Finally, I think I get it!

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Eyeball-burn, life-burn, general burn-out.

That was me back in July and as a result I stopped writing almost altogether.

For years I have been a strictly keyboard writer, my theory being that my mind works faster than I can write - or at least write legibly - but, do you know, I was getting sick to death of staring at a screen! It seemed to be ruling my life and instead of writing I was spending hours procrastinating on Facebook, surfing this and that, and my eyes were burning (even though the screen glare is as low as it will go). I felt stressed, time-poor and pretty miserable. Worst still, I had mislaid my love of writing.

I had all of August off from writing, all of September and have just started writing again - with one difference... BY HAND.

It's a joy. No temptation to go on the internet, no eyeball-burn and OMG - there's no need to write full sentences! I also don't then keep going back over and over them editing even though I know I shouldn't. My first draft is not going to be much more than detailed notes and I can relax, knowing that when I type it all up I'll be doing the first edit at the same time.

I know you lot all knew this all along, but I feel as though I've made a writing-life-changing discovery!

On another subject, I want to apologise for not visiting many blogs lately. I have a lot of trouble with Blogger pages not loading properly - on every other page I seem to get a message from Internet Explorer telling me it encountered a problem and has to close the page, or the page just freezes for ages, or I get an error message saying there's something wrong with the page. I use Internet Explorer and this ONLY happens on Blogger. Obviously, I want to keep up with your blogs, but with the above happening, it's so time-consuming I often have to just give up and go do something else. Please - does anyone else have this problem? Should I be using Firefox or Google Chrome instead? Is Blogger doing it on purpose because of the Google connection - trying to make me change to Google Chrome? I'd love to hear about your experiences and solutions regarding this!

The Cephalod Coffeehouse - My favourite book this month

This is a new bloggers' 'Book Club', organised by The Armchair Squid. The idea is that on the last Friday of each month we blog about the best book we've finished over the past month. If you'd like to be part of this, the details are here.

For me, this is a tricky one because I've already blogged about the book I've enjoyed this month - That Sadie Thing by Annalisa Crawford.

However, there is another book that made me laugh aloud and that was an absolute delight to read this month and that was The Road to Rouen by Ben Hatch.

This is an hilarious, often painful tale of marriage, kids and a summer spent touring France so that struggling writer, Ben, can write a travel guide. I loved the dialogue - the kids are so funny - and also the honesty with which the relationship between the parents is portrayed. Needless to say, it's not all a smooth ride - in fact very little of it is! My favourite part has to be the escapade with the donkey - but if you want to know more about that, you're just going to have to read the book! And as for Ben's misadventure over the border in Spain... mind-boggling! If France, or the idea of France, seduces you, this delightful romp will charm the pantalons off you. This book isn't just a comedy, though. Ben examines his life so far, his motives and his relationship with his father as well as pondering on his future. There's also some back-story on the couple's lives 'pre-kids', which plumps out the characters of Ben and Dinah very effectively. I was left sympathising greatly with (long-suffering) Dinah,  and longing to re-visit France. I also wanted more, because there's nothing so wonderful as an easy read that makes you laugh. Real escapism!


Please hop around now to find out about other September favourites! Here's the list:

1.	The Armchair Squid	2.	Remembering Grace
3.	Vanessa Morgan	4.	Trisha @ WORD STUFF
5.	M.J. Fifield	6.	Denise Covey @ L'Aussie Writing
7.	My Creatively Random Life	8.	Subliminal Coffee
9.	The Random Book Review	10.	Divine Secrets of the Writing Sisterhood
11.	Scouring Monk	12.	Clarissa Draper
13.	Huntress	14.	mainewords
15.	Excuse Me While I Note That Down	16.	Mark Noce Stories
17.	StrangePegs -- Temporary Anne	18.	Blue Sky Gazing
19.	What's Up! MOCK?	20.	Nicki Elson

Thanks for visiting!

Another book recommendation

Do you ever read a book on Kindle (or other reading device!) and wish it was available in paperback? Some books, you just need to hold in your hands and feel the pages. This, for me, is definitely one of them - and now my wish has come true! I've tried short story anthologies before - including those by well-known authors - and haven't been exactly blown away.  I was beginning to think I wasn't really a fan of short stories until I read That Sadie Thing. I admit that Annalisa Crawford is an online friend of mine, but I can - hand on heart - say that doesn't influence me. As we all know (and it's painful), we can't automatically like or endorse the writing of all our writerly friends.

Anyway, this book is packed with diverse stories about diverse relationships. The writing is expressive but unpretentious and the stories very readable. I find that they kind of bob around in my head, demanding attention after reading - Annalisa has a knack for characterisation and atmosphere - and this is a book I would return to.

I've just really enjoyed my second reading and with three bonus stories it's definitely worth buying in paperback even if you've already got it on Kindle.

Anyway, that's all! Just wanted to say this book is now available in paperback - it would make a great, inexpensive Christmas stocking-filler for someone!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

IWSG September

It's still sunny here and I'm ignoring the fact that it's September and pretending it's still the middle of the summer. For once, we've had a good summer and everyone I know seems to have had their spirits lifted by it!

I'm not insecure this month, which is a nice feeling. I have a story in September's Woman's Weekly Fiction Special, another submitted and another just begun and I feel pretty chilled. I think this new, laid-back state is because I put writing on a back-burner for the summer. I spent time with my friends and family, caught up with people and didn't break myself in half trying to fit writing in around it (although I did manage to write one story.)

At the start of the summer holidays I was thinking I'd have days and days to write, but once the texts started to-ing and fro-ing and the calendar filled up, I could see that wasn't to be the case. I wrestled with the idea of putting some people off and leaving whole days free, but in the end I decided that...

GOING BY MY PAST PERFORMANCE...

I could write my novel for the 4 weeks I had free, ultimately abandon what I'd written and not have spent time with all these wonderful people. So I didn't write.

Now I'm back at school, my time is limited and I'm inspired to write again. I have come to the conclusion I like having small pockets of time to write in. Whole days are scary! Too much time to procrastinate - as most of us know!

I'm off to see how you're all getting on now!

Thanks for reading :-)

Interviewing Libby Heily

In my last post, I listed some books I've really enjoyed recently, one of which was Tough Girl by Libby Heily.

Tough Girl - as I've said - isn't really like anything I've read before and I couldn't put it down. I was also intrigued and wanted to know more about the author. So,without more ado, here's what I asked Libby...

Was the idea for Tough Girl one you nurtured for a long time before writing the book or was it one of those ideas that springs on you from nowhere and demands to be written NOW?  Did anything or anyone in particular inspire the story?

The idea for Tough Girl was slow to form.  I read Alice in Wonderland as a kid and then did a play based on the book in high school.  I loved the idea of a girl getting lost in her own dream world.  It took a few years to fully develop the idea.  I was also working on a screenplay about four siblings that helped their mob-boss father run a neighborhood.  During a ten mile run, I realized the two stories were parts of a whole and the idea for Tough Girl was born.

 

 

You self-published Tough Girl. What made you choose the self-publication route and would you self-publish again?

I did not shop Tough Girl around.  I did, however, get advice from fellow writers who had been published.  The consensus was that the market for Tough Girl was going to be limited.  The main character was 11 making her too young for most YA audiences.  The story was demanding but the telling was simple making the book not quite right for the average contemporary fiction reader.  The thought was, if I had sold Tough Girl I would be asked to change the story to fit a market.  Self-publishing meant that I got to keep control of the story, which was very important to me.  Also, as a writer of plays and screenplays and short stories, I have spent an incredible amount of time submitting my work for production and publication.  At the time Tough Girl was completed, I just could not rally myself for yet another round of queries.

I would definitely self-publish again.  I studied film and theater and both art forms stress a DIY attitude.  I'm thrilled that I'm writing novels at a time where this self-reliant streak has hit publishing.  Don't get me wrong though, I would love to go the traditional route if possible.

How do you write? A complete first draft, warts and all, or do you edit as you go along?

I've developed my own process over the years.  I write sketches of scenes, bits of dialogue, and develop the idea by hand in a notebook.  I then do a plot outline and write character journals for the main characters.  I then redo the plot outline and start the first draft.  I edit a bit as I go along but I have come to accept that my first drafts are going to be atrocious.  The second draft is where I begin to concentrate on editing.

If I'm writing a play or screenplay, I usually do 10+ drafts.  Tough Girl took 4 full drafts, several rounds of editing, and 2.5 years to finish.

 

 

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on two novels.  One is soft science fiction, the other is contemporary fiction set in a non-realistic reality.  I am also developing an idea for a screenplay that I'm pretty excited about. 

 I love the sound of a non-realistic reality!

 

 

Have you published any other books/been published elsewhere?

I have had several short stories published including one that was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.  I also released a collection of short stories called "Fourth Degree Freedom".  My new collection of short stories will be published in September.  This one is called "The Victory Rule".

Because I'm very nosey, what is your workspace like?  

My workspace is teeny, just how I like it.  I have a small computer nook in our apartment which I have filled with art, notebooks, and pens.   I would supply a photo, but I would be a touch embarrassed for the world to know how messy my workspace gets.

Do you write full-time or juggle it with a day-job?

I go back and forth.  I have worked full-time, part-time and no-time in the past 5 years.  I love not having a day-job so I can focus on writing, reading and life, but sometimes the bills require employment.

 

What jobs have you had in the past and which was your favourite?

  

I have kind of bounced around employment wise.  I have been a waitress, a barista, a videographer, a call center customer service representative, and a customer care support person for academic publishing.  Being a videographer was fun because I got to be somewhat creative and the CSR position in academic publishing was wonderful because I could listen to audiobooks all day while I worked.

And finally, three things about yourself?

Three Things:

One - I can spin a basketball on every finger of my right hand including my thumb and pinky

Two - I love rainy days, especially if I have the day off and can curl up on the couch with a book or a movie

Three - I love to buy stickers, but I'm never quite sure where to stick them!

 

I can identify the stickers thing - I've walked wistfully past pretty stickers so many times!

 

 

Thanks so much, Libby, for the interview. That's satiated my curiosity! Links for Tough Girl are below and you can find Libby's blog here.
 

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

 

And here's the blurb:

 

Danger lurks everywhere in eleven year old Reggie's world—from the bully next door to the unwanted attentions of a creep at school. Raised by her mentally ill mother, Reggie is left to fend for herself in a rough neighbourhood. She escapes in daydreams, battling aliens with her alter ego, Tough Girl. When Reggie's mother disappears, her fantasy life spirals out of control and starts to invade reality. She is hunted by a creature of her own design, and even Tough Girl is not strong enough to stop him. Will Reggie survive long enough for her mother to return, or will her dream world take over? Contains adult themes and adult language.

 

 

Falling back in love with reading

If you read my IWSG post this month, you might remember that I have returned from holiday exhausted from all the relaxation and don't feel at all like writing...

This situation has an upside which is that I have got back into reading, for which I never seem to have enough time, and have even been managing to read without the persistently wandering mind that usually afflicts me!

I don't like picking books apart and analysing them, but I do know what I've enjoyed and I thought I'd just share a few with you now.  These are all books I have not wanted to put down and was sorry to finish (sob).


So Much For That by Lionel Shriver
 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
 

Tough Girl  by Libby Heily


I'm not going to give you the low-down on them because you can find them in your bookshop or on Amazon and read the blurb. All I want to say is that I really enjoyed them for various reasons. Each is unusual in its style and content and to me were like a breath of fresh air. They also stopped my mind from wandering - and that says a lot!

If you've already read any of them, I'd love to know what you thought!

IWSG August - Taking a Break

It's the summer, it's August, no work for me and plenty of time to sit and write...

The trouble is I don't really want to!

Before school finished (I'm a teaching assistant) I planned to come back from an idyllic two weeks on Zakynthos and keep my calendar clear so that I could spend whole days of the remaining four weeks doing what I wanted - writing.

Nah.

My brain won't work. I spent my holiday feeling jittery as though I should be doing something else (writing?!) and I'm not sure that I like that feeling.

I have so many friends and family trying to catch up with me while I'm off work that even the thought of juggling serious writing and socialising makes me hyperventilate.

I am feeling trapped by my hopes, dreams and ambitions - and a little voice inside me is saying make the most of people while they are still around to enjoy (especially aging parents). I'm sick of feeling pulled in so many directions, the main pull being towards the laptop.

Will I write something this holiday? Maybe. Maybe not. The novel is there, in my head, but to be honest it could stay there ripening for another couple of years. I'm not sure the time is right. Maybe I'll go back to writing the occasional short story when the inspiration strikes, and give myself a break.

It's not good to be laying on a sunbed jangling because you've forgotten how to relax. I can't even read without my mind wandering. Time for something to change, I think.

Thanks for listening to my inner turmoil.

Hope you're not feeling too insecure - I'll be hopping around to find out!


Thanks as always to Alex J Cavanaugh for starting this group. You can find the full list on his blog but I'm not pasting it here because it gets longer all the time!