite sandwiches. Be yourself.

Accept that writing is a job like any other. 5 minutes writing a day is better than no minutes. And it is hard work. When asked, towards the end of his life when he was the worlds acknowledged greatest living artist, Pablo Picasso was asked why he still went every day to his studio. His reply? ‘When inspiration arrives, I want it to find me working’. Some days are harder work than others.

In the end, that’s the only advice you need. Just write. Start now. And, if you’re lucky, the rest will follow.

Happy New Year - Part Two

May your new year be filled with books. The kind that you actually read, not the ones that even up furniture legs or gather dust on your coffee table.
May your new year be filled with delight. Not surface varnish that only seems like delight, but the delight that reaches deep down into your soul and scratches the itch.
May your new year be filled with joy. Joy that makes you wake with a smile and doze off with a satisfied sigh.
May your new year be filled with: Relationships that enrich your life. Peace that stretches beyond circumstances. Truth that settles your heart, soul and stomach. Blessings beyond your imagination. Paths that take you to new places and introduce you to wonderful surprises.

http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/ Link courtesy of the MsLexia Diary 2009. Another link was to http://www.sarahsalway.blogspot.com/ where Sarah Salway shared her wishes for 2009, including: Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. I like that!!