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If you toddle on over to Stephanie D's Misfit Salon, you'll find she's hosting two rather exciting competitions! Go and have a look, I dare you.
I also recommend that you follow her, too, as her entries are always informative and entertaining. Go on, do as Icy says!
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Monday, 4 January 2010
I write, therefore I am...or something.
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Receptionists will tell you they are receptionists. Solicitors will tell you they are solicitors. Yet writers will tell you they're "trying to write", or they're "working on being a writer". They rarely own up to what they actually are. If you write, then you're a writer. It's that simple. (For a better explanation of this concept, see C.N.Nevets' post here on the same subject).
Funny thing is, I'm no better. I talk about being a writer, and I've even had work accepted, and yet I still have problems nailing my colours to the mast and saying "I am a writer". I'm not sure why. It's probably something to do with the difficulty in reconciling something most people see as a pasttime with a profession, and it's also something a lot of people say they're doing when, in actual fact, they're not doing anything. Still, I've sold a few of my stories and I write most days, which satisfies most criteria, but yet still the doubts remained unquenched.
Still, I've decided to redraft my first novel, and 2010 will be the year when I try to find it a home. With this in mind, I'd better learn to call myself a writer!
So I thought I might tell you a little about my book. I suppose it best comes under the young adult/middle grade umbrella, sitting squarely in the 'supernatural' camp. It's about a teenager named Sarah, who is growing up in the western Highlands under the far-from-watchful eyes of her socialite mother and scientist father. Sarah not only discovers that ghosts are real, they are also organised. She befriends the castle's ghost, a cavalier named Fowlis Westerby who has been assigned to her family. When things go wrong at the ghostly HQ, Sarah and Fowlis have to team up to straighten everything out.
I'm really proud of it as it stands, but I know it needs work. Luckily I think I know how to solve the few plot niggles, and once I'm done, Sarah will be getting her own blog. I may even given Fowlis his own Twitter feed. Before you scoff that spirits can't use computers, I shall direct you to watch Ghost!
Right, I'm off to do some editing. Have an excellent day, people!
Funny thing is, I'm no better. I talk about being a writer, and I've even had work accepted, and yet I still have problems nailing my colours to the mast and saying "I am a writer". I'm not sure why. It's probably something to do with the difficulty in reconciling something most people see as a pasttime with a profession, and it's also something a lot of people say they're doing when, in actual fact, they're not doing anything. Still, I've sold a few of my stories and I write most days, which satisfies most criteria, but yet still the doubts remained unquenched.
Still, I've decided to redraft my first novel, and 2010 will be the year when I try to find it a home. With this in mind, I'd better learn to call myself a writer!
So I thought I might tell you a little about my book. I suppose it best comes under the young adult/middle grade umbrella, sitting squarely in the 'supernatural' camp. It's about a teenager named Sarah, who is growing up in the western Highlands under the far-from-watchful eyes of her socialite mother and scientist father. Sarah not only discovers that ghosts are real, they are also organised. She befriends the castle's ghost, a cavalier named Fowlis Westerby who has been assigned to her family. When things go wrong at the ghostly HQ, Sarah and Fowlis have to team up to straighten everything out.
I'm really proud of it as it stands, but I know it needs work. Luckily I think I know how to solve the few plot niggles, and once I'm done, Sarah will be getting her own blog. I may even given Fowlis his own Twitter feed. Before you scoff that spirits can't use computers, I shall direct you to watch Ghost!
Right, I'm off to do some editing. Have an excellent day, people!
Friday, 1 January 2010
2010: Those pesky 'resolutions'
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2009 has slunk off quietly to crawl under the rock from whence it came, and now we're in a shiny new year.
Well, in time honoured tradition, I'm not making resolutions for the New Year. Why? Because it's intrinsic to my nature to break them. I'll resolve to lose weight while eating "just one more" mince pie, and I'll resolve to rein in my spending while compulsively surfing eBay. So in a potentially foolhardy endeavour to fool myself, I shall set myself targets. I like having goals to meet - it's a good motivator for me. So here are ten things I intend to do in 2010.
1) Spend more time with my other half. He supports my writing so he's already special.
2) Master teleportation. I realise this is unlikely but anything is possible in this day and age.
3) Finish redrafting my first novel and start getting it out to agents.
4) Learn Russian. I studied it for two years at school and as I've wanted to learn a new language for a while, it makes sense to do one I've already got some knowledge of. This also relates to Intention #1.
5) Annex at least a small portion of this planet as my very own territory. Sadly the name 'Iceland' is taken.
6) Read at least one novel every month.
7) Find and keep a new job.
8) Learn how to play chess. I refuse to be bested by a game.
9) Return to my second novel and finish a first draft.
10) Learn to play the harmonica. I've had one sitting in my drawer for five years - time to start giving it a go, methinks.
Wish me luck!
Well, in time honoured tradition, I'm not making resolutions for the New Year. Why? Because it's intrinsic to my nature to break them. I'll resolve to lose weight while eating "just one more" mince pie, and I'll resolve to rein in my spending while compulsively surfing eBay. So in a potentially foolhardy endeavour to fool myself, I shall set myself targets. I like having goals to meet - it's a good motivator for me. So here are ten things I intend to do in 2010.
1) Spend more time with my other half. He supports my writing so he's already special.
2) Master teleportation. I realise this is unlikely but anything is possible in this day and age.
3) Finish redrafting my first novel and start getting it out to agents.
4) Learn Russian. I studied it for two years at school and as I've wanted to learn a new language for a while, it makes sense to do one I've already got some knowledge of. This also relates to Intention #1.
5) Annex at least a small portion of this planet as my very own territory. Sadly the name 'Iceland' is taken.
6) Read at least one novel every month.
7) Find and keep a new job.
8) Learn how to play chess. I refuse to be bested by a game.
9) Return to my second novel and finish a first draft.
10) Learn to play the harmonica. I've had one sitting in my drawer for five years - time to start giving it a go, methinks.
Wish me luck!
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