Writing journal at last
First Entry
I have begun this journal for several reasons.
On face value, it may not seem like the most interesting subject. However, I do believe it will help in countless ways.
By its very nature, writing is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. Let’s face it though, it’s the only one I can do at the moment because of this stupid accident.
In all the other jobs I have had, I could always go to my supervisor/line manager if I had a problem. Also the team was always there to offer support in the bad times (which accounts for most days in offices).
The good thing about working as part of a team was that they did at least try to build up my confidence. It wasn’t their fault they failed miserably.
The two main problems were that I had only fitted in at a few jobs - BICC, Brookside, NSPCC and Liverpool City Council which was my second longest stay at six months.
The other problem was that I never believe in myself at the best of times.
Having said all this, I have been very surprised by how difficult it has been not to have a team behind me. I find it hard not having a support network for my writing! I’m on my own now.
While I know I can always discuss things with my partner, that’s not as easy as it sounds.
There is a part of me that feels guilty for my success in having a book published when he has struggled to achieve this for literally half his life, so I don’t want to ram it down his throat.
He is a screen writer - and a wonderful one at that (but I am biased! Only joking).
Whenever we discuss my writing, he generally insists that I’m a great writer and have an ‘orange’ future. This is a longstanding joke between us).
I have often told him I have difficulty in making my dialogue ‘real’. When I read it back it sounds stilted. He’s a genius at writing dialogue.
Also I can’t write poetry to save my life. I’ve written three awful poems in my life. I simply can’t do it.
I would love it if he would give me constructive criticism - or if anyone would.
I don’t expect anyone to edit it for me (I’m a great editor) but I’d love advice on how to make it more natural or some constructive criticism.
Yet the sum total of the advice I’m given when I discuss the issue of dialogue is to imagine the characters are myself and someone else having a conversation - I say something and the other person replies.
Well, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work for me!
I think I must have read up on almost everything that has been written on the subject and I have tried to take all the suggestions on board.
Having been honest about my lack of ability in this area, I am in the process of editing my first full length novel, The Wishing Tree (more about that later) and I’ve surprised myself with how smooth the dialogue has been. While I admit there are few stilted passages, most is fairly acceptable - certainly it would appear I have improved.
Until I started this project, one of my major problems was that all of the characters spoke as one. In other words they all used the same kind of words and even the rhythm of speech was identical (which, let’s face it, is not how people speak in the real world).
As an experiment, I followed the advice of the wonderful Jane Wenham Jones and decided to free write the conversations and deliberately not correct my mistakes in the hope that I could elicit some different voices and speech patterns.
This seems to be the only technique that has worked for me - in some cases, certain characters sprang to life. It worked better than I would have expected.
Perhaps the most successful example of this method is Incy Wincy Spider who we meet in Fairytale Land.
For some inexplicable reason, I found it impossible (after free writing it) to write the dialogue for her as anything other than South American. Only two other characters are from America and neither of them are as easily identifiable by their speech alone.
Actually, Incy Wincy Spider has given me another problem in that I can’t decide if the character is male or female - at the moment it appears to be both, depending on the scene.
Using this technique, I have found the characters almost start to dictate the story.
This doesn’t quite sound right, so I’ll qualify it by explaining that it feels as though a film is playing inside my head and I just write what I see.
As far as the rhymes in the book are concerned, they were incredibly difficult so my partner wrote them for me.
Free writing is not a magical solution, but it does help me to overcome the infamous Writer’s Block.
I really hate it when I sit down to write and not a single word will come. It’s soul destroying (that sounds over dramatic in these uncertain times but as a writer, it feels as if you will never be able to write a book again. While you know this feeling will pass, you also know that it will last for a while).
I have no idea why I get days when I can’t write a word. This does happen often, though, if I’m starting on a fresh story or continuing on a completely blank part of a notebook. Those endless lines with no writing on can seem daunting. However, as one of my books pointed out, if that is a problem, it is easy to solve simply by writing anything on it.
If I’m faced with this reason for the problem, I will often write the date and the page number. Just doing that simple task is often enough to unblock me.
I recently came across an interesting suggestion which I intend to try this year. It was called Big Writing which is a technique used in many schools during literacy hour. I’m curious to see if it will work for me. My gut instinct is that it won’t but there is no harm in trying anyway to see what happens.
Classical music (or any other type, depending on what feel of writing you’re going for) is played in a dimmed room, sometimes with aromatherapy candles lit.
The idea is that the atmosphere relaxes you and helps the creative process.
My problem with this system is that I prefer to write in silence. I can’t work if there is a lot of noise - especially if the TV or radio are on in the background because it is too distracting.
If the television is on loud (as it frequently is) I find it unbelievably difficult to concentrate.
I have a tendency to listen to what is being said with the result that:
a) it takes 10 times longer to write anything
than is necessary.
b) I write down what is being said instead of what I want to say; or
c) I write complete gibberish
but I’ll try anything.
I have already had one book published but I’ve written loads of synopses for children’s novels (who knows, I might be the next Enid Blyton or JK Rowling!) as well as stories for older people. I fully intend to knuckle down this year and get them all published.
Hopefully this journal will help me to grow in confidence because I can always see how I have solved problems before.
I got the idea from a free book in Writing Magazine by Elizabeth George. She also talks about ‘bum glue’ which is necessary to complete and publish a book.
If I’m honest, and what’s the point of this journal if I’m not - I need a bucket full of the stuff at the moment.
So what happens if depression strikes? Life is tough and we are all prone to it. I see this subject discussed a lot on Facebook and in magazines.
When things are tough for any reason, I will admit that my motivation suffers. That’s not an excuse, simply an explanation.
I will find plenty of excuses every day - but that’s all they are. Even during the hardest of times, I do try to write at least a page a day. I admit that there are times it’s like pulling teeth.
“I haven’t got the time or space to write,” is the most common comment I hear.
OK, I buy that - it’s tough for me, too, at times. However, there are ways to work around it. This issue is not insurmountable, I promise you.
Take me for instance (I guess we have to, as I’m writing this).
My favourite place to be creative is by the sea. It’s so inspirational.
However, I’m from England and the weather is not exactly known for being warm enough to sit by the sea.
It is impractical for me to say I will go to the beach right now.
For a start, I can’t drive any more. I know my Dad says he’d take me anywhere I wanted to go but it’s much too cold in winter, for example. I could get some writing done when he goes for a walk but doing it while looking out at the sea would be impossible. You can’t see it from the car park. The only way to see the sea (no, I know that isn’t the best English but it sounds fun) from the car is to walk to a bench near the pier. I certainly couldn’t write there because I’d freeze to death!
So what about working in the house?
Well, it’s not impossible. I do, often, write in the Den because it’s my favourite room in the house. This room is the quietest - it’s like having your own soundproofed studio! It’s right next to the toilet and kitchen so that’s a huge plus.
However it’s also the coldest room in the house. I’m not sure if you are getting the picture yet but I can’t stand the cold!
So the front room? It faces south and is usually warm - but it’s the family room and the television is on much too loud for my liking - I can’t write in there unless I’m on my own.
The garden? Well, to a certain extent (for reasons I’m sure I’ll go into later) that is perfect because it’s quiet, I’m surrounded by birds twittering and wind chimes … well, chiming. This atmosphere had a huge effect when I wrote a scene a while ago - I’ll reveal the details later.
However, as I live in England, it’s pretty impractical to work there because England is not famous for its nice, warm weather. So that’s not the solution either (although I do sometimes write there).
That basically leaves my room - another place that I do write a lot.
It’s not that its unsuitable - it’s a lovely room and, as I sleep above the living room, I get to enjoy the sun coming through my window.
It can be noisy as the walls (or should I say the floors?) are thin - ironically, while you can hear the television as clearly as if you’re in the same room, you cannot hear the phone which is about 20 steps away from my bedroom. Strange.
My problem with the bedroom is that I feel it should be there to SLEEP in, rather than working there. I have a lovely computer and I can sit on my comfortable bed with my laptop (which actually helps me do my audio books - the bed acts as a buffer for the sound - unlike the desktop). Also, I write for long periods of time and feel cut off from my family. I prefer to be downstairs if it’s humanly possible.
So it has to be the Den.
My preferred method of working is to write longhand (rather than type it straight onto a computer) into a favourite notebook.
This has several advantages, the most obvious of which is that it’s portable.
I always carry two notebooks when I’m out - my rough one and the project I’m working on.
That sounds silly but both serve very different purposes.
The rough book is in case I get an idea while I’m out. I could come across an important piece of information which is relevant to the project, or overhear an interesting or amusing conversation as I walk past somebody.
I write down things that I see which are strange or funny (like the AA van parked in a street near where I live with a sign in the window that read, “Gone for the RAC!” That tickled my sense of humour, I can tell you).
I also use it to keep cinema or theatre tickets in to remind me of special events. It’s surprising how often a story presents itself when you reflect on things.
I write in my Project Book when I know I have got a long time to concentrate on my writing (for example, if I’ve turned up much too early for my friend).
Everybody has ‘dead’ time which can be utilised for writing. Examples of this are being on a train, on the toilet(!), the dentist/doctor’s waiting room, or waiting for their child to do a dance at a show (granted, you need to be discreet here but you could easily explain that you’re writing a review of the show! What’s a little white lie between friends?)
I’m currently working on two projects - The Wishing Tree and Dana and the Moonbeams. I’m going to chart my progress, thoughts and feelings, hopes (and despairs!) in this journal.
One final point before my first proper entry.
I said before that I prefer to write longhand. This is very interesting because, up until about 5 years ago, I preferred using the computer and my partner liked to write longhand on an A4 pad (I can’t stand that size - it has to be A5 or quarto a most for me).
I showed him how to work on the computer and he loved it - then I discovered the joys of his method!
However, I can work onto the computer if I have to. I prefer the laptop because writing by hand can be painful if you suffer from writer’s cramp as I do.
If situations arise when I go out for any length of time, I tend to do my editing before I go and any writing while I’m out. I have discovered that I hate editing but it’s a necessary evil. I have, too often, tried to do it at night (especially disastrous if I’ve been writing in the day) and missed so much.
Someone once said, “Write drunk, edit sober” … I’m going to change that to, “Write tired, edit refreshed!”
Until next time!
Hi everyone
I know I’m remiss because I’ve been promising you this section of the website would start since I began. So many things have got in the way that I’ve not had a chance to start.
However, the wait is over!
Starting today, you can begin to read about my journey as a writer, all the lessons I’ve learned and the fun I’ve had.
I’ve had a lot of adventures over the years and when I was doing the interviews I loved talking to authors. They would sometimes surprise me with their answers (that lovely man, Charles West, is a case in point) but I learned something new from almost all of them.
Outside of my family, of course, I live for two things - OK, well, if you insist on holding me to the absolute truth then I confess to being a Disney NUT! I devour everything about Walt Disney World, which is my spiritual home. Other than that, reading and writing are my two biggest passions (and I am almost never without a book in my hand. I read everything I can get my hands on, even the back of a cereal box. You can learn a lot from those you know. Like, did you know a bee flaps its wings 200 times a second? Yes, you read that right.
You’ll get to know me pretty well as you read my journal. I’m brutally honest - I just hope it will help some of you. Let me know on my guest book if it’s helped you.
The first part of the journal (certainly a good third of it if not more) is about how my first book ever - The Wishing Tree - came about.
Just to give you the background (I reference ‘this accident’ but don’t explain), I had a terrible fall one night, 15 years ago. I fell down all the stairs in the house and hit my head on the wall at the bottom. To say I was concussed is understating it. I thought I’d landed silently (really?) and I remember thinking, “Oh, that wasn’t bad. It could have been worse. I’ll get up in a minute and tell my mum I’ve broken my arm,” this at 4.30 in the morning!
I’m SO GLAD I didn’t move because I would have been dead.
Aside from the damage to my brain (which didn’t become clear until many years later - we are still discovering issues caused by it) I had broken my arm in four places and shattered my wrist. The hospital thought I’d lose my arm but, miraculously, they saved it.
However, the pain I was in intolerable pain. I wanted to scream and could obviously only take painkillers every 4 hours (they didn’t touch it, of course). I felt as if I was going mad … until I decided to write my first book.
I’d never taken on a challenge like that before so I had no idea what I was about to face (and if I had, I wonder if I’d have started it! I’m glad I did though).
I started the book to take my mind off the pain.
However, as I wrote, something magical happened. I began to lose myself in the story - even though it’s not perfect yet, I’m immensely proud of this book.
It’s been an interesting journey so far and I’m sure I have many more adventures to come. I hope you enjoy the ride and leave me some messages. I love to hear from anyone who enjoys my musings.