Learning a Lesson from Andy Murray
I don't always bother watching the tennis from Wimbledon, but this year I decided to follow the progress of my fellow Scot, Andy Murray, the British number one tennis player. This evening he was playing in the fourth round against the Frenchman, Richard Gasquet. I should have been at salsa, but I watched the start of the match and it turned out to be so fascinating, I never set foot out of the house.
Andy Murray pulled off the most spectacular turn-around. He'd lost the first two sets, 5-7, 3-6 and when the third set got to 6-6, it looked as if he was just about to lose the third set (and the match). But he suddenly found his fighting spirit and wouldn't give up. Time and time again it went to deuce, advantage Gasquet, but he carried on pulling it back to deuce, staying in the match by sheer willpower. The crowd went absolutely mad and really got behind him.
Against all odds, he did it - he managed to win the third set on a tie-breaker, then it was a matter of whether he would manage to win the fourth set and have a chance of staying in the match. If I say he won the final two sets, 6-2, 6-4, it makes it sound too easy and gives no indication of the number of times things were going against him - lots more battles around deuce. His determination really won over the British people and made him the new-found darling of the crowds.
Bounce-back-ability - the Key to Success on and off the Court
So what has all this to do with writing? Quite a lot. The bounce-back-ability that Andy Murray showed he had tonight is one of the most important character traits a writer can develop.
Our path to success may be slower and less dramatic, but like him, we will probably experience a great deal of frustration and thwarted hopes along the way. Like him, we will need every ounce of determination, every ounce of resilience to keep on going when the going gets tough.
Tennis players have their duff shots, poor decisions, and badly judged decisions. They lose points, lose matches, fail to reach the finals, fail to win the trophy.
Writers produce poor work from time to time, find that people hate a piece of writing that they were really proud of, find rejection letters on the doormat instead of nice big cheques. We jump over hoops to second guess editors, meet the demands of editors or agents, nearly get that piece of work commissioned then find that the contract falls through at the last minute.
In short, we face a lot of the same pressures and disappointments that tennis players do, only we don't usually have thousands of people cheering us on. The tennis player may get that 'me alone against the world' feeling when he's out on the court and the match seems to be slipping away from him. It can be a pretty lonely business being a writer too and you've got no crowd behind you cheering you on - you don't even get the consolation of room-service!
Just as the top tennis player has to dig deep to find the strength of character, the mental, emotional and physical reserves that will carry him to victory, so we writers also have to dig deep to find a way to bounce back from setbacks and rejections and keep on till we get the result we want - and then we have start it all over again another time with our next project.
If you're dissatisfied with a piece of work or you're feeling battered and bruised after you've had a rejection, just think of Andy Murray and how he kept on slogging away until his luck changed, until he proved that it aint over till it's over.
Develop that winning mentality and you'll soon be enjoying a winning streak of your own.
Monday 30 June 2008
Sunday 29 June 2008
Shall I Write a Fiction Book or a Non-Fiction Book?
Is it Easier to Write a Novel or a Non-Fiction Book?
I am a writer who has had non-fiction books published but my friends mainly write novels. So which is the best bet for someone at the start of their writing career?
It's very much a matter of horses for courses. Trying to get a novel published these days is extremely difficult and many novelists earn very little for a great deal of work, unless they are in the higher echelons of the profession.
What are Your Strengths?
So writing non-fiction might appear to be an easier route to success. But really, it's a matter of what you enjoy writing and what your strengths are, both writing and otherwise.
Why I Chose Non-Fiction?
In my case, I had been an academic researcher and a BBC television researcher. I enjoyed doing research, I knew how to do it, and I could find my way around libraries, including academic libraries and The British Library. Doing research was something that I enjoyed and something I felt very confident about. I had already been involved in writing for education and training, so writing non-fiction was a relatively simple sideways step.
It was still exciting to see my name on the cover of a book for the first time, and my non-fiction book credits coupled with some commissions from the BBC gave me enough professional contracts to earn me membership of The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, one of the organisations for professional writers.
It was good to have a contract and an advance instead of sending things off piecemeal and keeping my fingers crossed that somebody would publish them. Having a contract also meant that I had a deadline to adhere to, which was a great motivating factor for me.
If you have a special skill or specialist knowledge, it is possible to capitalise on that, which is what I did in a way. I wrote biographies for a religious publisher. As a professional researcher, I knew I could cope with the research, and as I had spent many years at university studying religion, I also felt confident that I could understand the religious views of the people I was writing about.
It's possible to write about just about anything - fishing, crafts, local history, health topics. Non-fiction covers a huge range of subjects, so if you have a particular hobby or specialist knowledge because of your job, you will probably be able to think of something you could write a non-fiction book about.
Start Small
Of course, if you're not sure whether you know enough about your subject to write a whole book, you could always dip your toe in the waters by writing some articles about it first, perhaps for newspapers or magazines. This would also help you gain confidence and give you some credentials and a track record that you could mention when you eventually approach a book publisher.
The Joy of Fiction
Other people really live to write fiction and that's what they want to do even if they have to write books for years and years with no contract and no guarantee that any of them will ever get published. The joy of being able to use their imagination and to spend time with characters they have created outweighs the inconvenience of having to send submissions packages out to publisher after publisher at considerable expense and possibly receiving a string of rejections.
Is This What You Really, Really Want?
Ultimately, you'll probably be more successful if you are doing what you enjoy and what you are naturally suited to, so it's important to think about what you really want to achieve. Then go for it, no matter what the current fashions are or what your friends are writing.
There is a niche waiting for you somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it - and having fun along the way.
I am a writer who has had non-fiction books published but my friends mainly write novels. So which is the best bet for someone at the start of their writing career?
It's very much a matter of horses for courses. Trying to get a novel published these days is extremely difficult and many novelists earn very little for a great deal of work, unless they are in the higher echelons of the profession.
What are Your Strengths?
So writing non-fiction might appear to be an easier route to success. But really, it's a matter of what you enjoy writing and what your strengths are, both writing and otherwise.
Why I Chose Non-Fiction?
In my case, I had been an academic researcher and a BBC television researcher. I enjoyed doing research, I knew how to do it, and I could find my way around libraries, including academic libraries and The British Library. Doing research was something that I enjoyed and something I felt very confident about. I had already been involved in writing for education and training, so writing non-fiction was a relatively simple sideways step.
It was still exciting to see my name on the cover of a book for the first time, and my non-fiction book credits coupled with some commissions from the BBC gave me enough professional contracts to earn me membership of The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, one of the organisations for professional writers.
It was good to have a contract and an advance instead of sending things off piecemeal and keeping my fingers crossed that somebody would publish them. Having a contract also meant that I had a deadline to adhere to, which was a great motivating factor for me.
If you have a special skill or specialist knowledge, it is possible to capitalise on that, which is what I did in a way. I wrote biographies for a religious publisher. As a professional researcher, I knew I could cope with the research, and as I had spent many years at university studying religion, I also felt confident that I could understand the religious views of the people I was writing about.
It's possible to write about just about anything - fishing, crafts, local history, health topics. Non-fiction covers a huge range of subjects, so if you have a particular hobby or specialist knowledge because of your job, you will probably be able to think of something you could write a non-fiction book about.
Start Small
Of course, if you're not sure whether you know enough about your subject to write a whole book, you could always dip your toe in the waters by writing some articles about it first, perhaps for newspapers or magazines. This would also help you gain confidence and give you some credentials and a track record that you could mention when you eventually approach a book publisher.
The Joy of Fiction
Other people really live to write fiction and that's what they want to do even if they have to write books for years and years with no contract and no guarantee that any of them will ever get published. The joy of being able to use their imagination and to spend time with characters they have created outweighs the inconvenience of having to send submissions packages out to publisher after publisher at considerable expense and possibly receiving a string of rejections.
Is This What You Really, Really Want?
Ultimately, you'll probably be more successful if you are doing what you enjoy and what you are naturally suited to, so it's important to think about what you really want to achieve. Then go for it, no matter what the current fashions are or what your friends are writing.
There is a niche waiting for you somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it - and having fun along the way.
Saturday 28 June 2008
Write from a Different Viewpoint
Today I've been working on a short story I wrote some time ago. I thought it worked and it was quite a good story, and other writers I trust liked it too, but after it was rejected by a magazine I had another look at it and thought about what I could do to make it work better. What I chose to do was to alter the viewpoint.
Viewpoint in fiction writing refers to whose eyes you see the story through. The same events will seem very different when experienced by the various people involved. Adopting a particular character's viewpoint can allow us access to what that character knew and how they felt, but it can also be limiting - how can we write about events to which the character did not witness and had no knowledge of?
The story I was working on today was written from the point of view of a ten-year old girl, which was useful in that it allowed me to really show how passionate she was about what she wanted - she was desperate to learn the clarinet. But I felt that maybe my characterisation of her and her father wasn't strong enough and it was quite limiting to see everything from her viewpoint especially as she was very young.
So I had the idea of re-writing the story from the point of view of her big sister. She can let us see some of the same events happening, but being that bit older she has a more sophisticated understanding of them. Writing from her point of view also allows me to add a touch of humour to the story and to explore the family dynamics a bit more.
The writers' self-help group that is going to meet on Tuesday is going to read both versions, so hopefully I will find out then if my strategy has worked.
Meanwhile it's worth bearing in mind this approach - if you have a piece of writing that isn't quite working, try writing it from another viewpoint and see what effect it has on the story. It's worth a try. Keep your original version safe too, in case you decide it was better after all.
Viewpoint in fiction writing refers to whose eyes you see the story through. The same events will seem very different when experienced by the various people involved. Adopting a particular character's viewpoint can allow us access to what that character knew and how they felt, but it can also be limiting - how can we write about events to which the character did not witness and had no knowledge of?
The story I was working on today was written from the point of view of a ten-year old girl, which was useful in that it allowed me to really show how passionate she was about what she wanted - she was desperate to learn the clarinet. But I felt that maybe my characterisation of her and her father wasn't strong enough and it was quite limiting to see everything from her viewpoint especially as she was very young.
So I had the idea of re-writing the story from the point of view of her big sister. She can let us see some of the same events happening, but being that bit older she has a more sophisticated understanding of them. Writing from her point of view also allows me to add a touch of humour to the story and to explore the family dynamics a bit more.
The writers' self-help group that is going to meet on Tuesday is going to read both versions, so hopefully I will find out then if my strategy has worked.
Meanwhile it's worth bearing in mind this approach - if you have a piece of writing that isn't quite working, try writing it from another viewpoint and see what effect it has on the story. It's worth a try. Keep your original version safe too, in case you decide it was better after all.
Friday 27 June 2008
Writing for Profit or Writing for its own Sake?
Having begun to publish on the internet has made me focus on the financial rewards of writing. Of course, everyone needs to earn a living and the workman is worthy of his hire, but that isn't the only reason why I write.
In fact, it isn't even the reason why I've been so delighted at having my work accepted by Triond this past week.
I've been enjoying the buzz of writing what I feel like writing and seeing it accepted and put out into the ether for everyone to read. It makes me feel as if I have a sense of purpose. I'm doing what I love to do and there is a prospect of being paid for it too. How lucky is that!
That's more important than any amount of money, as far as I'm concerned. There are lots of jobs I could do that would guarantee more money in the short term, but enjoying what you do and feeling passionate about it is priceless.
This week I've had the satisfaction of seeing my work in print . I've also had the thrill of seeing my writing class reach the end of their certificate course, to great acclaim. Teaching them to write isn't just my bread and butter - it's my soul food. Verily my cup runneth over.
Yes, it's been a great week.
I hope you are as happy in your vocation as I am in mine.
By the way, if you would like to read my latest article, you can find it on www.telewatcher.com/Reality/Big-Brother/Why-I-No-Longer-Watch-Big-Brother.150309
In fact, it isn't even the reason why I've been so delighted at having my work accepted by Triond this past week.
I've been enjoying the buzz of writing what I feel like writing and seeing it accepted and put out into the ether for everyone to read. It makes me feel as if I have a sense of purpose. I'm doing what I love to do and there is a prospect of being paid for it too. How lucky is that!
That's more important than any amount of money, as far as I'm concerned. There are lots of jobs I could do that would guarantee more money in the short term, but enjoying what you do and feeling passionate about it is priceless.
This week I've had the satisfaction of seeing my work in print . I've also had the thrill of seeing my writing class reach the end of their certificate course, to great acclaim. Teaching them to write isn't just my bread and butter - it's my soul food. Verily my cup runneth over.
Yes, it's been a great week.
I hope you are as happy in your vocation as I am in mine.
By the way, if you would like to read my latest article, you can find it on www.telewatcher.com/Reality/Big-Brother/Why-I-No-Longer-Watch-Big-Brother.150309
Thursday 26 June 2008
Writing in the Rain
Writing as the Rain Pours
As I'm sitting here writing, I can hear the constant patter of drizzle as my garden is subjected to torrential rain. It's actually very pleasant to be able to enjoy the rain without having to be outside getting soaked by it, though I must admit that when I was in town at lunchtime and the rain came on, I didn't put my brolly up because I enjoyed the freshness of the rain on my face after feeling overheated and stuffy for so long. There's a pleasant cooling breeze coming through my window now, just enough to make me feel alive.
Too Hot to Work
Actually, I prefer this sort of weather for writing. The worst sort is the overbearing muggy heat that makes you want to sleep all day because it's just too warm to do anything, then keeps you awake at night because it's too hot to sleep - so you start the same old cycle again the next day, progressively becoming less and less able to function effectively.
We invested in a couple of oscillating fans when we had a hot spell about three years ago, but they're not really a lot of good when you're writing because they tend to waft your papers about. For the same reason, I've never really been one to enjoy writing out of doors in the summer, as it's a constant battle to stop your notebook blowing shut and to see what you've written in the glare of the sun.
Writing Outdoors
And as for sand, well, I enjoy a leisurely stroll along the esplanade when I'm in Broughty Ferrry, but I certainly wouldn't sit on a sandy beach and attempt to write. In fact, I'm not a fan of outdoor writing, though I used to enjoy sitting writing on the slow train to Manchester Victoria. I love reading and marking work in cafes and occasionally write in them, though there are usually too many distractions, like newspapers and slices of delicious coffee cake.
I really enjoyed myself on Friday though preparing for the university writing workshop. I set off for a little walk through the woods and really loved being in the little snicket that led from my street to the woods. It was warm and sunny, but quiet and still and there was a handy little wall to sit on.
Being Fully in the Moment
I don't know if I would enjoy it quite as much a second time, though, as the whole point of going there was to record my impressions of the setting - what I saw, heard, smelt, felt and tasted. I enjoyed being in that place and giving my full attention to the experience of simply being there - being fully in the moment.
That's one of the joys of being a writer, that you are free to experience being in the moment and also free to travel in your imagination to be anywhere you want at any time - like Dr Who but with more control over the process!
Why not take a moment or two to think about where you are right now, to reflect on your surroundings, and to notice what is going on around you. Be grateful for the chance to focus your thoughts and experience life fully - then to share your experience with others.
As I'm sitting here writing, I can hear the constant patter of drizzle as my garden is subjected to torrential rain. It's actually very pleasant to be able to enjoy the rain without having to be outside getting soaked by it, though I must admit that when I was in town at lunchtime and the rain came on, I didn't put my brolly up because I enjoyed the freshness of the rain on my face after feeling overheated and stuffy for so long. There's a pleasant cooling breeze coming through my window now, just enough to make me feel alive.
Too Hot to Work
Actually, I prefer this sort of weather for writing. The worst sort is the overbearing muggy heat that makes you want to sleep all day because it's just too warm to do anything, then keeps you awake at night because it's too hot to sleep - so you start the same old cycle again the next day, progressively becoming less and less able to function effectively.
We invested in a couple of oscillating fans when we had a hot spell about three years ago, but they're not really a lot of good when you're writing because they tend to waft your papers about. For the same reason, I've never really been one to enjoy writing out of doors in the summer, as it's a constant battle to stop your notebook blowing shut and to see what you've written in the glare of the sun.
Writing Outdoors
And as for sand, well, I enjoy a leisurely stroll along the esplanade when I'm in Broughty Ferrry, but I certainly wouldn't sit on a sandy beach and attempt to write. In fact, I'm not a fan of outdoor writing, though I used to enjoy sitting writing on the slow train to Manchester Victoria. I love reading and marking work in cafes and occasionally write in them, though there are usually too many distractions, like newspapers and slices of delicious coffee cake.
I really enjoyed myself on Friday though preparing for the university writing workshop. I set off for a little walk through the woods and really loved being in the little snicket that led from my street to the woods. It was warm and sunny, but quiet and still and there was a handy little wall to sit on.
Being Fully in the Moment
I don't know if I would enjoy it quite as much a second time, though, as the whole point of going there was to record my impressions of the setting - what I saw, heard, smelt, felt and tasted. I enjoyed being in that place and giving my full attention to the experience of simply being there - being fully in the moment.
That's one of the joys of being a writer, that you are free to experience being in the moment and also free to travel in your imagination to be anywhere you want at any time - like Dr Who but with more control over the process!
Why not take a moment or two to think about where you are right now, to reflect on your surroundings, and to notice what is going on around you. Be grateful for the chance to focus your thoughts and experience life fully - then to share your experience with others.
Wednesday 25 June 2008
Another Day in the Life of a Writer
I didn't get quite as far with my next short story as I was hoping. I couldn't find it on my hard drive, so I ended up retyping it all from the print-out, editing it as I went. I think, on reflection, it was quite a good way to work. It's easier to make radical changes if you're typing than if you're tinkering.
I took most of the afternoon off to go to Aquafit with my friend and fellow writing tutor, Lindsay. Neither of us had been to Aquafit for a few months, so we approached the class with trepidation as our instructor works us pretty hard. We survived the class, but by the time we met up again this evening at the Authors' Circle, we were both starting to pay the price, Lindsay with sore shoulders and me with knees that didn't want to work.
We had an excellent workshop at the Authors' Circle tonight. Kate led an exercise where we had to write about either our beds or about things we have hated. There were actually three tasks we had to perform, but I don't want to talk about them in detail here in case I decide to use the exercise with my students next term. Suffice it to say that everybody produced some fascinating material and we ended up having a fascinating discussion as well about incidents from our childhood and from family life.
Something that surprised us was that all the women chose to write about their beds and all the men chose to write about things they hated. I wonder if I'll find the same male-female divide when I repeat the exercise in my class.
So it's been a busy old day, both physically and mentally. I hope you've enjoyed your day and that you've managed to get some writing done. You can reflect on our workshop when you tuck yourself up in your bed tonight. Sweet dreams!
I took most of the afternoon off to go to Aquafit with my friend and fellow writing tutor, Lindsay. Neither of us had been to Aquafit for a few months, so we approached the class with trepidation as our instructor works us pretty hard. We survived the class, but by the time we met up again this evening at the Authors' Circle, we were both starting to pay the price, Lindsay with sore shoulders and me with knees that didn't want to work.
We had an excellent workshop at the Authors' Circle tonight. Kate led an exercise where we had to write about either our beds or about things we have hated. There were actually three tasks we had to perform, but I don't want to talk about them in detail here in case I decide to use the exercise with my students next term. Suffice it to say that everybody produced some fascinating material and we ended up having a fascinating discussion as well about incidents from our childhood and from family life.
Something that surprised us was that all the women chose to write about their beds and all the men chose to write about things they hated. I wonder if I'll find the same male-female divide when I repeat the exercise in my class.
So it's been a busy old day, both physically and mentally. I hope you've enjoyed your day and that you've managed to get some writing done. You can reflect on our workshop when you tuck yourself up in your bed tonight. Sweet dreams!
Tuesday 24 June 2008
Writing in Progress
I'm dying to submit more writing to Triond, but meanwhile there are some other things I have to do first. I'm a member of a self-help group of experienced writers which we call the Gang of Five. We get together every couple of months to discuss in detail a piece of work by one of the group members.
As the other four are all writing novels, we usually read about fifty pages of their latest work in progress and spend the evening analysing what works, what doesn't, and how it could be fixed.
On Tuesday it will be my turn, so I must sort out what I would like them to read. I think I'm going to send them two or three short stories that I've been working on, but I need to do a bit more work on them first.
Today I've been finishing off one of the short stories. It was one I started writing about three years ago and never finished. It was still hand-written and buried away in one of my many notebooks somewhere. I had been wondering where it had got to for ages, and I only rediscovered it at the weekend when I was looking for pieces to send to Trion.
I managed to finish it this afternoon, so I shall e-mail it this evening to my colleagues and see what they think of it. I always feel a bit nervous at this point. I think it's turned out quite well and my husband likes it, but you never know what reaction you're going to get from other people.
What I do know, though, is that whatever they think of it, they won't leave me feeling hopeless. As a group we are very good at coming up with solutions to things that don't work in each other's writing. It will be interesting to see how they deal with a short story though, as the main problems we encounter in each other's novels are usually structural.
I'd better go and get my e-mails done now. Hopefully, by the time I speak to you tomorrow, I'll have polished up at least one of the other short stories as well. It's so good to have the time and energy to devote to my own writing, though. It does rather take a back seat during term time when I have a lot of marking and preparation to do for my students.
As the other four are all writing novels, we usually read about fifty pages of their latest work in progress and spend the evening analysing what works, what doesn't, and how it could be fixed.
On Tuesday it will be my turn, so I must sort out what I would like them to read. I think I'm going to send them two or three short stories that I've been working on, but I need to do a bit more work on them first.
Today I've been finishing off one of the short stories. It was one I started writing about three years ago and never finished. It was still hand-written and buried away in one of my many notebooks somewhere. I had been wondering where it had got to for ages, and I only rediscovered it at the weekend when I was looking for pieces to send to Trion.
I managed to finish it this afternoon, so I shall e-mail it this evening to my colleagues and see what they think of it. I always feel a bit nervous at this point. I think it's turned out quite well and my husband likes it, but you never know what reaction you're going to get from other people.
What I do know, though, is that whatever they think of it, they won't leave me feeling hopeless. As a group we are very good at coming up with solutions to things that don't work in each other's writing. It will be interesting to see how they deal with a short story though, as the main problems we encounter in each other's novels are usually structural.
I'd better go and get my e-mails done now. Hopefully, by the time I speak to you tomorrow, I'll have polished up at least one of the other short stories as well. It's so good to have the time and energy to devote to my own writing, though. It does rather take a back seat during term time when I have a lot of marking and preparation to do for my students.
Monday 23 June 2008
Read All About It! My Adventures in Internet Publishing
I'm still very excited today about having my work published by Triond. I've now got two poems in Authspot and two articles in Writinghood and I've earned my first cent - so that's me on my way to my first internet million pounds!
It's inspired me to dig out my old files of work that I'd finished but not submitted and things that I'd left half done, so I'm working my way through those at the moment, getting short stories fit for publication.
I was also delighted to hear that one of my students has followed my example and has had his first article published on Triond too. I've started a trend. I hope they'll give me commission for getting them new recruits.
Why not have a look at the pieces I've had published there? Here are the links:
www.authspot.com/Poetry/Evensong-at-Kings-College-Cambridge.144909
www.authspot.com/Poetry/My-House-is-Five.145677
http://www.writinghood.com/Writing-Business/Opportunities/How-to-Write-a-Review.144107
http://www.writinghood.com/Style/How-To/How-to-Write-an-Acrostic%20Poem.144101
It's a fantastic opportunity for writers to share their work with other like-minded people and to earn money at the same time.
Happy surfing!
It's inspired me to dig out my old files of work that I'd finished but not submitted and things that I'd left half done, so I'm working my way through those at the moment, getting short stories fit for publication.
I was also delighted to hear that one of my students has followed my example and has had his first article published on Triond too. I've started a trend. I hope they'll give me commission for getting them new recruits.
Why not have a look at the pieces I've had published there? Here are the links:
www.authspot.com/Poetry/Evensong-at-Kings-College-Cambridge.144909
www.authspot.com/Poetry/My-House-is-Five.145677
http://www.writinghood.com/Writing-Business/Opportunities/How-to-Write-a-Review.144107
http://www.writinghood.com/Style/How-To/How-to-Write-an-Acrostic%20Poem.144101
It's a fantastic opportunity for writers to share their work with other like-minded people and to earn money at the same time.
Happy surfing!
Sunday 22 June 2008
A Day in the Life of a Writer - Beginnings and Endings
The Story Continues
Yesterday was quite an exciting day, writingwise.
Beginning to Publish on Triond
As I mentioned yesterday, I began to submit pieces to the online publishing site, Triond - just a couple of short 'how to' articles about writing and a poem of mine.
I was astonished to find that my two articles were up and running on their site within about an hour of me submitting them. Talk about instant publishing!
And I was even more astonished today to find that someone had clicked 'I like it' on one of my articles and a couple of complete strangers had left comments. I think one of them was a teacher from America. The internet is such an amazing resource for making contact with like-minded people from all over the world and sharing your knowledge and passions.
I'm very pleased to have discovered this new outlet for my writing and am looking forward to submitting many more items this week. Do go on to Triond and check out my work there - and leave a comment.
Creative Writing Workshop at the University of Huddersfield
The other exciting writing event yesterday was the writing workshop at the university with our guest writer, Char March. It had attracted an excellent turnout - fifteen enthusiastic and very talented writers of all ages.
As I told you in my last posting, we'd been given some preparation to do for it and I had managed to do mine, but unfortunately there were only a handful who had, so we weren't able to get off at quite the gallop that Char had intended. But we were soon all up to speed and had a fascinating workshop exploring how to convey different moods when describing a setting.
Char had brought along several extracts from published short stories for us to examine. We worked in small groups to compare how the writers had used the five senses in their descriptions of the setting.
We later discovered that one of the extracts was from a short story that Char had written herself. She confessed that she didn't usually use examples from her own work and had been quite nervous about it.
As promised, she did make us work hard. We covered a lot of ground and by the end of the workshop we had all written something of our own and read it out to the group, been applauded and generally had a fantastic time.
A Sad Ending
Which brings me to the 'endings'. Unfortunately, Rommi Smith, who has organised and run the series of workshops as part of an eighteen-month project, has been told that the project will finish at the end of July and there are no plans to extend her contract.
It's a great pity as it has been a marvellous opportunity for writers of all abilities and levels of expertise to come together from time to time and enjoy learning about writing at a very reasonable cost. The project also included regular workshops for parents and their children to come to together, which I gather were very popular and great fun.
It's been marvellous that the University has provided these opportunities for the general public to discover writing. I'm sure that it will have enhanced its reputation as an institution which fosters creativity, as well as getting lots of people inside its doors who would never have ventured in there otherwise.
We'll miss the chance to come and be part of the university and enjoy its marvellous facilities, if only for two hours a month.
Pastures New for Rommi Smith
We'll also miss Rommi Smith, whose workshops are legendary and who never fails to inspire us with her knowledge of and enthusiasm for new writing.
So thank you, Rommi. We've all learnt a lot from you over the past year or so. Let's hope it won't be the last we see of you.
Yesterday was quite an exciting day, writingwise.
Beginning to Publish on Triond
As I mentioned yesterday, I began to submit pieces to the online publishing site, Triond - just a couple of short 'how to' articles about writing and a poem of mine.
I was astonished to find that my two articles were up and running on their site within about an hour of me submitting them. Talk about instant publishing!
And I was even more astonished today to find that someone had clicked 'I like it' on one of my articles and a couple of complete strangers had left comments. I think one of them was a teacher from America. The internet is such an amazing resource for making contact with like-minded people from all over the world and sharing your knowledge and passions.
I'm very pleased to have discovered this new outlet for my writing and am looking forward to submitting many more items this week. Do go on to Triond and check out my work there - and leave a comment.
Creative Writing Workshop at the University of Huddersfield
The other exciting writing event yesterday was the writing workshop at the university with our guest writer, Char March. It had attracted an excellent turnout - fifteen enthusiastic and very talented writers of all ages.
As I told you in my last posting, we'd been given some preparation to do for it and I had managed to do mine, but unfortunately there were only a handful who had, so we weren't able to get off at quite the gallop that Char had intended. But we were soon all up to speed and had a fascinating workshop exploring how to convey different moods when describing a setting.
Char had brought along several extracts from published short stories for us to examine. We worked in small groups to compare how the writers had used the five senses in their descriptions of the setting.
We later discovered that one of the extracts was from a short story that Char had written herself. She confessed that she didn't usually use examples from her own work and had been quite nervous about it.
As promised, she did make us work hard. We covered a lot of ground and by the end of the workshop we had all written something of our own and read it out to the group, been applauded and generally had a fantastic time.
A Sad Ending
Which brings me to the 'endings'. Unfortunately, Rommi Smith, who has organised and run the series of workshops as part of an eighteen-month project, has been told that the project will finish at the end of July and there are no plans to extend her contract.
It's a great pity as it has been a marvellous opportunity for writers of all abilities and levels of expertise to come together from time to time and enjoy learning about writing at a very reasonable cost. The project also included regular workshops for parents and their children to come to together, which I gather were very popular and great fun.
It's been marvellous that the University has provided these opportunities for the general public to discover writing. I'm sure that it will have enhanced its reputation as an institution which fosters creativity, as well as getting lots of people inside its doors who would never have ventured in there otherwise.
We'll miss the chance to come and be part of the university and enjoy its marvellous facilities, if only for two hours a month.
Pastures New for Rommi Smith
We'll also miss Rommi Smith, whose workshops are legendary and who never fails to inspire us with her knowledge of and enthusiasm for new writing.
So thank you, Rommi. We've all learnt a lot from you over the past year or so. Let's hope it won't be the last we see of you.
Saturday 21 June 2008
My New Publishing Opportunity
I've got a new business venture today. I've just started submitting writing to a company called Triond which publishes people's work on internet sites. So far I've submitted two 'how to' articles and a poem, so I'll have to see how they get on and how much money they make me.
The exciting bit is that you can log on whenever you want and see how much your writing is earning. That's better then having to wait for twice-yearly royalty statements.
I've got another article almost ready to submit, but I just need to find one of my sixty-word short stories to include as an example. I'm sure I saw copies of them all in a folder recently, but can I find them when I need them? It's so frustrating!
I've been all through my computer files too and I can't find them there either. I hope they turn up soon or else I shall have to write another example.
But meanwhile, I'm off to the University this afternoon for a creative writing workshop. It's being run by a guest writer called Char March. She has given us some interesting work to do beforehand and has said she is going to work us all very hard.
I'll let you know how it goes when I speak to you next - and also whether I found my stories.
The exciting bit is that you can log on whenever you want and see how much your writing is earning. That's better then having to wait for twice-yearly royalty statements.
I've got another article almost ready to submit, but I just need to find one of my sixty-word short stories to include as an example. I'm sure I saw copies of them all in a folder recently, but can I find them when I need them? It's so frustrating!
I've been all through my computer files too and I can't find them there either. I hope they turn up soon or else I shall have to write another example.
But meanwhile, I'm off to the University this afternoon for a creative writing workshop. It's being run by a guest writer called Char March. She has given us some interesting work to do beforehand and has said she is going to work us all very hard.
I'll let you know how it goes when I speak to you next - and also whether I found my stories.
Friday 20 June 2008
Writing to Communicate - Message in a Library
I was in the library yesterday and as I walked from the entrance to the Returns desk, I passed a little shelf which had leaflets on it and paused to see if there was anything of interest.
I'd seen all the leaflets before, but there was something that caught my eye. It was just an A4 sheet of lined paper with a message scrawled on it in in scruffy block capital letters with a blue biro.
The message was very short and to the point. There was a heading, 'OIL'.
Then underneath it read, 'Farewell, my old friend.'
Five short words, but more memorable than an editorial in any broadsheet!
That's what I call communicating.
I'd seen all the leaflets before, but there was something that caught my eye. It was just an A4 sheet of lined paper with a message scrawled on it in in scruffy block capital letters with a blue biro.
The message was very short and to the point. There was a heading, 'OIL'.
Then underneath it read, 'Farewell, my old friend.'
Five short words, but more memorable than an editorial in any broadsheet!
That's what I call communicating.
Thursday 19 June 2008
Playing it Safe as a Writer
I'd gone to the Oak Rooms for lunch today, and straightaway I spotted something really nice on the specials board - a halibut dish with a herb mashed potato and a fancy sauce flavoured with capers. It sounded really nice and I nearly ordered it, but then I sat down and looked at the menu and before I knew it, the waitress had come over and I'd plumped for one of my usual favourites - beef lasagne with salad and chips.
The lasagne was very nice and I did enjoy it, but I have had it rather often recently, whereas the fish special was something that might not be on the menu again for weeks. So I ended up kicking myself for missing a chance to liven up my lunch and tickle my tastebuds with something new.
So why didn't I take the chance to try something new? Why did I end up playing safe and going for the 'tried and tested'? Am I just a boring person? Have I no sense of adventure?
I don't think so. I often try out new activities. Only this past few months I've added belly dancing and jewellery making to my schedule. I like to have a go at something I've never done before.
It could be that I've just got into the habit of eating certain dishes, and once you've got a habit established, it takes more effort to deviate from it than it does to stick with it.
I think we writers can get like that with our writing too. We always write horror stories because that's what we like to read. We always write rhyming verse because that's what we were brought up on. We wouldn't think of writing a literary short story because we're used to writing for magazines, and that's what we know.
That was one of the things that I enjoyed most about teaching my class this year. At the start of the year, everyone made a note of what sort of things they wanted to write. It was interesting to see at the end of the year what everyone had actually written and what they had particularly excelled at.
One girl who seemed to only want to write poems and adventure stories for teenagers turned out to be an excellent article writer and also wrote some very moving love stories. Someone who was into poetry and short stories made an excellent first attempt at a television script. And another chap who said he'd come on the course because he never finished anything and needed motivation was turning out high quality work faster than I could mark it! And he won £100 in a writing competition to boot.
Yes, there's a saying which goes, 'If you always do what you've always done, you always get what you've always got.' So if you're feeling a bit stuck with your writing and wondering why you're not managing to finish things or why you seem to keep getting rejections, why not try writing something completely different, something you'd never have thought of writing?
Tell yourself it's just an experiment. Allow yourself to have a go at it without putting any pressure on yourself to be absolutely brilliant at it. Just go along for the ride and see what happens.
You may end up surprising yourself. And if you don't like what you end up with, there's always your regular writing menu to fall back on.
But give the specials board a chance - just this once!
The lasagne was very nice and I did enjoy it, but I have had it rather often recently, whereas the fish special was something that might not be on the menu again for weeks. So I ended up kicking myself for missing a chance to liven up my lunch and tickle my tastebuds with something new.
So why didn't I take the chance to try something new? Why did I end up playing safe and going for the 'tried and tested'? Am I just a boring person? Have I no sense of adventure?
I don't think so. I often try out new activities. Only this past few months I've added belly dancing and jewellery making to my schedule. I like to have a go at something I've never done before.
It could be that I've just got into the habit of eating certain dishes, and once you've got a habit established, it takes more effort to deviate from it than it does to stick with it.
I think we writers can get like that with our writing too. We always write horror stories because that's what we like to read. We always write rhyming verse because that's what we were brought up on. We wouldn't think of writing a literary short story because we're used to writing for magazines, and that's what we know.
That was one of the things that I enjoyed most about teaching my class this year. At the start of the year, everyone made a note of what sort of things they wanted to write. It was interesting to see at the end of the year what everyone had actually written and what they had particularly excelled at.
One girl who seemed to only want to write poems and adventure stories for teenagers turned out to be an excellent article writer and also wrote some very moving love stories. Someone who was into poetry and short stories made an excellent first attempt at a television script. And another chap who said he'd come on the course because he never finished anything and needed motivation was turning out high quality work faster than I could mark it! And he won £100 in a writing competition to boot.
Yes, there's a saying which goes, 'If you always do what you've always done, you always get what you've always got.' So if you're feeling a bit stuck with your writing and wondering why you're not managing to finish things or why you seem to keep getting rejections, why not try writing something completely different, something you'd never have thought of writing?
Tell yourself it's just an experiment. Allow yourself to have a go at it without putting any pressure on yourself to be absolutely brilliant at it. Just go along for the ride and see what happens.
You may end up surprising yourself. And if you don't like what you end up with, there's always your regular writing menu to fall back on.
But give the specials board a chance - just this once!
Wednesday 18 June 2008
Finding Ideas for Writing - Here, There and Everywhere
I was sitting having lunch in the bistro today, and I couldn't help overhearing a couple of ladies chatting at the next table. One of them was telling the other how she had met a man on a train and got chatting to him.
She'd said to him, 'Do you believe that some people are psychic because I'm getting all sorts of information about you?' Then she proceded to amaze him by telling him lots of facts about himself, all of them true.
In fact, she was just playing a trick on him. Someone she knew had told him that a friend of hers was going to be travelling on the train, and the description fitted him so perfectly that she guessed it must be him.
It got me thinking though. That was just a normal lunchtime, but what a great story! Just think of how you could incorporate some of that true life tale into a fictional piece!
It could focus on the conversation between the woman and the man - maybe with a supernatural twist for Hallowe'en. It could lead on to a love story in which the two people do have some sort of close, almost telepathic bond. Or it could lead you to write a story about someone who deceives someone else, either from the point of view of the person doing the deceiving or from the point of view of the person who's duped.
You could write an article about people playing tricks on other people. Or you could do some research on paranormal activity to see whether some people do have psychic information about strangers and how they get it. You could write a crime story where the woman uses her knowledge to win the man's trust, start a relationship, and then con him.
All these ideas, just from a lunchtime conversation!
Now do you see why writers should carry a notebook at all times?
Just for the record, I think she did eventually tell the man that she wasn't actually psychic; they just had a mutual friend.
She'd said to him, 'Do you believe that some people are psychic because I'm getting all sorts of information about you?' Then she proceded to amaze him by telling him lots of facts about himself, all of them true.
In fact, she was just playing a trick on him. Someone she knew had told him that a friend of hers was going to be travelling on the train, and the description fitted him so perfectly that she guessed it must be him.
It got me thinking though. That was just a normal lunchtime, but what a great story! Just think of how you could incorporate some of that true life tale into a fictional piece!
It could focus on the conversation between the woman and the man - maybe with a supernatural twist for Hallowe'en. It could lead on to a love story in which the two people do have some sort of close, almost telepathic bond. Or it could lead you to write a story about someone who deceives someone else, either from the point of view of the person doing the deceiving or from the point of view of the person who's duped.
You could write an article about people playing tricks on other people. Or you could do some research on paranormal activity to see whether some people do have psychic information about strangers and how they get it. You could write a crime story where the woman uses her knowledge to win the man's trust, start a relationship, and then con him.
All these ideas, just from a lunchtime conversation!
Now do you see why writers should carry a notebook at all times?
Just for the record, I think she did eventually tell the man that she wasn't actually psychic; they just had a mutual friend.
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Demob Happy!
Today's been a bit of a pottering-around-and-catching-up day. It's been the first day that I haven't had to do any marking or lesson preparation for my teaching job.
My creative writing class met on 5th June for the last time this academic year. Since then, I've been extremely busy marking their second assignments and portfolios for their qualification, ready for Internal Verification by my boss this week and moderation by someone from the Examining Board next week.
Given that my students are extremely keen and prolific writers, going through their massive portfolios has been time-consuming, exhausting and eye-boggling - at one point I was actually starting to see double!
But at the same time, it has been an entertaining, fascinating and exhilerating process. It's been a real joy to see how much my students have progressed since they started studying with me in September. And the quality of their work and the amount of time, thought, and effort they have put into getting their portfolios just right is astonishing!
Today I've enjoyed having the time to save some podcasts (Hay House Radio - their Listen Again archive is a treasure trove of programmes about self-development and spirituality), e-mail friends, and even wash the bath mat! There are still lots of things on my to-do list for the week - music practice, yoga, swimming, belly dancing, hairdresser, dentist, to name but a few.
And tomorrow I go along to the college clutching my own certificates in my sweaty hands. This time, I'm the one who'll be the student, as it's the induction morning for my two-year in-service PGCE course. I'm looking forward to studying again and finding out all the things I should have been doing this year! Perhaps I'll learn how to use the projector without having to rely on two of my technically-minded students!
So I definitely won't be bored over the next couple of months. I'll be glad to have a break and a bit of a rest. But there's part of me that will be thinking, 'Wouldn't be nice to have some writing to mark?' I think I may be having withdrawal symptoms by the time the summer vacation is over.
But, you never know, perhaps I'll get a few e-mails in my inbox before then saying, 'Gale, I've written another story - I wonder if you'd mind just having a look at it for me...'
There's hope for me yet!
My creative writing class met on 5th June for the last time this academic year. Since then, I've been extremely busy marking their second assignments and portfolios for their qualification, ready for Internal Verification by my boss this week and moderation by someone from the Examining Board next week.
Given that my students are extremely keen and prolific writers, going through their massive portfolios has been time-consuming, exhausting and eye-boggling - at one point I was actually starting to see double!
But at the same time, it has been an entertaining, fascinating and exhilerating process. It's been a real joy to see how much my students have progressed since they started studying with me in September. And the quality of their work and the amount of time, thought, and effort they have put into getting their portfolios just right is astonishing!
Today I've enjoyed having the time to save some podcasts (Hay House Radio - their Listen Again archive is a treasure trove of programmes about self-development and spirituality), e-mail friends, and even wash the bath mat! There are still lots of things on my to-do list for the week - music practice, yoga, swimming, belly dancing, hairdresser, dentist, to name but a few.
And tomorrow I go along to the college clutching my own certificates in my sweaty hands. This time, I'm the one who'll be the student, as it's the induction morning for my two-year in-service PGCE course. I'm looking forward to studying again and finding out all the things I should have been doing this year! Perhaps I'll learn how to use the projector without having to rely on two of my technically-minded students!
So I definitely won't be bored over the next couple of months. I'll be glad to have a break and a bit of a rest. But there's part of me that will be thinking, 'Wouldn't be nice to have some writing to mark?' I think I may be having withdrawal symptoms by the time the summer vacation is over.
But, you never know, perhaps I'll get a few e-mails in my inbox before then saying, 'Gale, I've written another story - I wonder if you'd mind just having a look at it for me...'
There's hope for me yet!
Saturday 14 June 2008
A Feast for Crime Writers
My class had a barbecue this week, kindly hosted by one of the students. As well as doing lots of eating and drinking, we talked about writing quite a lot too.
One of our topics of conversation was the big Crime Writing Festival that is held in Harrogate every year. I'd given them some information about it at our last class, and one member had gone and fetched brochures for everybody.
If you are interested in crime writing, and you haven't ever been to Harrogate, you're missing a treat. The Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival is held there this year from 17-20th July.
It's a fantastic gathering, not just because of the big name authors who are appearing there, but because anybody who's anybody in the British crime writing scene will be there at one time or another, either on stage or in the audience.
Among the featured writers this year are Terri Gerritsen, Andy McNab and Peter Robinson, but really there is something for everyone whether your bag is James Bond, cosy crime or the Da Vinci code. There's even a special day on how to write crime, though at £100 including lunch, that particular event may not be within everybody's reach!
I shall probably pop in for a few sessions this year, and several of my students are making plans to do so too. Shall we be bumping into you there?
One of our topics of conversation was the big Crime Writing Festival that is held in Harrogate every year. I'd given them some information about it at our last class, and one member had gone and fetched brochures for everybody.
If you are interested in crime writing, and you haven't ever been to Harrogate, you're missing a treat. The Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival is held there this year from 17-20th July.
It's a fantastic gathering, not just because of the big name authors who are appearing there, but because anybody who's anybody in the British crime writing scene will be there at one time or another, either on stage or in the audience.
Among the featured writers this year are Terri Gerritsen, Andy McNab and Peter Robinson, but really there is something for everyone whether your bag is James Bond, cosy crime or the Da Vinci code. There's even a special day on how to write crime, though at £100 including lunch, that particular event may not be within everybody's reach!
I shall probably pop in for a few sessions this year, and several of my students are making plans to do so too. Shall we be bumping into you there?
Friday 13 June 2008
Don't Talk - Write!
We've all met them, in pubs, cafes, at work - people who tell you they've got a book in them. A book they're going to write some day soon. It's a fantastic story- so fantastic that they spend ages telling you all about what they're going to write.
But do they ever write it? No, they just talk about writing it. In fact, they talk about it so much that they never get round to doing any writing. The book never actually gets written. It remains hot air.
I make a point of never discussing what I'm about to write. I know that if I did, I would lose the impetus to sit down and actually write it. All my creative energy would have gone into talking about it, rather then writing it.
If I keep my writing ideas to myself, then eventually they will want to burst out onto the page, and I, as much as anybody, will want to know what happens.
The exception is when I'm writing with my writing partner. In that case, tossing round ideas and bouncing them off each other is a vital part of the creative process.
The difference is that the talking part of our plan is an element in our writing schedule. It's a step along the way. It isn't just showing off or talking big for the sake of it.
So save your breath, and use it to breathe life into your creation, to bring your precious book into being on the page. You can talk about your writing as much as you like once you've finished it and got it published.
Till then, keep stumm! Remember - careless talk costs books!
But do they ever write it? No, they just talk about writing it. In fact, they talk about it so much that they never get round to doing any writing. The book never actually gets written. It remains hot air.
I make a point of never discussing what I'm about to write. I know that if I did, I would lose the impetus to sit down and actually write it. All my creative energy would have gone into talking about it, rather then writing it.
If I keep my writing ideas to myself, then eventually they will want to burst out onto the page, and I, as much as anybody, will want to know what happens.
The exception is when I'm writing with my writing partner. In that case, tossing round ideas and bouncing them off each other is a vital part of the creative process.
The difference is that the talking part of our plan is an element in our writing schedule. It's a step along the way. It isn't just showing off or talking big for the sake of it.
So save your breath, and use it to breathe life into your creation, to bring your precious book into being on the page. You can talk about your writing as much as you like once you've finished it and got it published.
Till then, keep stumm! Remember - careless talk costs books!
Thursday 12 June 2008
Ten Top Books about Writing
Now that adult education and university courses are drawing to a close, I thought you might like some books about writing to keep you occupied over the summer. Here are some of my favourites.
- The Artist's Way Julia Cameron The classic which got so many of us hooked on writing Morning Pages
- Writing Down the Bones Natalie Goldberg A Zen approach to getting the writing out of you and onto the page
- Becoming a Writer Dorothea Brand A timeless classic full of encouragement and wisdom
- The Writer's Idea Book Jack Heffron A treasure trove of prompts guaranteed to get any stuck writer writing again
- Creative Writing. A Workbook with Readings ed. Linda Anderson An Open University coursebook which provides more than two hundred pages of readings, as well as teaching and exercises
- Your Writing Coach. From Concept to Character, from Pitch to Publication Jurgen Wolff A stimulating book by someone who understands the psychology of creativity
- Writing Feature Articles Brendan Hennessy Full of practical advice to help you develop a professional approach to magazine and newspaper journalism
- Taking Reality by Surprise. Writing for Pleasure and Publication ed. Susan Sellers Contains advice and tips from a number of leading writers
- Creative Writing. How to Unlock Your Imagination, Develop Your Writing Skills and Get Published Adele Ramet An ideal book for beginners
- On Writing Stephen King A classic, part memoir, part inspiration and instruction
I could continue with this list all day, but there is more than enough here to provide you with information and inspiration for many months.
Wednesday 11 June 2008
Making your Writing Original - Quirky Thoughts
I was on a Holistic Pampering Day yesterday at my local Tech along with about a dozen other ladies. We were happily walking to the silver service restaurant for our lunch, nicely relaxed after a morning of Indian Head Massage and reflexology, when I spotted something bright yellow attached to the sole of one lady's shoe.
'You've got something stuck to the sole of your shoe,' I told her.
'It's a fashion statement,' she said, without batting an eyelid, and continued walking.
Fair enough, I thought. But a couple of minutes later she bent down and pulled the offending Post-It note from her sole, with a laugh. She had me fooled though for a moment!
I was impressed at how she was able to use her creative thinking enough to turn what might have been an embarassment into a clever joke. I dare say someone really outrageous like Tracy Emin or Vivienne Westwood might wear one shoe with a yellow sticker trailing from it as a fashion statement.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could bring that sort of playfulness to our writing. Instead of getting stuck in a rut of predictability, we could revel in our quirkiness. We probably don't even notice when we are being quirky and original because we take it for granted. To us, it's normal.
When I got back from my two salsa classes on Monday, my feet were so sore that I told my husband I wished I could take them off. It would have been so nice to unscrew them and get rid of the pain for a few minutes.
I was talking about this to somebody else this morning, and he said, 'That's funny! I'd never have thought of unscrewing my feet.'
But to me, it seems perfectly logical. It also seems natural not to put sheet music into my bag upside down in case the musical notes fall off the pages and not to put books into my bag upside down in case the words fall out and get lost!
Take a few minutes to think for yourself about your own little quirky thoughts. Then write them in your notebook. You might need them one day.
And even if you don't, you might make yourself smile. Surely that's worth doing?
'You've got something stuck to the sole of your shoe,' I told her.
'It's a fashion statement,' she said, without batting an eyelid, and continued walking.
Fair enough, I thought. But a couple of minutes later she bent down and pulled the offending Post-It note from her sole, with a laugh. She had me fooled though for a moment!
I was impressed at how she was able to use her creative thinking enough to turn what might have been an embarassment into a clever joke. I dare say someone really outrageous like Tracy Emin or Vivienne Westwood might wear one shoe with a yellow sticker trailing from it as a fashion statement.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could bring that sort of playfulness to our writing. Instead of getting stuck in a rut of predictability, we could revel in our quirkiness. We probably don't even notice when we are being quirky and original because we take it for granted. To us, it's normal.
When I got back from my two salsa classes on Monday, my feet were so sore that I told my husband I wished I could take them off. It would have been so nice to unscrew them and get rid of the pain for a few minutes.
I was talking about this to somebody else this morning, and he said, 'That's funny! I'd never have thought of unscrewing my feet.'
But to me, it seems perfectly logical. It also seems natural not to put sheet music into my bag upside down in case the musical notes fall off the pages and not to put books into my bag upside down in case the words fall out and get lost!
Take a few minutes to think for yourself about your own little quirky thoughts. Then write them in your notebook. You might need them one day.
And even if you don't, you might make yourself smile. Surely that's worth doing?
Tuesday 10 June 2008
Ten Good Reasons Why a Writer Should Read
To Read or Not to Read
When I started teaching creative writing, I took it for granted that anyone who wanted to write would already be a keen reader, so I was surprised to discover that several of my students didn't usually read very much.
Throughout the year, I've aimed to show my class how valuable it is for them to read regularly and to get them to sample new authors and unfamiliar forms of writing like short stories.
Ten Good Reasons to Read
1) Reading shows you that there are so many other ways of writing and so many other things to write about - not just the ones that come into your mind easily.
2) Reading gives you insight into how other writers think.
3) Reading accelerates your progress as a writer and gives your work depth and maturity.
4) Reading enhances your vocabulary.
5) Reading teaches you new writing techniques you can use.
6) Reading allows you to decide for yourself what works and what doesn't in a piece of writing.
7) Reading provides 'nourishment' for when you feel starved of creativity.
8) Reading current publications shows you what editors want to buy.
9) There would be no point in writing if nobody ever read anything.
10) Reading is fun!
Can you think of any other reasons why writers should read? Why not add them to my list?
When I started teaching creative writing, I took it for granted that anyone who wanted to write would already be a keen reader, so I was surprised to discover that several of my students didn't usually read very much.
Throughout the year, I've aimed to show my class how valuable it is for them to read regularly and to get them to sample new authors and unfamiliar forms of writing like short stories.
Ten Good Reasons to Read
1) Reading shows you that there are so many other ways of writing and so many other things to write about - not just the ones that come into your mind easily.
2) Reading gives you insight into how other writers think.
3) Reading accelerates your progress as a writer and gives your work depth and maturity.
4) Reading enhances your vocabulary.
5) Reading teaches you new writing techniques you can use.
6) Reading allows you to decide for yourself what works and what doesn't in a piece of writing.
7) Reading provides 'nourishment' for when you feel starved of creativity.
8) Reading current publications shows you what editors want to buy.
9) There would be no point in writing if nobody ever read anything.
10) Reading is fun!
Can you think of any other reasons why writers should read? Why not add them to my list?
Monday 9 June 2008
Male or Female Books?
A Controversial Book Group
Following on from yesterday's post about what sort of things people like to read, we had a bit of controversy in our novel analysis group today.
We were discussing Jodi Picoult's book, Vanishing Acts - I mentioned this book in an earlier post. We had a helpful discussion, both about that book and about Jodi Picoult as a writer. Kimm, who was leading the discussion, had very kindly photocopied the opening page of five other Picoult novels for us to read and compare.
A Women's Book?
We were in broad agreement about both the strengths and the weaknesses of Vanishing Acts, except for one member of the group, the only man, who dismissed it as 'a book for women'. He said he couldn't imagine any man enjoying it because it's about emotions. He thought we'd have been better off discussing the new James Bond novel, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.
Can You Get Unisex Books?
But is there really such a divide between books that men like and books that women like? I don't think it's the case in the genre that I am most familiar with. For example, I would imagine that Ian Rankin's Rebus novels would appeal to men and women equally.
And there must surely be plenty of books written by men that deal with emotions. Men feel emotions too. They get angry. They fret. They fall in love. Life isn't all about Action Man, even if you're a bloke.
What do you think? Do you believe that there are some books that will only appeal to men and some that will only appeal to women? Can writers really only write for their own sex or is it possible to write something that will appeal to both men or women?
Do write a comment and let me know what you think.
Just for the record, we have agreed that we will look at Devil May Care in a couple of months' time. Equal opportunities and all that.....
Following on from yesterday's post about what sort of things people like to read, we had a bit of controversy in our novel analysis group today.
We were discussing Jodi Picoult's book, Vanishing Acts - I mentioned this book in an earlier post. We had a helpful discussion, both about that book and about Jodi Picoult as a writer. Kimm, who was leading the discussion, had very kindly photocopied the opening page of five other Picoult novels for us to read and compare.
A Women's Book?
We were in broad agreement about both the strengths and the weaknesses of Vanishing Acts, except for one member of the group, the only man, who dismissed it as 'a book for women'. He said he couldn't imagine any man enjoying it because it's about emotions. He thought we'd have been better off discussing the new James Bond novel, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.
Can You Get Unisex Books?
But is there really such a divide between books that men like and books that women like? I don't think it's the case in the genre that I am most familiar with. For example, I would imagine that Ian Rankin's Rebus novels would appeal to men and women equally.
And there must surely be plenty of books written by men that deal with emotions. Men feel emotions too. They get angry. They fret. They fall in love. Life isn't all about Action Man, even if you're a bloke.
What do you think? Do you believe that there are some books that will only appeal to men and some that will only appeal to women? Can writers really only write for their own sex or is it possible to write something that will appeal to both men or women?
Do write a comment and let me know what you think.
Just for the record, we have agreed that we will look at Devil May Care in a couple of months' time. Equal opportunities and all that.....
Sunday 8 June 2008
What Makes a Good Writer?
Different Tastes in Writing
As anyone who has ever entered a writing competition will know, whether or not you like someone's writing is intensely personal. A lot of it depends on the temperament of the reader.
For example, someone who is a go-getting daredevil will probably prefer action stories, adventures, something fast-paced that will keep them turning the pages. They're probably not going to be a big fan of Joanna Trollope's aga-sagas.
Having seen The Apprentice, I don't imagine that Sir Alan Sugar buys many Barbara Cartland romances, but you never know!
I myself love crime books, but I wouldn't dream of reading Agatha Christie's cosy crime novels. The whole point of these whodunnits is to try to work out who did it - but to me, the enjoyment of a crime novel lies in its realism, atmosphere, setting, characters, and often the inner turmoils and troubled personal lives of the detectives, as well.
Lots of people adore Tolkien, but I have had three attempts at trying to read The Hobbit in my life and never made it past the first quarter. I wouldn't even attempt to read The Lord of the Rings, but I enjoyed the films.
And there are some books that I have had to give up on, like Vanity Fair. I tried reading it when I was young, but I couldn't get into it. I felt I ought to read it because it was a classic, but I just didn't like it. Maybe I was just too young when I tried it.
I think what you enjoy reading will also depend on what sort of mood you are in and how tired you are. You might hate a book one day, but enjoy it a couple of months later when you are feeling a bit fresher.
The Characteristics of a Successful Writer
So it's just about impossible to come up with an ideal book that will please everybody. What sort of talents should a writer have, though, if they are to make it as a writer?
Being able to tell a rattling good story is an obvious one. This is an area in which Catherine Cookson, former queen of the library listings, excelled. She was a born story teller. I do think that some people are more natural story tellers than others.
Being good with words is another obvious trait. Some people love words and have a feel for language. But there is quite a lot you can do to develop this side of your writing. Reading extensively and studying poetry will definitely help a writer to improve as a wordsmith.
Originality is a controversial one. Obviously, it's boring to read a book which is too predictable, a clone of loads of other books. Unfortunately it's all too easy for writers to jump on the bandwagon too, hence the plethora of Da Vinci Files look-alikes these days.
On the other hand, readers often like to know where they are with a book, so it can be unsettling if a writer departs too far from the conventions of the genre. And books that are startlingly original may be clever and admirable, but they won't always hit the best-seller lists.
No, it would be quite hard to come up with a painting-by-numbers identikit picture of the ideal writer. What's more, the qualities that a good writer really needs to succeed aren't ones that will necessarily show up in the pages of their books. But they are ones they will need if they are to get their book published in the first place.
A Successful Writer's Unseen Qualities
The unseen qualities are the strengths of character which enable writers to risk trying to write and to persevere till they get published, in spite of setbacks and rejections. The ability to receive crushing rejection letters, yet pick themselves up, dust themselves down and start all over again. The tenacity to keep plugging away, writing and submitting books or stories, possibly for years, before they have any tangible success, any money to show for it.
The sheer bloody-mindedness to believe that they have something worth saying and to keep on saying it, even though nobody seems in the slightest bit interested. That, and a very, very thick skin!
It's ironic that many writers are sensitive souls who take rejection hard. It's that sensitivity which often goes hand in hand with a vivid imagination, that sensitivity which makes them fascinated by people, but also that sensitivity which can make life so hard for them when things aren't going well.
So if you want to be a good, successful writer, you'll need to be a good storyteller with a feel for words, the ability of Zebedee to bounce back, and the hide of a rhinoceros.
Oh, and there's one more factor which can determine whether or not a writer is successful, whether or not they are good at what they do - luck! Being in the right place at the right time, producing a certain sort of book just when it is coming into fashion. Meeting an editor who you click with, who loves your work, even though twenty others hated it.
Yes, luck can play a part. Though as someone once said, 'It's funny. The harder I work, the luckier I get.'
Work hard on your writing! But I wish you luck as well. Just in case!
As anyone who has ever entered a writing competition will know, whether or not you like someone's writing is intensely personal. A lot of it depends on the temperament of the reader.
For example, someone who is a go-getting daredevil will probably prefer action stories, adventures, something fast-paced that will keep them turning the pages. They're probably not going to be a big fan of Joanna Trollope's aga-sagas.
Having seen The Apprentice, I don't imagine that Sir Alan Sugar buys many Barbara Cartland romances, but you never know!
I myself love crime books, but I wouldn't dream of reading Agatha Christie's cosy crime novels. The whole point of these whodunnits is to try to work out who did it - but to me, the enjoyment of a crime novel lies in its realism, atmosphere, setting, characters, and often the inner turmoils and troubled personal lives of the detectives, as well.
Lots of people adore Tolkien, but I have had three attempts at trying to read The Hobbit in my life and never made it past the first quarter. I wouldn't even attempt to read The Lord of the Rings, but I enjoyed the films.
And there are some books that I have had to give up on, like Vanity Fair. I tried reading it when I was young, but I couldn't get into it. I felt I ought to read it because it was a classic, but I just didn't like it. Maybe I was just too young when I tried it.
I think what you enjoy reading will also depend on what sort of mood you are in and how tired you are. You might hate a book one day, but enjoy it a couple of months later when you are feeling a bit fresher.
The Characteristics of a Successful Writer
So it's just about impossible to come up with an ideal book that will please everybody. What sort of talents should a writer have, though, if they are to make it as a writer?
Being able to tell a rattling good story is an obvious one. This is an area in which Catherine Cookson, former queen of the library listings, excelled. She was a born story teller. I do think that some people are more natural story tellers than others.
Being good with words is another obvious trait. Some people love words and have a feel for language. But there is quite a lot you can do to develop this side of your writing. Reading extensively and studying poetry will definitely help a writer to improve as a wordsmith.
Originality is a controversial one. Obviously, it's boring to read a book which is too predictable, a clone of loads of other books. Unfortunately it's all too easy for writers to jump on the bandwagon too, hence the plethora of Da Vinci Files look-alikes these days.
On the other hand, readers often like to know where they are with a book, so it can be unsettling if a writer departs too far from the conventions of the genre. And books that are startlingly original may be clever and admirable, but they won't always hit the best-seller lists.
No, it would be quite hard to come up with a painting-by-numbers identikit picture of the ideal writer. What's more, the qualities that a good writer really needs to succeed aren't ones that will necessarily show up in the pages of their books. But they are ones they will need if they are to get their book published in the first place.
A Successful Writer's Unseen Qualities
The unseen qualities are the strengths of character which enable writers to risk trying to write and to persevere till they get published, in spite of setbacks and rejections. The ability to receive crushing rejection letters, yet pick themselves up, dust themselves down and start all over again. The tenacity to keep plugging away, writing and submitting books or stories, possibly for years, before they have any tangible success, any money to show for it.
The sheer bloody-mindedness to believe that they have something worth saying and to keep on saying it, even though nobody seems in the slightest bit interested. That, and a very, very thick skin!
It's ironic that many writers are sensitive souls who take rejection hard. It's that sensitivity which often goes hand in hand with a vivid imagination, that sensitivity which makes them fascinated by people, but also that sensitivity which can make life so hard for them when things aren't going well.
So if you want to be a good, successful writer, you'll need to be a good storyteller with a feel for words, the ability of Zebedee to bounce back, and the hide of a rhinoceros.
Oh, and there's one more factor which can determine whether or not a writer is successful, whether or not they are good at what they do - luck! Being in the right place at the right time, producing a certain sort of book just when it is coming into fashion. Meeting an editor who you click with, who loves your work, even though twenty others hated it.
Yes, luck can play a part. Though as someone once said, 'It's funny. The harder I work, the luckier I get.'
Work hard on your writing! But I wish you luck as well. Just in case!
Saturday 7 June 2008
Some Useful Internet Resources for Writers
Going it Alone as a Writer
One of the things I did this week was to compile a list for my students of some internet resources they might find useful for their writing. We've now had our last class of the academic year and one or two people were already wondering how they were going to survive till September without any writing classes to go to! How could they keep their writing going?
Here are some writing resources I found which I thought they might enjoy using over the summer.
Increase Your Vocabulary
Students have often said to me, 'I wish I had a bigger vocabulary, but I don't know how to go about learning new words without it taking a lot of effort.' In our lessons, there are often some words mentioned which are new to at least some of them, but I wanted to find some way they could enlarge their vocabulary at home as well.
The Word of the Day site provides readers with a new word every single day. As well as definitions, it also gives examples from literature of the words being used in context, which really help helps to bring them to life. It includes information on the foreign word the new word was originally derived from. There's also an archive of past Words of the Day - I could happily spend hours browsing through this site!
Read Poetry
There's a vast amount of poetry available on the internet, but if you don't know where to start, there's a useful website that will send you a poem every week. It's from the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre. A few of the poems are not very easy to read unless you're very familiar with modern poetry, but there are many that will appeal to a wider readership. Again, you can lose yourself browsing through their archive of poems. I particularly liked 'In Praise of Aunts', '-wards', and 'Muriel'.
Read Writing News and Features
If you want to know about competitions and markets for your writing as well as gaining access to a large archive of articles about all aspects of writing, Writing World is a very useful website to visit. You can also sign up there to receive a regular newsletter about writing opportunities, news, and features.
Of course, there is my own daily blog, The Writing Wizard, which provides step-by-step guidance on how to write for aspiring writers and this daily blog too.
These examples are just a few of the many resources for creative writers to be found on the internet.
The Public Library
Don't just confine yourself to online sources though. Public libraries still have a lot to offer, even in this technological age. My own, moderately-sized, library provides not only novels and non-fiction, but also books on many aspects of writing, collections of short stories, and even talking books on cassette or CD. I'm always surprised at how much is available, even in these days of library funding cut-backs.
I hope you'll enjoy sampling some of these websites. Don't forget to log in tomorrow though, to read yet another of my blogs on creative writing. And please do visit The Writing Wizard too. I'd love to add a touch of magic to your writing.
One of the things I did this week was to compile a list for my students of some internet resources they might find useful for their writing. We've now had our last class of the academic year and one or two people were already wondering how they were going to survive till September without any writing classes to go to! How could they keep their writing going?
Here are some writing resources I found which I thought they might enjoy using over the summer.
Increase Your Vocabulary
Students have often said to me, 'I wish I had a bigger vocabulary, but I don't know how to go about learning new words without it taking a lot of effort.' In our lessons, there are often some words mentioned which are new to at least some of them, but I wanted to find some way they could enlarge their vocabulary at home as well.
The Word of the Day site provides readers with a new word every single day. As well as definitions, it also gives examples from literature of the words being used in context, which really help helps to bring them to life. It includes information on the foreign word the new word was originally derived from. There's also an archive of past Words of the Day - I could happily spend hours browsing through this site!
Read Poetry
There's a vast amount of poetry available on the internet, but if you don't know where to start, there's a useful website that will send you a poem every week. It's from the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre. A few of the poems are not very easy to read unless you're very familiar with modern poetry, but there are many that will appeal to a wider readership. Again, you can lose yourself browsing through their archive of poems. I particularly liked 'In Praise of Aunts', '-wards', and 'Muriel'.
Read Writing News and Features
If you want to know about competitions and markets for your writing as well as gaining access to a large archive of articles about all aspects of writing, Writing World is a very useful website to visit. You can also sign up there to receive a regular newsletter about writing opportunities, news, and features.
Of course, there is my own daily blog, The Writing Wizard, which provides step-by-step guidance on how to write for aspiring writers and this daily blog too.
These examples are just a few of the many resources for creative writers to be found on the internet.
The Public Library
Don't just confine yourself to online sources though. Public libraries still have a lot to offer, even in this technological age. My own, moderately-sized, library provides not only novels and non-fiction, but also books on many aspects of writing, collections of short stories, and even talking books on cassette or CD. I'm always surprised at how much is available, even in these days of library funding cut-backs.
I hope you'll enjoy sampling some of these websites. Don't forget to log in tomorrow though, to read yet another of my blogs on creative writing. And please do visit The Writing Wizard too. I'd love to add a touch of magic to your writing.
Friday 6 June 2008
Your First Thirty Seconds - How to Write an Opening
First Impressions Count
Recruitment experts always say, 'When you go for an interview, the interviewer will form an opinion about you in the first thirty seconds'.
Readers do the same sort of thing when faced with a piece of writing. There are so many things to read these days - articles, stories, writing in magazines, newspapers, books, the internet - that your readers have plenty of reading matter to choose from and not enough time to read it all.
So when you're starting off a piece, you need to make sure that your opening will grab your reader's attention and make him want to read on.
The Hook
Writers have a special name for this. It's called the hook. Just as a fisherman doesn't want to sit at the riverbank all day and go home empty handed, the writer also needs to catch his readers and keep hold of them.
How to Create a Catchy Hook
So how are you going to write an effective hook for your story or article? What sort of bait are you going to use? Here are a few suggestions:
Recruitment experts always say, 'When you go for an interview, the interviewer will form an opinion about you in the first thirty seconds'.
Readers do the same sort of thing when faced with a piece of writing. There are so many things to read these days - articles, stories, writing in magazines, newspapers, books, the internet - that your readers have plenty of reading matter to choose from and not enough time to read it all.
So when you're starting off a piece, you need to make sure that your opening will grab your reader's attention and make him want to read on.
The Hook
Writers have a special name for this. It's called the hook. Just as a fisherman doesn't want to sit at the riverbank all day and go home empty handed, the writer also needs to catch his readers and keep hold of them.
How to Create a Catchy Hook
So how are you going to write an effective hook for your story or article? What sort of bait are you going to use? Here are a few suggestions:
- Start with a question to get your reader thinking
- Use direct speech to make your opening immediate
- Refer to something topical, then tie it in with the subject of the piece
- Say something surprising
- Be controversial
- Start with an honest, personal observation then open it out
- Begin with an anecdote that is funny or memorable
Discover for Yourself
When you read anything in the coming week, whether it's an article in a newspaper or magazine or a novel, you could take a special look at the opening. Ask yourself what technique the writer has used to hook his readers. Perhaps you could even jot down in a notebook what they did and start your own little collection of effective openings?
Think back to your favourite books or to stories or articles that have lingered in your memory. Can you remember how you felt when you began to read them? Did the opening make you curious? Was it striking? Did you identify with what the writer was saying or feeling?
How about when you looked at this post? Can you remember how it started? What did I do to catch your attention at the beginning?
If you're feeling ambitious, maybe you could write an opening paragraph yourself and try to incorporate a hook? If you like what you've written, you can share it with us by writing it as a comment. Tell us why you think it works.
Thursday 5 June 2008
Endings and Beginnings
This week I've had a new beginning and I'm about to have an ending.
My new beginning is my second blog on writing, The Writing Wizard, which you can find on http://www.bloglines.com/blog/GaleBarker. It provides practical help and tips for beginner writers.
What's about to end is the creative writing course that I've been teaching this year. Tonight my students hand in their final assignments and their portfolios of the year's work. The course will officially be over, and we won't be back at college till September.
Our Last Class of the Year
It's a real achievement for my class to have got to this stage, as most of the students have jobs and only have a limited amount of time to devote to their writing. They've had to contend with all sorts of problems along the way - illnesses, family crises, computer breakdowns, hectic periods at work. They've been studying since September, so it's been a marathon rather than a sprint.
They've kept their noses to the grindstone, churning out homework, writing extra pieces, trying out new forms of writing. Throughout the year, they've discovered (and won) writing competitions and adult learning awards, been to writing festivals, read their work in public, and seen it in print for the first time. It's been quite a year!
We're going to celebrate their success this evening by sharing food and drink and listening to each other's work. Everyone is going to read out a piece that they have written.
I'm sure it will be a lovely evening, as we're always really amazed at the quality of the work that every student can produce and appreciate each other's talent and unique strengths.
The Beginning of a New Blog
This week I have also been transformed into a wizard. I have become The Writing Wizard on my new Bloglines blog. I'm getting used to my new identity and I'm delighted with it, but now that I'm having to get used to a new blog site, I'm a bit like a student starting off a new course, except I don't have a teacher to help me.
I feel as if I don't really know what I'm doing. I know how to be The Writing Wizard. I know how to fix people's writing and turn them into writers. What I'm struggling with is the technical limitations of the Bloglines site.
I found the Blogger site, on which this posting is written, very easy to use. You write your blog. You can save it if you're not quite finished, post it immediately, or schedule it to be posted at a later date. Even once you've posted it, you can still go back and change it if you spot a mistake. It only takes a moment.
Frustration! Frustration! Frustration!
The Bloglines site is totally different. I was lulled into a false sense of security by my first posting yesterday, which went relatively smoothly.
Today was another matter. I was happily writing my piece when, two-thirds of the way through, the keyboard started to do strange things. Suddenly wouldn't let me type any more. I typed and typed but no letters appeared on the screen.
At first, I thought it must be autosaving, so I waited for a while. Eventually I was able to get going again, but only about three letters on the keyboard would work. It was fine if you wanted to type iiiiiiiiiiiii,,,,,,,,,,aaaaaaaa but not much good for anything else!
I had no option but to quit and come back in. I tried to save my work before I did, but when I did return I discovered that it had only saved about three lines of the file, so I had to write virtually all of it again.
Then I thought I'd got it perfect, so I posted it (there was no point in saving it as a clip because that's how I'd lost the other version). Unfortunately, once it was on the site, I discovered something small I needed to alter - I needed to remove about three rogue words from the middle of a sentence. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any way of altering a post once it's up.
So when I'm writing my other blog, I've discovered through bitter experience that you can't save a draft and you can't alter what you've written once you've published it.
My Learning Experience
I will persevere as The Writing Wizard, in spite of the shortcomings of Bloglines. It isn't ideal, but hopefully I will get to know the system better, and maybe Bloglines will improve their software.
I hope that in a year's time I'll be able to celebrate the fact that I've been able to stick with it, despite my problems, and be proud of my achievement, just as my students are proud of theirs.
My new beginning is my second blog on writing, The Writing Wizard, which you can find on http://www.bloglines.com/blog/GaleBarker. It provides practical help and tips for beginner writers.
What's about to end is the creative writing course that I've been teaching this year. Tonight my students hand in their final assignments and their portfolios of the year's work. The course will officially be over, and we won't be back at college till September.
Our Last Class of the Year
It's a real achievement for my class to have got to this stage, as most of the students have jobs and only have a limited amount of time to devote to their writing. They've had to contend with all sorts of problems along the way - illnesses, family crises, computer breakdowns, hectic periods at work. They've been studying since September, so it's been a marathon rather than a sprint.
They've kept their noses to the grindstone, churning out homework, writing extra pieces, trying out new forms of writing. Throughout the year, they've discovered (and won) writing competitions and adult learning awards, been to writing festivals, read their work in public, and seen it in print for the first time. It's been quite a year!
We're going to celebrate their success this evening by sharing food and drink and listening to each other's work. Everyone is going to read out a piece that they have written.
I'm sure it will be a lovely evening, as we're always really amazed at the quality of the work that every student can produce and appreciate each other's talent and unique strengths.
The Beginning of a New Blog
This week I have also been transformed into a wizard. I have become The Writing Wizard on my new Bloglines blog. I'm getting used to my new identity and I'm delighted with it, but now that I'm having to get used to a new blog site, I'm a bit like a student starting off a new course, except I don't have a teacher to help me.
I feel as if I don't really know what I'm doing. I know how to be The Writing Wizard. I know how to fix people's writing and turn them into writers. What I'm struggling with is the technical limitations of the Bloglines site.
I found the Blogger site, on which this posting is written, very easy to use. You write your blog. You can save it if you're not quite finished, post it immediately, or schedule it to be posted at a later date. Even once you've posted it, you can still go back and change it if you spot a mistake. It only takes a moment.
Frustration! Frustration! Frustration!
The Bloglines site is totally different. I was lulled into a false sense of security by my first posting yesterday, which went relatively smoothly.
Today was another matter. I was happily writing my piece when, two-thirds of the way through, the keyboard started to do strange things. Suddenly wouldn't let me type any more. I typed and typed but no letters appeared on the screen.
At first, I thought it must be autosaving, so I waited for a while. Eventually I was able to get going again, but only about three letters on the keyboard would work. It was fine if you wanted to type iiiiiiiiiiiii,,,,,,,,,,aaaaaaaa but not much good for anything else!
I had no option but to quit and come back in. I tried to save my work before I did, but when I did return I discovered that it had only saved about three lines of the file, so I had to write virtually all of it again.
Then I thought I'd got it perfect, so I posted it (there was no point in saving it as a clip because that's how I'd lost the other version). Unfortunately, once it was on the site, I discovered something small I needed to alter - I needed to remove about three rogue words from the middle of a sentence. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any way of altering a post once it's up.
So when I'm writing my other blog, I've discovered through bitter experience that you can't save a draft and you can't alter what you've written once you've published it.
My Learning Experience
I will persevere as The Writing Wizard, in spite of the shortcomings of Bloglines. It isn't ideal, but hopefully I will get to know the system better, and maybe Bloglines will improve their software.
I hope that in a year's time I'll be able to celebrate the fact that I've been able to stick with it, despite my problems, and be proud of my achievement, just as my students are proud of theirs.
'Get It Right' - Part 3 - Adjectives and Adverbs
Adverb or Adjective?
Both adverbs and adjectives modify (describe) something. Adverbs describe how something is done - quickly, carefully, sweetly, roughly, scarily - whereas adjectives describe what something is like - quick, careful, sweet, rough, scary.
How to Spot an Adverb
It's easy to spot the difference between an adjective and an adverb. Adverbs often end in -ly, though there are a few exceptions.
Puzzle
Can you spot the adverbs in the following list?
hoarsely good excitement foolishly enthusiastically wrong well bubbly uniquely holy mad old
The answer can be found at the end of this posting.
When Do You Use an Adverb?
Whether you need to use an adverb or an adjective depends on what it is that you want to describe - whether you're talking about the way something is done or what something is like.
Adverbs
Adverbs are attached to a verb - a doing word - and describe how the verb is being done. For example, take the following sentence:
The burglar crept softly into the house.
What is it that is being described? It's the way the burglar crept. Crept is a verb, so softly must be an adverb.
Adjectives
Adjectives are attached to a noun - a naming word - and describe what the noun is like. For example:
The nurse spoke to the patient in a soft voice.
What is it that is soft? It's the nurse's voice. Voice is a noun, so soft must be an adjective.
An Adverb instead of an Adjective
Of course, you could rewrite the sentence so that it uses an adverb instead:
The nurse spoke softly to the patient.
The next time you're reading something, why not see if you can spot for yourself which are the adjectives and which are the adverbs?
Tomorrow's Blog
This is the last in this week's mini-series about the nuts and bolts of the English language. Tomorrow we'll look at how to write an opening to a story or article that will make your readers want to read on.
The Writing Wizard
Both adverbs and adjectives modify (describe) something. Adverbs describe how something is done - quickly, carefully, sweetly, roughly, scarily - whereas adjectives describe what something is like - quick, careful, sweet, rough, scary.
How to Spot an Adverb
It's easy to spot the difference between an adjective and an adverb. Adverbs often end in -ly, though there are a few exceptions.
Puzzle
Can you spot the adverbs in the following list?
hoarsely good excitement foolishly enthusiastically wrong well bubbly uniquely holy mad old
The answer can be found at the end of this posting.
When Do You Use an Adverb?
Whether you need to use an adverb or an adjective depends on what it is that you want to describe - whether you're talking about the way something is done or what something is like.
Adverbs
Adverbs are attached to a verb - a doing word - and describe how the verb is being done. For example, take the following sentence:
The burglar crept softly into the house.
What is it that is being described? It's the way the burglar crept. Crept is a verb, so softly must be an adverb.
Adjectives
Adjectives are attached to a noun - a naming word - and describe what the noun is like. For example:
The nurse spoke to the patient in a soft voice.
What is it that is soft? It's the nurse's voice. Voice is a noun, so soft must be an adjective.
An Adverb instead of an Adjective
Of course, you could rewrite the sentence so that it uses an adverb instead:
The nurse spoke softly to the patient.
The next time you're reading something, why not see if you can spot for yourself which are the adjectives and which are the adverbs?
Tomorrow's Blog
This is the last in this week's mini-series about the nuts and bolts of the English language. Tomorrow we'll look at how to write an opening to a story or article that will make your readers want to read on.
The Writing Wizard
I have a new blog site, The Writing Wizard, in which I will be applying my magic touch to your writing problems. I'll be providing advice, tuition, and inspiration for aspiring writers.
You can read The Writing Wizard on http://www.bloglines.com/blog/GaleBarker.
Solution to the puzzle: The adverbs are: hoarsely foolishly enthusiastically well uniquely.
Well is one of the exceptions - an adverb that doesn't end in -ly. Bubbly and holy end in -ly, but they are actually adjectives.
Wednesday 4 June 2008
'Get It Right' - Part 2 - Using the Humble Comma
Too Much or Too Little
When I'm marking my students' work the humble comma seems to cause an awful lot of problems. I spend an inordinate amount of time putting in commas where they are needed or changing them into full stops or semi-colons. It's bizarre that something so small could cause so much trouble.
When to Use a Comma
So how do you decide when to use a comma? Are there any rules?
One of the most common uses of the comma is to divide up bits of a sentence that are logically separate from one another. The best thing to do is to read your sentence and ask yourself if you could take out any sections and still end up with a sentence that makes perfect sense.
Separating Names from the Body of the Sentence
Here's a sentence which needs a comma between a name and the rest of the sentence:
John, I'm going out now.
What would happen if you took away the word John? Would the sentence still work without it?
You'd be left with this:
I'm going out now.
I think you'll agree that makes a perfectly good sentence all by itself, so you need to have a comma to separate John from the rest of the sentence.
When You Can't Separate a Name from the Rest of the Sentence
Take a look at this sentence:
John is going out now.
Can you get rid of the word John? Definitely not! You'd be left with:
Is going out now.
That's not a proper sentence! So it would be meaningless to write:
John, is going out now.
John is the person who is doing something in the sentence, so the word John needs to be connected to the rest of the sentence.
This may sound rather obvious, but you'd be surprised how often writers break up the logic of a sentence by shoving commas in strange places like that, especially if the sentence is a long one.
I hope you feel clearer about that particular rule on commas. There are lots more uses of the comma, but that's enough for now.
Tomorrow I'll look at a grammar problem. Why not e-mail me if you have something you'd like me to explain? My address is: gale.barker@tesco.net. I'd be delighted to hear from you.
When I'm marking my students' work the humble comma seems to cause an awful lot of problems. I spend an inordinate amount of time putting in commas where they are needed or changing them into full stops or semi-colons. It's bizarre that something so small could cause so much trouble.
When to Use a Comma
So how do you decide when to use a comma? Are there any rules?
One of the most common uses of the comma is to divide up bits of a sentence that are logically separate from one another. The best thing to do is to read your sentence and ask yourself if you could take out any sections and still end up with a sentence that makes perfect sense.
Separating Names from the Body of the Sentence
Here's a sentence which needs a comma between a name and the rest of the sentence:
John, I'm going out now.
What would happen if you took away the word John? Would the sentence still work without it?
You'd be left with this:
I'm going out now.
I think you'll agree that makes a perfectly good sentence all by itself, so you need to have a comma to separate John from the rest of the sentence.
When You Can't Separate a Name from the Rest of the Sentence
Take a look at this sentence:
John is going out now.
Can you get rid of the word John? Definitely not! You'd be left with:
Is going out now.
That's not a proper sentence! So it would be meaningless to write:
John, is going out now.
John is the person who is doing something in the sentence, so the word John needs to be connected to the rest of the sentence.
This may sound rather obvious, but you'd be surprised how often writers break up the logic of a sentence by shoving commas in strange places like that, especially if the sentence is a long one.
I hope you feel clearer about that particular rule on commas. There are lots more uses of the comma, but that's enough for now.
Tomorrow I'll look at a grammar problem. Why not e-mail me if you have something you'd like me to explain? My address is: gale.barker@tesco.net. I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
'Get It Right' - Part 1 - Spelling
Beginner writers are often hung up about spelling, grammar and punctuation.
'I've got loads of stories in my mind,' they say. 'It's how to get them onto paper that worries me. I didn't go to university and my grammar and punctuation aren't up to much.'
What they don't realise is that they're lucky. Good stories are hard to come by. But anyone can sort out their spelling, grammar and punctuation, with a little help. Here's a little help from me - today I'm going to deal with spelling. Log in tomorrow to find out how to solve your grammar problems.
Spelling
Now that most aspiring writers have computers, spelling isn't nearly the problem it used to be. Spellcheckers sort out an awful lot of potential mistakes. They can even correct your typos for you before you get onto the next word. How clever is that!
What they're not so clever at is spotting whether you've used a word that is a real word, spelt correctly, but it's not the right word in that context. I'm talking about homonyms, words that sound the same but have different meanings and different spellings.
Homonyms - Different Words - Same Sound
Let's take a simple example: the word 'there'. Or it could be 'their'....Or even 'they're'. It's astonishing how often I see these three versions confused in my students' work. Even highly educated people with very responsible jobs can get in a mess with these.
Here's how to tell them apart.
* There means 'in that place'.
The paper clips are over there.
* Their means 'belonging to them'.
The students fixed their essays together with paperclips.
* They're is a shortened version of 'they are'. An apostrophe marks where the missing letter 'a' would have been.
They're getting ready to leave now.
Your spell checker won't be able to tell if you've chosen the wrong homonym, but an editor will, so it's worth investing a bit of time to brush up on any that you aren't sure of. There are plenty of books which explain grammatical points like these very clearly and simply. My favourite one is Collins Good Grammar (£8.99). Or you can use an online grammar website like this one : http://edufind.com/English/grammar/INDEX.cfm.
Little and Often
Grammar books aren't the sort of thing you'd want to sit and read from cover to cover in one sitting. Little and often is the best way to learn this sort of thing. You could read a short section while you're waiting for the kettle to boil or your bus to arrive. The next day, re-read that section and begin a new one.
Gale's Guide
I'll cover more cases like these in my blog, so keep on logging in. Tomorrow I'll deal with a thorny punctuation problem.
Meanwhile, if you have any queries about grammar, punctuation and spelling that you'd like me to deal with, e-mail me on gale.barker@tesco.net.
'I've got loads of stories in my mind,' they say. 'It's how to get them onto paper that worries me. I didn't go to university and my grammar and punctuation aren't up to much.'
What they don't realise is that they're lucky. Good stories are hard to come by. But anyone can sort out their spelling, grammar and punctuation, with a little help. Here's a little help from me - today I'm going to deal with spelling. Log in tomorrow to find out how to solve your grammar problems.
Spelling
Now that most aspiring writers have computers, spelling isn't nearly the problem it used to be. Spellcheckers sort out an awful lot of potential mistakes. They can even correct your typos for you before you get onto the next word. How clever is that!
What they're not so clever at is spotting whether you've used a word that is a real word, spelt correctly, but it's not the right word in that context. I'm talking about homonyms, words that sound the same but have different meanings and different spellings.
Homonyms - Different Words - Same Sound
Let's take a simple example: the word 'there'. Or it could be 'their'....Or even 'they're'. It's astonishing how often I see these three versions confused in my students' work. Even highly educated people with very responsible jobs can get in a mess with these.
Here's how to tell them apart.
* There means 'in that place'.
The paper clips are over there.
* Their means 'belonging to them'.
The students fixed their essays together with paperclips.
* They're is a shortened version of 'they are'. An apostrophe marks where the missing letter 'a' would have been.
They're getting ready to leave now.
Your spell checker won't be able to tell if you've chosen the wrong homonym, but an editor will, so it's worth investing a bit of time to brush up on any that you aren't sure of. There are plenty of books which explain grammatical points like these very clearly and simply. My favourite one is Collins Good Grammar (£8.99). Or you can use an online grammar website like this one : http://edufind.com/English/grammar/INDEX.cfm.
Little and Often
Grammar books aren't the sort of thing you'd want to sit and read from cover to cover in one sitting. Little and often is the best way to learn this sort of thing. You could read a short section while you're waiting for the kettle to boil or your bus to arrive. The next day, re-read that section and begin a new one.
Gale's Guide
I'll cover more cases like these in my blog, so keep on logging in. Tomorrow I'll deal with a thorny punctuation problem.
Meanwhile, if you have any queries about grammar, punctuation and spelling that you'd like me to deal with, e-mail me on gale.barker@tesco.net.
Monday 2 June 2008
Tips for Tired Writers
Are you starting to flag a little? Has the inspiration that drove you to your word processor begun to wane? Do you feel as if you're going round and round in circles with a piece?
You know it needs something to make it work, but you're not sure what. You've been working for ages on it, but now you just feel stuck. Perhaps you've got to a scene that is vital for your novel, but you don't feel ready to write it.
Here are ten tips for tired writers:
1) Take a break, a physical break. Get up and go out for a walk round the block. Linger in the garden, watch a passing bird.
2) Get some exercise to bring back that feel-good factor. Jump on the rebounder for ten minutes. Put on a fast tune and dance to it. Do bicep curls with a tin of beans.
3) If you're stuck with a particular scene, skip it and write a section that you feel more comfortable with. You can come back to it later when you're ready to tackle it.
4) Spend half an hour doing free writing. Write about anything that comes to mind, without censoring yourself. Open a dictionary and pick a word with a pin and write about that.
5) Write something totally different from what you normally write. For example, if poetry is your thing, write an article. If you only ever write short stories, write a haiku instead.
6) Read out loud the last two pages that you've written. Hearing your own words and feeling the rhythm of your writing, you're bound to think of some changes you want to make. By the time you've done them, you'll be raring to go again.
7) Use a different writing method. If you always write longhand, try writing directly onto the computer. If you always word process your work, speak into a voice recorder.
8) Go and write in a different location. Sit in a cafe with a notebook. Write a short story on a train. The change of scenery will make you and your writing fresher.
9) Have a soak in the bath. Enjoy soft music, candles, aromatherapy oils, the works. Keep a notebook and paper handy to jot down the ideas you have while you are relaxed.
10) Be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up is not the answer. The world needs writers who are human beings, not machines.
E-mail me on gale.barker@tesco.net with your favourite writing tips or queries about writing.
You know it needs something to make it work, but you're not sure what. You've been working for ages on it, but now you just feel stuck. Perhaps you've got to a scene that is vital for your novel, but you don't feel ready to write it.
Here are ten tips for tired writers:
1) Take a break, a physical break. Get up and go out for a walk round the block. Linger in the garden, watch a passing bird.
2) Get some exercise to bring back that feel-good factor. Jump on the rebounder for ten minutes. Put on a fast tune and dance to it. Do bicep curls with a tin of beans.
3) If you're stuck with a particular scene, skip it and write a section that you feel more comfortable with. You can come back to it later when you're ready to tackle it.
4) Spend half an hour doing free writing. Write about anything that comes to mind, without censoring yourself. Open a dictionary and pick a word with a pin and write about that.
5) Write something totally different from what you normally write. For example, if poetry is your thing, write an article. If you only ever write short stories, write a haiku instead.
6) Read out loud the last two pages that you've written. Hearing your own words and feeling the rhythm of your writing, you're bound to think of some changes you want to make. By the time you've done them, you'll be raring to go again.
7) Use a different writing method. If you always write longhand, try writing directly onto the computer. If you always word process your work, speak into a voice recorder.
8) Go and write in a different location. Sit in a cafe with a notebook. Write a short story on a train. The change of scenery will make you and your writing fresher.
9) Have a soak in the bath. Enjoy soft music, candles, aromatherapy oils, the works. Keep a notebook and paper handy to jot down the ideas you have while you are relaxed.
10) Be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up is not the answer. The world needs writers who are human beings, not machines.
E-mail me on gale.barker@tesco.net with your favourite writing tips or queries about writing.
Sunday 1 June 2008
Is It All Right?
These past few weeks, I've frequently opened my e-mail box and found a note from one of my students saying, 'I've had a go at writing a radio drama/autobiographical piece/short story, but I don't know if it's all right. Would you take a look at it for me?'
Often I find the writer has been worrying about nothing - the piece they've sent me is really promising. Maybe it needs a few little tweaks or there are some odd spelling mistakes or a bit of wonky punctuation. Maybe it needs quite a bit more work done on it. But whatever my verdict on the piece, I'm always pleased to see that they've been trying something new.
That's the thing about writing. It's usually better to have something rather than nothing. Even if you're at the very, very start of your journey as a writer, or if you were having a really bad day when you put pen to paper, the very fact that you have put pen to paper is a good thing.
A piece of writing isn't like a silk blouse which you could ruin irrevocably with a faulty seam, an uneven hem. If you do need to redo it, it won't show needle marks where you've unpicked the fabric, done a nip here and a tuck there. If you've trimmed away too much, you can always add extra and nobody will ever see the join.
You can afford to take risks with your writing. It's all part of the learning process. No risks, play it safe all the time and you'll develop at the pace of a racing snail. Experiment, try out a few new forms, a few genres that you may have thought were beyond you, and you'll be amazed at what you can come up with. You may even find that your forte turns out to be something completely different from what you first thought of.
I have a card pinned above my desk, which contains a quotation by the German poet, Goethe. It says:
'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and
magic in it.'
Dare you be bold in your writing. Dare to take risks. Dare to try something new. Try it, and discover the magic for yourself.
Often I find the writer has been worrying about nothing - the piece they've sent me is really promising. Maybe it needs a few little tweaks or there are some odd spelling mistakes or a bit of wonky punctuation. Maybe it needs quite a bit more work done on it. But whatever my verdict on the piece, I'm always pleased to see that they've been trying something new.
That's the thing about writing. It's usually better to have something rather than nothing. Even if you're at the very, very start of your journey as a writer, or if you were having a really bad day when you put pen to paper, the very fact that you have put pen to paper is a good thing.
A piece of writing isn't like a silk blouse which you could ruin irrevocably with a faulty seam, an uneven hem. If you do need to redo it, it won't show needle marks where you've unpicked the fabric, done a nip here and a tuck there. If you've trimmed away too much, you can always add extra and nobody will ever see the join.
You can afford to take risks with your writing. It's all part of the learning process. No risks, play it safe all the time and you'll develop at the pace of a racing snail. Experiment, try out a few new forms, a few genres that you may have thought were beyond you, and you'll be amazed at what you can come up with. You may even find that your forte turns out to be something completely different from what you first thought of.
I have a card pinned above my desk, which contains a quotation by the German poet, Goethe. It says:
'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and
magic in it.'
Dare you be bold in your writing. Dare to take risks. Dare to try something new. Try it, and discover the magic for yourself.
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