This past week has been hectic. I’ve got a couple of things going on at the moment that are rather exciting, but I can’t say much more, now, because I don’t want to jinx it 😉 Will tell you soon though, I promise!
The problem is, I’ve had so much on my mind this past week, and because of that I’ve found it really hard to focus. Still been writing everyday, just not doing the things I should have been doing *frowns*
So the list last week looked like this:
1. Submit 1st assignment to Writers Bureau & start 2nd. Nope *deep sigh* but I did work on it.
2. Continue to work on Faber 25 word pitch & reading. Yep, but it’s still not finished.
3. Edit at least 1 chapter of Tangled. Nope, but I’ve decided to send it off to the RNA in first draft form.
4. Declutter the dining room. Started….it looks even worse now than before I started lol
5. Sort out outfit for Faber event. I have decided what I’m going to wear. I don’t want to look too posh lol….so I’m just going to go as me! I will need a new pair of shoes though.
6. Look at Adult Ed classes for September. Nope, but, there is a good reason why I didn’t do that….I just can’t tell you about that at the moment lol
Sooooo, a disappointing week, but I guess I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to focus. The Faber event where I have to read in front of 30 agents is this coming Friday (14th) and the nerves have set in already. I’m feeling a bit stressed and looking at my diary for next week it’s no wonder lol
I’ve tried to keep my To Do List very simple this week because I feel that anything I add won’t get done anyway lol
A couple of months ago I went to the “launch” of a new web site… ReadWave which has been set up in association with Circalit
It’s a place to upload your short stories, extracts from novels etc, and is read by agents and publishers. ReadWave are very proud of the fact that they have had examples of contributors being contacted by industry professionals because of work placed on the site.
I joined up the day after the launch party, but it was only a couple of days ago (prompted by a comment one if my friends made on FaceBook and the fact that there isn’t much of my stuff online) that I decided to upload a story. It’s one I’ve had knocking about for a while so I’ll be interested to see the feedback I receive…..which has been very positive so far 🙂
Here’s my story “Eating Out” on their page:
And if you want to go have a read you’ll find it HERE 🙂 Please leave a comment if you liked it.
This does beg that age old question…should a writer make their work available for free? Personally, I think the odd short story or extract is fine, because it’s promotion and many writers have found that its led to a publishing deal. But what do you think? Do you make any of your work available free online? Or are you anti freebies?
I’m a huge fan of writing prompts (as you probably know) and one of my favourites is using photos (which ive been using a lot recently). But, Ive stumbled across 2 websites that made me think, actually, objects are pretty damn good to inspire stories.
Then I came across 26 Treasures which was a project run by museums in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. They invited writers to use 26 objects from the museums collections to inspire a piece of writing. Over 100 writers took part and a book was produced.
So here are some inspiring objects I’ve come across recently that I intend to use for prompts:
I’ve had a hectic week, not helped by a few days of feeling rough. But I didn’t do too badly all told on the ‘To Do List’ which was…
1. Work on the synopsis for Tangled Ummm, ok, well this didn’t happen lol. I have a rough one that I did a couple of weeks ago, but it sounds like a blurb at the moment. 2. Edit first two chapters of Tangled Ok, I did the first chapter, but as I need to submit the whole novel to the RNA New Writers Scheme before the end of July I really need to step up a gear lol 3. Start planning some blog posts Done 🙂 4. Start going to the gym Didn’t happen, but as The Hubster’s chess is winding down now we’ve agreed to start going next week. 5. Plan my week every Sunday Yep, did that last week and used my new Paperchase pad. Really useful having my whole week on one sheet divided into AM’s and PM’s. I’ll be doing next weeks one after I finish this post. 6. Do at least 1 writing exercise every day Ahhhh, now this has been great, I’ve really enjoyed it! And at the moment I’m using Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind 🙂
So next weeks another busy one, but I’m looking forward to writing (thank gawd!). I’ve got a couple of opportunities for writing in coffee shops and then there’s Happy Club. The sun has been shining today and I’m feeling pretty goddam good 🙂
I’m loving filling in my ‘Experiences’ book, but I think I need to carry it around with me because I keep remembering things when I’m out and forgetting them by the time I get home lol.
I came across a brilliant idea in The Daily Writer a few days ago.
There’s the old saying isn’t there, write what you know. Yeah, ok, that’s boring and I don’t know much anyway. Well, actually…I’ve discovered I do! What about the 45 years of experience I have? All those little events throughout my life that I can use in my stories and novels? All I need to do is embellish the truth a bit, use my imagination 😉
So lets do a little experiment….what do I know about?
(I do love a mind map lol)
But what about one off experiences? What about the evening I spent at London Zoo with a picnic? Or the day I spent in Hay On Wye going round the book shops?
In The Daily Writer they suggest that I keep a file/folder/notebook of “experiences” that I can then draw on for use in my writing. What a great idea! Fred White recommends that you list them chronologically, ie:
“Experiences in Nature” “Holiday Experiences” “Religious Experiences”
I’d like to add a couple of my own to that list, but when I sit down to mull this over I’m sure I’ll be able to think of loads lol
Food Experiences Places of Interest Experiences
We all think our lives are so boring, but they’re not. If you were brought up on a farm you will have a wealth of info to draw on. Me, I was brought up in an inner city, and just thinking about it now I can list a handful of experiences that might, at some stage come in handy 😉
Oh dear, so that’s another notebook to add to the collection of the 10+ that I’m already using *snigger* 😉
So tell me, what’s a recent experience you’ve had that you could use to inspire a story?
Ok, I know, I shouldn’t be here right? But I just had to get involved in Rebecca’s Meme, because I’ve been feeling a bit down (what? On a lovely relaxing break?) which I think has been induced by the looming birthday next week. It’s not that I’m scared of age, just that birthdays are bittersweet nowadays and the whole stressy writing business has taken its toll.
I’d been thinking about this recently, after a session at Happy Club with Peter Jones (if you’ve not read How To Do Everything and Be Happy I highly recommend it!!!!) where we were making lists of things that made us happy and trying to find ways to incorporate those moments into our lives.
I went straight home, opened a brand new journal and wrote this on the first page.
I now have a journal dedicated to living the best life i can. So far I’ve written about 20 pages!
So thank you Rebecca, this is exactly what I needed right now.
Vikki’s How To Be Happy in 5 Easy Steps
1. Eat cake! Things are always better after cake 😉
2. Have hobbies and interests! Do things you enjoy – make the most of every moment!
3. Make sure there is ALWAYS someone who is pleased to see you! Friends and family are important.
4. Buy a new pair of shoes! Gorgeous new shoes always make us girlies happy 😉
5. Own a pet! Unconditional love, from a furry friend is just the best!!!!!!
Just writing those down has made me smile 🙂
So those are my 5 top tips on how to be happy, or what makes me happy. Now it’s your turn. Give me your 5 in the comments box…make me smile 🙂 And if you want to post this on your own blog, please link back to Rebecca’s and feel free to tag.
Well, that went quick didn’t it! A HUGE thank you to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting again this year. I know he had lots of little helpers, so thank you to them too! They all did a marvellous job! 🙂
So now it’s time to reflect…..
If you didn’t follow my A-Z posts let me just explain the concept. I decided, mad woman that I am, to showcase 26 writers, authors who I, as a novice unpublished writer, felt I could learn from. So each post consisted of a short bio (that was the hardest bit….I was pulling my hair out trying to condense Hemingway’s life down into a few short paragraphs! Lol), quotes about writing, and a video from YouTube. I hope anyone who read the posts took away something 🙂
What were the highlights of my April Challenge?
Everyday was a highlight really. I had a lot of new people visit my blog this year, first timers, bloggers who I had never encountered before. That was nice 🙂
What I learned?
Oh gawd…. LOADS! How could I not! Doing the research on each author was hard work, time consuming, but really interesting. I learnt so much! I also learnt that there are some authors that I haven’t read who I really need to lol, and I’ve added about 30 books to my wish list lol.
What changes I might make next time?
Next year (ha ha ha) I want to try to pick a subject that I don’t need to research so much. It’s been very time consuming.
What surprised me the most?
How many great books I hadn’t read lol, but also, the authors who I found most inspiring. It wasn’t Hemingway or Woolf, not Orwell or Steinbeck, no, the two authors who I most want to read, who most inspire me to write were John Updike and Richard Yates 🙂
Special bloggers I met or a post/posts that impressed me?
Ahhhhh, now this is easy! There was a certain blogger who must now be more worn out than I am lol…. Hunter Emkay’s posts about Writing were absolutely incredible! Interesting, visually as well as information wise, full of links and great writerly advice! I highly recommend that you go and check out her archive. I will be going back and reading them all again when I get chance 🙂
So that’s it! Another year over….I didn’t manage to read as many of the participants blogs as I should have done, there were just far too many this year 😦 But I did manage to visit about 500. Met some lovely new bloggers and had some great engaging comments. So a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read my posts and comment, it was a fun month!
So if you didn’t take part this year will you be joining us next year? 😉
If you missed any of my ‘Author’ posts, click the A-Z 2013 Tab above where they will all be listed.
Today is the last letter of the A-Z Challenge. I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading about all these great writers, and have taken some inspiration from at least one of them, I know I have 🙂
Emile Francois Zola was born in Paris in 1840. His father died when he was 3 leaving his mother on a small pension. She wanted Zola to have a law career but he failed his Baccalaureate exam.
Zola started writing in his teens and whilst working in the sales department of a publisher his autobiographical novel ‘La Confession de Claude’ was published (1865). This resulted in getting him sacked due to the police interest in the novel.
At the age of only 28 he began planning a series of novels which he described as “I want to portray, at the outset of a century of liberty and truth, a family that cannot restrain itself in its rush to possess all the good things that progress is making available and is derailed by its own momentum, the fatal convulsions that accompany the birth of a new world.” These 20 novels (known as the Rougon-Macquart novels) contain over 300 major characters.
With the publication of his 9th novel in 1877 he became wealthy, and a figurehead amongst the literary bourgeoisie of Paris. He socialized with other writers at his luxurious home and famously criticised the French Government over their handling of The Dreyfus affair.
He died at the age of 62 from carbon dioxide poisoning (blamed on a chimney at his home) in 1902, leaving behind 27 novels, 3 plays and various short stories. Years later a Parisian roofer claimed that he had closed the chimney for political reasons.
Critics have accused Zola of not having the power to create lifelike and memorable characters, but it was important to him that his characters did not appear larger than life. He had an unshakeable belief in human progress, science and optimism. All of which are prevalent in his work.
Zola Quotes:
“If I cannot overwhelm with my quality, I will overwhelm with my quantity.”
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”
“From the moment I start a new novel, life’s just one endless torture. The first few chapters may go fairly well and I may feel there’s still a chance to prove my worth, but that feeling soon disappears and every day I feel less and less satisfied. I begin to say the book’s no good, far inferior to my earlier ones, until I’ve wrung torture out of every page, every sentence, every word, and the very commas begin to look excruciatingly ugly. Then, when it’s finished, what a relief! Not the blissful delight of the gentleman who goes into ecstasies over his own production, but the resentful relief of a porter dropping a burden that’s nearly broken his back . . . Then it starts all over again, and it’ll go on starting all over again till it grinds the life out of me, and I shall end my days furious with myself for lacking talent, for not leaving behind a more finished work, a bigger pile of books, and lie on my death-bed filled with awful doubts about the task I’ve done, wondering whether it was as it ought to have been, whether I ought not to have done this or that, expressing my last dying breath the wish that I might do it all over again!”
“Nothing is more irritating than to hear honest writers protest about depravity when one is quite certain that they make these noises without knowing what they are protesting about.”
Trailer for the 1937 film on Zola
I’m ashamed to say that the only novel I’d heard of that was written by Zola was ‘Germinal’ until I researched him for the challenge. I didn’t realise he had written so many novels!
I love the fact that Zola, even after all his success, 29 published novels, and critical acclaim, still felt that his writing was crap! I can really relate to that…Can you?
Richard Yates was born in New York in 1926 and much of his childhood was spent moving from town to town with his mother after his parents divorced. It was while he was at school in Connecticut that he became interested in writing and journalism.
He enlisted in the army during WWII and when he returned to New York after the war began working as a journalist and ghostwriter. But it wasn’t until 1961 that he published his first and most successful novel, Revolutionary Road.
His novels were autobiographical and he became a huge influence to other writers such as Raymond Carver. His realism and observations on mid 20th Century American life meant he was praised as the voice of a generation, but all of his work was out of print during his lifetime.
He spent the rest of his life writing novels, short stories and screenplays whilst teaching writing at various universities. He died in 1992 of emphysema and complications from mirror surgery.
When he died his work had virtually disappeared, and it wasn’t until a recent revival of interest and the subsequent release of the film version of Revolutionary Road (starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio) that Yates has now been introduced to a whole new generation of readers. A scary thought that such a great writer could disappear so easily.
Richard Yates Quotes:
“Sometimes, in my more arrogant or petulant moments, I still think Revolutionary Road ought to be famous. I was sore as hell when it first went out of print, and when Norman Podhoretz made a very small reference to it in his book several years ago as an “unfairly neglected novel,” I wanted every reader in America to stand up and cheer. But of course deep down I know that kind of thinking is nonsense. After all, it did quite well for a first novel, much better than average: it got generally good reviews, got nominated for the National Book Award, later sold a great many copies in paperback and was widely translated and published abroad. It’s too bad that my second book, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, is out of print, but not at all surprising: most books of short stories disappear quickly, and at least mine had a few decent reviews and a paperback sale before it disappeared. What happened after those two books was my own fault, nobody else’s. If I’d followed them up with another good novel a few years later, and then another a few years after that, and so on, I might very well have begun to build the kind of reputation some successful writers enjoy. Instead, I tinkered and brooded and fussed for more than seven years over the book that finally became A Special Providence, and it was a failure in my own judgment, as well as that of almost everyone else, and was generally ignored. Now I feel I’m almost back where I started, with the added disadvantage of being middle-aged and tired. When this new book is done, it’ll be almost like publishing a first novel all over again.”
“I’m only interested in stories that are about the crushing of the human heart.”
“If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy.”
“My characters all rush around trying to do their best, trying to live well within their known and unknown limitations. Doing what they can’t help doing, ultimately and inevitably failing because they can’t help being the people they are.”
“When a tough, honest writer can look squarely at all the horrors of the world, face all the facts, and still come up with a hard-won, joyous celebration of life at the end, in spite of everything, that can be wonderful… It’s a cop-out to say that our times are too hectic or frantic or confusing for good, traditional, formal novels to emerge. I think that’s just a cheap answer.”
The Richard Yates Story
Revolutionary Road Trailer
Yates put his own lack of success down to the fact that he wasn’t prolific as a writer, implying that if he had written more novels on a regular basis he would have been more successful. Even though he was described by Vonnegut as the 3rd greatest American novelist (after Hemingway and Fitzgerald) one of his books only sold 12,000 copies. So what was the problem? Publicity?
The View Outside 