Tag Archives: writing

August 8, 2011 · 12:54 pm

Are you a Hare or a Tortoise in your writing?

The Hare and the Tortoise

Some writers are hares. They are either fortunate or blessed with amazing talent to write a best seller first time or they go haring off in search of success. A writer’s race is an individual one. Of course the eyes of the world see us competing with each other to win prizes and fame too but do we see ourselves that way?

To my way of thinking writing is lifelong journey. Each good review, acceptance letter, positive feedback given by word of mouth, twitter, e mail, letter, facebook or any other way boosts our feeling of self worth. Today I was contacted by a ladies group wanting me to give a talk and share my experiences and the background to my writing. This request lifted my spirits to an unexpected high.

Of course, like any person writing to share in the public arena you have to harden yourself against the knocks as well. Rejections and criticism are part and parcel of the experience but listening and learning from others can be empowering too. Being prepared to adjust, amend, rewrite or even change direction are also skills we need to hone or even acquire; but sometimes we need to stand firm and accept that people have differing opinions.

With technology opening up a world of communicating to your audience in a way unheard of even ten years ago it is still possible to be a hare, but it is also quite satisfying being a tortoise, gradually building up an audience both virtually and in the real world. Being a tortoise also has the advantages of learning to value feedback but also to learn from it along to way.

I recently read in a Writer’s magazine of someone who was an apprentice writer for several years and only when he had strived to reach perfection did he open his work to the world. My question to him is ‘How did you know that you had reached the one? Are you sure that one of your earlier works would not have been enjoyed equally by your now avid readers?

No, I’m quite happy to be a tortoise. As long as people genuinely enjoy my writing and are interested in what I have to say I will share it.  I’m also sure  that the tortoise appreciates every moment of his experience in the race, taking time to acknowledge the world around him. His limbs may ache with effort at times but how satisfying it is when he reaches his goal(or each individual goal)?

3 Comments

Filed under Marketing your novel, Writing, Writing a novel

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

June 13, 2011 · 1:28 pm

Writing is like Gardening – A Personal Approach

Blog writing, in fact all writing is personal. I’ve looked at other blogs and thought, should I be more organised and have my categories in careful lists, for example, rather than as a topics cloud, or have neat tabs for efficient and quick retrieval;  but I’ve decided just to be myself and keep to my own personal style.

My garden too is a constant surprise. I weed selectively, allowing the wild flowers that thrive in this part of the world, those I like anyway, to flourish. This leads to a carpet of Celandine under the prunus in late winter and Violets under the maple in the spring followed by Bluebells and then Foxgloves. I behave similarly to flowers that seed themselves and I am only ruthless when I want to encourage certain flowers, wild or otherwise, in selective beds, thus Aquilegia abound, as do Canterbury Bells. Beautiful! Through my eyes anyway.

What on earth has this got to do with blog writing I can hear you asking? Well let me explain. In the same way that my garden never looks manicured or predictable, my blog too is a reflection of my personality. I have a multitude of topics, which to many blog writers must seem peculiarly diverse, so much so that it’s difficult for some to interpret a common thread. This means that a post one week will appeal to some, but next week my audience may be totally different. This might be irritating for my subscribers who may have been drawn in by a certain post.

Alderney cliff tops in springtime

My readers may love the Channel Islands for example, and have read my posts describing the background to Riduna my debut novel, deep rooted in the history of both Alderney and Guernsey (which are also as it happens loved for their abundance of wild flowers) or they may have read a post on tips for writers and liked my rather haphazard approach of having a rough plan allowing a few surprise leads to changes of direction, but I’m usually delighted with the result. Or they may have read a ‘one off’ post on totally irrelevant topics for example my cat stories, which may have moved, amused or even pleased me at the time of writing; like those individual ‘weeds’ or ‘plants’ which appear unbidden and unrecognised, sometimes they can give the greatest pleasure of all.

Mind you, when it came to my recent posts about proofreading a novel, then I can be ruthless. In my garden I can spend hours on my hands and knees rooting out unwanted guest plants which are out of place and just don’t look right. Yes, if you’ve followed the thread of my post, you’ve got it. That’s just like my style of proof reading. It needs to be brutal at times in order for me to be satisfied.

After all the hard work’s over and I’m content, that’s when I need someone else’s eyes.

‘That Vibernum is much too big. It needs trimming and the honeysuckle would be far prettier if you didn’t let it rampage all over that wall. It’s hiding the plants underneath struggling for space.’

‘Humpph’ I exclaim, since I was really just hoping for a compliment!

Gardeners, like writers are very protective of their creations. Reluctantly at first, I begin to trim the shrub and Honeysuckle. After which I step back to look at my handiwork and I have to agree that the effect is an amazing transformation. I was just too close to the project to see what improvements would be most effective.

It is essential that we have someone independent to view our writing with a critical eye too. That does not mean that we have to agree with everything they say, unless they are the editor of course, but if we take their challenge and constructive comments seriously, we allow ourselves to develop as writers. And, as the saying goes,

‘there’s no gain without pain!’

4 Comments

Filed under Blogs, Writing

Tagged as , ,

May 31, 2011 · 1:42 pm

Writers’ Time Management – I should be so lucky!

I have two precious days per week to write. I’m so lucky. Oh, just wait a minute – I can hear that the washing machine’s just finished. Be back in a mo………………

Hi again. Where was I? Oh yes. I like to start to write early. I spend some time getting my thoughts together, rereading my previous work and then I begin to let the words tumble out of my brain. This is pure novel writing or working on my current project and I like to leave any research until the afternoon. Oh, just a minute, there’s the post man………. Two bills to pay, nothing interesting. Now what was I saying?

How do writers cope with interruptions, the phone ringing, the washing to put out on the line, the floor that needs hoovering ……………all those things that just get in the way?

If I can try to find three clear hours to focus on my writing in the morning then I see myself as fortunate. It can be quite a selfish life. I used to visit friends in my holidays but now I just write. It’s addictive verging on an obsession. In order to cope with the frustrating demands of the day I’ve made myself a few ground rules and that seems to help me to remain focussed and less frustrated by my lack of progress:

  • I treat my writing like anyone working from home. It deserves no less than my undivided attention. 
  • I leave any research until the afternoon unless it requires a visit, when I give myself the time off wholeheartedly
  • I leave all social media networking until lunchtime or the afternoon when I catch up on Twitter, my blog and Facebook
  • If I have to put the washing out or do a mundane chore at home I think while I work, or better still leave it ’til later if I can get away with it
  • I am struggling with the last one; the desire to  be able to ignore bits on the carpet and leave the cleaner in the cupboard until another day, but i’m working on it!

That means leaving the post on the mat and sometimes not answering the phone. You see, there’s nothing worse than being in full flow, the scene coming to life in my head and the characters buzzing, when I answer the phone and it’s the bank trying to sell me a better deal in home insurance.

No offence meant to the poor person on the end of the line intended!

2 Comments

Filed under Social Media Networking, Writing, Writing a novel

Tagged as , ,