Category Archives: Writing

Background to writing

April 8, 2016 · 3:54 pm

My Living Space ~Writing and Office Maybe

It’s been a while since I had my set up of a wee office down in Bedfordshire ~ six months in fact since I’ve had my old Dell main frame computer in full working order  after our move to Fife last December. I bought it to have a computer which was rarely connected to the internet for manuscript security, to be a workhorse alongside my laptop. It had a bit of a glitch which needed sorting, then a couple of wires needed to be replaced ~ lost in transit we believe.

DSCN2983[1]Here in Fife we have decided not to have an office space per se but a pleasant space for creativity, whether it be hubby playing his guitar, a quiet place to read if the television has a programme which does not suite one of us or a place for me to see where creativity takes me. The room now contains an overflow wardrobe, shelves with records (the vinyl kind) and family photographs, an unobtrusive desk but also an old futon – an insurance policy if we happen to have a house full of visitors and need another bed. (but it is also a place to relax.)

I’m glad that it is a living space rather than an office.

Today I am sitting at the desk for the first time, trying it for size, ambiance and comfort. DSCN2984[1](I’m managing without a proper chair  at the moment.) An occasional glance out of the window distracts any train of thought I might have had as I watch a large container ship glide along. Edinburgh is across the water.

I am in no hurry to write. Our priority has been to settle in at home but also within the community of Kinghorn and we are feeling truly blessed to be so welcomed. What I do need to do is to update records and send out end of tax year summaries to the authors in Eventispress, our publishing cooperative. That is a job for next week.

Apart from that I am taking a deep breath from my writing life to see what happens. I’ve been learning that new opportunities only arise if you make room for them in your life and it has been a wonderful time, albeit a tad scary, to take a step back, wait and reflect.

Being here fills me with joy but above all I feel an over riding sense of peace – wondering what will happen next. …

 

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February 18, 2016 · 2:48 pm

Multi Genre ~ Who on earth is the target audience?

Writing a multi genre book caused a few challenges and I’m still not sure whether I chose the best path. Having said that, of all my books, it was most fun to write!

The Genre I chose were Memoir, Travel, History and Fantasy. This list was not exhaustive. I could have added ‘Motivational and Inspirational,’ and certainly added ‘Self Help’ when looking at BIC categories on Amazon and Nielsens.

Now I needed to think of  the target audience for my new book ‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation.‘

The book – I call it that because it’s not really a novel – is multi layered too because the book is a bit quirky. These are the following themes running through and thus the possible target audience:

  • a smattering of poetry ~ this would appeal to those who enjoy exploring senses and feelings in words. I could describe the sensation of being made redundant after a life time teaching but somehow I found poetry so much more dynamic. The places I loved leant themselves to verse so well too – just looking about me made my heart sing, if you’ll excuse the cliche.
  • snippets of history ~ It seemed right to add paragraphs, almost asides, of the facts and people who inspired me, and I wrote them as if I was writing a short news item.
  • memoir ~ I wrote about  what really happened to me; where I explored and how the experiences changed my perceptions along the way.
  • travel ~ The book tells of a journey, almost a pilgrimage, as I walked along The Fife Coastal Path; not all at once but in easy chunks. I like to think that my descriptions transport my readers so that they are walking along side me for a wee while. Walkers would love this book, immerse themselves in the scenery and hopefully be inspired to follow in my footsteps.
  • fantasy ~This was the more light hearted theme, making ‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation’ an allegory for life – almost a parable. As I walked I met all kinds of strangers in my imagination; real characters from the past. We walked and talked; sometimes we went on a journey together but on each occasion I learnt a little more about myself.
  • a writer’s life ~  a theme running through the book is how to become a better writer through many of these conversations and so it would certainly appeal to authors too.
  • letting go ~ This one underlies almost every chapter. What is holding us back in life to to reach our potential? Do we sometimes have to let go of the most precious things in our own lives to be free to be what ‘God’ intended? Although the purpose of this book is not to be overtly religious, it is certainly spiritual and I hope that my grapple with faith seeps through the fabric of my words to the very end.

And so I have a multi genre book which is also multi layered in style. It won’t appeal to everyone but to readers looking for something a bit different; those who might be searching for answer themselves; those who have been through some kind of huge change in their lives; authors finding their way; those who love to find new and wonderful places to walk but also to those who like to see and feel a sense of history in the places they visit. If you enjoy fact, facts and more facts then it might irritate, since I explored the essence of The Fife Coastal Path and its people, rather than an in depth study.

Since the cover is so special it would make a lovely gift too, for anyone who appreciated the beauty in the world around them!

It was a bit of a gamble – a risk many would say – but it has also been a lot of fun.

‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation ~ A Writer’s Fantasy Walk Along The Fife Coastal Path’ can be ordered from all good book shops. It is also available on line at:9780993260803

Waterstones.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com (where you can see the first five star review from across the pond!

 

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January 10, 2016 · 4:27 pm

Writing Plans for 2016

‘In a nutshell,‘ if you’ll excuse the cliche, my hopes for my writing life for the first quarter of 2016 are:

January:

  • To plan the book launch celebration of my Fife Fantasy, ‘From Redundancy to Rejuvenation ~ A Writer’s Fantasy Walk Along the Fife Coastal Path.’  
  • To promote the book in tourist centres and bookshops around the south east of Scotland
  • To return to blogging. I have two blogs. This one is of all things writerly and my other http://www.selectionsofreflections.wordpress.com will continue with the theme of Pilgrims and Allegories but will be interspersed with stories of my life here in Fife and in our campervan down in the south
  • To get back into the life of social media after a break

February

  • To begin to support a dear friend and fellow writer to complete her debut novel
  • To focus on social media promotion of new novel/memoir including giveaways
  • To reflect on the business needs and focus of Eventispress and how my move to Scotland will reflect on the direction it will take in 2016

March

  • To begin to set aside time to write again. (This is a huge one for me having been out of the habit of writing regularly for well over a year!)
  • To support one of our authors in Eventispress to get his book into paperback form

Having just moved from our home in Bedfordshire to our new life back in Fife, Scotland my mind has been preoccupied of late with unpacking boxes, visits to IKEA, helping hubby to build shelves and deciding where to put up pictures – so much so that there has been little room for my writing life. Then there was Christmas and New Year too!

Now the fog in my writing mind has begun to lift, it has been so helpful to begin to plan 2016 and in sharing my thoughts with you it has not only helped me, but this has also become a commitment so I thank you for being there. I’ll let you know how I get on.

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