Sort of a hit

The article for the local papers that I tweaked the other day was in at least two papers that are part of the group so that's almost a hit - isn't it. Better than that though, it has resulted in two phone calls from the public about it which makes it a hit for the day job. Yay!

A little tweak here and there.

We were given a sample press release for something that is happening at work and (sorry to whoever wrote it) but I thought it was a bit wet. Well no that's unfair - it was a one size fits all, generic type thing. So I've just spent an hour or so tweaking it to be more specific to us and our needs and now that I'm happy with it I've emailed it to my contacts with the local papers. I hope it works.

Pleasures in life

The cold is feeling a bit better today so I actually managed to get my head around some writing. Writing for pleasure that is. I wrote quite a bit on Wednesday but none of it was for pleasure so that doesn't really count. That was just another case of life getting in the way of fun. I've even managed to submit a couple of things today - nothing major but just something that would keep the wolves form the door for another day if it came off.
I'm now off to the kitchen to enjoy one of the other pleasures in life for me and that is cooking. It is that time of the week again. The Sunday roast. Yum.

Christmas again

This time yesterday I was so cheesed off. I'd had a rotten day and felt like the dogs doodahs. Happy to report that I'm feeling better today. I'll be even happier tomorrow when I'm off work. I get tomorrow off in lieu for working Christmas Eve and I'm hoping to get to grips with my latest Womag2Weekly story.
Hey just had a thought - hope that doesn't mean Thursday is Christmas Day. I've not got a turkey. There's probably still a pudding at the back of the cupboard though.

I had a dream...

and it was WEIRD.
Picture the scene. I am sitting at the front of a plane and in the seat behind me is Prince Harry with a toddler on his knee, Apparently William was there too but I didn't see him. Then I was in a place with really big buildings. I don't know where it was but it did look familiar in places. Then I had to cross a bridge that was really a river and I had to step on stones to get across. Then I was back on the plane and I had to fly it even though I wasn't in the cock pit. I pulled the nose up a bit quickly which was a bit scary but managed to flatten out and we were okay. Then I was sitting down again and there was a woman sitting beside me. She turned to me and I saw her very clearly. She was probably in her 60's with a friendly face and long grey hair. I think she was wearing pink. I couldn't hear what she was saying to me but she was smiling so I hope it was something nice.
Then I woke up.
Maybe I shouldn't have had that cheese before bed.

Cold comfort

I got my first rejection today - well yesterday really but I didn't open the email until today. The editor said "Very well written but not what I'm looking for at the moment."
Somehow that doesn't make me feel better.
No, having written that has made me think about it, they said it was "very well written" (direct quote) so I know that the writing is okay I just have to find he right market.
Maybe that is some comfort after all.
I'd rather they'd accepted it though.

Passing on the award

Jarmara Falconer has been kind enough to give me this award. Cheers Jarmara.
And in keeping with the spirit of the award I must pass it on in recognition of some of the wonderful places I visit in blogland. So in no particular order (as the wonderful Mr O'Leary would say) the award goes to:

Sue who has a blog I have only recently discovered but like a lot.

Karen who is soon to be best selling author.

Olivia who already is a best selling author.

Suzanne who is a kindred spirit.


Lily because she makes me smile.

Womag because her blog is just jam packed with good advice.

Amanda who has worked so hard on Woamg2Weekly and has a great blog too.

Helen who talks a lot of sense.

Debs because her shed is fab.

and last but by no means least,

Christina because she has been so helpful.

The way I understand it you guys now give this award to places that you like to visit.

Even madder! - or is that more mad?

Here is the same part of the river (taken yesterday) but now it has snow on the ice too!

And here's Zac taken abour half an hour ago not quite up to his neck in it.



He is having a wild old time in the snow - he loves it. Personally I'm not a big fan of being up to my knees in the stuff when I'm walking him.
I had to get a push (the car not me as a person) off the end of our street onto the main road out of the village yesterday morning so that I could get to work.
I'm sure we'll all laugh about this one day. To be honest though it ave me an idea for a short story which I'm going to work on this week.
Keep safe everyone - and warm.

Madness

This is the River Wear and it's frozen. How mad is that?

Spooky or what? - What I suspect.

NMBK was to be my second "real" attempt at a book. The first draft of BTL was finished and while I was giving myself a break from it before I started rewriting and editing I started my next epic. However, NMBK was set aside in favour of what I thought was a better idea (the one I've recently mothballed) and trying to get some publishing credits under my belt.
That was the past.
The present is that BTL is now rewritten and edited to death and ready to go out to agents and I've had a few things published so I recently decided to pick up NMBK again. I've been going to do it for a while and it was in my diary to have reviewed what was already written by the 18th of this month but as I'm off work today (planned not snowbound even though we are) I thought I'd review what I've already written this morning with a pot of tea and a cookie or two.
So I opened up the book that what I've written so far is in and was surprised to find that I started it on 7th January 2007. I always date when I start something. I know its weird but there you go. That means that its 3 years old today.
So my question is: Do we need a cake? I think we do.
Happy Birthday NMBK and I promise that by the time you're 4 I'll have the first draft (at least) finished.
Gotta go - need to bake.

Silver lining from snowy clouds

I couldn't get to work today because the roads were just too bad. There was a nasty rumour doing the rounds last night that the county has run out of grit and judging by the roads this morning they might be right. I rang the boss and told her and she asked if I'd be making another attempt later on which I sad that I would. However as it started to snow again almost as soon as I'd put the phone down and has on and off all morning I don't see that happening. So I decided to give in to the elements and put today down as one of the lieu days that I'm owed from over Christmas and put the day to good use.
I've been working on something for a competition and had set myself the deadline of haveing the final edit done by Sunday so that it could go off in plenty of time. Well that's one deadline I've met this year. So I think I'll just ring the boss again (who incidentally is at home) and say that I won't be risking life and limb to get to work for less than half a day and then I'll check what's next in my diary. No need! I've just remembered that it is to review the project that will be taking over from the recently mothballed NRIMH.

Number 1....away

I sent my first submission out yesterday to a market that I would DEARLY like to crack this year so fingers crossed. It's a story that I wrote sometime last year but never submitted, I don't know why. Probably lethargy and procrastination got in the way - as usual. But that was in 2009 and this is not. This year I'm going to try and knock those babies on the head.
having said that, it's snowing again and those flakes have a very hypnotic effect. I could sit and watch them for hours.
Just kidding.

Just the way I am

Those of you that followed this blog in 2007 will know that I went through a dark period which thankfully I got through. 2008 was better but had it's dodgy patches for different not half so important reasons. 2009 was better still and I am feeling optimistic about 2010, but then I am one of life's eternal optimists and my glass is always half full. It's an attitude that's got me kicked in the teeth on more than one occasion but it's just the way that I am.
I only had 4 short stories published in 2009 so there's room for improvement there. I am however acutely aware that it's getting harder for us all to get work accepted and that I had 4 bits more than some people and I am very grateful for that. I still have 8 stories out there though so there's still hope for them giving me a good start to 2010 (told you I was an eternal optimist.)
On a different note I am finally going to bite the bullet and send BTL out to agents. It'll never get anywhere sitting in a metaphoric drawer.
Some of you may have read here the other day that I was mothballing NRIMH (my 2nd attempt at a novel) and I'm sticking to that but I am very excited about another project (NMBK.) Can someone who is better at grammar please tell me where a full stop is supposed to go when it's next to a )?
Anyway, we had snow again overnight which meant another walk in it this morning with my beloved Zachary. Isn't he cute?
Two cups of tea later I can now feel all of my extremities again and its time to get to work.
Here's to a great 2010 everyone.

Chin up and say "cheese."

Had a visit from the press today. Re the day job I'd organised for a press release to be sent to all the local papers and someone came to take pictures today. What a nghtmare. I actually felt sorry for the poor photographer because when he got into photography he probably hoped he'd be photgraphing Kate Moss or Angelina Jolie but instead the poor lad got me and Dave. When he told me to lift my chin up, Dave (the wag) asked "which one?" Oh he will suffer for that.
It better do the job I meant it to cos if I go through this public humiliation for nothing I will not be a happy bunny.

NRIMH going into storage.

NRIMH is going into storage - so to speak.
I've been struggling to move it forward for a while and this evening I was sitting curled up on the end of the sofa when something (or someone) told me that it's not working.
A few months ago I was full of enthusiasm for the project but I don't feel that any more. What I do feel is that I don't know where it is going and I don't see any way of working the problem out. Not at the moment anyway.
So for now it's going into storage and I'm going to concentrate on other things.
On a different note - Am I the only person who is getting heartily sick and tired of the snow. Well not the snow as such but the ice that the compacted snow has become. Any of you that are up at 6.45 in the morning please spare a thought for me taking my life in my hands to walk the dog before I go to work. God love him he can't understand my squeals when he pulls. He's not the sharpest tool in the box but he sure is pretty.

Should have remembered number 13

I meant to make the most of my "writing morning" honest I did but just for a change the morning disappeared and before I know it, it's time to shuffle off into the kitchen and cook. Luckily for me I love cooking so that's not a chore. But I had intended to write and I haven't so I am a tad disapponted. I have looked up a couple of markets only to discover that they are both (might have been three) closed for submissions. Yah boo hiss!!! However having said that one of them is still open to competition entries and I think I already have a piece written that would fit it rather nicely, thank you very much.
Yesterday, in honour of the impending new year I tried to come up with 100 things that I wanted to do before 2011. This is not as exciting as it might sound and would have included things like finally get round to sorting out the cupboard under the stairs. However thinking of 100 was proving a bit tricky so I decided to bring it down to 50 and then to 20. Yeah, I know, I clearly don't have much ambition for the coming year. Anyway, I finally gave up on number 17.
Reading them back, I realised that everything as encapsulated in number 13. My whole life is right there in number 13. I should have had it in mind this morning.
Number 13 reads, "Stop thinking and start doing."
Amen to that.

There went another one

So I guess that was Christmas.
Hope you all had a good one.
Mine was wonderful. The nest was full again and we laughed loads and there was a house full of happiness (sounds like an advertisers dream for a chocolate advert.) Christmas lunch was a triumph even if I say so myself and I do and everyone liked the presents that I'd bought them. Even Number 1 Son declined to take the receipt for the stuff he'd been given when it was offered. Whether he'll ever wear them is a different kettle of fish though.
I love Christmas but for me its over now. I've worked between Christmas and New Year for the last 8 years so its not a long break - though I do get 3 days off instead of 2 this year. But even before that once Christmas Day was over I was always ready to get back to "normal."
I don't mean to be a Scrooge but I'm just giving you all a little insight into the way my mind works.
Now that I've spread the Christmas Joy I think I'll make a cup of tea and have another handful of Quality Street.
For those of you still enjoying the Fetsive Season I insist that you continue to have a Merry Christmas.

Seasonal felicitations

It is 04.09am on the morning of Christmas Eve. As was pottering back from the bathroom about an hour and a bit ago I noticed that it was snowing heavily again. I've spent most of the time since then laying in bed wondering
a) will I get to work (the wheels of charity retail keep going right up til Christmas Day.)
b) will I get back.
c) MOST IMPORTANT will Number 1 Son make it for Christmas Lunch?
So in the end I decided to get up and do something.
I decided to come here and wish you all a very Merry Christmas (see got to the point eventually.)
I hope that the season is everything that you want it to be and that you enjoy it with those that you love around you. For those of you that are missing a loved one I wish you peace.
Hoorah I've started to yawn, maybe I'll be able to go back to sleep - as long as I don't look through the window at the top of the stairs and see that it's still snowing!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

Still here

Not much writing going on around here at the moment. There's too much going on with that Christmas thing that's just around the corner. I know that shouldn't be an excuse but it's a fact. I will try to do better next year.
I did do some planning during for the next section of NRIMH the week and I have a story for Womag2Weekly that is a work in progress so actually on reflection that's not too bad considering all the other things that are floating around in my head.
And on top of all those floating thoughts there's been the snow to contend with. We probably have 5 or 6 inches at the moment and the local roads aren't pretty but at least we're not snowed in as long as we take them very slowly and carefully. I had to go shopping (no I HAD to - we were running out of stuff) and it took me three times as long to drive the first mile and a half as it did the final three miles.
Anyway, just thought that I would check in and confirm that I am still alive and kicking.

Any ideas?

Please can someone help. I'm getting so annoyed with myself because I still can't comment on certain blogs - Olivia's and LilyS's to name but 2. The thing is that I have absoloutly no idea why. There's probably a very good chance that I've clicked something but God only knows what. Or does He? Does anyone else have any idea what I have done.
BTW Hope you're feeling better soon Lily.

Any ideas?

Not a total write off.

Normally after I've walked the dog, Sunday mornings would be when I sit down with a cuppa and write because the house is quiet and I am on my own - even the dog normally disappears but today was different. I had to give today over to the day job and while I'd rather have been doing what I usually do on Sundays it wasn't so bad. I was on my own for the first 2 hours so I just pottered around doing things that needed catching up on.
So no writing today. I could be doing some now but as its after 11pm and like I said I was at work earlier I thought I'd give myself a break.
I actually want to write a story for a particular magazine and am currently trying to come up with an idea for that. Maybe I'll have half an hour brainstorming some ideas.
Wouldn't want the day to be a total write off.

A message for Olivia

Is anyone else having trouble posting a comment on Olivia Ryan's Bolg? I haven't beed able to comment on the last 2 posts and I don't know why. Any ideas?
maybe I'm having computer trouble of my own Olivia.
And while I'm on the subject. Has anyone else's followers pictures disappeared mine have and I can't see any on other blogs but I fear it may be a problem with the geriatric laptop.

Congrats

I apologise for being late to the party but what with the day job and everything life's a bit manic at the moment. I just wanted to publicly add my congratulations to Karen on her great news of bagging an agent. I'm sure that the book deal is just around the corner and I for one can't wait to see it on the shelves.
Do you keep wanting to pinch yourself just to make sure you're not dreaming?
Couldn't be happier for you. You deserve it.

Answers on a postcard please

That would be a metaphorical postcard of course.
When writing a first draft do you
a) Get it all down as quickly as possible and worry about errors later
or
b) revise and review as your going along?

Bless Him

I think that I've mentioned here before that I don't give what I have published to Himself to read as they're not his cup of tea - not enough murder, mayhem and intrigue.It's not something that bothers me and don't give it any thought. So imagine my surprise when over breakfast he picked up my contributor copy of The Weekly News which arrived yesterday and read my story. Better still, he laughed at the punch line. Bless Him.

Would be interested

I know that the Weekly News can sometimes be hard to come across (I haven't found a copy yet) so you may not have seen my story "Just the Job," that was in this weeks issue but if any of you have I'd be interested to know what you think. I don't show my writing to anyone but editors and occasionally Jan so I rarely get feedback.
Having said that, if it's not a publication you would normally get please don't feel obliged to buy it on my account.

Distracted again

I was sitting in my chair, laptop on my knee, coffee by my side looking out of the window instead of preparing the submission I should have been doing when look what popped into my garden (see top right hand corner of trellis.)
I nearly had a heart attack when it first appeared because it just leaped (I originally wrote "leapt" but the spell checker corrected it) out of the trees but isn't it cute. I'm not sure the birds would agree as they didn't get a look in for the ten minutes that it was there.
The dog wasn't as impressed as I was though. He never even opened an eyelid.
Fantastic! Just what I need - another distraction. Nonsense! life is short - enjoy the good stuff when it happens - even the little things.
It's not a great picture or even a good one but considering it was taken through 2 panes of glass and sleet its okay.
In conclusion I will just point out that I have completed the submission that I was working on and it will be posted in the morning. Who said you can't have everything.

Just the Job and Christmas shopping

My story "Just the Job" is in this weeks Weekly News. Yay!! I haven't seen it yet so I don't know if its been changed much but I'm told it's definately there.
On a different note, Himself and I did the bulk of our Chritmas present shopping today - presents that is. Just another couple to get. Hope they're not expecting much this year because I've (I'll not say "we" because I know I'm the skinflint) have cut back this year. I'm personally trying to reinvent the notion that its the thought that counts.

Is that the phone ringing?

I have to be honest and say that my mobile phone rarely rings especially when I'm at work. The Hogs used to ring it sometimes and tell me to get off the phone when I was talking on the land line but that's about it. So it was a bit of a surprise when it rang today especially as there's not a great signal in the basement. Anyway I digress - sorry. My mobile rang this morning and when I answered it, it was someone from Prima magazine saying that an article that I sent them has been shortlisted for a competition that I'd forgotten that I'd entered. Well it was April when I sent it to them after all.
I know it's only shortlisted but I've never got that far in a competition before so I'm feeling ever so slightly chuffed with myself. So now I just have to wait for someone to get in touch with the results.
Come on - fingers crossed everyone.

This post over on Olivia's blog got me thinking (no wonder I've got a headache).
I think that writing is a casserole. You take the basic ingredients and then you add this or that to taste and you let it cook for so long or maybe a bit longer depending on your oven or the way you feel. Writing, like the casserole is an extension of you and the way your feeling on that particular day. The casserole is made up of what you've bought from the grocer or what you've got left over in the fridge. Likewise what you write comes from what's going in in your head and what research you've done or what it is that you want to say.
When the casserole comes out of the oven or the piece of writing is finished, it may be perfect it could be okay or maybe the only place for it is in the bin. Either way you'll have learned something. Perhaps you realise that you have found the secret to perpetual success in which case you carry on doing what you did or you try a new recipe.
Like the casserole writing is not a precise formula. It is not cake.

A bit more about me.

Those of you that have known me a while will know that in blogland I was originally known as "Gonna be a Writer" and all I talked about was writing and what I was doing connected to it. Well I have decided that the time has come to share a bit more. For a start the name of the blog has changed so maybe the content should expand a bit. Not that I think it will make the blog any more interesting because I am one of the most boring people on earth (officially) but I think that the time is right. So here are a few "interesting" (I laugh) things about me.
1. I work in charity retail though I probably shouldn't mention the charity. Suffice to say its a biggy.
2. As well as writing I love to cook. I'm more of a savoury girl but I can bake when the mood takes me.
Can't think of a third one so we'll have to stick at a couple.
Told you I was boring.

Postal strike over

Its good to know that the postal strike is well and truly over. On Tuesday lunchtime I submitted a story to a magazine that I won't name only to have it returned to me today - less than 48 hours later. Oh bottom!
On a happier note though at least we won't have to worry about the Christmas cards we post not getting there on time.
Every cloud has a silver lining as they say.

Some hope?

In my last post I mentioned that for a few years before I tried to get serious in 2006 I submitted probably a story a year without any success. One of those stories was recently accepted for publication and I have asked myself why.
The truth is that when I looked at it a few months ago I could see why it wasn't accepted the first time round. I don't remember who I submitted it to because I didn't keep records in those days but I can almost guarantee that it was sent to the wrong market.
But despite all the things that I could see wrong with it I still liked it which is why I decided to play around with it a bit. I looked at it and saw what it for what it was and decided on the "right" market for it. Then I tweaked the word length, took out the cliches, gave it a better ending and hey presto.
I think that a lot of the things that I wrote in the early days was cliched. I would say that was my biggest failing back then. But I can see that now so maybe there is some hope for the stories that were dumped unceremoniously into the "archived" file.

Best year?

This post over on womags blog got me thinking and prompted me to have a look at my own submission spreadsheet and I noticed several things that have also made me think. (Note to self - spend less time thinking.)
1. My first paid acceptance came in November 2006 (8th to be precise so i just missed the anniversary.)
2. In the first three months of submitting "seriously" (I'd sent out about 1 a year for a few years before 2006) I had 3 stories accepted. (God I must have thought I had it made - if only.) sadly the next acceptance did not come for another 10 months.
3. In terms of pieces accepted 2009 has so far been my best year - currently sitting at 4.
4. Since 2006 I have submitted 116 pieces of work which includes everything even poems and article pitches and of them 14 have been accepted = 12% success rate. In 2009 I have submitted 33 dfferent things and like I said have had 4 pieces accepted which oddly enough = 12%.
So much for it being my best year to date!!!

All Russian to me

Anybody else getting comments left in Russian. It can't be good and God knows what they're offering me but I'm sure I don't want it.

Is 1 page too short?

I'm taking a leaf out of Karen's book and getting my own book ready to go out into the big wide world. I have gone over and over the synopsis and covering letter polishing them til you can see your face in them. However my dilemma and you knew that there had to be one is that my synopsis is only one page long. Am I really doing it justice in one page? But it says everything that needs to be said and gives all the relevant information about the story (I think) so I really should leave it alone - shouldn't I?
Anyway, I forgot to buy a padded envelope when I was out this morning so it will probably be off either tomorrow or early next week.

How very odd.

Can't remember who told me about the google alert thing but I thought why not and occasionally I get an email that someone has googled me. Except it isn't me of course - it's usually a doctor in Dakota. So when I got an email saying that there was a google alert I gave it a cursory glance as I usually do (just in case)only to find out that it was me afterall. Someone had googled this blog, the full address and everything. How very odd

Problem solved

Remember the problem I had with the words I needed to find , well the answer came to me last night just as I was climbing into bed. I now know how to the story to the length I need. I'd just pulled the duvet up to my chin when the metaphorical light bulb went on and I knew what I needed to do. I had a note pad by the bed but sadly not a lamp so I had to hope that it was still in my head this morning. Luckily it was.

A different editing problem

Normally I have to edit down. That is to say that I usually have to trim the odd word or phrase here or there to make a story fit a word count requirement. Just for a change I have the opposite problem today. I've typed up my first draft only to find out that I am 500 words short. Now that's a sizeable chunk. The problem isn't so much the padding out but padding out without waffling. This could be a problem.

When oh when...

will I ever learn.
Picture the scene.
During the week I started to type up the short story that I had finished a day or two earlier wuth the plan of polishing and getting out a few days later. About 400 words in I hit a snag. There's something about the story that's not right. It's just a paragraph but it's an important one that's central to everything that comes after. So I tweak a bit here and then a bit there and I'm still not happy so eventually give up on it and go to bed. As it was about midnight then and my alarm goes off at 6.30 it seemed like a good idea.
However I digress. This morning when I am walking the dog I tell him my plans for the morning. I am going to check emails and see whats happening in blogland and be ready to get back to the story by 9am. It's a good plan. So at 10 o'clock (trivia and surfing got the better of me) I opened up Word and got to work.I have to be honest, I'd thought about how I was going to reslove this issue a lot and I hadn't worked it out. yet when I read through the 400 words that were already there 200 more flowed quite naturally from my fingers and hey presto they problem is solved in less than five minutes. And what do you know, I had to come right over here to blogland (now 10.10am) to tell you about it.
So in answer to my own question of when will I ever learn the answer is now.
A. Don't force it. If forty odd years of life have taught you nothing it should have taught you that you always work better on gut instinct. Give it time and the answer will come.
I should also try and learn to not be so easily distracted.
Back to the story.

Loses the raffle again.

This has nothing well very little to do with writing but I was here so I thought I might as well tell you.
There are 3 things that I need (okay want) to do today.
1. Write up a short story that I finished the other day.
2. Go into the kitchen and be a domestic goddess - cooking and baking for England.
3. Iron.
Decisions decisions.
After careful consideration I have decided that I can type up the story later when I'm on my own and won't be interrupted and cooking would be beneficial to everyone (in the house not the world obviously.) It would fell the house with (hopefully) nice smells provide (potentially) delicious things to eat and will fill the freezer. So cooking it is. Might even stick a bit of Il Divo on at full blast just for fun. Sadly once again the ironing fails to win the raffle.
Apart from needing to get on with stuff (as usual) there's not a lot happeneing on the writing front. A couple of editors promised to get back to me in a couple of weeks time but I'm not holding them to that cos we're all busy people and I'll hear from them when I do. This writing lark has taught me patience if nothing else.

What will be will be

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on what I should do about my facebook issue and I just wanted to update you on what I had decided to do.
Basically it is in the title of the post. I have decided that so what if certain family members get to "meet" some of the writers I know? So what if they find out that I keep a skeleton called Writing in the wardrobe? It's part of who I am and what makes me the person I am and I should embrace that.
I'm not going to announce over the family airwaves that "I write this that and t'other and have been published here there or wherever" but if it should come out over time then so be it. I think that the reaction from some will be why do you bother and what do you think you're going to achieve by it but you know what that's fine. I bother because I enjoy it and I'll achieve whatever I can.

An award

Thanks to Jarmara for giving me this award, I really appreciate it. One of the rules is that I pass it on to someone whose blog I think is fab so I pass this on to Karen. Thanks for all your support - yours too Jarmara.

What to do?

Is my secret life about to be disclosed?
A close family member who knows nothing about my writing "hobby" has invited me to become their friend on Facebook.
I don't use Facebook much but I have been told more than once that I should especially if I want to publicise myself as a writer.
It would cause massive offense if I didn't say yes.
Hhmmm, what to do?

A delay in submission

I've been working on revising my synopsis and cover letter and I think that they are just about there - wherever that is. But then I got to thinking that maybe I shouldn't bother sending it out yet because it's bad enough that they will be stuck on a slush pile for a while without it being stuck in a post office backlog as well. Maybe I'll just hang onto it - at least for now. Or maybe I should rethink the people that I was going to send it to and look out for agents that accept submissions by email.

A Very Special Guest

So the "Heaven Can Wait" virtual book tour has made it to the North East. I'm happy to welcome all visitors to the blog and to those of you that haven't been here before, help yourself to tea and coffee and the cake is in the cupboard.
I wondered if the reality of getting a book deal was how Cally had dreamed it would be. So without delay please allow me to hand over to the very talented Cally Taylor and she can tell us.

The Reality vs The Dream
When Colette asked me to write a guest blog post about the reality of becoming a published author compared to the dream I scratched my head a bit. My journey to publication has been particularly lucky. I wasn’t rejected by hundreds of agents, nor was I rejected by hundred of publishers but the reality is a bit different to how I’d imagined it so here we go – my top 6 differences...
The Dream: #1
Writing and editing your novel is the hard bit, after you’ve got an agent/publisher you’re pretty much done
The Reality: Every agent worth their salt will ask you to make some changes to your novel before they submit it an editor. If you’re lucky, like I was, the changes won’t be enormous or require you to completely re-structure of your book, but you will have to do some more work on it. When you get a publishing deal the editing continues. My editor also asked me to make some changes, as did my paperback editor and once that’s done there’s the copyeditor’s edits to look at too...
The Dream: #2
When you get a publishing deal you’re instantly rich and can swan around all day in your dressing gown, maybe tapping out a couple of hundred words before bed
The Reality: Very few authors get the kind of six or seven figure advances you read about in the press (the reason they’re big news is because they’re so unusual!) and you’re unlikely to earn enough to give up your day job. Life continues just as it did when you were writing your first novel only now there’s even more stuff to fit in after work/at the weekends!
The Dream: #3
Writing your second book will be easier and quicker than writing the first one
The Reality: Unless you write a book using exactly the same structure and format as your first book it’s not going to be any easier. I decided to use a completely different structure and multiple points of view for my second book and it’s like learning to write a novel all over again! You also have less time because you have to balance writing your second book with editing and promoting your first one and doing all the boring author stuff like registering as self-employed and filling out lots and lots of forms for VAT, National Insurance and the like.
The Dream: #4
You’ll be invited to lots of glamorous parties/dinners/awards ceremonies
The Reality: In a year I’ve had one lunch with my agent, lunch and tea with my publishers, was invited to their annual author party and attended the RNA (Romantic Novelists Association) awards ceremony. The lunches were yummy, the party was glamorous and the awards ceremony was amazing but it’s not like you’re swanning down a red carpet every weekend, hobnobbing with celebrities and getting freebies left right and centre (I had to buy a ticket to attend the awards ceremony). The reality of being an author is plonking your bum down on your chair and putting your fingers on the keyboard, day after day, night after night. Sometimes, if I’m dedicating a whole weekend to writing, the only person I’ll hobnob with is the postman (and then I’ll be in my dressing gown rather than trussed up in some fancy designer frock!).
The Dream: #5
Because people say lovely things about your book you’ll be filled with inner confidence and all your writerly wibbles/wobbles and insecurities will disappear
The Reality: I’m sorry to say that writerly wibbles and wobbles don’t disappear. In fact they get worse! When people say lovely things about your debut novel you feel an internal pressure to make your next book as good, or better – and worry that maybe you’re a one book wonder and will never write anything publishable again!
The Dream: #6
Landing a publishing deal will make your life perfect
The Reality : The last year has been the most amazing, magical year of my life and I’ve laughed and cried with joy but I’d be lying if I said that landing a publishing deal has made my life perfect. I still have the same stresses and worries as I did when I was unpublished – bills, relationship/legal/property problems and bad hair days (the postman has witnessed a lot of them!) to name just a few - and saying “I’ve got a publishing deal” doesn’t make those stresses magically disappear.
But would I do it all over again given how the dream compares to the reality?
A million times, yes. Yes. Yes.
Cally Taylor – author of supernatural romantic-comedy “Heaven Can Wait” (Orion Paperback)
www.callytaylor.co.uk
www.twitter.com/callytaylor

Keep 'em crossed

Okay, so I have just submitted the first of the ideas that I came up with on holiday. I have sent it to an editor that I have never worked with before so I hope that I have pitched it right. Fingers crossed because in my bid to earn enough from writing this year to pay for next years holiday so far we're having one night in a hotel (not including travel.)
I always hope that things I submit are accepted - what would be the point otherwise? But I really like this story.
So, fingers crossed everybody.

Just had to tell you

I just had to tell you what just happened.
As is my habit, most nights I spend between 10.30 and midnight writing. It's a bit of an odd habit but c'est la vie. Well I thought that I would check my emails before I started and I saw that I had an email from the lovely Jill Finlay. I had that butterfly thing going on in my stomach before I opened it and then the disappointment thing when I read that my story had been rejected. So I was feeling sorry for myself and three or four minutes later another email from Jill popped into my mailbox. This one said to ignore the first email and that in fact my story will be in the Weekly News at some point in the future. Yay!!! I'll let you know when I find out when it's going to be in.
One other thing, Jill will be starting maternity leave next week and Billy Higgins will be taking care of things in her absence.
Okay, so I've now only got 52 minutes to work on the short story that is my current project do best get on.

Progress report

I did indeed walk the dog once it got light and I have to say that was a very pleasant experience. It was just getting light, there was a gentle frost and mist in the valley - very atmospheric. And luckily for me I caught sight of the boxer from up the road before my dog did because he has an eye for the ladies and she is a particularly pretty girl and a bit of a flirt. If they'd managed to get together I'm fairly certain it would have had an embarrassing end for all of us. But I got him on the lead before he saw her so the worst that happened was that I had to drag him home.
Once home and with a cup of tea in hand I set about working on the story that I told you about earlier. I have to be honest and say that it was quite difficult to get started because I thought should I have a look to see if anyone else has blogged, should I check my email etc etc. It's Sunday morning for goodness sake and I'm not going to get any emails that can't wait so I forced myself to get on with it.
I am happy to report that I have had a very productive couple of hours and that all of the words for the story are now down on paper courtesy of the pink pen (not my real pink pen which ran out of ink before my holiday and the shop had to order a refill but the back up.) All that remains is to type those words up either later today or tomorrow, then leave it for a few days before applying a bit of spit and polish and then submitting hopefully by the end of the week but certainly no later than the end of the week after.
Sadly the pink pen has to go back in it's box now as I've got a pile of ironing higher than Kilimanjaro.

Something new

Remember the ideas I had when I was on holiday? Course you do - I've harped on about them often enough. Anyway, one of those ideas is what I would describe as sinister. I've never written anything sinister before so I was wondering if any of you out there that do write "darker" stuff have any advice. Any of you that have read anything that I have written will know that it will be totally alien to me.
I'm up early today because Himself had to be at work at 6am and by the time he'd finished banging and clashing around the bedroom (sorry sweetheart but you did) I was awake so I thought I might as well get up and so far I've answered 3 emails answered an online survey and commented on four blogs. It's still dark but when it gets light enough I'll take the dog for a walk. Then when I get back I'm going to work on that story that I started the other day. Who knows I might even finish it. I'll let you know.

It can happen

I just want to add my public congratulations to Cally Taylor on the publication of her book Heaven Can Wait. I know that most of us aspire to one day be where she is today and I'm sure that Cally will be celebrating with us on that day. So lets all join in Cally's celebration today because she has shown us that it can happen.

1st idea under way

I am happy to report that I have started working on one of the ideas that I got when I was on holiday and what's more I am very happy about the way it is going. The first draft is only maybe a third of the way through so there's still a long way to go but so far so good.

Back from Heaven

Here I am back in the real world after a week in Heaven (not literally of course - my aspirations aren't that high) and I've come back with six or seven ideas written in my notebook. It wasn't a week for writing but these notions popped into my head so I made a note of them. Hopefully at least one of them will come to something. And then there's the synopsis rewrite of course which if I'm honest I had completeky forgotten about.

Eye opener

Yesterday I had a bit of an epiphany about lots of things (I realise that you can't have a "bit" of an epiphany because you either have one or you don't but you know what I mean) and one of those things was my book. I think that BTL is a good story and I'm happy with the way that it is written. Okay so it's not Shakespeare but then very little is. When was the last time that you saw any of Bill's work in the the Times best sellers list?
However the synopsis is weak.
During my epiphany I decided that I had to be honest about lots of things and while it would not be appropriate to bare my soul at this time about all the other things I need to be honest about, I can come clean about my writing. I should come clean about the writing, if I don't then what is the point in this blog?
So my admission is that the synopsis is weak. I can see that now.
It'll be something to work on after my break. I doubt I'll get chance to look at it before because I've not packed a thing yet - in fact most if what I want to pack is still in the ironing pile. And I must go shopping so that I can leave food for those that aren't coming with me.
Anyway, first job when I get back - make that synopsis stronger.
See you all in a week or so.

Oh no!!!!

Sacre Bleu!!!! Devastation. The pink pen has run out of ink. Lucky for me there's a little shop nearby where I work that sells refills.
In the meantime I'll have to use my back up pink pen which isn't half so pretty but still writes pretty well.
On an happier note, it's only 6 days and counting until our anniversary trip. I will be making a few notes when I'm away for research purposes and have got a new notebook especially for the occasion (I do love a pretty notebook) but it is a holiday and can't be written off against tax. Oh wouldn't that be fun!

This that and t'other

I pink pen has formed around 1500 words this morning (go pink pen!) and I'm fairly satisfied with that for a Sunday morning. I'll do some more later.
After I'd walked the dog I made a pot of tea and set myself up on the end of the sofa with paper and my pink pen and worked for a couple of hours. In that time I drank the pot of tea, ate a few grapes and wondered if I could be bothered to go into the kitchen to get something with chocolate on it. I managed to talk myself out of the chocolate because I don't want to get into the habit of needing it to get the creative juices flowing. The hips are big enough as it is.
Anyway, I'd reached a natural break after those 1500 or so words so I put that to one side and have allowed myself a little time for answering emails and blogging before I go and start roasting potatoes.
I had a look back at archived posts wondering what I was doing this time last year and the year before that. Turns out it was pretty much what I am doing now except that 2 years ago was when I had all that rubbish stuff going on in my life. I read a few of the coments that were left to various posts and I noticed that people were visiting and commenting then that haven't commented for ages so maybe they're not around any more. Or maybe they don't visit here any more. Maybe I'll look them up and see that they're still around.
I've got a nice little break coming up in a weeks time so my head is full of that at the moment. I have to sort out a lot of stuff at work before I go and there was a lot going on there this week without the fact that I start my holiday on Thursday night. I have loads of washing and ironing to do (always a joy) and currently have no cases. They were lent to someone in February and I haven't seen them since. I have been told that I will have them by the end of the week. I'm really looking forward to it as I feel the need for a break.
We usually have a holiday around this time of year so I thought I might set myself the challange of paying for next years break from what I earn from writing. Good job I didn't do that this year because we wouldn't have made it to the end of the road and back. No to be fair to myself I probably earned enough to pay for a night in the hotel - maybe even a night and a half.
Yes, I'm going to do that. Right here and right now I challange myself to earn enough from writing to pay for next years holiday.

NRIMH Update

Just thought I'd let you know how the first draft of NRIMH is coming along. Not bad at all is how thank you very much. Well is it the first draft or the second? Mmmm good question. I write it in long hand with my pink pen and then I type it up. That is how I know that it is currently just under 15,000 words long. I'll be working with the pink pen for the next few weeks, well make that the next week, then I'll be having a week or so off doing anything at all other than relaxing and then I'll get the pink pen out again.
I'm working on a section of the story at the moment that concentrates on character J. Some of you may remember that J is the character that I wanted to dislike but found that I had sympathy for. I wonder if I'll still feel the same way when they have developed a bit more.
Maybe I'll get one of those widgety things that shows the world how it is coming along.
I know it's not much to post about but it's all I've been working on this week.

Not going to the wire

A month or two ago I suggested an article to an editor which they said they were interested in (always a good start.) However they had changed their requirements and my article would need a bit of tweaking to fit them. They said that if I was willing to do that tweaking they would like me to resubmit in the new year. Of course I was more than happy to tweak and that is what I have been doing this morning. I am happy to report that I have the word count where it needs to be and I think that the tone is right. And it's not even the end of September yet. Hows that for beating a deadline.
BTW well done to everyone running in The Great North Run today. JD I was there with you in spirit.

Any very short markets?

Are there any markets still out there for 300 - 400 word stories? I can't think of any. The reason I ask is that following the addition to the WIP folder that I made earlier this morning I thought that I should work on something that is already there. I chose something that was in one of my black note books because I could remember exactly where and when I wrote it. I was in a restaurant waitning for Himself to arrive and we were having an early dinner before we went to the theatre. Anyway, the crux of that matter is that I have typed up everything that I wrote in the note book and while it isn't quite finished it's only 246 words. I do like it so I would like to try and place it if I could but if not I'll regard it as a writing excercise.
Either way it won't be wasted. I mean apart from anything else it gave me something to do in the restaurant so that I couldn't see the faces of the people who I'm sure thought that I'd been stood up.

Light bulb moment

I was out in the fields early this morning walking the dog (pretty idylic scene actually, nature, sunshine etc) and talking to him (like you do) when I had a light bulb moment. You know one of those moments when something seems like the best thing you ever thought of in your life.
Not having a notebook with me (whyever not???) I had to keep the thought in my head until I got home. I managed to do that which isn't at all impressive when you consider that the field I was in is about 50 yards (sorry I'm an old fashioned girl and don't do metres) from my front door and we were on our way home when the lightbulb went on.
Said idea is now written in one of the four notebooks that I keep in my bag along with what I was thinking when the lightbulb illuminated itself. Note how I didn't say "lightbulb went on" twice in 2 sentences - didn't want to repeat myself.
So this brilliant idea is now in the WIP system (God help it) along with a few hundred other things. I just hope that it doesn't get lost in there.

The pink pen writes again

The pink pen went to work yesterday on a short story for the first time in a while. I've spent a lot of the recent months on BTL and NRIMH which has involved working with the computer rather than the pen. I'm not sure where the story will end up because it's different to my usual stuff. I do have a market in mind but I'll need to see how it turns out.
I must say that I enjoy words developing from the nib of a pen much more than them appearing at the tap of a finger tip. It was fun to get the pen out again.

Correct etiquette

Looking as I am at agents I am a little confused by how or rather to whom I should address my submission. When I look at a particular website to check adresses and such like it usually says something like "Submissions Dept." Is it okay to just send it to the submissions department or should I be trying to work out which agent would be most interested in it and address the submission to them?

Just to clarify

The second sentence of my previous post should not have had the word "week" in it. Instead it should have read "year." I have sold three stories this year not this week.

Number 3

I sold another story today. I got the email this morning and it felt great. Its the third story that I've sold this week and my first in four months. Just as well we weren't relying on it to eat.
I mention the sale here for two reasons. Firstly because this is where I tell the world of whats happening with my writing and secondly because I believe that most of you will be happy for me.
I know that some may read this and think that three sales is nothing to boast about and there may be some truth in that because I know that it is way less than what some people have achieved this year. But by that same token I also know that it is three more than some others have sold and for that I am grateful and thank my lucky stars.

Way to learn a lesson

I have to confess that I'm not a great planner when it comes to writing. I know where I'm going to start and I know where I want to finish and how I get there is a journey. However today I have learned that I should make at least some notes as I'm going along.
My current project is in seven definite parts and I'm writing each part with my trusty pink pen and then typing it up, changing the odd word or phrase here and there as I go. This morning I have been working on typing up the second part.
I was typing away quite happily until my fingers tapped out a sentence. As I hit the full stop I suddenly thought, "Hang on a minute, that can't be right."
I thought that I had got a timing issue wrong. I thought that what I said had happened couldn't possibly have. So I had to spend half an hour trawling through what I had already written trying to work it out.
It turned out that my timing was right and I'm pleased about that because I thought that I must have worked it out before I actually wrote or at least hoped that I had.
So this morning I have learned two valuable lessons.
1. Trust myself.
2. Make more no make that some notes.
Time for a cup of tea I think.

An anniversary

Eight years ago today I started my first real attempt at a novel. It never really got off the ground and stalled at 45,000 words. Back in those days I wrote very infrequently and had never tried to get anything I'd written published apart from one thing a squillion years ago when I was 18. I'd gotten the idea when I was walking the dog in he morning and then emailed my American friend with a couple of questions to start the research. A few hours later two planes flew into the Twin Towers.
I still have the book (DC) on my computer and in fact looked at it fairly recently. You may remember that I commented that I'd found it and thought that it might not be totally dead in the water. A few years ago Catrin Collier very kindly had a look at it for me and said that she liked the writing but wasn't quite sure what market it would fit into (story of my life) and I took heart from that. It is thanks to that that I set DC aside and started BTL which as some of you may know was recently completed and is currently looking for a home.
Thanks Catrin.

A new me!

I bought myself a diary today and in it I wrote the date that I need to resubmit an article that a magazine has shown some interest in and the deadline that I have set myself for finishing the first draft of NRINH. This is something that I have often threatened to do but up until now haven't got round to.
I find that my attitude to writing has changed since I stopped hiding behind "Gonna be a Writer." I am more organised and I'm doing more of it.
I'm enjoying being me.

Divided loyalties

When I first started to write NRIMH I sympathised with character S. They were my downtrodden Victorian heroine (so to speak - not set in Victorian times) they were the character that was going to evoke strong emotions from the reader. So why is it that 10,000 words in character J is now the one I want to put my arms around and hug? This is so wrong. Character J is the reason that character S is the she is. Character J doesn't deserve my sympathy or affection.
At least with BTL I knew where my loyalties lay.

A very small crumb of comfort

I had a short story rejected this week which is always disappointing. They'd had that particular story for about 3 weeks but they still have one that I sent almost 3 months ago so I'm hoping for more from that. At least it was something back from an editor. I'd started to think that the post office were tossing everything in the bin rather than delivering them where I sent them. It had been ages since I heard about anything so I took small (very small) comfort from this.
I find the waiting very difficult and in some ways worse than rejection. Okay I know that no news is good news and while you're waiting to hear about something there's still hope for it but if something is going to be rejected I'd rather just know so that I can deal with it.

Onwards and upwards

With BTL finally edited and ready to go it's time to move on to other projects. I have submitted the story from the W I P folder that I was working on and I'm now turning my attention to book number 2, NRIMH.
I want to get the first draft finished in 6 months. There are currently less than 10,000 words down on paper so here goes.

What to do now.

I am in a bit of a pickle about what to do now that I have discovered something. I had my list of agents that I was going to send my book to (lucky devils) but I have just discovered that one of them has just taken on a book that might be construed as "similar." So now I'm wondering should I even bother sending it to them. Will they think that it is too "similar"? By that same token thhough maybe that will mean that they are on the look out for this sort of thing. I mean I don't really know what they other book is about. By looking at what I saw on the "coming soon" section of their website my book and the other one have a similar setting but maybe that's all. They are also a similar genre well probably the same genre but that just means that they might be able to see where my book would "sit along side others." That was a comment before my book was vertually re-written, that they weren't sure where it would sit. Maybe these people would see that it would sit in the same section as the one that is "coming soon."
I think I should keep to the plan and send it.
Okay, so this has been another one of those posts where I'm using you all as a sounding board and once I get what's going on in my head out into the open I can see what I should do.
As always, thank you for listening.

Time for honesty

Okay, I would appreciate the truth here because it could ultimately save me a lot of pain and heartache.
I read in a magazine the other day that publishers are only interested in new writers that are "marketable" i.e. young, nubile, attractive, thin etc etc. If that is the case, then I may as well give up now or at least wait until I've dropped a few (lots) pounds and have a bit of work done.

W I P update

I have been working on one of the things that had been lounging in my W I P pile and I am happy to report that it is just about ready to be submitted. It was an easy one to work on because I could see straight away what market I would intend it for so I was able to write it accordingly. I'm not sure the others will be so easy but at least its a start.

W I P

Some people have a Work In Progress file or folder. I have a W I P dresser. Well dresser might be a bit of an exaggeration - its more of a bedside cabinet sort of thing. It has three drawers and all of them are full of notebooks and bits of paper with things written on them. Sometimes its just an idea or sometimes a full story. On occasion it is a name.
Well this evening I decided to go through it. Well the top drawer at least. I'll need to have a lie down before I can go through the next.
This is something that I've been planning to do for ages and I'm pleased that I actually got round to it. There are at least 4 or 5 things that I want to work on straight away.
Who knows what I'll have by the time that I've gone through the other 2 drawers and then the big box thats sitting in the bottom of the wardrobe not forgetting all those bits of paper that are stuffed into the top of the wardrobe.
Looking at what I've just written it's a wonder that there's any room in my wardrobe for clothes.

I slept and I did

Welcome all to my new blog "With ink from the pink pen."
I'm sure I have mentioned before that I write all my first drafts in long hand and this is the pen that I write them with.
I love this pen. Himself gave it to me so that's reason enough to love it but it also writes beautifully and has written most of the work that I have had published.
This is my homage to the pink pen.
Also you will notice that I have come out of the closet and declared to the world that I am indeed Colette McCormick but I declined to post a photograph. Wouldn't want to scare the kids. No, a picture of my pink pen is much better because that is so pretty.
I don't think that you'll notice any other changes. I'll still be talking the same rubbish that I always did.
I feel a bit like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

The time is right

I'm going to sleep on it one more night but I think that I am going to change the name of my blog.
I have a name in mind which has a personal meaning to me and I think that I am ready for it. I think that it is time.
I feel like I am moving on to a new stage in my writing career so I think it is the right time to do it.
You can't hope to be a success as a writer and be a shrinking violet.

Time for a change?

Recently another "Gonna be a Writer" appeared on blogspot and they happen to be a follower of this blog. This causes a bit of confusion when the name is searched for on google so I was thinking that maybe it's time for a change.
What do you think?
Also is there a way that I'd be able to take all of you guys with me?
BTW I don't mean this as a slur against the other "Gonna be a Writer" I'm just thinking that maybe its time to make my blog a bit more personal to me.

Its done!

The editing of BTL is finished. Woohoo!
Now the hard part begins.
I'm going to start sending it out this week and I am fully prepared for a long road ahead. I mean if the first agent that I send it to wants to represent me I'm not going to say "no thanks I need to get rejected a few times," but if it takes a while I'm prepared for that. I'm in this for the long haul.

More on "mf"

I thought that I would query the writers of the writing course that sent me the email about presenting the perfect script that included the advice to put "more follows" or "mf" on every page (about 4 posts ago.) If I get a reply from them I'll let you know.

A little bit scared

I got through quite a lot of editing today and there are about 40 pages of BTL left to go through. Just 40 pages and then it will be ready for the next stage. And I am more than a little bit scared by the prospect of sending it out to agents/publishers. But I don't know what I'm afraid of. Is it success or failure?

Inspiration where are you?

In the past few weeks I haven't done a lot of writing. I've spent some time editing BTL but that's all. The last couple of days though I have started thinking about new stuff. I worked on an article last night that I'd had rolling over in my head for a few days. It still needs editing and tweaking but I'm pretty happy with the first draft. Then tonight I have been researching another article that came to mind as Himself and Number 2 Son were watching the football.
I'm struggling to come up with ideas for short stories at the moment.
Oh well, I always said that I wanted to write more non fiction.
I'm trying really hard to write every day because I think that I use the "I'm too busy/tired etc " excuse too easily. I mean I am busy and I am tired when I come home from work but didn't I say the other day that I wanted this to happen for me even more than I had before. Well it aint going to happen if I don't write.
I just hope that the fiction inspiration comes back soon.

Foreign to me.

So far I have only had work published in magazines or books that were written in English mainly in Britain and Australia. However I have come across people that have had stories published in foreign magazines from non English speaking countries and I am thinking of Sweden and Norway here and I am wondering
a) how you go about submitting to a Swedish or Norwegian magazine?
b) how do you stop them being "too English"?

"MF"?

Okay, as you may know I am in the process of editing my novel (I think I might have mentioned it) so when I received an email from the people that run the writing course that I didn't finish saying "the perfect manuscript" I had a look. There's the usual stuff about 12pt Times Roman Numeral, double spacing, good margins etc. Okay so nothing new there then. However there was one thing. It still preaches, as was the case when I did the course, that you put "mf" or "more follows" at the bottom of each page (apart from the last one of course.) I thought that I'd read somewhere that that was looked upon as the mark of an amateur these days.
Or am I just making that up?

Fighting the urge

For reasons that I won't go into because they are slightly (very) petty and childish (not big and not clever) I REALLY want this writing thing to work for me now. I always wanted it to work for me but now I want it now, right now, yesterday would be better.
Anyway, that aside I have a bit of unexpected "me" time today so I've taken the opportunity to do some more editing of BTL and I'm just over a third of the way through. The urge that I am having to fight is the one to send it out now. I have barely change anything in the last four or five chapters and the editing process is coming along quite nicely thank you. I thought about twenty minutes ago and this is the one that I am fighting. "Why not send the first three chapters out now." The thought process behind this is that if (please God) someone wanted to see more I would have completed it before then.
But no, now that I've actually got that thought out into the public arena I realise how stupid that is. It has taken me longer than I had hoped to get this far mainly due to some problems at the beginning so the chances of me having gone through the rest any time soon are nil.
Stop it.
Stop it right now.
Step away from the computer.
Think I'll go and bake a cake.

A couple of questions

I would very much appreciate advice on two things which are not connected to writing but they could be. What I mean to say is that I am asking the question in connection with the day job but any advice received could maybe apply to the writing world as well. Tell you what, why don't I just shut up and ask the questions.
1. I wouldn't say that I am hopeless because that would imply that I am without hope and lets hope that I'm not but lets just say that I am very bad maybe even extremely bad at time management. There is always a lot to do and more often than not I don't get it all done. So my question is what is the key to good time management?
2. My second question possibly answers my first but here goes anyway. What is the best way to get people to help me? No hang on I know the answer to that one it is to ask them. Simple! So maybe the question is how do I get people to come out of their comfort zone and help me? I don't like asking people to do things that I know that they aren't necessarily comfortable with.
Any ideas?
Okay off to do some writing now.

A bit repetitive

I was reading a short story in a popular women's magazine yesterday which the hope of getting published in one day forbids me from naming. The exact same three words were used to describe the hero's eyes three times. When you consider that the story was only about 700 words long I thought that was a bit repetitive. Without intending to sound bitter because this story was published and I have been rejected by this magazine more than once, isn't such repitition frowned upon?

An old baby

Today I was looking at my first attempt at a novel. It was finished over 3 years ago and fizzled out at 45,000 words. I wondered how I had ended it so I skipped to the final page and had a look. Okay I know I wrote it but I couldn't remember. I remember pretty much everything else though. Anyway I digress - the ending started me thinking about the message behind the story and I think that maybe there is still room for growth there. A best selling author was kind enough to look at it for me and they said that although they had enjoyed it and it was well written they wouldn't be sure where it could be placed. They were unsure what other books it would sit along side. Anyway having read parts of it this afternoon for the first time in three years I'm thinking that it might be worth a bit more effort.
Of course I need to finish BTL first.

Editing update

I've just popped away from the Sunday morning task of editing BTL to share a few thoughts with you. Well one really.
This is such a massive task. Or at leats it feels that way.
I look at the page counter on the bottom of the sreen and I see that there are 304 pages. I am currently "happy" (so to speak) with the first 61 pages. I've been at this for 3 weeks! The trouble is that it's a job that I only seem to be able to do properly when it is quiet and Sunday mornings are the only time that I get that is completely quite. That is if you don't count the night but I'm usually asleep then.
On a brighter note though, I have edited almost as many pages in the last hour as I have in the past 2 Sundays put together.
The first three chapters were my real hurdle and they were the ones that I had previously thought were perfect.Maybe they were a bit too perfect though. I had worked so hard and grammar etc that I had missed the point on the story flowing front.

Which 3?

So my editing of BTL is progressing. I am now "happy" with the first seven chapters - only another 35 to go. Anyway, I am going through my list of agents/publishers that are going to get first crack at this epic and I see that one of them wants "three sample chapters." Is that the first three, the last three or a mixture of the two. My inclination would be to send the first three but I don't know if that's write. I'm trying to make sure that I send everyone exactly what it is that they require.
Just out of interest. Those of you who have had books published, how many times was the book rejected before it was accepted. That of course will have no bearing on the length of time that I will have to spend trying to find someone to take my book on, I know that. I am just curious.

update on more

Okay, so it's morning now and I've ha a chance to look through the bits of paper with ideas etc written on them that i found in a carrier bag that was stuffed under the bed. It was a mixed bunch. There were a couple of good starts to stories, one in particular that I liked. Sadly they aren't complete because I guess that I didn't know where I was going with them. Something to think about though. Some of the other bits are worth a thought or two. There are however a couple of things that are probably only good for the B file. That is B for Bin.
Oh well.

More!!!

When I get an idea pop into my head (as long as it is day time because when it happens at night I rely on remembering it in the morning - bad move) I have the habit of writing whatever the idea is down on a piece of paper and stuffing it in a pocket or similar recepticle. I have dozens, nay hundreds of bits of paper all over the place. This morning a carrier bag caught my eye and when I pulled it from where it had been stuffed under the bed I discovered that there are about another 20 pieces of paper with this and that written on them. Some are ideas some are partial stories and it looks like there might be a complete story in there.
Note to self - sort them out.
Advise on how to be more organised would be more than gratefully received.

A new plan

Okay, so the wait is over. Eight weeks have gone by and I can once again turn my eye to my novel, which I did this morning.
I was looking at it with a relatively fresh pair of eyes.
Imagine my horror then when I realised that I really wasn't happy with the first three chapters. I have always thought that they were perfect before but not today. I wondered if it was because I was reading it from a computer screen that it just didn't seem to flow properly.
I was so dejected.
But maybe it's because I know the story so well having gone through it about 5 times in the last couple of years.
Anyway, I've had a chance to think about it this afternoon and I have decided that i need to look at one chapter at a time. Like I said I pretty much know what is coming so I don't so much have to worry about plot but I do make to sure that it flows.
I am happy to report that I am now much happier with chapter one. There wasn't much to change to make it work better just the occasional "and" to "but" or similar. I took out the odd unnecessary sentence.
I don't know if it's the right plan but at least it is one.

Me by any other name.

I was reading Olivia Ryan's news about how she's been able to come out of the closet so to speak and declare that she is indeed Sheila Norton. I am happy to know both of them.
Anyhoo Olivia/Sheila got me thinking about pseudonyms.
Someone else asked me recently if I thought that they should write under their own name and I said that I thought that they should if for no other reason than to avoid confusion when an editor wants to send you a cheque (or other form of payment.)
As some of you know I have been known to write erotic fiction under a not very well hidden pseudonym which Himself chose for me. The reason I do that is just in case my mum ever came across one of them. I don't mind the world at large to know but not my mum.
Having said that, I have seen editions of magazines that I actually have work in sitting on the table in front of my family members and they have never asked if it's me. I think that they probably think that it's someone who shares my name. Like I said in one of my very first posts, writing for publication is not something that someone from my back ground did - in the eyes of my extended family anyway. How little they know me.
I once wrote a children's book which I still dream of getting published one day under a different name. I had the notion that there would be a whole series of them and I wanted them to be published in my grandmother's name.
Maybe one day.
Oh and just one mor ething. To the person that asked me about pseudonyms the other day, thank you. It made me feel great that someone actually asked my opinion on something writing connected.

Thank you editor

I proposed an article to a magazine last week and they replied very quickly saying that they were interested in it but that it would need adapting because they had recently changed they way that they were dealing with such pieces, The editor sent me three recent copies of the magazine to study so that I could adapt my article and asked me to resubmit around Christmas because they thought that it would be more suitable to a summer edition. Of course I am more than happy to do that and am studying the magazines so that I can hopefully get it right next time.
I'm sure I don't need to tell you how excited I was that the editor took the time to do this for me.

I week to go

I have just one week left of my self imposed non touching of BTL. I haven't even opened a single page of it for seven weeks and now there is just one to go. To be honest I haven't even thought about it for about 6 weeks so hopefully by the time that I do read it again it will be with a fresh pair of eyes.
If there's not too much final tweaking to be done then I might even have it off to agents etc by the end of August. My plan for it was to have it off to agents/publishers by the end of the year so I've got a bit to play with.
But not much. Can you believe it's the middle of July already? There'll be Christmas cards in the shops in few weeks.

Where have you all gone?

I hope someone can help.
I noticed the other day that the pictures of my followers have disappeared from my blog and I don't know where they have gone. More importantly, I don't know how to get them back.
Can anyone help?
Okay now I'm confused. I've just visited s couple of blogs and their followers pictures are missing too.
Is this computer on the blink now?

Elementary mathematics

There's a hec of a row going on over at womag's blog about one thing and another and one of the things is that "names" get published more than the rest of us.
That started me thinking.
The full time writers that I know say that being a "name" doesn't guarantee doesn't guarantee that every story they submit will be accepted. I believe them. I mean after all even the books that they write aren't right all the time. However I'm sure that their strike rate is better than mine. God help them if it's not because if they only get the % of work submitted/accepted (currently about 5% of submissions accepted) that I do they must write a million words a year.
I commented on womag's blog that maybe the reason that they appear more regularly in mags than the rest of us mortals is not only that they write/submit more but also because they have more experience their stories are better.
I think that the lesson to us all is that if we want to be published more, we submit more. If we are to submit more we must write more.
It's a simple equation
writing = submissions = possible publication. Even if you don't get to publication straight away at least it will be experience.

Batteries recharged

I haven't written anything as such other than the shopping list for two weeks now. As I was taking a break from the day job I thought that I'd take a break from the second job as well. Tonight I am feeling ready to get back to both
Watch this space.
On the different note of things already written, I did receive a contributers copy of a magazine the other day which is always nice and I have a story due for publication tomorrow. Yay!

Another kick required

Are there ever times when you could kick yourself? Well I had one of those moments today.
Last night I had an idea which just popped into my head. However I am blowed if I can remember what the idea was. I know that I should have written it down and normally I was but I was so tired last night and it was so hot that I didn't. Well I'm regretting that decision now.
Maybe yesterday was just one of those days because when I was talking to Himself and Number 2 son I said "I think," I couldn't get any further. in the space of two words I had forgotten what it was that I thought.
Is there any hope for me?