Tuesday 25 December 2012
Friday 21 December 2012
My non-competition winning Haiku
Two old
ladies chat
“After he
died", she whispered
“I had gas put in”.
In the January edition of Writing Magazine (www.writers-online.co.uk ) Judge Alison Chisholm writes attempts at humour are not always successful in a haiku, but as my content did not include a traditional Zen moment and nature reference I can see why my Haiku did not even make the shortlist!
That really doesn't matter in the long run. Fellow poets liked it when I asked for feedback on the Pimento Poets forum and, as its based on a real conversation I overhead one day while shopping, it always makes me smile.
Wednesday 19 December 2012
Underappreciated Poets
Poets are supposed to be under appreciated, don't you know? There is always a strange reaction to those who become successful in their own lifetime, and so I always felt lucky that I made the living I did out of it. I was convinced I'd be rumbled, and would have to go out and get a proper job.
John Cooper Clarke, quoted in January 2013 Writers' News www.writers-online.co.uk
John Cooper Clarke, quoted in January 2013 Writers' News www.writers-online.co.uk
Sunday 16 December 2012
Pain is inevitable
Quote from Marian Keyes:
For feel-good fiction to work there has to be an element of darkness.
Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
For feel-good fiction to work there has to be an element of darkness.
Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
Thursday 13 December 2012
Looking for the Secret Life
Yiyun Li http://yiyunli.com/index.php
I think....everybody lives a secret life....And for me, the writer's job is to look at those places where they don't tell you the stories right away and you explore those secrets and see how people feel lonely or isolated or disappointed in certain ways.
I think....everybody lives a secret life....And for me, the writer's job is to look at those places where they don't tell you the stories right away and you explore those secrets and see how people feel lonely or isolated or disappointed in certain ways.
Saturday 8 December 2012
It's Called Research!!
Following the wonderful non fiction workshop with Caroline, See: http://theonlyconsequence.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/non-fiction-workshop.html I have really been fired up with regards to writing some non fiction.
As I said in that post, its all about the market, and for that reason on a recent shopping trip, I bought a few magazines. Two of the magazines, I have previously had a subscription to - though admittedly it was a long time ago - but at least I have started my 'research'.
I also sent an email around work and put a message on facebook with regards to friends 'old' magazines. This produced a small pile under the table which I have been steadily ploughing through. As a lot of those magazines were homes and interiors magazines, they probably won't be the 'market' I will focus on just yet, but it is still interesting to look at what goes into these magazines.
What I have also discovered is, that while looking through some of the magazines, I have found inspiration for another of my planned goals this year - that of photography. All the magazines devoted to a women's audience have lovely glossy adverts, and I have torn out a lot of these to use as 'inspiration' with my photography.
My plan now is to let Christmas come and go, and during this time concentrate on my photography, but also read, read, read these magazines and collect more wherever possible.
Then, after Christmas, think of a topic and a possible market - but this begs the question - which comes first - Topic or Market?
As I said in that post, its all about the market, and for that reason on a recent shopping trip, I bought a few magazines. Two of the magazines, I have previously had a subscription to - though admittedly it was a long time ago - but at least I have started my 'research'.
I also sent an email around work and put a message on facebook with regards to friends 'old' magazines. This produced a small pile under the table which I have been steadily ploughing through. As a lot of those magazines were homes and interiors magazines, they probably won't be the 'market' I will focus on just yet, but it is still interesting to look at what goes into these magazines.
What I have also discovered is, that while looking through some of the magazines, I have found inspiration for another of my planned goals this year - that of photography. All the magazines devoted to a women's audience have lovely glossy adverts, and I have torn out a lot of these to use as 'inspiration' with my photography.
My plan now is to let Christmas come and go, and during this time concentrate on my photography, but also read, read, read these magazines and collect more wherever possible.
Then, after Christmas, think of a topic and a possible market - but this begs the question - which comes first - Topic or Market?
Saturday 1 December 2012
Non Fiction Workshop
I can honestly say it was worth the wait!! Last Saturday Caroline High www.carolinehigh.co.uk/ led a wonderful workshop on Writing Non Fiction. There were only 5 attendees which was enough for a lively discussion, but small enough for it to feel very personal.
As I said at
http://theonlyconsequence.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/non-fiction-workshop-cancelled.html I had already put together a list of topics, but the workshop made me realise there are so many other subjects that I can write about.
The use of our own lives and our memories from days gone by was a subject I had not even considered, but once you start to think about, and chat about, events / objects that you remember, the stories come flooding back. It also happens when asking others about their memories. I may need to invest in a digital recorder to capture all the information / research that is 'out there.'
The course also made me realise that there is more to magazines than just articles to be written. There are readers letters, quizzes, reviews, interviews, profiles, top tips, etc. etc.
Following the course, I have started to ask all myfriends to give me thier old magazines so I can check out possible markets. I got a huge pile from work this week. I am hoping to ger a few more from people over the weekend, and this morning I invested in a few magazines myself - purely for research purposes you understand! I have just got to think about the topic to initially focus on.
Topics that immediately spring to mind for me are: Motherhood, Organising Children's Parties, Psychology, Parapsychology, Mental Health Issues, Time Management, Home Renovation. I have personal experience with all of these topics that could be woven into an article, but where to start?
It's all about the market. Who would want to read an article written by me? What do I have that is different from other writers submitting articles?
The attendees from Caroline's course mentioned meeting up again in February / March next year, when (hopefully) we will all have been published, but for the time being, its back to my research.....
As I said at
http://theonlyconsequence.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/non-fiction-workshop-cancelled.html I had already put together a list of topics, but the workshop made me realise there are so many other subjects that I can write about.
The use of our own lives and our memories from days gone by was a subject I had not even considered, but once you start to think about, and chat about, events / objects that you remember, the stories come flooding back. It also happens when asking others about their memories. I may need to invest in a digital recorder to capture all the information / research that is 'out there.'
The course also made me realise that there is more to magazines than just articles to be written. There are readers letters, quizzes, reviews, interviews, profiles, top tips, etc. etc.
Following the course, I have started to ask all myfriends to give me thier old magazines so I can check out possible markets. I got a huge pile from work this week. I am hoping to ger a few more from people over the weekend, and this morning I invested in a few magazines myself - purely for research purposes you understand! I have just got to think about the topic to initially focus on.
Topics that immediately spring to mind for me are: Motherhood, Organising Children's Parties, Psychology, Parapsychology, Mental Health Issues, Time Management, Home Renovation. I have personal experience with all of these topics that could be woven into an article, but where to start?
It's all about the market. Who would want to read an article written by me? What do I have that is different from other writers submitting articles?
The attendees from Caroline's course mentioned meeting up again in February / March next year, when (hopefully) we will all have been published, but for the time being, its back to my research.....
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