Lessons in Life

Anyone who follows my blog regularly will notice the absence of posts recently. 

I would like to say that this is because I have been busy penning my novel like a dedicated author with a writing blog should be. In truth it is because I have been dealing with family crises courtesy of my kids!

That’s the thing about having children, they always come first, so no matter if you have a deadline looming, or the house hasn’t been cleaned for a month, whatever is happening in their life always tops what’s going on in yours. And during the past few weeks, two of my three children have been dealing with problems that have sapped the life and energy out of their parents. Enough said!

Now that ‘normal’ life has resumed, at least to some extent, I am finally able to concentrate on something else and I started thinking how these everyday dramas can inform and colour our writing. 

As writers, we spend many hours shut away from the world, struggling to find the right words to express what we want to convey, when real life going out all around us all the time. 

And there can be no substitute for getting out there and experiencing what is happening in the world. I have always found it easier to write a scene as I see it and to this end have visited locations from cafes to graveyards to soak up the atmosphere that will lend that extra something to a feature or story. These past few weeks I have been able to step inside the shoes of a teenager and observe modern life as it now – and all from the comfort of my own home.

We are all the sum total of our experiences and any lesson in life is never wasted.

I am now fired up and refuelled and ready to put pen to paper. 

Happy writing.

Bitesize

As my eldest daughter is currently revising for her GCSEs, the term ‘bitesize’ has featured quite a lot in our house recently.

With the number of days gradually dwindling before the exams start, dividing revision into manageable bitesize chunks has become increasingly important. This started me thinking about my own pattern of working and ways in which I might be able to extend my own writing capabilities.  

The prospect of penning a novel is daunting and given the amount of time and commitment required to complete the task, it is not surprising that so many of us fall by the wayside.

I have found it easier to view each chapter as a whole, striving to make each one as complete in itself and approaching it in the same way as I would do a blog post or an article, both of which I manage to write fairly easily on a regular basis.

That said, my novel is still not progressing as fast as I would like it to and there are all too many distractions on my time and reasons why I don’t just ‘get down to it’ (much like my daughter!).

I was advised by a writer friend of mine recently to take the manageable approach one step further and divide each chapter into bitesize chunks.

“Just 20 minutes writing a day, will see your novel grow,” she said. This sounds like good advice and more importantly, it seems achievable.

It may take longer to reach the finish line but at least I stand some chance of getting there.

So, putting this advice into practice, I will start with this blog post and instead of rambling on for another half an hour and put off posting this entry until tomorrow, I shall end it here.

Are you fit to write?

Writing is a solitary business; it is also a sedentary one.

This is why a little under a year ago, I realised that action needed to be taken. As a full time freelancer, my waistline was expanding as fast as the social events in my diary were shrinking.

Deciding to tackle both problems in one go, I joined an exercise class. Now, I admit that I am not best known for physical endeavours. It was difficult to start with and even more tough to keep going but it achieved at least one of my aims – I got out of the house and met some new people.

My waistline steadfastly remained the same, probably due to the numerous cups of tea and biscuits necessary to keep the creative process flowing throughout the day. Unfortunately, good ideas, in a literary sense, do not burn many calories!

I have always enjoyed swimming, so I started going to the local pool every weekend and two things happened that I really didn’t expect.

Firstly, I became hooked and couldn’t wait for my weekly workouts, challenging myself to swim further and at a faster time, to such an extent that I added one or two early morning midweek sessions to my exercise routine.

Secondly, my writing improved. As I became more physically fit, I also became more mentally alert.

And my time at the pool wasn’t wasted, as I would be thinking about what I was going to write and coming up with new ideas while I was swimming.

I must confess, that I gave up the exercise class and replaced it with less vigorous social arrangements like meeting friends for lunch (and the occasional glass of wine) with the odd writing workshop for good measure.

But I have continued swimming and I have also dusted off my bike and taken to the great outdoors.  And this does at least seem to have prevented any further excess baggage collecting around my middle.

And for those times when my brain needs a recharge, as well as my body, I have discovered yoga.

Fit body, fit mind. Fit to write.

Starting over

Someone else has written my novel.

This is not the blog post I had planned to write but the discovery at the weekend that someone had beaten me into print with my fantastic idea, was such a shock that I am compelled to share this experience with you.

I am always interested in what is being published, both as a reader and writer. A couple of days ago, I accidentally hit on a recent new title and read the blurb with something akin to horror. The novel is virtually identical to the one I have been penning these last weeks and months.

I feel as if I already know the main protagonist in this new book as she is the twin of the main character in my own unfinished tome. Not only that; the themes, subsidiary characters and storyline appear to be almost identical.

How can this have happened? Did I accidentally leave the synopsis on the train, divulge the details of the plot at a writing group or maybe the author hacked into my computer?

The truth is that simply that the author got there before me. There is no copyright on ideas and someone else has had the same thought processes as myself. The fact that this other writer also believed that this book was worth writing, makes me feel that the premise was a good one. It has to be said that if I had got on and penned the book when I first had the idea, I might well have been the first one into print.

I should also mention that the aforementioned book has been self published and without reading it, I have no idea if it is any good. It was suggested by a friend that I should carry on with my original project and look for a mainstream publisher but, for me, the damage has been done. The book is no longer my own and I have to start over.

Frustrating and disappointing as this setback is, there are some positives. Over the past few months I have developed the habit of writing every day (well nearly every day) and my fledgling novel has grown. If I can do it once, I can do it again. The prospect is not quite as daunting as it once would have been.

So, my existing 35,000 words are being set aside for the time being and I am developing a new idea. I may retain one or two of the original elements but in essence, it will be a completely different book.

So what have I learnt from this experience?  

Simply to get on and do it – before someone else does!

Little Black Book

I am the proud owner of a little black book (LBB). In fact every writer, aspiring or otherwise, should have one. I actually own several such books and they are not all black. I have notebooks in all colours, shapes and sizes, some expensively bound, some cheap notebooks and a whole host of gimmicky ones that have caught my eye when on my travels.

My LBB  does not contain telephone numbers, nor does it dish the dirt on past acquaintances, but to me it contains far more important information - the contents of my mind. Wherever I go, I am never without a notebook and pen so that I can jot down ideas as they occur to me. If I don’t do this, that great new idea will fly out of my head as quickly as it landed there. I know this to be true because it has happened several times in the past. I will have an idea for a character or a twist in the plot but by the time I sit at my computer to write, it will have gone.

When ideas are flowing, I have whole scenes and lines of dialogue swirling around in my head and I have to get them out on paper – fast. Editing and polishing comes later but those initial words and phrases have to be caught and harnessed as they come tumbling out. If I am nowhere near my desk, I reach for my notebook and record my ideas, ready for when I have the opportunity to write them up.

I always have a notebook by my bed so that if something comes to me in the middle of the night, I can just write it down. Recent bouts of insomnia have led to some very creative output in my LBB.

A few years ago, I had a brief flirtation with a dictaphone and I would switch it on and voice record anything that occurred to me during the day. I can’t explain why but this just didn’t work for me and I didn’t get nearly as much satisfaction as I do from scribbling in a notebook. Maybe it has something to do with hand-eye co-ordination, I can’t say for sure, but I quickly went back to my beloved notebooks.

If ever I am stuck for something to write about, I can revisit past books and breathe new life into old ideas but more importantly to me, the notebooks are a record of my literary journey and a reminder of how far I have come (and how far I still have to go!).

Consequently, I now have a large collection of notebooks. Some are full, others contain just a few scribbled notes, but I would never part with any of them.

In common with all writers, I need very few essential things in order to continue with my craft; a computer, a quiet space and time to write just about cover the basics but, for me, the most essential piece of kit will always be my little black book.  

Seven Things (you didn't know about me)

Thanks to Natalie Roberts at http://natalieroberts1.blogspot.com for awarding me a stylish blogger award.

Be sure to check out Natalie's blog.

So, in the interests of being a little more light hearted than usual, here are my seven things:

1. My friend and I won first prize in a fancy dress competition on holiday. All the girls had donned bikinis and Leis and gone as Hawaiian babes whereas we raided the cleaners’ cupboard and went as Mrs Mops (proof if it were needed that ‘uglying up’ will always get you the Oscar). 

2. I began my working life as a PA, to which I was never suited, and during an important meeting I once served the MD his coffee in a sugar bowl.

3. Early in my writing career, I received a silver cup for writing letters (Writers’ News Letter Writer of the Year).

4. I appeared on TV one leap year after Esther Ranzen accosted me and my boyfriend (now my husband) in the street and got me to go down on one knee and propose to him, even though he had already asked me to marry him.

5. I nearly died when I was 17 after going into anaphylactic shock from eating a nut toffee. 

6. I wrote my first travelogue in my 20s on a trip to America and included information on staying in Las Vegas, San Francisco, LA, New York and Washington DC. Wouldn’t mind repeating that trip now!

7.  In Turkey with my husband, a man offered to buy me from him for 10 camels.

Now all that remains is to nominate some new victims (sorry, bloggers): 

http://jayneferst.blogspot.com

http://coffeeandroses.blogspot.com

http://idabelallen.blogspot.com

http://anti-laureate.blogspot.com

http://academicproofreader.blogspot.com

http://emsyjo.blogspot.com

http://mommy-beadzoid.blogspot.com

http://lifeinarhyme.blogspot.com

http://xmummy1986x.blogspot.com

http://keencoaching.blogspot.com

http://fourdownmumtogo.blogspot.com

http://balancingbookswhileherdingcats.blogspot.com

http://8waystosayilovemylife.blogspot.com

http://teresaashby.blogspot.com

http://writing-bug.blogspot.com