Translate

Thursday 29 April 2010

It's been a productive week

It's been a week since my last post and I'm pleased to say that its been a productive one.  The weekend was spent in the garden with the manuscript which I have split into 4 folders for ease of reading.  Part one of four is currently covered in red pen and black might I add as I wrote a scene which I was quite pleased with.  I started writing the novel with one main character in mind but I felt she needed someone else there, not just as a secondary best friend type character but as a strong lead who she can learn from.  That was the reason for the extra scene as in the beginning there isn't a great deal about character 2.

This week so far I have sent out three womag stories so now I have 6 stories out there and 2 left to rewrite and sub.  I now have to work on a story for the next fortnight and as such I am drawing a complete blank.  I spent last night visiting various places such as Inspiration Corner and the S/Cally Generator and even here which I quite like but I wasn't getting anywhere.  I think the problem was I was proper knackered last night and ended up retiring to bed at 9.30pm!! - its this healthy eating kick I'm on which means no choc :-(

Anyway I won't lose heart - the generators have worked for me before and I have my Womag 2 Weekly prompts so I am going to try again tomorrow night.  Tonight I am off out to a Thai restaurant for my Dad's birthday.  They do delicious food here http://www.patchareethai.com/patmenu1.html  mmmmm must stop reading menu and drooling.

Thursday 22 April 2010

Why you shouldn't read interesting articles whilst waiting for your bus....

Not the fun packed email I mentioned in the last post but today has been a strange old day.  I spent 3 hours of my work day sitting in an empty office listening to the distant sounds of a fire alarm being drowned out by my mp3 player.  Then when they (not sure who 'they' are) finally managed to stop the alarm we had to endure power cuts a plenty. 
I escaped the madness of the office and picked up a copy of Writers Forum.  I was engrossed in an article  by Amanda Brittany about Writing Groups (including Womag2Weekly - yay we are famous!) whilst at the bus stop later today when I looked up to see my bus leaving without me and my magazine!

No writing tonight as I spent the best part of the evening clearing out the spare room so that I can get a desk in there.  It's a lovely cosy warm room and I can't wait to be able to sit at computer at a proper desk instead of slouching in bed. 

Anyways I am all ready for the weekend.  The novel is printed and I have stolen borrowed some red pens from work so now all that's left is for me to get out the sun lounger and wait for the weekend.  I just hope the sun keeps up his end of the bargain!

Wednesday 21 April 2010

And send....

I managed once again to press that Oh so scary send button on my computer (actually its on the screen but whatever!)

I subbed a story to That's Life Australia this very eve and it's a story I really really like.  I just hope they like it even more and want to buy it!

No updates really.  I finished reading Fishbowl today which I really enjoyed.  I am now reading Light as a Feather by Helen Dunne.

I have no shorties to work on at the mo as the deadline for womag 2 weekly is tomorrow so I shall spend the weekend working on the novel.  It will go out this year if it kills me!

I plan on getting more stories subbed in between the novel.  I have one for Peoples Friend and a few for TABFF.  I need to check how many I can send at once though.

Sorry for the scanty post but theres not much going on except for the writing and subbing at the mo. 

Hopefully I'll have a more fun packed post next time!

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Back in the saddle

Yes more terrible sayings ahoy...

I am back on the horse.  I have resubbed my rejected story today to Woman's Weekly.  I very much doubt it will be accepted (yes confidence knocked quite a bit but they are a tough market).  Why did I chose WW I hear you cry?  Well my reasons are threefold:

1. I checked out the guidelines on Womag's blog and I saw at least 3 times a mention of them willing to accept crime/mystery stories.
2. I was going to sub to TABFF as I know they sometimes run a 'crime time' story but I already have 2 stories I want to sub there and I don't want to bombard them.
3. This reason is quite a lazy one.  I had already subbed to The Weekly News who require double quotes for speech as do WW so it seemed silly to change to single for TABFF and then back again.

In other news I have dusted off the novel that has been resting since October.  It's very daunting but the foundations have been laid and now I just have to build on them (that was the last one I promise)

Tuesday 13 April 2010

It had to happen some time...

I got my first rejection today.  The story I had submitted to The Weekly News last month was put out of its misery with a short but sweet no thank you.  It is a very good thing that I spend half an hour last night reading 'Your Writing Coach' - the section on rejection and how even publishers had rejected Harry Potter before it hit mega sales and people went Harry, Ron and Hermione mad.
I won't let it get me down.  I know you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette and many other cheesy clichés such as that so I shall get back on the horse and not put all my eggs into one basket. 

Also, with the best intentions, I have drawn up a work planner to see what can be fitted in and where.  I have stuck to it so far getting the balance between writing, blogging and reading in there as well as free time.  There's loads I haven't managed to work in there but I'm sure things will get easier and who knows maybe one day I may get that 3 day weekend.

I'm sure there was more stuff I had to say but I'll be back tomorrow (it's in the timetable), that and Shameless is on 'PAAARTYYYY' 

Thursday 8 April 2010

Beatiful Blogger Award

Sorry for the bad bloggage of late.  There's not really been a lot of news on the writing front.  Work has been hectic and my holiday feels like a million years ago.  Luckily I have planned the next trip away.  Myself, boyf and my parents are off to Jersey for four days in June.  I am looking forward to the long weekend and of course we have family there so it will be lovely to see them again.

Today I got a lovely fresh new book in the post.   Your Writing Coach - Jurgen Wolff which I saw advertised over on Calistro's blog.  I had some points on my Waterstones card so it only ended up costing me about £3.  I had a quick read on my bus ride home and I think that's £3 very well spent.  I'll keep you posted on what I learn from reading it.

Also, and this brought a smile to my face while waiting for the bus this morning checking my emails.  The lovely Suzanne has awarded me The Beautiful Blogger Award:


In getting this I can pass this on to ten other bloggers so here goes:

1. Calistro -  I have learnt so much from her blog
2. Debs - for having the most awesome shed I have ever seen!
3. Karen - for always writing side splitting posts and her help with my first womag story
4. Amanda - for setting up the wonder that is Womag 2 Weekly
5. DJ Kirkby - for liking my captions and making me laugh with wild and wonderful pictures every Wednesday
6. Carol - for displaying beautiful works of art and sharing her recipes
7. Emily - for never giving up and for her great column over at novelicious
8. Suzanne - I know she gave this to me but I want to award her with it for her great comments and stories on W2W.
9. Womag Writer - My go to blog whenever I want to sub a story.  I love her blog!
10. Colette - another fellow W2W.  A great critiquer and writer.