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.

The Last Hurdle

Okay, so I'm nearly there. So far this year I have submitted over 37,000 words to the OU purely through my TMA's. I have 4000 to go and they have to be in at 12 noon next Thursday. Have I started writing them? Erm, no. The next week is going to be fairly intense. But I will get there... I will.

After that I have to wait until August for the results that will determine my degree classification. Even then it isn't quite over: I have another 15 credit points to gain to be awarded honours, so I won't actually graduate until April 2011. But the end is in sight.

So for everyone else packing up ECA's and attending exams over the next couple of weeks, before that painful 2 - 3 month wait until results day: Good Luck!

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.

So Quiet

Apologies for this being my first post in almost a month. I've been using the time since my course has finished to catch up on my reading and start work on editing some of my short stories and poems ready for submission. I think it's finally time to start 'getting out there' a bit. I'm mentally preparing myself for lots of slim rejection letters, but you never know and they won't get anywhere languishing on my Hard Drive.

Reading at the moment is extremely fun as I am working my way through the set books for the OU's Children's Literature course, (Any excuse to re-read Harry Potter). It has suprised me that children's books today deal with so many painful subjects such as child abuse, slavery and drugs. Having spoken to the local bookshop owner, it appears that at the other end of the spectrum, she is no longer able to stock Charlotte's Webb or many other farm yard tales due to the threat of death of animals causing complaints from parents. I'm sure this is the kind of debate the course will address.

Anyway, here's to filling some more blank pages.

It's all Over

The last assignment has been entrusted to the Royal Mail (I won't hold my breath for it making the deadline but I have Proof of Posting). It is the story that I feel most attachment to out of everything I have written this year, but I am also aware that it is quite dark and may not be to everyone's tastes. I will have to wait and see until August to find out how it was received.

It feels very strange that the OU Creative Writing course is over. I now have a huge gap until October to fill. Then I wil be starting Advanced Creative Writing and also Children's Literature. I have a whole stack of children's book to re-read before the course starts ranging from Harry Potter to Swallows and Amazons. I am very much looking forward to it as you can imagine.

For the moment I am reading Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier. I ate at the pub twice whilst on holiday and couldn't think of a better souvenier to buy than a copy of the book (and a bookmark). I don't normally read classics. I don't dislike them, I just seem to stay on the more modern side of literature, (and sometimes on the Chicklit side of that). I am, however making a real effort to read much more widely. So far I have just got through 3 chapters of Jamaica Inn but I am gripped. I will update you when I have finished the story.

So now it's on to three month of unashamed reading and writing. Maybe I might even try to sell some of the stories I have written during the course.

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.

My Neglected Blog

I feel awful I haven't posted on here for nearly two weeks but life has been chaos. As I said in my last post I have got a new job, which is fantastic. Lovely people and lovely location plus I get to walk to work through the countryside which means I'm getting a tan in this sunny weather (and putting in practice for the hike in September). However, this has also coincided with the family car dying meaning dashes to town have happened when we have had sporadic use of someone else's car.

The fish have whitespot which I am treating to the letter with no effect whatsoever except that they are dying. I can now also officially state that you cannot get away with putting underwired bras in the washing machine. My flooded kitchen and dead (brand new) machine will testify. Finally today, my little one topped it all off by throwing up everywhere.

All this has culminated in a very unproductive week or so and a late assignment. My writing has been limited to scribbling down story ideas and working on my life writing assignment, but at least I have still been putting pen to paper. On the upside I am now officially registered on Advanced Creative Writing and Children's Literature with the OU for September meaning the end of my degree is in sight.

OU Writing Courses

Since September last year I have been studying Creative writing (A215) with the Open University and without doubt it is the best learning experience I have ever had. Previously, despite feeling an overwhelming urge to write I always felt guilty about it as there was so much else going on. By shifting the focus of my degree, I've been able to write as much as I like/need and feel good about it.

As well as having great materials, the course offers an online forum for discussion and comment on each other's work as well as day schools. These were the aspects that scared me the most but how wrong was I? Comments, both positive and constructive have been such a help. The best thing about writing is that there is always something new to learn, whether through research, honing a technique or simply talking to another writer.

A great blog covering this course and more is here

OU Website