Magnificent Oak removed

The Oak tree is gone. Those strong thick branches have been sawn down today. It had probably stood watching over this area for around 250 years or more and one days work has removed this once magnificent specimen. I’m certain that the correct procedures have been adhered too but it still feels like sacrilege! And the noise of the chain saws...

Longlisted – ‘learning the brutal truth’

I was ECSTATIC this morning!

However, I am learning fast and now I’m not quite as excited as I was first thing! It appears that I misunderstood what ‘longlisted’ means but thanks to friendly fellow Twitterers I am now a little wiser.

First the good news – my newest short story, ‘The Price of Lipstick,’ has been longlisted, for which I am extremely grateful. I believe I’m up against three hundred entries that have to be whittled down to only 100. So technically, I have a one in three chance of making the final cut, I think, based on statistics.

However I don't think it’s not quite so simple. I have made it through the first hurdle – a panel of up to six readers liked my story enough to put it forward to the next round. My thanks go to these anonymous readers.

Consequently, I'm six again and I’m back in the egg and spoon race on sports day and I can see the finish line, it's just over there, except this time the staff have included an obstacle! My hand is shaking, will I drop the egg too soon clearing the obstruction?

My story has to satisfy the Editors and I don’t know who these people are but I am going to send them strong positive good vibes and I hope that they will like my up beat contemporary story.

And the newest thing I’m learning personally is 'Patience,' which I have to be honest up until now (including today) isn’t and never was one of my strengths.

Therefore my dilemma is quiet simple, hanging on to my excitement before I gush and make a complete fool of myself in the public domain. Hopeless (romantic) I know! But maybe I can be forgiven this trait or is it a weakness(?) as I’m a novice waiting to hit the big time. And there is one thing I'm certain I’m learning something new everyday especially when it comes to Twitter, I'm finding I do have a small addictive trait too, now that’s a bit scary because I never knew this existed! Except where Chocolate is involved!

Nevertheless I’m sure I’ll get over this too with a little practice.

I’m keeping my fingers and toes firmly crossed that the Editors, a wonderful group of people, will put my entry through to the final 100.

Z is for Zing

Life has to go with a ‘Zing’ every now and then to make it worth while.

I didn’t know that this little word had so many meanings, from urban usage to the more standard dictionary it covers a fair bit of ground. I even have a friend called Zing and I recall thinking what a nice and unusual name for a woman, because it conjured up a very happy excitable person as an image in head.

So this morning I was Zinging! Sunshine does this for me. After so many long dull, overcast days I couldn’t wait to get outside and feel the sun on my face. Naturally, I wrapped up warm and ignored the wind. And Boy it did feel good. I wasn’t alone. I think everyone else had much the same idea this afternoon.

Today was a Zingday for me, I hope yours was great too.

Now all I have to do is settle down and catch up on some writing, lol, but as I am feeling zesty, a little bit sweet, and tart and tangy I should do just fine. Can’t quite believe that January is almost done.

Y is Yes I can do this, laugh out loud!

I’d like to say thank you for dropping by and reading my ramblings. It has been an enjoyable experience to date as I find my feet in my Blog, (is it possible to have ‘feet’ in a writing blog?) but I think you know what I mean.

Last night I retired to bed and desperately needed to sleep but my mind wouldn’t switch off. Sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge that creativity knows no bounds or time frame. If ideas come, they just come. So I ended up getting up several times during the night, that means stumbling around in the dark, finding the light switch, then looking for the pen (why is it never close at hand when you’re half asleep?) and notebook.

Scrawling the dreamt words across the page and getting back into bed, then trying to settle to find that comfortable warm spot but realising the light has been left on! It’s strange how tiredness can make things seem so much harder.

But thankfully the note was made, it was important, a salient point of action that I think added the right amount of sexual tension to the climax of the chapter. The trouble is if I repeat this process more than twice in a night it can get to be disruptive to a girl's sleep pattern. Yet I know I have to do it because if I don’t the thought will evaporate and it is rarely retrieved on waking.

So I have to remind myself that ‘yes I can do this,’ it’s okay to keep doing what ever it takes to complete my book because it's almost finished and that’s an achievement in itself!

X is for 'Xceptional

And yes I know I am cheating, but I got stuck as I didn’t fancy writing about X-rated today!

Last night I attended a reading hosted by Myriad Publications at Hove library. I am partial to listening to writers read their work and listening to Isabel Ashdown read sections from 'Glasshopper' was very enjoyable. It was wonderful being transported back to life in the late fifties and early seventies, through two narrators: Jake a young boy and his mother as a young girl. I have added this book to my ‘must read list’ which I have to say grows steadily, week by week. And I would recommend it to you to read.

When you write do you know when it is good or even exceptional? I have found that not all writers can hear how good their work is and yet during writing group sessions, I have been staggered by how varied and wonderful the writing can be and despite my efforts to reassure a fellow writer that their work deserves praise, I can see and feel the reticence.

I am learning to trust that I am improving as a writer but there are moments of doubt. I know I am happy to embrace constructive criticism especially when I can see why it is being said, and how it would improve my work. Back in 2008 I wrote a book in a sandstorm of activity. It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. I knew I had to write it and I did. But now it sits hiding in a bottom drawer. Once I have completed ‘Letting Go’ and determined its fate then I will endeavour to review the first book. I will cringe at my early attempt but I think I know how to fix it now.

So for me being exceptional can mean one of two things: that what I want to achieve is not so out of the ordinary because I aspire to be a published novelist and secondly, that if several writers are given a topic, no two accounts would be similar, because we all show immense creativity in the way we deal with any one subject and for me that is exceptional.

W is for Write, Just Write.

My advice to any aspiring author is simple: Just write. If you can, everyday. And don’t be too hard on yourself.

Why do I recommend this course of action? Because they say practice makes perfect. And based on personal experience it goes a long way to exercising the muscle that’s needed to produce creative pieces. It does not matter if it is any good to start with. The whole idea is to train the mind to relax and empty out the negativity so that creativity can flow. Of course I am unlikely to ever be a perfectionist, because I think perfectionism strikes down very good writers and lays them low. But that’s only my personal opinion.

If an idea has developed in my head I try to capture the essence as fast as I can, then I have a chance to rework or rewrite the piece at a later date, after it has rested, and this I am discovering can be a rewarding experience. But I used to think rewriting was difficult however I think my personal barriers have become easier to get around.

Currently, I am working on several chapters that I know I can add more relevant detail too. Now that the basic idea and plot has been shaped. I can see holes where bits of missing action are needed and a little more attention to detail will help develop the plot. I can hear when I need to change a ‘tell’ into a ‘show’ by adding dialogue. Sometimes it almost jumps of the page screaming at me… and I can see that sometimes my scant regard for location leaves the story floating in the ether so to speak.

Several weeks ago I was asked to stretch a chapter by at least three or four pages! And to add more sexual tension! Initially I was shocked, and then bamboozled, because I didn’t think I could rework a section to that extent. But based on the feedback I was given at the session I was surprised how easy it was to expand and it all worked out in the end. The suggestions and advice helped me to visualise what was missing and how to include a longer run in to and up to the dramatic turning point.

I hope it has worked. Will find out soon.

V is for Voice

Finding the voice of a character can be a daunting prospect at the start of writing a novel for any new and aspiring author.

I didn’t give it much thought when I started writing my book but as my novel has developed and progressed I am getting a much stronger sense of who Alicia is, my leading lady. And how my others characters have grown into stronger images. I can hear their voices in my head. And no I’m not going round the bend, lol, well hopefully not!

The more I write about them and their lives the easier it is to hear and see when something they say or do is does not suit or fit the character. However, I am very lucky. I have a couple of men critiquing my work (as part of a writing group). This is hugely helpful to me because they can and will identify when I give a male character a female trait. Useful to know before I get anywhere near a publisher! So I have found their feedback invaluable.

I try to keep the conversation between characters short and snappy. I fond this works best for me. Dialogue spoken by my characters, makes more sense of each character and brings them to life for me making them real. And I have two ambitions:

Firstly, that my dialogue moves the plot or action forward.

Secondly, I want to make the voice recognisable, almost as if the reader has engaged in a telephone conversation with a familiar friend.

Did I mention - I am ambitious!

The only other aspect of dialogue that I need to keep in mind and learn to use is this: try not to not forget to anchor the conversation in a situation or setting, which can be recognised.

Wish me luck.