Storytime

Recently I've looked at a wedding venue or two (for baby girl)- and even though the date is a little way in the future, finding the right place is very very important. Not only does it have to sum them up as a couple, not too rustic, not too urban, not too city, not too country. It also has to make a great first impression and then a good lasting impression. It's something I endeavour to remember when I send my work out there. Having been on the 'other side', as in on the editorial committee for Page Seventeen  for several years, I know what I 'looked' for when considering pieces. When you read so many entries (in many years, hundreds) they have to stand out. First impressions count.... But that is not enough....it could be an intriguing title, great opening line....something that captures your attention and makes you want more. Should be easy shouldn't it? But I remember so many stories, articles and poems simply dropped. After this initial ...

To the blog. Yep, two years ago this week I decided to put fingers to keyboard and send out into the ether my thoughts. And apparently I'm still thinking. Why did I begin? A friend of mine, Tiggy Johnson  , then editor of Page Seventeen magazine,   author, poet, writer, mother, wife, crafter...had been blogging for a while and I was interested in the process.  My first thought was how on earth could you write something new, hopefully something interesting, each week.... and something that somehow (and sometimes very tenuous) linked to the craft of writing. Surprisingly it has been easy (well up to now it has been). Because life is so varied, I find there are so many opportunities that can be written about. And since I am always struggling along with my writing, I find it good to put it out there. The rejections, the successes, the times I want to hit my head against a wall because nothing is working out like I thought it would. At times it ...

It's that time of the year - for me at least. I've spent the past few months sending works out...and now the waiting game begins. Waiting for weeks, sometimes months, sometimes even more months. Hoping for that 'yes' but more often than not receiving... It's a part of life when you write. You sit in your lonely garret, pen to the paper (or in my case, sit in my bedroom, fingers at the keyboard) and you create. You attempt to put down what moves you, those wondrous sentences that dance before your eyes. For me, that's the fun part. The creation. Then you edit. And edit. And edit some more. Finally, with a deep breath and some belief in what you have created you send it out into the ether, hoping that an editor/ publisher/ editorial committee or judge will see the beauty in what you have created. There is no denying that a rejection hurts. Although it is no longer as painful as when I started out- at that early stage I had not built up those layers of self...

2010 is nearly over. And what a year. I began 2010 reading I am Legend by Richard Matheson (which the movie is loosely based on, the book as usual, is so much better) and I'm ending the year by reading No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (another novel which inspired a movie). In between I have read over 60 novels - some I can recommend such as The Seal Wife - Kathryn Harrison, The Road - Cormac McCarthy , The Notebook- Nicholas Sparks and some YA novels such as The Winds of Heaven - Judith Clarke , The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman and The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins. Others - well some had the kernel of a great idea, some had great writing, some were inspired by a real event that did offer up opportunities- but I felt they didn't make a whole. Working in a library means I see what others are reading, I see what 'best sellers' are coming in - and I must admit a lot of times I am disappointed. But then again that's the fun of the library- you can ...

Mostly it's fingers to keyboard, but yes I am actually writing. YEAH! That was meant to be the idea for this week or so, a major push in the right (or should that be write) direction. :) After the YA Masterclass with Libby Hathorn on the weekend I felt inspired enough to go back to my YA novel - work on a chapter - and even think back to the verse novel I never quite finished. Surprisingly enough I'm still interested in my characters, still want to know the journey they take. I also am writing a poem a day for my nod to those doing the Nanowrimo - so here we are on day ten and I have ten poems down. Or put it more correctly ten ideas for poems. Some will never see the light of day, some I've already worked on and there was a bit of a theme for awhile. My daughter has left home, my baby, so there were a few poems based on the emotional roller coaster that entails. (including visits to hospital emergency departments, blood and stitches) For added inspiration I went to...