Looking beneath the surface...

Well those last few days were rather unpleasant. I will just say that the bathroom and I have become rather a lot closer!! It has been during this time spending longer in rooms than I usually would I've managed to see things that I perhaps had overlooked for a while. You could call it poor housekeeping, well it is poor housekeeping, but it is a fact that we often spend our lives looking but not really seeing what is going on around us. For instance, in the bathroom I noticed that the gloss white paint has turned that yellowish colour of old paint, and looking closer I noticed there are sections that have begun to crack. The plasterboard on the walls have started to expel their tacks, or whatever the nails are that hold the board to the timber beneath. My conclusion is - I need to redo my bathroom.  I have also looked at the other rooms around the house and have realised that the whole house is tired. I feel I may need to get the Polly-filler and caulking out along with a few rather large tubs of white paint.

So your writing challenge is to select a room, it can be a room in your own home, office or somewhere you visit often and really look at it. Do this in stages. Firstly, just glance around and note down what you see. Second, look more closely, what is hidden beneath the surface? Note down the differences. Thirdly, walk away for an hour and then return and look more deeply. What did you miss the first time? Don’t just look on surfaces, or at the floor and walls. Remember to look up. I remember I attended a workshop on screen writing a few years back and they tutor got us all to sit on the floor and look around and observe try to see something that others might not see. I pointed out the small piece of Blu-tac that was pushed into the upper corner of the room which had a small strand of red tinsel still attached from a party since past.
Once you’ve made the notes you will need to go away and describe the room in full, faults and all. Then take that and place a family, couple or single occupant inside and show us how they live.

I'm hoping that will keep you all going for a while. So what are you waiting for?

Go on, get writing. 

Festival of Writing ... What a weekend!

I've had the most amazing week! And I have to apologise for not blogging for two weeks! I can’t believe the time has gone passed so quickly.

But in my defence, I've been working hard preparing for the festival of writing in York, England. Many of you will be aware that I've been working hard running the one-to-one’s at the festival with my trusty team Ellen Hanns and Mark Clementson find him on twitter @clem1000. It was an amazing weekend and made all the hard work prior to the event worthwhile. With a lot of table juggling, we managed to accommodate thirty-six, agents, editors and book doctors and thirty-six delegates every ten minutes. I have to congratulate all the agents etc.  for their dedication, staying power and support during the odd moment of madness – there were a few, like the one minute warning that was only 47 seconds!

This year we took a couple of hours out to walk in to York from the University campus and partook of a roast dinner which was a very special fast food. We looked around the Shambles and York Minster and walked around some of the city wall. There should be these places all over the country – and the Yorkshire puddings were wonderful. Our walk back had us crossing a cemetery and climbing over a barbed wire fence to escape. It all made for an interesting start to the weekend.

Click on the link ‘Festival of Writing’ to know more about the things you could be part of next year. You might also like to join ‘Word Cloud’ and online writing group with loads of members.

On a personal level I've been energised with the writing vibe again and I'm getting my head down to finish and send work as requested. You may also be pleased to know that I will be buying a new laptop, so there will be no more of the computer crashing every few minutes, seconds or just not turning on at all. I will be sure to be able to write properly.

So, with the thought of the conference still buzzing in my head, I thought it might be a good idea for you to look at your own novel and write a pitch which would engage the interest of an agent. It isn't as easy as it might sound. Play with different approaches. What works for you? Try it out on your family, friends, and random people in the street. Can you engage their interest? If so, how can you hone the pitch to grip them into wanting to read more?

If you have yet to write a novel, you can use the same pitching practice with short stories – how could you pitch the story to a magazine? This will need to be brief and concise to encapsulate the whole plot in a very few words.

So go on, get writing. 

Engaged in dialogue..

I've got the laptop working today, but I don't know how long for. I'm hoping long enough to be able to start on the new major edits I have for my two children's novels. I must be brutal and go with my gut instinct. Make it sharper and then submit. Scary but a much needed stage. 

I'm going to treat this as a puzzle. I've been jotting down places in each manuscript which need addressing and the chunks that need to be eradicated.  Then remould the remaining text, adding and cutting as I go until the whole book is punchy. Well, that is the plan.

I've had some great feed back from the amazing Beverly Birch, and with all her help, points and direction I hope to end up with two novels that stand up and shout so loudly that they get noticed. I have much work ahead, but it will be great fun - love playing with these characters. 

What a lovely weekend we have been having. Sun, gentle breeze and great company. I headed out last night to purchase ink for the printer, which was much needed and have, at last, printed out scenes and emails that really needed to be added to projects. 

As autumn is just around the corner and I've noticed a few leave falling from trees, along with apples and pears dropping from the trees in the garden, I thought it might be good to think of things that can be harvested and used at this time of year. I picked up apples and picked blackberries from my garden and made apple and blackberry pie - it went down well and I'm now being asked for more!

So for this weeks challenge I want you to think of things that are harvested at this time of year and create a piece of creative writing around it. Choose your characters wisely. Are they children, child and grandparents or young lovers? The combination is up to you, but they need to be involved with the harvested goods and throughout your work need to be engaged in dialogue. Remember to create tension and resolution, along with all the bells and smells that goes to make your writing real.

So go on, get writing. 

The weeks writing challenge.

Sorry for the delay, the laptop issue is back. I thought I had solved it by buying a new power cable but the issue is back. I feel I now need to purchase a new machine. That will have to wait a we while. I'll be back to not book and pen for a while only to type up when the machine allows. Sad times. 

I had to say goodbye to the old apple tree today. The loppers and saw came out and down she came. It is a shame but some horrid disease got into the bark which has caused her to die. She gave such good apples – they will be missed this year. I always feel sad when a tree dies; it is like its spirit has left to find pastures new. That only leaves me with: A silver birch, birch, holly, William’s pear, mock cherry, variegated fir, Mulberry and a Sweet Chestnut.  You could say that I was a tree fan, but I've also got many shrubs and at this time of year they are all demanding attention.

Work has been busy and it set to be even busier over the next month. I hope to rise to the challenge and not disappear under it!

With the English summer coming to an end, still hoping for a September scorcher, but fear a September squelch.

This week’s prompts are to inspire a piece of poetry or short story. Below are four starting points, but you can use this as a catalyst to trigger something or use it as the first opening words.

1.       What was in Aunt Ethel’s under-the-stair cupboard?

2.       Are you really going to eat that!

3.       The cellar door slammed shut plunging them into darkness...

4.       The smile danced on her lips as she stepped out of her towel and under the ice cold waters from the waterfall. 

      Have fun and go on, get writing. 

Missing out...

This week has been manic! Both in my personal life and work life – I'm so glad it is the weekend. This has given me a few hours to sit back and get a couple of things sorted out – washing, cleaning and I had hoped to mow the lawns but didn't get the chance before the rain came down. Maybe I’ll get to do it on Sunday.

Writing has been a no go this week, but if everything comes together I will get down to it tomorrow and then follow my writing time sheet. I've had to do that to ensure I at least get some time to focus on my writing as well as family, work and at some point sleep.  

This week I've been thinking about things we miss out on in life. It could be something small like missing out on that amazing jacket in the shop window or the missed opportunity of discovering the  love of your life. We have all experienced something like this but have you explored it in your writing. Have you thought of how things would have been different had you not missed out? This recently happened to me. I discovered someone had shown interest in me only to never speak of it to me. It made me wonder what could have been if he had.

So think about times when you’ve lost out and investigate how that made you feel. Note down those feelings. Then think about how it might have changed your life and if it did would it have been for the better? Look at the ups and downs. Remember the fear, excitement, confusion and the betrayal - they could all be lurking there. Write all these down and then create your storyline to incorporate aspects from your lists.

Make it happy, sad, or send your reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotion.

So go on, get writing.  

Write away ...

Had a lot of things going on this week, but one of the good moments was when work friends, more than just colleagues, were discussing my writing and how they had faith in me. They probably won’t realise just how much that meant to me, but without moments like these it is easy to think you will never get there. Having people believe in you and your ability helps to keep the creativity alive and ready to flow or to continue flowing.

There are many things that can get in the way of writing and most of that is down to workload, family, stress to mention but a few. I've found a good way of helping me out of these moments is to write down the reasons that are stopping you. List them and then expand as to why they are causing you issues. This can help to unload your mind to free it up for the proper writing. I think of it of detoxing the mind. Next time you feel overloaded with problems, try it, it might just help.

Now that you are ready to write, below you will see a selection of objects. Select up to five for you piece of writing. Use the words as required, making them plural etc. to suit your work, but you need to create work that uses all five of your choices. Don’t cheat. Articles, short stories, plays, poetry or monologues anything goes.

Wallpaper – Fly Swat - Candle – Toilet Seat – Cabbage – Spray Paint – Plant Food – Moisturiser – Super Glue – Door Knob – Shingle – Hornet – Sun Burn – Lightening – Credit Card – Tuna Steak – Cod – Point Shoes – Duster – Flood – Ashes – Empty Picture Frame – Coral – Silencer – Peanut Butter Ice-cream.

So there you go. Select five and let your pen or computer do the writing. So go on, get writing. 

Character flaws or strengths?

This has been yet another busy week at work and on a personal level too. Sorry for the delay on posting this week as issues beyond my control have overtaken. I hope you find this weeks prompts inspiring and remember to feel what your characters are feeling. 

When the heartless one comes into their own.

This week we are going to be looking at people’s perceptions of others: Sisters/brothers/aunts/uncles. What makes them act the way they do? Think self preservation, life’s lessons/challenges and misconceptions. Looking at your characters faults, if that is what they are, may actually bring your characters to life and be your characters saving grace.

Example: The sister/aunt/mother who has been raped, physically and mentally abused, brought a child/children up alone, struggled to find themselves and fight the self-loathing along with the snide remarks from those who call themselves family.

Each of your characters will have their own back story. It is through this back story that we can understand them, but we have to see this through your writing. Think about the people you know. How do they react differently from you? Why do they act this way?  Try to understand their reaction and way of thinking. Think yourself lucky you’ve never been in the situation that has caused them to protect themselves as they do. Then consider how that is a strength and how it can be used, not as a weakness/flaw in character, but to solve or give guidance to a situation.

So whilst developing your characters for the prompts below, think of character traits that may be perceived by others to be flaws that are actually strengths that will come into their own during your piece of work.

1.       Incident at the beach.

2.       Mother’s new partner.

3.       It is best for him.

4.       How could you?

5.       You shouldn’t do it that way.

How you deal with each prompt is up to you, but do think about how you want the reader to feel at the end. Do you want them to like or hate your character? Make your characters emotions touch your reader.

So go on, get writing.