If you can’t be bothered, or haven’t got time, to read
the 964 words of my more interesting/enjoyable/detailed/waffly progress update,
here’s the concise version (with thanks to Twitter for teaching me the skill of
brevity).
Finished editing the second draft. Editing is harder than writing.
Gave it to 3 families to read. Scary sharing my “baby”.
Got feedback. Big
learning experience.
Working on third draft.
Interesting challenges.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Breaking My Heart
Having your heart broken provides such great fodder for
writing. Just ask Taylor Swift!
I bought Taylor’s album “Red” this week, having loved the singles I’d heard off it. If Wikipedia is to be believed then she’s had at least 6 relationships in the last 4 years, none of which have lasted longer than about 4 months! That relationship rollercoaster seems to have given her a lot of material to write about – the song lyrics are chockfull of love and heartache.
Perhaps she should be grateful to be able to exorcise these feelings in this way? Will she still write such great lyrics when she finds someone to settle down quietly with and live happily ever after? Without love and heartbreak there’d be significantly less literature, music and art in the world. Sad, but true.
Hopefully that that isn’t because there’s more bad stuff going on in the world than good :-( I’d like to think that it’s mainly because when we’re happy we just get on and enjoy it, but when things are bad we want to either share it to get some sympathy/support/encouragement, or we want to express it in order to get it out of our systems and find some relief.
The last couple of years have been pants - especially as I’m usually very happy-go-lucky - but I intend to find the silver lining by turning it into stimulus for my writing. In my Young Adult stuff, that is - it wouldn’t quite work in my current kids’ book as 7-10 year old boys aren’t overly fussed by anything particularly deep in my experience, lol :-) It’s the perfect way to make sure that none of it wins by stealing stuff from me (especially my mental health and creativity), but actually leaves something positive behind.
Finding a creative outlet when you’re upset/stressed/angry (delete and add to as appropriate) is a great idea and can be done in lots of ways. Why not give it a try sometime? You could write, paint, play music, pray, build, dance, act, etc. Last year I was really cross about something and wrote the following very basic but pretty pithy poem. It’s not about to win any prizes (understatement!) and I can lol at it now, but it was cathartic to get it down on paper and then move on. I give it to you as an example of how what you do doesn’t have to be any good, as long as it makes you feel better :-)
Why Bother?
The world would be a better place
If everyone looked out for everyone else
They say.
Do they?
LOL, it’s not even vaguely close to Taylor Swift’s level (not
that it was meant to be)! Her lyrics are
really fresh despite the well-worn topics.
It’s so easy as a writer to slip into cliché or standard descriptions, as my writing partner’s recent edit of my
manuscript demonstrated, oops :-) Taylor,
however, thinks outside the box (is that a cliché, lol?!) for new ways to
describe old feelings:
“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street”
“Forgetting him is like trying to know somebody you’ve never met” (It hurts my head to try and work out the logic of that one – I’m probably not supposed to!)
I can’t imagine any of us would ever ask for tough times, but we can choose
to turn them into great source material for creative purposes, or general motivation for numerous things. Then we might even produce much better work thanks
to those experiences, making sure that they advance, rather than cripple, us!
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Follow Your Dreams
I’ve always loved reading stories in magazines and newspapers about people who got made redundant, forcing them to step out and turn their career dream into a reality. But I always feel sad too that they didn’t do this until they had few or no other options.
I keep noticing even more of that situation at the moment. I’ve become addicted to Masterchef Australia and nearly all the final 24 contestants on it have had to give up their jobs in order to take part and pursue their ambition of a career in food (the Aussie version operates on a kind-of Big Brother house idea for several months, rather than the simpler UK format). Because I’m watching series 3 (on the Really channel) and it was actually aired in Australia in 2011, I’m able to google the contestants and see what they’re up to now. Pretty much everyone has moved forward in seeing their dream become a reality and are now involved in the food industry on a full-time basis.
I see it more around me as well. My neighbour is about to be made redundant and hopes to finally have the opportunity to try to write a children’s book and get into textile art. A good friend has always loved photography but didn’t think it could be a real job until recently. It’s taken time for her to find the courage to reduce her work hours in order to really develop that business and that dream!
And then, of course, there’s me! I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, but lots of people do and so I thought it was just a ridiculous dream to be put to one side.
I know it's a bit idealistic but I love the idea of people being able to work at doing whatever it is that they're really talented at. Everyone would benefit from more people being fulfilled by their work and doing a great job coz they’re passionate about and good at what they’re doing.
Using our gifts and talents to their full potential is Biblical. Jesus makes that clear in the famous parable of the talents and Peter reiterates it later in the New Testament when he says that “each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.” In this great podcast about “Calling” (i.e. vocation, life work, etc.) from Christchurch London, Andy Tilsley asks a pertinent question which really hit home with me – “What are your passions and skills and gifts and are you making a contribution [to society] with them?”
Why don’t we follow our dreams? I’ve taken so long to follow mine and I’ve blogged about some of the reasons that got me finally started on this path. If you’re not following your dreams, why not? Life’s far too short not to do what you really want to do!!
Obviously there’s a very real need to put food on the table. But as so many people who’ve been made redundant have found that necessity is often what provides the motivation to work even harder at their new venture. In fact, if we try to do our “dream” as a sideline, without the motivation of not starving (!), we often don’t get anywhere with it or we certainly don’t get there quickly.
Fear is a biggie too. There’s no guarantee of success with something new or different. Society tends to define us by our jobs – “what do you do?” is a common conversation opener. Without a “real” job we can be unsure who we are or concerned what people might think of us, when paid employment is the norm. It takes courage to step out. One of the key motivating factors for me to get writing was not wanting to be on my deathbed thinking “I wonder what would have happened if I’d actually written that book?”. I’d rather give it a go and fail than always wonder “what if…?”.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” (Ambrose Redmoon)
When I tell people I’m working on being a writer, I often see the same look come over their face which says “hmmm, in your dreams!”.
Yes, you’re right! In my dreams for a long time. But definitely a work in progress towards becoming a reality and one that I’m going to give my best shot :-)
Sunday, 14 April 2013
A Not-Really-A-Book-Review Book Review
I love reading - the perfect day would definitely include time chilling out with a book - but it's one of the first things to get pushed to the bottom of the pile when I'm busy. When I do read, it is a dangerous activity as well though coz if a book's any good, once I've started it then I become desperate to get to the end and can't put it down! There's a serious risk that I'll forget to keep appointments, pick my kids up from school or feed them :-)
However, one of the principal pieces of advice given by published writers to wannabe writers is "read, read, read" or to put it another way "the more you read, the better you'll write". Since realising that reading is such an essential part of my "work" as a writer, I protect it better and it stays much higher up my priorities list. Hurray :-)
When I started this blog I didn't consider including book reviews as part of it. Despite my degree being English Literature and Language, I hated having to deconstruct and analyse books in tutorials. All I knew is whether or not I enjoyed them. Enjoyment is still my primary concern when reading, but now I also understand that how enjoyable a book is is mostly down to how well it's written.
And when I've found something I enjoy then I want to share it with people :-)
As the story and the situation unfold it becomes increasingly difficult to see who's right and wrong, friend or foe. The lines shift and blur between the UK/US Army, the Afghan people, the Taliban, the Afghan Security and the kids. This is not a place or situation where things are black and white, but many many shades of grey.
How can you tell what's true and right in a situation, especially one as brutal and confusing as this? It's an intriguing and challenging story as you're pulled one way and then the other with the characters, as the adventure progresses, more information comes to light and the "truth" seems first one thing and then another.
It's pretty gruesome in parts and there are inevitable deaths, but it wouldn't be at all realistic without that, given the setting , and I thought each situation was handled well.
It seemed such a realistic portrayal of life in a front-line battle situation to me that I was convinced the author must have had first hand experience. Apparently not, if the acknowledgements at the end of the book are to be believed - he's picked up a lot of it from Call of Duty (!) and friends (who may have first hand experience?). This surprised and also intrigued me as one of the other fundamental principles of writing is "write what you know". It also encouraged me as one Young Adult book idea I'm playing with involves a CBRN incident and although I have some insight into what might happen (thanks to a great training course I attended last year), I've never actually been in a CBRN incident thankfully! It's a relief to remember how much work the imagination does, although realism and authenticity are still important.
What I love about "Torn" is what I love about YA fiction as a genre - it deals with difficult issues and situations in a realistic and thought-provoking way. It's pacy and pithy, because its shorter than adult fiction, so it stimulates rather than drains. It takes you on a journey where you learn more not just about an actual situation, but also about how people react and behave in these situations. This consequently makes me consider what I would do if faced with the same scenarios and choices. You could call it personal character development through fiction!
Enjoying a book is a good thing for any reader. Understanding why and what I enjoy about a book is an even better thing for me as a writer!
(P.S. If you'd like a "real" review of Torn, then there's a great one here! - http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/posts/review-torn-david-massey/)
Thursday, 14 March 2013
One Bite At A Time
Years ago when working in a training environment I did
the Belbin test for the first time and discovered that I don't have a
“completer finisher” bone in my body!
I think it has a lot to do with my self-diagnosed ADD (that’s a tale for another time!) and the fact that there are so many interesting things to be doing in the world. I'm always looking for the next project and challenge before I've finished the last one.
I knew, therefore, that this would be a particular challenge with writing a book and may be a large part of why I naturally veer towards writing children's and young adult fiction (they’re shorter!).
Despite only being in the middle of the second draft of my manuscript (and having recently learned that 7 drafts is "normal", noooo!!), my mind is already wandering off thinking about potential story lines for future books in the series, as well as possible scenarios for YA books! It’s tempting to do some work on those but I’m never gonna get this book finished if I do.
Recently I was amazed to discover that a friend of mine had never heard the saying/joke:
"How do you eat an elephant?
It’s the daily guiding principle of my life (aside from my relationship with God, of course!)!! Taking things one bite - or step - at a time is the only way I get anything done, especially when I’m overwhelmed by an impossible to-do list or a project that seems too big. It’s also how I got through my depression on a daily basis (and still do in the low patches). In all things I’ve learnt to focus on the goal and press on towards that, one step at a time.
It’s actually how we function all the time, we’re just not aware of it. If I want to get from this desk to the kitchen to get a drink then I have to put one foot in front of the other. Most of the time I don’t think twice about it. But if I had an injury that made walking difficult then each step would be a challenge and I would have a greater sense of achievement when I finally made it to the kettle than I usually do :-D
When things are tough we’re more aware of each step but it’s important to recognise that it’s still movement forward and celebrate that.
The initial writing of my manuscript felt easy and fairly instinctive – like a normal walk to the kitchen - as I just let the ideas and story gush out. Editing a manuscript is much more challenging as there are so many different major and minor elements that need analysing and adjusting – each step is a real effort and needs serious application from me. Some days I wonder if I’ll actually manage to produce a polished finished manuscript that’s ready to submit to a literary agent.
However if I keep chipping away at it, not letting the enormity of the task overwhelm me but take it one addition/deletion/tweak at a time, then I have much more confidence that I will get there….one day :-)
I think it has a lot to do with my self-diagnosed ADD (that’s a tale for another time!) and the fact that there are so many interesting things to be doing in the world. I'm always looking for the next project and challenge before I've finished the last one.
I knew, therefore, that this would be a particular challenge with writing a book and may be a large part of why I naturally veer towards writing children's and young adult fiction (they’re shorter!).
Despite only being in the middle of the second draft of my manuscript (and having recently learned that 7 drafts is "normal", noooo!!), my mind is already wandering off thinking about potential story lines for future books in the series, as well as possible scenarios for YA books! It’s tempting to do some work on those but I’m never gonna get this book finished if I do.
Recently I was amazed to discover that a friend of mine had never heard the saying/joke:
"How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time."
 |
| Fantastic illustration attributed to Sean Gallo at www.seangallo.com |
It’s the daily guiding principle of my life (aside from my relationship with God, of course!)!! Taking things one bite - or step - at a time is the only way I get anything done, especially when I’m overwhelmed by an impossible to-do list or a project that seems too big. It’s also how I got through my depression on a daily basis (and still do in the low patches). In all things I’ve learnt to focus on the goal and press on towards that, one step at a time.
It’s actually how we function all the time, we’re just not aware of it. If I want to get from this desk to the kitchen to get a drink then I have to put one foot in front of the other. Most of the time I don’t think twice about it. But if I had an injury that made walking difficult then each step would be a challenge and I would have a greater sense of achievement when I finally made it to the kettle than I usually do :-D
When things are tough we’re more aware of each step but it’s important to recognise that it’s still movement forward and celebrate that.
The initial writing of my manuscript felt easy and fairly instinctive – like a normal walk to the kitchen - as I just let the ideas and story gush out. Editing a manuscript is much more challenging as there are so many different major and minor elements that need analysing and adjusting – each step is a real effort and needs serious application from me. Some days I wonder if I’ll actually manage to produce a polished finished manuscript that’s ready to submit to a literary agent.
However if I keep chipping away at it, not letting the enormity of the task overwhelm me but take it one addition/deletion/tweak at a time, then I have much more confidence that I will get there….one day :-)
Monday, 25 February 2013
Challenging or Crippling?
Comparing yourself, or your work, to someone else can be challenging
(in a good way) or it can be crippling.
On the positive side, it might bring out your competitive edge and push you
on to do better or achieve more. Often
though, comparison can quickly cause a whole gamut of negative emotions to come
into play.
One of the biggest obstacles I've faced recently is not being crushed by comparing myself to others - in this context as a writer, but I'm good at doing it in general too! It's easy to forget that I can choose how I respond.
I’ve been re-reading some of the best kids’ books out there, in order to look at their openings, character development, structure, etc. so that I can get some hints and tips for improving my second draft. It’s so easy to end up feeling seriously inferior in the face of that though and “How To Train Your Dragon” has been the worst culprit! If I could write like anyone else then it would be Cressida Cowell (or JK Rowling or Suzanne Collins too, but let’s not go there).
So why do I bother writing this blog or books at all? I guess I feel, like most writers, that I have thoughts and stories I want to share and, while at times they may be similar to other people’s, they are nevertheless unique because they’re told with my voice. They may not be as good – that’s for a publisher and the public to ultimately decide – but they’re still something that no one apart from me can say. I can't write like Cressida Cowell (my life is too boring for a start, compared to hers!) but even if I could then I wouldn't get published coz she already is and people want something fresh and new to read, not a lesser imitation.
I will always be second best at being someone else so I may as well just write my blog and my books, in my way and my voice, to the very best of my ability and see what happens :-) And that holds true for whatever you do too!
*Oh go on then, here they are. http://confessionsofanamerican.com/ is the website/blog of my amazing writing accountability partner Jeannie – full of funny cross-cultural comments, writing thoughts and powerful insights into human trafficking. http://markrushworth.me/ is the new blog of one of my church elders – Ordinary Guy, Extraordinary God (The Musings of a British Church Leader) – and contains a particularly good post on Oscar Pistorius “Fallen Heroes”. The one on "Freedom From Self-esteem" was posted while I was drafting this post and is clearly something I need to get more of a handle on, LOL!
One of the biggest obstacles I've faced recently is not being crushed by comparing myself to others - in this context as a writer, but I'm good at doing it in general too! It's easy to forget that I can choose how I respond.
I’ve been re-reading some of the best kids’ books out there, in order to look at their openings, character development, structure, etc. so that I can get some hints and tips for improving my second draft. It’s so easy to end up feeling seriously inferior in the face of that though and “How To Train Your Dragon” has been the worst culprit! If I could write like anyone else then it would be Cressida Cowell (or JK Rowling or Suzanne Collins too, but let’s not go there).
I know that I need to let her impressive writing spur me
on to write the very best book I can myself, yet it would be too easy to take
the path of letting the comparison not only cripple me, but crush me to the
point that I decide I could never be as good as her and give up completely.
I even feel like that with this blog!! A couple of friends have recently started new blogs and they're way better than mine already (imho), especially as they’re posting in and promoting their blogs much more than me - I don’t even remember to tag my posts or advertise their existence on Twitter most of the time! I’d give you the links if I were a better person, but I’m not, hahahahaha*. They’ve already caused me to wrestle with the temptation not to bother writing mine anymore.
I even feel like that with this blog!! A couple of friends have recently started new blogs and they're way better than mine already (imho), especially as they’re posting in and promoting their blogs much more than me - I don’t even remember to tag my posts or advertise their existence on Twitter most of the time! I’d give you the links if I were a better person, but I’m not, hahahahaha*. They’ve already caused me to wrestle with the temptation not to bother writing mine anymore.
So why do I bother writing this blog or books at all? I guess I feel, like most writers, that I have thoughts and stories I want to share and, while at times they may be similar to other people’s, they are nevertheless unique because they’re told with my voice. They may not be as good – that’s for a publisher and the public to ultimately decide – but they’re still something that no one apart from me can say. I can't write like Cressida Cowell (my life is too boring for a start, compared to hers!) but even if I could then I wouldn't get published coz she already is and people want something fresh and new to read, not a lesser imitation.
I will always be second best at being someone else so I may as well just write my blog and my books, in my way and my voice, to the very best of my ability and see what happens :-) And that holds true for whatever you do too!
*Oh go on then, here they are. http://confessionsofanamerican.com/ is the website/blog of my amazing writing accountability partner Jeannie – full of funny cross-cultural comments, writing thoughts and powerful insights into human trafficking. http://markrushworth.me/ is the new blog of one of my church elders – Ordinary Guy, Extraordinary God (The Musings of a British Church Leader) – and contains a particularly good post on Oscar Pistorius “Fallen Heroes”. The one on "Freedom From Self-esteem" was posted while I was drafting this post and is clearly something I need to get more of a handle on, LOL!
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Inspiration!
There are so many potential sources of inspiration around
us all the time to stimulate and enthuse us for every area of our lives, no
matter what you do or who you are.
I’ve previously mentioned my love of encouraging soundbites on Twitter, and Instagram is another recent discovery of an amazing source of inspiration. Having just joined, I was aimlessly browsing the site - trying to work out what on earth it was all about and how to use it - when I came across a photo that encapsulated a potential character and futuristic world I’d been musing over!
Numerous “how to write” books suggest ways of getting to know your characters (e.g. writing a profile of them) but I’m a very visual person and so having a picture of a character helping me to instantly “see” them is just invaluable. I suddenly understood so much about them and their situation! How amazing is that – to spring board off someone else’s creativity for the inspiration to write a story?! Creativity is such a generous and self-perpetuating phenomenon :-)
In a similar vein I was thrilled recently to take a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park with my good friend Kirsten, a very talented photographer! I’ve always found it interesting watching her work (and she’s the only person who’s ever been able to make me look half decent in photos) but spending hours with her taking photos on the most gorgeous of wintry days, I was totally fascinated to observe how she sees the world. It is subtly but significantly different to my perspective.
Even when she takes some obvious shots, e.g. this lovely bridge (which I encouraged her to do, to be honest), she frames it so much better than I would. Even more impressive is the fact that she’s made it look so good when there’s actually an unattractive green workmen’s hut hidden behind the log and a small JCB positioned behind the central pillar!
Then she got up close to the bridge and started snapping away, while I watched and waited and asked what on earth she was doing. This photo shows you what she was seeing that I wasn’t!
From that point on I started to look at the world around us in a different way as well – the reflection of tree trunks in a small un-iced part of the lake, the amazing colours and textures of a brick wall and the defining detail of a wire horse’s nose (I did remain on the fence about the beauty of a rusty knob on a metal bridge though ;-)). But who would ever deliberately take a photo of someone's legs? And who knew it could look so interesting?!
When you’re a writer you get the fun and privilege of
seeing things through someone else’s eyes – learning to do that well is
essential to writing convincingly!
But whatever you are and whatever you do, don’t go through life seeing things in the same familiar way or doing the same things again and again just for the sake of it. Don’t let the busyness and difficulties of life make you glaze over. Look at something in a new fresh way today and let it inspire you!
I’ve previously mentioned my love of encouraging soundbites on Twitter, and Instagram is another recent discovery of an amazing source of inspiration. Having just joined, I was aimlessly browsing the site - trying to work out what on earth it was all about and how to use it - when I came across a photo that encapsulated a potential character and futuristic world I’d been musing over!
Numerous “how to write” books suggest ways of getting to know your characters (e.g. writing a profile of them) but I’m a very visual person and so having a picture of a character helping me to instantly “see” them is just invaluable. I suddenly understood so much about them and their situation! How amazing is that – to spring board off someone else’s creativity for the inspiration to write a story?! Creativity is such a generous and self-perpetuating phenomenon :-)
In a similar vein I was thrilled recently to take a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park with my good friend Kirsten, a very talented photographer! I’ve always found it interesting watching her work (and she’s the only person who’s ever been able to make me look half decent in photos) but spending hours with her taking photos on the most gorgeous of wintry days, I was totally fascinated to observe how she sees the world. It is subtly but significantly different to my perspective.
Even when she takes some obvious shots, e.g. this lovely bridge (which I encouraged her to do, to be honest), she frames it so much better than I would. Even more impressive is the fact that she’s made it look so good when there’s actually an unattractive green workmen’s hut hidden behind the log and a small JCB positioned behind the central pillar!
Then she got up close to the bridge and started snapping away, while I watched and waited and asked what on earth she was doing. This photo shows you what she was seeing that I wasn’t!
From that point on I started to look at the world around us in a different way as well – the reflection of tree trunks in a small un-iced part of the lake, the amazing colours and textures of a brick wall and the defining detail of a wire horse’s nose (I did remain on the fence about the beauty of a rusty knob on a metal bridge though ;-)). But who would ever deliberately take a photo of someone's legs? And who knew it could look so interesting?!
But whatever you are and whatever you do, don’t go through life seeing things in the same familiar way or doing the same things again and again just for the sake of it. Don’t let the busyness and difficulties of life make you glaze over. Look at something in a new fresh way today and let it inspire you!
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