An Update in the Life of Me

I thought I would post a quick update about what I've been up to since my last post and what I have planned for the Summer. As far as writing events go (and I am very late in posting this) Talking Books at Chester Library in June was a fantastic night. It was great to hear successful writers, Caroline Smailes, Nik Perring and Jon Mayhew talking about their writing process and sources of inspiration. Hopefully there will be similar events in the future. I will be reviewing both Nik Perring's Not so Perfect and Caroline Smailes' Like Bees to Honey as promised in the near future so watch this space.

As far as my writing goes, I am busy polishing up some stories and also a radio play. In the spirit of my favourite activity (procrastination), I am considering sending some of my work to a professional reader before testing the market with them. Any advice on this would be welcome. The novel is still plodding along but I really need to get some wordage on paper (or screen). The summer holidays are starting next week, but I have discovered that the local soft play area has free wifi. This may just save my sanity. I'm also looking into joining a writer's group. The end of A363 has left me missing my fellow writers and their valuable comments on my work. I can't make the local group so may have to look further afield.

Finally, if you know me personally, you'll know my son, Jake had a bit of a nasty accident at school a couple of weeks ago when a bench went through his cheek. He's back at school this week and healing up well, you can hardly tell he's had 15 stitches. We're going camping this weekend and I know he's looking forward to that.

Quick Update

It's been a bit of a break for the blog I'm afraid, and it's been a very busy time. Jake has gone of to school in his new uniform for the first time and is going to be the star in the nativity play, yes thats right, literally the star. That's going to be a bit of a costume challenge. I'm thinking sequins and cardboard. He spent a month of the first half of term off sick with Swine Flu but at least its over with now.

As for writing, I have started my Advanced Creative Writing course with the OU along side their new Children's Literature Course. I'm biting my fingernails waiting for the first creative writing grade of the year. It should be in sometime today. Eek. I'm completely deleting the opening chapters of my novel and am seriously considering writing it backwards as I have a climax I'm thrilled with and feel confident about the ending. Has anyone else done it this way?

September saw me complete the HACK for the NSPCC 24 miles turned into 27 as I got lost on the last mountain. We had fantastic weather which resulted in severe sunburn and I couldn't move for two days after. It was all worth it though. The photo below was after an hour of walking and I allowed myself a moment to watch the sunrise.

Anyway, I promise to blog more often and also have to catch up on my visiting.

And it's Off! And I'm Off!

My final assessment for my Creative Writing Course has just been sent off into cyberspace. Just the Examinable piece of work now (which I've been itching to start for about two months now) and it's all over. I'm really quite sad about this, but on the other hand I will have a whole Summer to catch up on my reading and taking my writing life at a much slower pace. Of course the novel will get a lot of attention too, rather than just keeping me awake at night. My characters are very intrusive you know, stepping into my dreams or waking me up when I'm dosing off.

I won't be around next week to compulsively check for returned assignments though as I am off to Bude tomorrow morning for the week. It is most likely going to rain on us but I'm really looking forward to the break. My boyfriend doesn't realise I have snuck a notepad and pen into the luggage yet. I've seen his fishing gear in the back of the car though so I think we are even.

Photos next week!

Lots of Work Today

There is loads of writing to be done today. The little one is in Speech Therapy for two hours this morning so there will be plenty of time for lots of freewriting and ideas generation.

The novel is on the backburner for the next few weeks as I have a big assignment due at the end of next week, closely followed by the BIGGEST assignment two weeks later. I'm going to Bude at the end of next week so I'm hoping some new landscape will prove inspirational.

It's funny how you go through different phases in writing, sometimes doing nothing but generating ideas and freewriting, and sometimes doing nothing but working on projects for weeks on end. My aim is to mix it up a little more as it always amazes me how quickly a full length piece of work can grow from a five minute freewrite.

My blisters from walking the Orme have almost gone, although nine hours of waitressing on Monday was quite stressful to the feet. I have now invested in a pair of proper women's hiking socks. so we'll see if they work. The sunburn has morphed into a tan so I am no longer looking like a tomato.

Round and Round in Circles

I've had a bit of an unproductive week writing wise. My thoughts keep going round in circles. I've yet to finalise a subject for my life writing (although I had a bit of a breakthrough at 11pm last night) and I'm thinking of rewriting the first two chapters of my novel. Meanwhile, ideas for new projects keep popping into my head.

As always, the arrival of Writing magazine and Writers News on my doormat provided some much needed focus and I'm starting to get back on track. I realise that actually, I have written quite a lot in the last week. There just hasn't been many gems in the rubble.

Here's to a more productive writing week (and finishing the Jilly Cooper).

Breaking through the Wall

I have just finished chapter 2. This leads me to a question. Do I write the next chapter and then begin to polish the first three to perfection in order to start sending samples out to agents? Or do I write the whole thing first knowing that I'm probably going to make drastic changes as I get to know my characters?

I think I'm going with option two as surely after spending a year writing a novel I will hopefully be a more experienced writer who will probably rip what I've already written to shreds. Also I change my mind. A lot. I've already gone from one protaganist to two, written in a shifting first person viewpoint. This is something I'd never envisaged doing, but I've seen Sophie King make it work in School Run. Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

Another reason, I want to write the whole thing before sending it 'out there' is that I want to get the story down on paper. I need it to make sense before I start perfecting it. It seems a bit mad to be sending anything out so early as I don't feel I've even hit my stride yet. I'm still feeling my way into the story. I've also started waking at four in the morning needing to write things down. Is this normal? Does novel writing always turn people into insomniacs who also dart off in the middle of the day to sit with their notebook?

Breaking Through the Fear.

Well, I have officially stopped procrastinating because I now have my first chapter down on paper. No title as yet but you can't have everything and I always find them the hardest bit of any story. It is unofficially, 'Doormat to Clodhopper in Ten Steps'.

I knew I was missing something before I could start and it turned out that the something was a lovely new notebook with a red stilletto across the front cover for drafting. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm very fussy about the notebooks I write in. The have to be A5 or bigger (but never as big as A4), hard back and ringbound with lined paper, preferably faintly, with something lovely on the cover. My favourite scribbling book at the moment has a dalmation puppy on it. Things like this shouldn't matter but they do. (To me anyway).

Anyway, I have popped a word counter on the side of my blog to keep me motivated, and see it creep up towards the magic 80,000. 990 so far, but you have to start somewhere.

The Novel

After a year of thinking about it, I am finally going to start preparing to write my first novel. I have two stories in mind and have not quite decided which direction to go in.

Today I have bought two scrap books to fill with anything that relates to my characters and themes and a lot of coloured index post its to plan with. Part of me is very excited about actually starting to plan on paper and the other half thinks I am procrastinating. Is this just an excuse to read endless magazines/newspapers and cut things out, creating my fantasy world? I am too scared to start without actually knowing my characters inside out (wallpaper inclusive) and having a decent idea of where I'm going.

Any advice from those who have got through the wall of starting their first book would be very welcome.