Less is More

They say that don't they?  Less is more. This was certainly the case for me today.  I started work on my entry for the Mslexia Short Story Competition.  Of late I have lapsed into the very bad habit of looking at a blank laptop screen hoping for inspiration.  But today I remembered a conversation with a lovely lady I met in Swanwick last summer.  She suggested I scribble down a framework of a story in my notepad before even attempting to type it up.  I had begun to do this after our conversation but after Christmas, without realising it, I lapsed into staring into a blank space waiting for that Eureka moment.  How very different it was this morning, I got so carried away I had written, well, scrawled, four pages of A4 before I realised it.  Now as most of us will admit, the final result will no doubt be very different from the finished article but what a great start.  It felt so good to be scribbling away and actually getting words on the paper without being distracted by those wiggly red lines the laptop applies to my writing (when it thinks I have erred) without being asked.

I am out for a coffee morning tomorrow, complete with home-made chocolate cake and as I am so pleased with todays results I have promised myself I will not feel guilty taking a few hours off.

Watford's Got Talent

Tonight the winner was announced of the 'Writers Block' competition (an annual competition) at Watford Writers.  The competition was judged externally and the judges shared their critiques of the stories they read before announcing the final three.  They had obviously put a great deal into the judging and their critiques and comments were worth their weight in gold.  It made such a difference to hear a judge talk about a story that they had obviously read more than once and to highlight the best bits.  There was much chat and speculation amongst the wine, cheese, crisps and nibbles about what the top three would be. 

When the top three were announced it was very difficult to find fault with any of them.  Two of them were not my cup of tea but they were so beautifully written they deserved to be on the podium.  I should point out that the theme for the competition was Ghosts/Supernatural and all the entries were spine tingling or hair raising - what a talented group Watford Writers are!

It is the first time I have attended WW for a month and I wa so glad to be back.  Even as I walked through the door I could feel the excitement return and my imagination began to tick over.  Back in business?  I do hope so, no, I know so.

Preparation is the Key

Well, no actual new writing done today but, a lot of sorting, filing and preparation to give it my best shot next week.  I have been moving files around so that the bits of writing which are not working for me are not under my nose.  I have put a note in my diary to review them again next month.  From now until the second week in March I will be working on my Mslexia Short Story Competition entry, which of course I should have been working on all this week but hey-ho.  I do that you know.  I know a deadline is coming around and despite my best intentions always find myself with my back against the wall a week before the cut-off date.  You'd think I would have learnt by now wouldn't you.

On a brighter note there will be a wedding in the family sometime in September.  My oldest sister proposed to her partner of Valentines Day (a leap year tradition) of course he said yes, so I am already planning what I should wear.  It should be a wonderful day as they are a great couple and tying the knot is just the icing on the cake.  Surely, there has to be a story there.

Getting Back On Track

Sorry for the lack of posts this week but to be honest I have only just managed to keep my head above water.  It has been an awful week if I'm honest.  I have been feeling really blue, almost depressed.  There has been so much going on what with my Mum, the kids and Carl being really busy at work, it's been a nightmare.  I have been so tired and unable to concentrate, which has wound me up, the result being no writing at all done this week.  I have tormented myself over rejections and pieces of work that I just cannot shape the way I want them.  I was on the verge of giving up, throwing in the towel and accepting that I would never be a writer.  Happily for me, I have a writer friend, who despite her own issues, always has time for me and talks a lot of sense.  After an encouraging email from her and a few more hours of feeling sorry for myself I decided there was no way I was going to give up.

So, tomorrow is another day, a fresh day and a fresh start.  Those pieces of work which will not bend to my will I will put aside for a while.  No writing is ever a waste and I'm sure maybe even snippets of old work will come in handy one day.  I have an idea for the Mslexia Short Story Competition (another one) which I feel happy with.  It will give me something to sink my teeth into and stop me mooching around. 

I promise I will post tomorrow and let you know how much progress I have made with the story.

Monday, Monday...

Not a very productive day I'm afraid.  I have had a lot of ideas for competitions entries and new short stories but haven't actually produced anything.

I spent the weekend with my Mum again and she is much better I'm pleased to say.  She has to keep the traction brace on her leg for a further month but her mobility is much better.

The kids are back at school tomorrow so after a speedy clean up operation I plan to get very busy with my pen and pad.  Here's hoping that all goes to plan.

A Wealth of Ideas

Sometimes you read about writer's who sit and stare at a blank screen or sheet of paper until inspiration strikes.  I think doing that would drive me quite mad.  I was having a conversation with my manager today and she was telling me that when she was a child her parents had owned a motorbike and side-car.  These days a large percentage of the population have a car (or two) and wouldn't know a side-car if they fell over one.  She went on to tell me that when they went out as a family her mum, sister, herself and her brother all sat in the side-car together.  Can you imagine that?!  Well, of course we howled with laughter about it and do you know, there is many a story to be grown from an offhand comment. 

Of course I promised her I wouldn't tell a soul about the bunny rabbit hats she and her brother had to wear !  So next time you find yourself lacking in creativity or inspiration cast your mind back to any recent conversation you may have had or even overheard.  It's all there just waiting to be turned into a wonderful read.

A Woman's Work...

Today I spent all morning cleaning and tidying the house, with the girls on half term the mess soon builds up.  I had planned to sit down and get some writing done this afternoon but changed my mind.  Cerys wanted to see a friend so we arranged to go there after lunch.  Actually it was the right thing to do.  Chatting with my friend and cooing over her 8 week old son really lifted my spirits.  Cerys played with her little friend and by the end of the afternoon was suitably tired but happy.

I am in the shop tomorrow so I doubt I will get any writing done then either.  But looking on the bright side by the time Monday arrives I will have plenty to do.  I really need to get on with my Mslexia competition entry and other bits and bobs.

The Day of Love and Romance

I know lots of people think that Valentines Day is too commercial these days but I  love it.  I woke up this morning to a special breakfast and a dozen long stemmed red roses.  Carl is a romantic man  throughout the year and is wonderful and planning special times.  That suits me very well because I am, although I don't often admit to it, a hopeless romantic.  I like a hero, a knight in shining armour and in fact Carl did actually rescue me but not from an ivory tower.

Now having just told you all that why is it that I am unable to write romance?  It's not for the want of trying but my attempts at it are, well lets just say, not how I would want them to be.  Another present for today was Carl writing three post dated cheques so that I can attend the Swanwick Writers' School again this year, which for me is wonderful.  Last year I had a fantastic time, made some great friends including a certain lady who has become a close and trusted friend.  As well as the social side the workshops and courses were fantastic and are just as interesting and thought provoking as last summer.  If you are a writer and have not heard of The Swanwick Writers' Summer School, research it and perhaps give it a go I can guarantee you will love it.

I'm off now to get myself ready for our romantic evening which includes steak, wine a very romantiv DVD and I think I'll leave it there.

Back Home...

I am very sorry, I forgot to tell you all that I was going up to my Mum's at the weekend to look after her as my sister had been there all week.  Having dithered about because of a new snowfall on Friday I eventually left at about 3 o'clock so I arrived at Mum's about 4 (ish).

In spite of Mum's mobility issues since her accident 3 weeks ago, we had a really good time.  I must admit it is the most awful thing in the world to see your own Mum in pain.  But she was in good spirits and we did have a few heart to hearts which was nice, we also had a few vodka's and many, many laughs.  My Mum has always loved films so I took a few films down for her to watch, while I was there I watched one of her films called 'Misery'.  I know the film is pretty old now but it's lost no potency, I was on the edge of my seat and had to cover my eyes in places.  She has asked me to take a few more films down for next weekend, which I will, and I will also take a couple of books for her too.

For me, it was like a healing weekend.  There have been times in my life when I have not liked my Mum very much, although I have always loved her and this weekend I felt her love for me.  Her response to our family possibly heading off for a new start in Australia was very positive, minus the odd tear from us both.  But it was good to know that she understood why we were thinking of making the move and was pleased for us.  As I knew she would she told me she would probably be our first 'over seas' visitor.

Wishful Thinking

Oooh another cold and slippy school run this morning so much so I couldn't wait to get back indoors again.  I checked the Peter Barry blog but they have not announced the winner yet.  As I have read all the short listed stories I am interested to see how they are placed.  It's slightly torturous and curiosity killed the cat and all that, but I want to see regardless.

I worked on my re-invented short story this morning and I am reasonably pleased with the results so far.  I know it needs a lot more work but Rome wasn't built in a day.  As it is slightly different from my usual scribblings I will need to research my market very carefully to give myself the best chance of having it accepted for publication.  There is also the Mslexia Short Story Competition coming up and I have an outline for a story for that too, I just need to do a bit more research for that to make sure I have my facts correct.  Errors can ruin a piece of writing and dull the experience for the reader and make them feel cheated.  So tomorrow it's head down, research (from a book not the net) stop thinking too much and start writing. 

Cosy indoors

After this mornings school run I made myself (and Carl) a nice cup of tea.  I set up my laptop and thanked my lucky stars I was nice and warm indoors and not out in the ice and snow.  After a slow start with the writing I had one of those moments.  You know when somebody passes an innocent remark and for you there's a whole short story forming in your brain.  It was brilliant and the best part was I already had the framework.  Stored away in a folder was a short story I wrote over ten years ago (which I thought was fab at the time).  So I dug it out. typed it onto my laptop and went to work on it - re-writing, editing and changing character names.  Now it resembles an up to date story rather than an old relic.  I am quite enthusiastic about the end result and hope it will be suitable for submission to a magazine.  I am determined to chase my self pity and blues away.

Ho, Hum

All of the stories which were shortlisted are now on the Peter Barry blog, sadly mine is not amongst them and I have not been placed.  I was upset for 10 minutes or so then gave myself a mental shake.  It is no good, however normal or easy, to allow myself to wallow in self-pity.  As I mentioned yesterday I will read my story through again to assess what magazine I think it would suit.

I need to get something out into the world as all I am waiting on now is a 100 pen portrait for Mslexia magazine.  Oh, I tell a lie.  I sent a short story to the Weekly News in October, I have heard nothing so perhaps I should contact them to see if any decision has been made.  I will leave that to Monday as sending out a query mail late on a Friday afternoon doesn't look good.

On a more positive note I have amended the story I am working on with my Guru.  I am hoping that the changes I have made are taking me in the right direction.  I will not give up, I know it will happen for me I just need to believe in myself and keep going.  When one door closes another one opens.

Busy, Cold but Happy

It was back in the shop today and despite the cold conditions we were quite busy.  We had a record day for donations and the tea was plentiful.  As predicted a day in the shop did me the world of good and made me realise that my troubles from yesterday were really not that bad.

I checked the Peter Barry Blog today and there are now 10 shortlisted stories there, if mine is not there tomorrow then I need to accept I have not been placed.  If that is the case, I promise to pick myself up put it down to experience and maybe even submit the story to a magazine. 

After this afternoon's school run I was looking forward to a quiet and cosy night in, that was until Lisa arrived home.  She reminded me that it was her Six Form Open Evening and would I go with her, of course I said yes and mentally waved bye-bye to my cosy night.  Having said that the subjects that the kids are offered these days are so different from my time in school.  Apart from the usual Maths,Science, English Lit and History they also have the chance to study Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy and even Travel & Tourism.  Such wonderful choices makes me wish I had my time over again.

Is the grass always greener?

Not such a brilliant day today as I have been feeling very sorry for myself.  I have checked the Peter Barry blog (I entered their short story competition) and they have now uploaded 8 of the shortlisted works but mine is still not there.  Not that I expect bells and whistles or even think mine must have been the best story.  I suppose I was too exited and had convinced myself that I would at least be shortlisted.  There are 4 more stories to be revealed yet so I suppose it's not over till the fat lady sings.

There are a few other things which haven't gone my way today and I would love to tell you about them but I am unable to at the moment, perhaps in a week or two.  Thankfully I am blessed with a good friend who lets me rant without judgement - a rare friend indeed.

Tomorrow I am in the shop and that never fails to lift my mood so hopefully then I will stop feeling so hard done by and actually manage to crack a smile AND after my shift get some writing done.  Wish me luck guys.