off to Melbourne

Off to the city tomorrow and ready to be inspired by all the arty things I see down there. Have listed vintage and antique shops to trawl through!

Am up to 13,000 words on the manuscript and hoping to work on a short story while I am away. Have cousin's engagement party on boxing day and can't wait to meet all her new family.

shopping and writing

Off to Melbourne next week for holiday and busily tapping away at the keyboard. Am up to 11,000 words and thrilled to see a manuscript taking form again.

My other creative efforts - leadlight projects and tea cup clock

Words, words, words

7000 words for my new novel and counting.... It's such a struggle to get that first draft down and so many insecurities to fight off as you go. But luckily I have always been extremely stubborn and driven - am going to aim for 50, 000 words by the end of January. Let's see how I go.

I can smell the rain

I love this time of the year for a number of extremely important reasons:

1) The smell of rain and the gray skies,
2) The possibility that my road may flood and I won't be able to get to work,
3) The dry, crackled mud that forms on the dirt roads of our farm. I love to crunch this with my toes (it makes the most satisfying crunching sound that gives me a little excitement quiver every time),
4) Weeks of long summer days with no school, and
5) The mushrooms that sprout up in the paddock. I love kicking these over almost as much as I love crackling that mud.

As you can see I'm a girl of simple pleasures lol. 

Writing Manuals

Have just finished Debra Dixon's Goal, Motivation and Conflict - brilliant for setting up your plot and grounding your characters with real motivation and goals. I am using the GMC charts along with Character Profiles to set up my next book.

Am also in the middle of reading Stephen King's "On Writing." He is the master of no-nosense and brings such clarity to the process of writing. I am loving this book.

Have ordered around 10 others from Amazon (I could have bought out that company over the last 3 years) and am looking forward to getting into them.

master of uncreative writing

Seriously not inspired by my experience with this course so far.Academia = stifling. Don't think I will be re-enrolling next year. I think QWC's Year of the Novel may be a better option.

Hurrah for widgets

Finally figured out how to use the good reads widget and found the music one today - so many cool things you can do across all the social network sites and add-ons! How did we live before the net??? I spend hours on here everyday now, researching important things like the guinea pig festival in south america, the strange monkey/rodent thing that washed up on the beach in Coffs Harbour and the trailer for the Mall Rats movie (sounds like I have a thing for rodents lol).

So much useless information to absorb, so little time lol. 

Moving on

Have decided to consign my first manuscript to the back of the draw : / Had 4 requests for the first chapters from major pub houses, which I guess is quite a good outcome for a first ms. I have also learned a lot in the last twelve months, especially since the completion of this first project. This time last year I wasn't even sure if I could write a WHOLE novel - 80,000 words and lots of edits later, I now know I can ; ) Amazing how much you can do produce when you really focus.

Been a bit snowed under the last few weeks and trying to get everthing tied up at school in prep for the christmas hols and itching to get into Prof Fawkesbury's Ingenious Elevator! The gears are turning!

Writing Courses

Looking at doing some more writing over my Christmas break and was wondering if anyone knows a good online course that gives constructive feedback???

The course will have to fit in around my Melbourne shopping adventures though ; )

Short Stories

Have just handed in my last uni assignment for the semester and very glad I took the subject. It was really great to try different genres and I have broken my short-story drought! I have just finished my first 2 short stories and am quite happy with the finished product. I used to think I couldn't write them but just goes to show if you don't try ....

How many rejections, does a writer, make?

Just wondering how many rejections a writer should receive on a work before deciding to move on to the next project? Should you cut your losses and run, or persist regardless?

Blog of the Australian Paranormal Writer's Group - or more correctly the 'Darksiders.'

Steampunk

Taking my first wobbly steps into the steampunk sub-genre nd loving it. So much depth for creation and possibility in this genre and completely loved Gail Carriger's "Soulless." The fashion is cool and so is the art. So have begun work of my steampunk project "Professor Fawkesbury's Ingenious Elevator," and already three chapters in. Hope to have this completed by July next year and pitch it at the next RWA conference.

Also really enjoyed Barbara Hannay's Romance Writing workshop on Saturday at the Tropical Writer's Festival. It's great to be able to learn from some of the country's best writers (I am including you in this too Helene Young ; )

Concert at the Tanks

Had a great night at the Tanks last night watching Clare Bowditch and The New Slang. They were fabulous and so was Clare's support act Glen Armstrong from Augie March. His voice was mesmerizing and really brought the venue to life. Glen has a new solo album coming out next month which EVERYONE should get - was so impressed!

Back to school

First day back and battling the return-to-work blues - the upside is that the Christmas holidays are only 9 weeks away so that will be a huge block of time for writing. I didn't do too bad with the last two weeks either - having finished 1 short story, started another and completed an outline (very rough) for my next novel. It's great to have the holidays to dream up stuff and start on projects - both written and leadlighting ones.

Currently obsessed with One Tree Hill the series plus Boardwalk Empire. Also reading 'Goal, Motivation and Conflict' by Deb Dixon which is fantastic and started 'Clockwork Angel' by Cassandra Clare. Finished Soulless by Gail Carriger and absoloutely loved her humour and wit.

Now back to work : )

Weekend Wanderings

Spent the last few days travelling down and back to Charters Towers - an amazing place with lots of great stories (The Deadwood of Queensland haha). Murders, riots, suicide, houses of ill repute and people from so many different countries seeking their fortune. They called it 'The World' and supposedly you could buy anything you wanted in those streets. The buildings left behind are lovely - a great place for a story to be set I think.

Yungaburra Book Fair

Thrilled to be attending this event in Yungaburra this Saturday. Two of my very talented writing friends, Barbara Hannay and Helene Young,  will be presenting  at 10am and can't wait to catch up with the other members of the North Queensland Romance Writer's Group. There seem to be a lot of talented writers up North and great writing events - all very exciting.

http://www.positivelypresent.com/

Positively Present - A great blog on positive thinking with great quotes and pics that I love to print out and stick everywhere - like this one.

Oh the nerves

A new submission of my manuscript and another nervous wait. Am really excited to have my work looked at though and by someone at the top of her game - would be fantastic to work with someone like that. I am quickly becoming obsessed with this industry and am realising how happy I would be to do it forever - and being a GenY'er thinking of doing anything forever is a huge call LOL (and a first).

Will try to keep writing and not think too much about it haha. Also have my fingers crossed for the wonderful Alice who has also submitted her work to a publsiher - Go Alice : )

Looking forward to the Yungaburra Book Fair next weeked too and catching up with all the FNQ Romance Writer's - see you there ladies.

Playwright or not

Am currently doing my assignment for my creative writing subject and it's a play script. Funny enough it's set in the 1920's and has gangsters and flappers in it and then yesterday I came across a new show that starts on HBO on 19 September called 'Boardwalk Empire' which has exactly the same theme. Can't wait to watch it!

Was wondering if anyone else can recommend any good creative writing courses? I have 6 weeks off at Christmans and wouldn't mind doing a course online, or at least starting it.

Obsessed with Deadwood

Have just finished watching the first season of this great show and am so obsessed that I am leaving parties early to watch more lol. Love Calamity Jane and all the larger-than-life characters. Also have to admit that this is the first western-themed show I've actually watched and it's great! Brothels and bar fights and dirty bodies and bathhouses - gross but very interesting! Also interesting is the romance between a young widow and the town sherriff. I always love young widow stories, something darkly romantc about them.

So between being glued to Deadwood and reading Shadowfae by Erica Hayes (which is also obsessive-compulsive) I am getting little to no writing done atm. Luckily school holidays are on their way!

Pen Names

To pen-name myself or not to?

I am not sure what to do. Was thinking of maybe using H.C. Murat as my pen name but then no one will ever know my name when I meet them - could be awkard? What are other people's thoughts on pen-names?

My first Romance Writer's of Australia (RWA) Conference

Had a fantastic time in Sydney and couldn't beleive my luck to be walking around between so many talented authors (No 1 New York Times Best-Selling included). I could hardly believe that all these people were in the same room and by some great twist of fate I had ended up there too. Have to thank all my lovely friends from the North QLD Romance Writers for introducing me to this wonderful world - Helene, Barb, Bec, Alice, Shannean and Mervet (and Amanda and Cathy)! Was fabulous.

I had my pitch appointment with one of Australia's leading publishers last week and made it through without choking on my tongue or wetting myself which made me really proud haha. I was also encouraged to submit my manuscript to her children's/YA dept which was even better. Was amazing to see editors and agent sitting on a panel and hugely useful to hear them speak.

Loved the Paranormal and YA sections but also have to say that my imagination was sparked by all the talk of Steampunk and Gaslight Fantasy. All the publishers seem to want it and I just happen to have started a novel which would fit in this genre. So now for more research and crazy scribbling of ideas - will keep you posted!

getting ready for Sydney

Bought some scarves and now to find some boots! So excited!

Crazy August

Well have started my Masters in Creative Writing (now into week 2) and finding it not at all like my first degree - I actually look forward to doing the reading and exercises this time around which I guess all comes down to 'following your bliss.' I used to have a sign posted in my classroom that said 'do a career that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.' Finally really feel this way! And while I haven't technically established a career in writing I feel I am on the way to doing just that.

So follow your bliss...

Off to Romance Writer's of Australia Conference in Sydney next Thursday and have a pitch spot with an amazing editor of a BIG publishing company which is terrifying  - but I'm too curious to turn it down.

Also reading Louise Hay's 'You Can Heal Your Life' and finding it very powerful. What an amazing teacher and leader. Learning a lot from her philosophy!

Summer Days

Inspiration

If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page.

- Mark Houlahan

Well I wrote a new chapter of my book yesterday and edited a few of my first book - went to bed very happy with my productivity. I think the above quote is very true. On Tuesday morning (for no particular reason) I decided I was unhappy and didn't want to be where I was and sure enough I had a horrible day and felt really down - one of the worst days I've had in ages.

But yesterday I made up my mind that I was going to have a good day and regardless of what happened I was going to be happy - low and behold I had a hugely productive day and felt so much better for it.

I also caught a show last night on automatic writing - it sparked my imagination and I think I could build a story around it! It never ceases to amaze me how I seem to turn on the TV or walk into someone at the exact moment when something insipiring/useful happens. Law of attraction in action??? The mind is very deep - wonder what else I could train mine to do?

For those who like to let their imagination run wild

Let Characters Reveal Themselves



Freewriting Leads to a Character-Driven Story


Mar 13, 2008 Jennifer Jensen



Let characters tell you who they are - Gratsiela AtanasovaFreewrite, letting your subconscious thoughts come out in spontaneous dialogue, to discover who your characters are.



For now, forget everything you know about how to structure a story. Forget that a plot needs a beginning, middle and end. Forget that description should be interwoven with narrative. Forget that dialogue should be realistic, not real. Here’s a way to set the creative storyteller in you free.



Freewriting

Freewriting consists of writing without stopping: no editing, no re-reading, nothing. You may set some guidelines, but only within the above definition. Freewriting in longhand makes it easier to resist editing, and most writers will admit that they write differently in longhand versus on the computer.



Freewriting Exercises

Settle yourself in a comfortable chair, paper and pen in hand, and set a time limit. Thirty minutes is common; anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes works. Try one of these exercises:


Write dialogue and only dialogue (no tag lines, description, narrative, etc.) between two voices. Don’t name them or create characters for them, just write from the voices in your head, about whatever they want to talk about.

Write internal dialogue, either starting with an unknown voice in your head or a general character such as an elderly widow or a high school basketball player.

Write free-flowing narrative, plunking a general character or two down in an unfamiliar situation. Force yourself to not worry about word choice, active voice or believability.

Let Your Character Voices Say What They Want

Your voices will evolve into characters, even if you don’t plan for that to happen. Let them! And if you pictured an elderly widow and ten minutes later she has morphed into a middle-aged divorcee, that’s all right, too. This is time to play with your writing and see what comes of it.



As you get a sense of what these characters are like, you may have ideas of what they’ll say or do next. Resist if you can. And if you think they’re going to be worried about being late for a doctor’s appointment, and what comes out of your pen is that they’re worried about having cancer, or finding out their mother has cancer, or finding out they’re pregnant, that’s all right too.



When you write quickly, without planning, subconscious thoughts are allowed to surface, taking you places you hadn’t expected to go. And that’s the whole point.




Complex Scope of Writing a Novel

To write a novel well is a huge task, incorporating character, theme, voice and much more. Here's how to conquer the intimidation and accompanying writer's block. Finding the Story in Freewriting

Even though you put your internal editor on hold while you freewrite, you’ll still notice when something interesting happens. When a character’s true worries come to the front, when someone unexpected shows up in the scene, when a sidekick says something that triggers a reaction, tension has entered the scene and you have the germ of a story.



Use the next freewriting session to play with those characters: write more internal dialogue to get to know them; write scenes from each of their viewpoints; write backstory that will never show in your finished piece. Use the same “don’t stop – don’t edit” technique and let your writing go where it will.



Putting It All Together

Once your characters have revealed themselves to you and you’ve played with backgrounds and interaction, now is the time to remember the essential elements of writing. Choose the conflict, create great dialogue, intersperse description, find the best starting point and resolution. But instead of a put-together plot with adequate characters, you’ll have a character-driven story that could only happen to these people from your subconscious.







Read more at Suite101: Let Characters Reveal Themselves: Freewriting Leads to a Character-Driven Story http://character-development.suite101.com/article.cfm/let_characters_reveal_themselves#ixzz0uBt1CNdN

I now understand everything - but what if the man's light switch doesn't work??? haha

Master of Creative Writing

Received the subject outline for the first subject I am undertaking as part of the Masters in Creative Writing. Subject is called "Creative Writing" (very fitting) and I can't wait to dive into it.

Also took a group of my year 12 students down for a University Experience Day and got quite excited over the digital imaging/Photoshop subjects that are running there. Would love to learn how to do all that - but think I will just have to focus on writing for now.

SO HAPPY to finally study something that really appeals to me!

writing rush

Had a creative rush yesterday and wrote 2 chapters for the next novel in my 'Shift' series (mind you this rush came in the middle of a workshop completely unrelated to writing). But I had to follow my subconcious urge to write and so before I knew it the bones of two chapters appeared in my notebook. It's a great feeling just to abandon yourself to that creative impulse.

Thinking about writing is hard ... actually doing it is liberating.

I (like most other writers I have read about and spoken to) am plagued by self-doubt and that seemingly unattainable goal of being published. But I have realised that none of that really matters when I am actually creating and the thoughts are spilling out faster than I can get them down. I think the key is to think less and simply start moving your pen.

Just finished reading Wild Ink - a book about writing for young adults and loved it! Would recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.

New way to think

Here is one of my favourite quotes from Eckhart Tolle's 'The Power of Now:'

"Negativity is totally unnatural ...No other life-form on the planet knows negativity, only humans ... Have you ever seen an unhappy flower or a stressed oak-tree? Have you come across a depressed dolphin, a frog that has a problem with self-esteem, a cat that cannot relax, or a bird that carries hatred and resentment? ... Watch any plant or animal and let it teach you acceptance of what is, surrender to the Now. Let it teach you Being. Let it teach you integrity - which means to be one, to be yourself, to be real ... I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them cats."

I think this has spoken to me more than anything else I've ever read. I knew I loved animals for a reason ; )

A poem by Rumi

We are as the flute, and the music in us is from thee;
we are as the mountain and the echo in us is from thee.
 We are as pieces of chess engaged in victory and defeat:
our victory and defeat is from thee, O thou whose qualities are comely!
 Who are we, O Thou soul of our souls,
that we should remain in being beside thee?
 We and our existences are really non-existence;
thou art the absolute Being which manifests the perishable.
 We all are lions, but lions on a banner:
because of the wind they are rushing onward from moment to moment.
 Their onward rush is visible, and the wind is unseen:
may that which is unseen not fail from us!
 Our wind whereby we are moved and our being are of thy gift;
our whole existence is from thy bringing into being.
 
Masnavi Book I, 599-607

I am a flute ready to make lots of music haha. 

What to post?

Trying to brainstorm exactly what to post on here. I want to make this a journal of my journey to publication (hopefully - better make that definitely or the L.O.A won't work). Just so much stuff out there - kinda feel like I'm drowning trying to wade through all the info and advice on writing and getting published atm.

Will just take it one article/author blog at a time. 

turn that frown upside down

Well did not get the go ahead from that agent - so after feeling miserable for a few minutes and wanting to burn my manuscript in an epic bonfire I have decided to bounce back and send it to someone else - so the journey to publication and finding an agent continues....

Disappointment only breeds more negative energy so am jumping back on a more positive frequency. I've noticed that some on the great dissapointments of my life have turned into blessings in disguise (so will keep telling myself that to feel better haha).

Thanks for following me Zoe and Sherry - love ya both ; )

shifting

In process of re-editing Shift AGAIN and hoping that the US literary agent that requested it likes it - nervously waiting for reply email and wish I could dream of the future like Izzy.

hmmm

New to this and don't really know what I am doing. Also feeling more than a little pretentious having my own blog ha ha : /