Moving on

I get through a lot of pens and notebooks.
Switching to recycled materials seems logical to me.

Since I last posted here I have had my critique on my novel and a couple of weeks to mull things over. The critique was much as I expected in a way. My doubts about it bore out and I think it is time to put this one to bed for a while now. I've worked with it for too many years and am too close to the character and the story to yet take it apart. Some parts are easier to rectify than others but I am lacking is a hook and a more gripping beginning. That said my character is rather unlikable though I like him immensely! By changing him I'm afraid I will lose who he is. However, there are better things, apparently I'd got his voice and I have a lively way of writing.

The main problem with this novel is that I started it without a plan. When I began writing it I wasn't even sure if it was going to be a novel. Then once I realised it was going somewhere I had to plot. It's all been done backwards in a way. Maybe this is one that will be for my eyes only. I'm certainly not in a position to do anything with it now.

So, what's next on the agenda? Not novel writing. I'm not sure I have the stamina for the long haul and I don't think my ideas are strong enough. I have decided to forget publication as such for a while and just enjoy writing. I love my writing group and enjoy being with them. There is so much laughter between the buzz of timed free writing sessions. And I am still doing my write-a-poem-a-day-for-a-year challenge. Today I move into week twenty-two. And because poetry writing is my first love I signed up to write climate crisis poetry with Live Canon. This is a twelve week online course with a group (like a forum for students to chat and get feedback) and Live Canon will give personal feedback on the poems submitted. I am really enjoying this. It's been a long time since I have had feedback on my poetry and I am finding it very constructive.

Two books I have recently read

I am also going to lots of author events. The first one was in a local library where William Shaw and Mark Hill (both crime writers) were speaking. It was a lovely evening. I have read books by both authors and they obviously know each other very well as they sparked off one another. It was a lovely evening.

On offer on the night....couldn't resist!

October is always Wimbledon Book Fest, two weeks of events. Last night I went along to the opening night at Wimbledon Library to hear Joanne Harris in conversation. I've read all Joanne's books and her latest The Strawberry Thief is the fourth in the Chocolat series. Joanne was very entertaining to listen to and I shall look forward to reading the next instalment of Vianne and her daughters.

I have tickets for three more events which all take place in a number of tents on Wimbledon Common. The next one for me is on Saturday afternoon after which I have to rush off to take part in a charity concert in Kingston. I am going to miss the pre-concert rehearsal but hopefully arrive in time to sing with the choir. I believe we are first on!

Sunday week I'm off to Belfast with my husband for three nights, a break I booked back in November last year as part of a Black Friday deal. Getting quite excited now.

A day late, here is my poem for National Poetry Day. It is based on my writing session with the writing group on Tuesday.

Writing Session

I see the streak of lightning through the café window

and soon rain bounces off the pavement like marbles

while I scribble away in my notebook on the theme

of plasters!

A sticky little number in a heavy atmosphere bearing

down in charcoal clouds, and my head and wrist ache

while minutes tick by amid sounds of pages turning

and words hastily written.

And here I am under the thunderbolts and teeming rain

writing about a cut, a magic plaster and time shifts,

the meeting between dead and alive siblings - one

offering forgiveness.

Yet none of us can plaster the cracks where water

comes in, where drips feed buckets and enter windows;

we have no time for distractions because our characters

are feeding off our darkest thoughts.

Wimbledon Bookfest - Tracy Chevalier & Matt Haig

Matt Haig

Wimbledon Bookfest finished last night and I was there to hear the last guest - Matt Haig. I found him a most interesting and down to earth guy and I found myself agreeing with much that he said about the writing world, how we see ourselves in the world and depression.

The first book of his I ever read was The Humans and I loved it. I have also read The Radley's and Reasons To Stay Alive (his book about depression) is sitting on a shelf waiting to be read. He was an engaging speaker - I like the way music plays an important part in his writing (he cited Talking Heads as background to The Humans and Don Henley's Boys of Summer to 'get him out of a fug' - I love that song myself!). And that he isn't a planner - he likes the surprise, though admitted it got him into all sorts of bother at the editing stage.

Matt Haig's books are hard to pigeonhole. I remember the trouble Waterstones had tracking The Humans down for me. He doesn't fit a particular genre and I rather like that.

Matt Haig's partner and children were sitting in the front row and had been promised pizza for being so good and patient. I feared the wait would still be long as the queue for his book signing was back to the door. I haven't read his latest book How To Stop Time but it's on my list. I'll wait for it to come out in paperback or put it on my Christmas list! It sounds fascinating and I look forward to reading it quite soon.

I did have a ticket to see the Rev Richard Coles but he got a better offer and is currently on Strictly (I don't watch that) so his session was cancelled. I still think he made the wrong choice (ha, ha).

However, I did get to see Tracy Chevalier a week ago. She came to talk about her latest book New Boy and I have read that. I was lucky enough to find a copy at my local library by chance, so I grabbed it. I don't think it's Tracy's best book, but then I'm not keen on retelling of old stories. I had some reservations about how sexually aware 11 year olds were back in the 70's and this came up at her interview. She was basing it on her childhood in the USA in that period whilst manipulating the plot to fit that of Shakespeare's Othello. I'm a big fan of Tracy's, having read all her books. I love the way all her books are different and if I had to pick favourites, oh that's tough, I tend to be drawn to her early ones - Girl With a Pearl Earring, The Lady & The Unicorn, Burning Bright and Remarkable Creatures. I am interested in her next book which is set in Winchester (a place I love visiting) and she is already talking about the book after that!

I love hearing authors speak, to learn about how they got into writing, their process of writing, where their ideas come from and the research they do. It's so fascinating.  Apologies the photo isn't great - it's from my phone's camera with a zoom that is laughable!. When I went to a concert recently I borrowed my son's old mobile to take photos - much better - but I had problems loading the photos onto Facebook, yet they conformed to size etc. Blogger had no problem but I didn't want to risk not getting a shot.

Flashes, poems and a bookfest

Paragraph Planet (September)

My month with Kickstart Your Creative Heart is over and I ended up writing quite a lot in the end. I didn't use all the prompts. Some worked better than others but I did get back into a routine - my preferred early morning start. I found I was enjoying the process of writing again, so by taking this online course it achieved its purpose.

It's that time when I am waiting to hear about various submissions. In the meantime I have been published by Paragraph Planet again and Visual Verse have my poem Beached published on their website as part of this month's photo prompt (page 15, if you are interested).

I need to start thinking about submissions again and at some point looking at one of my novels. Knowing that will take a long time I'm tending to put that on a back burner and work with flash, short stories and poems. And I have rather a lot of distractions at present with a busy week or so coming up. The Wimbledon Bookfest has started and I have tickets to see Tracy Chevalier and Matt Haig. Looking forward to those evenings.

I have just finished reading a book about creative writing. Most of the 'how-to' parts is what I know but there was a another section about marketing yourself which I found most interesting and has made me think again about whether I should be doing more. Some things to mull over for sure.

Wimbledon Bookfest Event - Carol Ann Duffy

Last evening I went along to another event at Wimbledon Bookfest. This time I was in the Big Tent on Wimbledon Common to see Carol Ann Duffy. She had brought along her Court Musician, John Sampson who played a range of wind instruments through the ages. He also accompanied Carol Ann Duffy on a couple of poems.

Carol Ann Duffy read from The World's Wife, Rapture and The Bees as well as a poignant poem about her mother. She spoke about how one of her poems was banned from the school curriculum and then went on to write a poem about that with her usual wit! It was a lovely evening. My photos I'm afraid are pretty dismal unlike the poetry which was captivating and amusing.

Sunset over Wimbledon Common

Author event - Jessie Burton

Jessie Burton reading from The Muse

The Wimbledon Bookfest has just started. There are lots of great writers you can go and see in conversation and reading from their latest books. Have a look at their website for the line up.

Last night I was Wimbledon Library to see Jessie Burton, the author of The Miniaturist. Her latest book The Muse was published recently and there was huge pile of them waiting to be bought ready for the book signing afterwards.

I bumped into a friend from my book group and she nudged me as we sat there. She said 'One day this will be you.' I wish! But yes, I do have that dream. In fact at a speakers event at Swanwick Writers' Summer School this year we were encouraged to visualise such things - the feeling you will have on seeing your book on the shelf at Waterstones etc. I do this. I have a whole scenario of pictures in my head!

Anyway, back to last night. Jessie was so interesting to listen to. She is a local girl from Wimbledon (didn't know that) - one of her ex-teachers was in the line for the book signing! She spoke about her first book, how it took off so unexpectedly and her world was rocked, how hard the second book was, especially after the success of The Miniaturist. She talked about themes, how different it was to write both books. She touched on research and methods. I was comforted to hear that her planning was much as mine, confused! Jessie then read from the first chapter of The Muse and spoke about one of the characters. I'm not putting out any spoilers here but her mum was in the audience and basically Jessie used a story her mum told her to start the book because she couldn't get started! Her mum then proceeded to remind her that the scene wasn't quite like that! Mum's we do so enjoying embarrassing our offspring. It was so funny.

There was a period of Q&A and the interviewer insisted one question come from one of the few men who were there (I think they were dragged along by wives on the whole). Coming out of this Jessie told us that she has been commissioned to write a children's book and that the BBC have plans for a drama of The Miniaturist. It's in the very early stages. What Jessie wants now is a year off. It's been a world wind  time and she'd just finishing a long book tour and has a holiday to look forward to, Jessie came across as very genuine. Her answers were informative and often funny.

I was soon off to purchase my copy of The Muse and to queue up to get the book signed. What a lovely evening.