Bye Bye

Hi Guys

As you can tell I have been away a long time.  A lot of things have happened during my absence but becoming an overnight success hasn't been one of them.  I appreciate all the visits and comments I have received over the time this blog has been going but its now time for me to close up and bid you bye bye.

Again I thank you for your company and wish you all well in your own personal  life paths.

'Little Gems' (And...It's Done)

Well, it's out there, floating around in cyber space hoping to be downloaded to any kindle device willing to give it space.

The collection of short stories I have been working on has eventually been uploaded to Amazon Kindle. I am so excited. To date it has been downloaded 7 times.  Its not about the money its about getting my work out there, people I don't know and will probably never meet reading my stories.  Its such a good feeling, for me, a real achievement.

What's next? NanoWriMo. For some reason unbeknown to even me, I have opted to complete this crazy challenge again.  Back in 2013 it was both the best and worst month of the year. A complete novel in 30 days, yes its possible but not easy.  If you're up for a challenge give it a go.

And don't forget my collection of short stories 'Little Gems' is available on Kindle right this minute.

School Holiday Over

Hi - yes the school's are back at last !!
Normality can now resume, which for me means getting my short story collection ready for publication on Kindle.  At last, the end is in sight.  There really is light at the end of the tunnel. For those of you unaware of my little project, its a collection of  my favourite 10 short stories to be unleashed into the world of electronic publishing, Amazon Kindle to be exact.  A sample of my work to share with short fiction lovers, to keep them company on the train, bus or at coffee/tea breaks.  We all like a break from the day to day trudge, don't we?
As soon as I've opened the door to the cage you'll be the first to know and who knows maybe you might even buy a copy.  Fingers crossed and watch this space.

Writing Groups

You know, Essex is a big place.  But can I find a writer's group even remotely local? No I cannot and its driving me mad. The group I did belong to have decided to remove me from their members list as my attendance is sporadic. Fair? No, I don't think so. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell them that its quite difficult to drive with one hand when you have a shoulder injury, but then what's the point? They've made their decision and I can't be bothered to argue about it and I'm certain;y not going to beg!  Anyway the point of this post is that in such a vibrant county as Essex the lack of writers groups is astonishing, if I widen the search any more I'll be in Kent!

Ho-hum these things are sent to try us.  Wish me luck with my search and believe me if I find a group I'll let you know.

A Change Is As Good As A Rest

Hi

I've just returned from Fishguard Writers Holiday and wanted to tell you what a fabulous time I had there.  As you may remember the last four years I have attended Swanwick Writers Summer School but this year I wanted a change.  Anyway, back to Fishguard (which by the way took me 6 hours to drive to from Essex). The tuition there was brilliant.  You choose 2 courses for the week, so for Tuesday/Wed you do your first course and only the first course.  Thursday/Friday you do the second course.  The good thing about this set up is that the tuition is continuous and not interrupted by anything else.  Of course there a mini workshops after tea but nothing that will distract from the days learning.  It makes such a difference, whatever you are learning goes in and stays in clever and constructive way to open ones mind.

The people were friendly, I had a lovely room (with a TV), the food was good and plentiful, so all in all I had a great time and have returned refreshed and ready to go.  Once my short story collection is uploaded onto kindle I will be concentrating all my efforts into novels.  It really is about time but I get so tempted by the short story comps - well not from now on!

Finally, I'd like to thank Ann and Gerry Hobbs for arranging such a great holiday particularly Ann who made me laugh everyday.  Brilliant hosts.

Nearly There...

Hi Guys - now for those of you who remember me talking about a collection of short stories I was planning to publish on kindle, well I'm almost there.  My collection should be complete and ready to go by the weekend.

Am I complacent about it? No, I'm scared stiff.  But on the other hand who is to say that at least a few copies will sell and that's a few more copies than will sell if I don't get my work out there.  Yeah, I know I'm babbling now but honestly I can't decide whether I'm a little excited too.  Ok I am excited, a little bit.  I suppose even great authors must have felt as I feel right now.  What's that book called? Oh yeah 'Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway' - good advice (but still scary).

Shoulder Injuries and Netflix

Hi All - Yes I know I've been gone a long time again.  But now I'm back.  The reason for my long absence is due to a shoulder injury which had me almost passing out in pain.  Obviously it was impossible for me to write, type or even dress myself (too much detail?).

So, other than feeling sorry for myself whilst being laid up I struck up an intimate relationship with Netflix.  She's been good to me and kept me from climbing the walls, yes one handed, and crying into my tea. Against my better judgement I allowed my daughter to introduce me to 'Pretty Little Liars' and Oh dear, I am hooked.  Its supposed to be a 12 but I'm not sure it should be as it contains murder, blackmail, theft, hit and run, kidnap and oh so many lies.  Its not so much as a 'who dunnit' but 'who is it'.  There are five seasons, of which I have watched twice and still cannot work it out.  Give it a go if you have the spare hour here or there.

But today I am back on track and almost done with my collection of short stories which will soon be available on kindle.  I just thought I'd pop by and touch base with you and to say, although I'm not always around you guys are never far from my thoughts.

A Change of Plan

Hey Guys - I didn't realise it had been such a while since I spoke to you, but you know what I'm like. Anyhow, last time I was telling you about a ghost story I was writing and how much I was enjoying it, not having written one before. And I was - but then something happened.  Do you ever have those 'deep into the night conversations' with your other half? You know the ones, sitting up until 3 in the morning.  Well me and hubby did just that.  He was encouraging me to put together a collection of my short stories to publish on Kindle.  It's something we've discussed before but I've never been that keen.  Always thinking that people wouldn't like my work and leave negative reviews.  But hubby helped me to see that it didn't matter what some people might think, after all every author/writer on this earth has at sometime or another had negative feedback.  I suddenly realised he was right and why shouldn't I give it a go, which of course I am.

Almost two weeks in and I'm almost there, with the stories that is.  Revision, editing and polishing are being done religiously and I'm really excited about the whole thing.  So what if some sad person feels the need to leave a negative comment?  It's all part and parcel of life isn't it.  But I will never know unless I put myself out there.

As ever Guys, wish me luck.

Spooky

I've often thought about writing a ghost story but have never actually put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard.  But a writer friend of mine sent me the details of a ghost short story competition and I decided to give it a go.  Why not?  Its good to step out of your comfort zone now and again.  To date I have written 1,238 words and surprisingly have enjoyed every minute of it.  I'm certainly not saying I'm the next Stephen King but its great fun and what's more I still have two weeks before the deadline and a few more twists up my sleeve.

On a different note I also entered two erotic short stories into the Ann Summers competition - don't even ask how I discovered this competition.  Its not what you're thinking, believe me.  All in all I'm pleased at how well the new year has started for me regarding writing that is, long may it last.

And We're Off

I didn't do any writing over the festive period, not a jot.  So I'm pleased that since I opened my laptop last week I've written two and a half stories.  For me, who is a slave to procrastination, that's a good start.

I've decided that this year I'm going to enter more competitions and not just wish I had.  Mslexia magazine has a short story competition coming up, deadline is 16/3/15 which gives me plenty of time to prepare.  I had planned on giving it a go last year but I left it too late.  A lesson learned there I feel. There a so many competitions out there if you look.  You can find them in magazines or on-line, not just fiction either.  Some requests essays and articles I even saw one for song lyrics - not my strong point though.  Having just received my Writers  Forum through the post I'm tempted to enter their monthly competition too.  The possibilities are endless - as are the words I will need to type.

2015

Hooray - first post of the year.

How many of you made new years resolutions? And how many of you have broken them already? Quite a few I think.  Rubbish aren't they, why does it have to be a new year for us to take stock of our lives and initiate a change?  The simple answer is that it doesn't, most of us just get swept up in the festive season and its old, old traditions.

I have made some changes in my life but not because its a new year but because they have been a long time coming.  There are people who, well I thought, were friends but turned out to be just the opposite in fact.  I've decided to no longer quiz myself on what I may have done wrong but why they did whatever it which caused a rift.  I'm very much a 'take me as you find me' person and I view most people in the same way.  After a lot of soul searching its become obvious that if people can't accept me the way I am then tough.  I'm no longer going to try and change for people, if you like me then you'll accept me the way I am, warts 'n' all - not that I have any warts of course!!

So what about writing?  I could waffle on about this and that and the whys and how's but the hard truth of the matter is 'bum on seat' and work, work, work.

I'll keep you posted.

Wow !!

I did it.

The scary thing.  Reading aloud has always been hard for me and usually causes me to blush, stutter and wanting to run away.  But not any more.

As you would have read in my previous post I was not looking forward to the PWG (palace writers group) 'reading evening'  so much so that up until an hour before I was thinking up believable excuses.  But thanks to my hero, who is also my husband, I bit the bullet and went ahead and did it.  I'm so glad I did.  It's one of my demons banished and its hard to put into words just how proud I am of myself (without being big headed of course).  People even clapped !  What a fab night.

Moral of this story - look you're demons in the eye then they cannot hold you back any longer.

Update and a Scary Thing

Hey, sorry to have left you so long but I have a good reason.  To cut a very long story short I have had to go 'gluten free' and have discovered I also have an egg allergy.  Thankfully things have settled down now and I'm back to my old self, well new self - oh, you know what I mean.

The scary thing?  PWG (palace writers group) of which I am a member, are hosting a night of readings.  They'll be poetry, short stories and even a sketch or two, sounds great doesn't it.  But - included in the programme are two pieces of my own work And I will be reading them aloud to an audience.

So what - you might ask.  Well for me this is a nightmare, my mind goes back to the classroom where you were forced to read allowed, red faced and stumbling over the words.  I even blush when I'm reading to Reggie (my cat).  So why do it?  I think I owe it to myself to get over the fear of reading aloud, whenever somebody else reads my work it rarely sounds how I want it to.  So what's the answer - do it yourself!!  I can't pretend I'm not shaking in my boots at the prospect but I hope to feel a sense of achievement when I have faced up to this scary thing.

Wish me luck.

In The Wee Small Hours

Well, I went to bed at 10:15 and got back up at 11:30.  Sleep evaded me. I had a little nugget whispering to me, telling me to get up and write - so I did.  I have written 700 words of a flash fiction piece for my writers group.  I can't say they are all good words, things always look different in the morning don't they.  When I say morning I mean proper morning, you know, when normal people get up and go to work not 1:30 in the morning.  Does that happen to anybody else? Please say it does. Don't let me think I'm alone.  Actually I'm not alone, up and around at this silly hour that is.  I just peeped through the curtains and saw a fox.  Ah, such beautiful yet misunderstood creatures.  I'm sure it knows better than to go into next door's garden, not with the size of their dog.

Well I won't say goodnight or even good morning, I have that odd feeling that the wee small hours haven't finished with me just yet.

When 'Its Just Not Happening'

Today I had such plans - and the opportunity.  But it just isn't happening - I have two short stories bubbling away at the moment.  I'm eager to get them completed so I can submit them to TABFF but my head has other ideas.

I don't like to use this blog to share my personal life BUT I'm sure I'm not the only person/writer to feel this way and to be overwhelmed by such feelings.  What feelings?  My oldest two children have left home, one for independence, the other for Uni.  All normal and part of life but for some reason its really hit me today and I can't concentrate on my work and I'm indulging in baby pictures and old forgotten school projects.  Daft isn't it - in reality I should be pleased that they are out there living their lives and making their own way.  Don't get me wrong I'm proud of them both but missing them is hurting, a physical ache.

I'm sharing this because there must be others who have these days too.  But tomorrow is another day and I must wait to see what a new day brings.  Who knows, maybe there's a new story to be told. So I suppose what I'm actually saying is one unproductive day isn't the end, life as a writer isn't over.  Believe in yourself, pick yourself up and carry on writing.

It's Marinating

Firstly, Hello and Welcome to the new peeps. I hope you stick with me and find this blog either amusing or useful.  As for me, I enjoy the company.

The story I blogged about on Tuesday is finished and I have left it to marinate until next week.  I'm really pleased with it.  In fact I was so pleased and happy with my progress I delved into my archives and pulled out a story I'd written last year but was never satisfied with.  The idea of the story was good but I'd not been able to bring it to life.  But now, I can see it really does have potential.  With a polish here and a small re-write there I hope to submit it to TABFF in time.  However tempting never throw away or delete any piece of writing even if it isn't doing what you'd like it to.  You never know when it could come in handy.

I'd ask you all to forgive any small typo's as Reggie, my kitten, is very fond of my keyboard..

Feel free to leave me any comments I'm always happy to chat.

Some You Do And Some You Don't

Do you ever get a feeling about a story?  Either whilst drafting, editing or anywhere along the line - I do.  My latest short story is aimed at TABFF (Take-a-Break Fiction Feast).  The truth is, yes this is going to sound really pretentious, but I dreamt the first line of dialogue of the story.  Now I know a lot of my fellow writers keep a notebook by the bed, as do I.  But the words stayed with me even after showering and eating breakfast, I knew I had to use them.  And I have.  I have a really good feeling that this story could be the one to set me on my way.  The one that makes all previous disappointments almost worth the pain.  Time will tell.

It's odd though, I really want to write novels but I cannot leave short stories alone.  I've tried but the ideas always manage to sneak into my thought stream somewhere along the way.  Maybe I should try harder at doing both.  After all I do have a novel that I've written.  Okay so it needs a huge injection of TLC but hey, it there.

Back To It

So, the kids have gone back to school, at last.  To me it seems like forever as Cerys has had a nice 7 week holiday due to our move in July.  Problem is, now the house feels so empty it's hard for me to settle.  Reggie, the kitten, is fast asleep at my feet content in his own dreams and I'm wondering if I should pop downstairs and put the TV on.  Not to watch it of course but sometimes silence is really distracting.

I now have 2 stories I am playing with and considering trying my with TABFF again - after all nothing ventured nothing gained.  But, as all writers, I loathe rejection and it dents my confidence so. There's no sense in wallowing so back to it I suppose.  Think big, that's my new motto.

The Good, The Bad & The Really Ugly !!

ARRRGGGHHHH!!

So the Good thing is, well I see it as good is that since getting back down to work since Swanwick I have written 1.5 short stories.  Yes that's right 1.5 - I do have anew kitten to watch out for!!

So that's the good.  The Bad is really bad.  As an ex secretary you'd think I could format documents standing on my head wouldn't you?  But no, not this particular story I'm working on and the worst part is that I don't have a glue as to where I'm going wrong.  At the risk of sounding like a spoilt brat 'it's not doing what I want it to do'.

The Ugly part is my mood...ooh very ugly.  Really I could quite happily sling my laptop through the window and myself afterwards.  It's driving me crazy.  I thought writing the stories was the hard part.  I really have had enough for today, formatting that is.  I'm off for a nice coffee and a scream !!

I'm Back...did you miss me?

I have moved house and attended the Swanwick Writers Summer School since I last posted, a lifetime ago or so it seems.

I'm so out of step with everything I'm finding it hard to know where to start to fill you in.

Let's start with Swanwick, for those of you who are familiar with this wonderful school I'm sure you will agree it is wonderful.  A packed week of inspiring courses and many friendly faces, evening speakers and activities to enable you to let your hair down later on.  This year was my fourth year in a row and although Swanwick will always hold a special place in my heart, I feel it may be time to try something new.

What with the house move and the long school summer holiday it has been difficult to fit in any writing time.  But now we are settled (still a few boxes to go) I need to hunt down my mojo and put it to work.

As always, wish me luck and I promise to post soon.