tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013799813181264312024-03-14T00:07:05.960-07:00When life gives you lemons... write about itCherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-76776355149132789842016-06-17T02:15:00.000-07:002016-06-17T02:16:07.680-07:00Back to School: Week 6It's Friday: Yay!<br />
I have a one year old: Up at 5 am it is then!<br />
<br />
I'm not going to lie - the course venue I am at isn't the greatest. The lesson plan went a bit off track today where two of us spent a good twenty minutes sorting out a sound issue with the computer. I feel a complaint coming on (I have become quite the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Meldrew">Victor Meldrew</a>). The course administrator had done a runner so with a bit of trial and error - that is pressing everything on the computer that looked remotely like a speaker - we were able to sit back and watch a movie. Ten minutes into Far from the Madding Crowd I'd forgotten I was in an advanced writing class and was engrossed. So I was dissapointment when the film was stopped - cue booing and popcorn throwing (just kidding, there was no popcorn!).<br />
<br />
Here we looked at how the film makers picked up on Hardy's style of writing and character development. It was interesting just how much we learn about the two characters in just the first ten minutes. Having said that we are a writing class and not a film studies class so on with the writing I say!<br />
<br />
We then compared the opening paragraphs of Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd with Andrew's Marr's Children of the Master. Both writers give little snippets of character description rather than huge chunks. We are rewarded with little crumbs along the way. <br />
<br />
<br />
Homework<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Read sections 2, 3 and 4 of Stephe<a href="https://www.hodder.co.uk/">n King's 'On Writing'</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.hodder.co.uk/">Review the </a>Hodder and Stoughton website - if you like me decide to do this now, do so at you own risk. Somehow I found myself on facebook and then shopping for clothes.</li>
<li>Review handouts on dialogue and psychology of character</li>
</ul>
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-21800246108181240432016-06-08T12:06:00.002-07:002016-06-08T12:06:54.606-07:00The art of letter writing is not deadI wanted to share a recommendation of my own - a tried and test one. Ages ago I got a copy of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1861441622/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AHRB2OK2Q2YCL">Writing for Magazines by Diana Cambridge</a> and was impressed by its simplicity, layout and straightforward tips. I read it cover to cover and decided to work from the letter writing section. I emailed my letter (my first) to Psychologies Magazine over a month ago and forgot all about it. I'd heard nothing back but I was writing again so I was happy with the outcome.<br />
<br />
Then I spotted this yesterday whilst casually flicking through the magazine during a quick lunch break:<br />
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<br />
Not bad for a first go. This wasn't a paying gig but then if I wrote for the money I'd have given up a long time ago!<br />
<br />
<br />Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-48766215658686805262016-06-08T12:06:00.000-07:002016-06-08T12:06:03.799-07:00Back to School: Week 5This week we reviewed section twenty of Stephen King's 'On Writing'. Here he is saying that we should only take so much notice of what other people say. It also gives a good quick lesson on self editing and also finding a good one!<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>Building Characterisation</u><br />
<br />
Here we looked at Maslow's hierarchy of needs:<br />
<u><br /></u>
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<br />
<u>Group activity</u><br />
Complete two lists for a character. One with traits that the outsider sees and one that the individual feels. I used Jim Parson's character Sheldon Cooper as a good example of this.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<u><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<u>Outsiders
view</u> <u>Individual</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
A show off/arrogant Intelligent/genius<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Rude Struggles
with empathy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Stand
offish Doesn’t get
social queues<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Cold in
emotion Anxious<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Untrusting Trustworthy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Blunt Honest<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Not
flexible Reliable<o:p></o:p></div>
<u><br /></u>
<br />
<div>
<u><br /></u></div>
<div>
<u>Homework</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Complete Christmas short story if time. Focus on developing your character(s) in as much detail. Write this in narrative style. Complete a plot outline in bullet point format.</div>
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-26452357525879141282016-06-08T11:14:00.001-07:002016-06-08T11:16:43.959-07:00Back to School: Week 4This week we have the night off as our tutor is invigilating. We also had last week off due to the school being closed for half term. As a result I managed to complete my Christmas story which was started in this particular lesson.<br />
<br />
I am choosing tonight to catch up on my class notes:<br />
<br />
<u>Recommendations</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The Cambridge Guide to Literature and English</li>
<li>Hogans Heroes - well written episodes.</li>
<li>Hodder and Stoughton website</li>
<li>Nora Ephron</li>
</ul>
<div>
One of my classmates shared a good analogy: there are two types of writer: </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li> The architect - plans the story out.</li>
<li>The gardener - Plants the seed and watches them grow and nurtures them</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<u>Important elements of a short story</u></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Length - defining the structure</li>
<li>Number of characters</li>
<li>Start as close to the end of the story as you feel you can</li>
<li>3D emotional characters the reader can empathise with - in particular ones that are quirky.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<u><br /></u></div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<u>Class Activity</u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sketch a few ideas for a Christmas themed short story.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We had ten minutes for this particular task. I think I spent seven of those minutes freaking out about my blank page and three frantically scribbling down my brains idea transcript. Amazingly I came up with something to write about. In fact we each came up with something which showed our individual interests. We will later enter these stories into <a href="http://wordsmag.com/compcal16.htm">this competition</a> by the end of June.</div>
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-89391975989709242052016-05-23T12:39:00.004-07:002016-05-23T12:39:56.093-07:00Back to School: Week 3<div class="MsoNormal">
So today we are reminded that there is no right or wrong in
creative writing (although my ever expanding rejection spreadsheet says
otherwise!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We all take part in a group activity on frequently used
themes such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The story has been used again and again, with numerous film adaptations such as West Side Story. I managed two story ideas
based on this theme in about 15 minutes.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So why are love stories like Romeo and Juliet so
popular? </div>
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Possibly because they have character
and stories with which we can all relate.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is character more important than plot?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">-</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Plot is the foundation</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Characters can grow because of the plot but they
drive the plot on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recommendations:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Castle – Channel 5<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Homework: Think of the most interesting person you have met
and write a few lines of potted biography about that person. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is mine:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This person is a successful British comedian, writer, actor,
artist, DJ and musician. This person was
born in 1973 in Westminster, London and grew up in Parsons Hill, South
London. This person has a unique style
and a wacky sense of humour. This person
is a keen artist and loves shopping in Camden.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From this we can collect different elements from different characters to see who or what we can create as a group. I'm really looking forward to this next week. Oh and who was I talking about...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Luxury Comedy himself: Noel Fielding</div>
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<br /></div>
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Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-10973847233778618842016-05-12T11:52:00.000-07:002016-05-12T11:54:04.350-07:00Back to School: Week 2After such a great first week I returned to school eager to learn more. The school café was shut this time so sadly no free coffee. Luckily this wasn't a deal breaker for me.<br />
<br />
Mike was keen to advise us that we may be joined by a student of his at Solent later in the course. She is very keen to join a session and he feels we will learn from each other. She has won awards for winning short story competitions on twitter.<br />
<br />
We discussed mind mapping and Mike recommended <a href="http://www.tonybuzan.com/">Tony Buzan</a><br />
<br />
<br />
We discussed some of our favourite authors:<br />
<br />
<b>Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd</b><br />
We discussed what you learn from the characters in Hardy's use of descriptive writing. What clues are used and what is implied by the characters actions and how we can let the reader work it out.<br />
<br />
<b>Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland</b><br />
We discussed the possibility that the characters were based on people (namely parishioners) in his life that drove him mad. It was possibly easier for him to make them into children's characters.<br />
<br />
We also discussed the popularity of writing people as animals such as Beatrix Potter's 'Peter Rabbit' and AA Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh'.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Recommendations</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk/">Charles Dickens Birthplace museum</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Home work:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Read page section 15 of Stephen King's 'On Writing'.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Rewrite the scene in which Bill Sikes hangs in Oliver Twist. Feel free to use elements of Dickens style to guide you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here is my take on the scene:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
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<i style="line-height: 21.3px;">Nancy shifted on her elbows as she took in the scene below. She could hear the roar from the crowd. There was a murderer on the loose. Nancy could see their faces illuminated by torch fire, highlighting their very wrath and passion. On they pressed, on, on, on from the front. The surrounding houses were penetrated by the overspill of the current. Faces in every window. Men gripping the rooftops like insects clinging to a wall. No space was wasted. Every conceivable angle full – they were looking at her. She could hear the shouts below and the front door forced at last. Men mounted into her room and she watched as the faces left the windows to join the throng spewing onto the cobbles below. At that instance she climbed out onto the window ledge.</i></div>
<div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
<i style="line-height: 21.3px;">‘Stay back or I’ll jump,’ she shrieked.</i></div>
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<i style="line-height: 21.3px;">As the men inched closer to the window she yelled out in terror. And then, as panic took hold she felt her feet fly out from under her. No time to stop herself. The crowd quivered with shock.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Remember:</b><br />
We must be ourselves. You cannot replicate success.<br />
All of our writing is valid and different.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<ul>
</ul>
</div>
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-17569635805728233452016-05-03T12:39:00.000-07:002016-05-03T12:39:18.400-07:00Back to School: Week 1After various workshops and online writing courses I finally built up the courage to book onto a writing class which I would attend in the flesh. It's always been a desire and a fear of mine to sit in a class room again. I didn't have the best time at school - it was always <i>What did Shakespeare mean when he said this </i>and <i>what is algebra exactly??</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So my first day finally arrived last Thursday and I was pretty nervous. Lots of questions entered my head:<br />
<br />
1. What if no one likes me<br />
2. What if I say something silly<br />
3. What if I'm not smart enough for the class<br />
<br />
... and the list goes on.<br />
<br />
The one thing I didn't anticipate was getting lost. After driving about two miles in the wrong direction of the school (I'm new around these parts!) I finally get parked up. The adult education centre is tucked away nicely and again I am lost. I finally find a group of equally lost people and luckily they accept me as one of their own. We find the teacher and he takes us to the classroom. Now I need to pee. I am told the toilets are downstairs - two minutes later I am lost again. All the school corridors look the same much to my horror and I wonder around aimlessly for five minutes until a student takes pity on me and directs me back to my classroom. Thankfully it was smooth sailing from then on.<br />
<br />
My teacher is Marketer and Creative Writing lecturer <a href="http://www.solent.ac.uk/schools/communications-and-marketing/staff-profiles/wilman-mike.aspx">Mike Wilman</a>. He has many credits to his name and even bought us all a coffee at break time. <br />
<br />
There are only 6 of us in the class which was a nice size. We had enough time to introduce ourselves and discuss what we wanted from the course. Therefore Mike can tailor to course more to our needs from novel and short story writing to poetry, writing for children, comedy to horror. The list is not exhaustive and we can be flexible here.<br />
<br />
<b>Mike's recommendations:</b><br />
On Writing - Stephen King<br />
CSI - watching the actors discuss how the script is constructed<br />
Writing festivals<br />
The Durrells - for depicting family life<br />
Needful Things - Stephen King (recommended to me by my classmate)<br />
Far from the Madding Crowd<br />
Arvon hints and tips (also classmate recommended)<br />
Hodder and Stoughton<br />
<br />
Various books and magazines:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>Tips</b><br />
Blog Blog and Blog - this brings me back here. I haven't blogged in such a long time but its a great tool for attracting publishers. I'm not saying this is ground breaking stuff right here but it's certainly better than nothing.<br />
<br />
<b>Homework</b><br />
Bring in a favourite book to read from and explain why you like it.<br />
<br />
<br />
My next class is tomorrow and I cannot wait!<br />
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-6604573027746774202014-07-12T08:33:00.001-07:002014-07-12T08:33:43.125-07:00I'm a reading activist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP6WQDqWOSzsNwdQkJSViCUufUZ4cnvcPAuLTjQxN01ZgBRhZ2bAYkwoM4pO8CZshe0D7QG6bPaAMMI-ouDVT3cSkb1reSBVO0E3v4f4EZx-DRIklCeR04U6InfJimPGbmFzDANnbs0A/s1600/Reading+activist.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLP6WQDqWOSzsNwdQkJSViCUufUZ4cnvcPAuLTjQxN01ZgBRhZ2bAYkwoM4pO8CZshe0D7QG6bPaAMMI-ouDVT3cSkb1reSBVO0E3v4f4EZx-DRIklCeR04U6InfJimPGbmFzDANnbs0A/s320/Reading+activist.BMP" /></a></div>
Today was the first day of the Summer Reading Challenge which takes place every year during the summer holidays for children aged four to eleven. This involves signing up at your local library and choosing 6 books to read (fact or fiction) Along the way you can collect stickers, prizes and you will be awarded with a certificate at the end. This year I have volunteered at my local library. We had a great turn out of children sign up for the challenge on the first day. Most of the girls loved Jacqueline Wilson and the boys mostly like Beast quest and football fact books.
The Summer Reading Challenge website helps you keep track of your reading, find new books and take part in competitions and play games.
<a href="http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/">http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/</a>
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-80178382819148092022014-06-21T10:26:00.001-07:002014-06-22T10:23:11.844-07:00Virtual classroom vs the actual classroomI am struggling to just waltz back in here and write a blog post as if I'ver never been away. It's tricky but here goes:
As my blog title suggests I have just bid a fond (in that I hated every minute) farewell to my math GCSE course. On moving from London to Devon back in 2012 it was proving tricky to find work that didn't require an A-C at math GCSE so I decided to retake. It will also enable me to take the PGCE should I decide teaching is for me. I took my final exam on Tuesday and can only hope all the revision and finally learning the point of algebra (please don't ask me) was worth it.
So today I went to The University of St Mark & St John to check out the varius degree courses. I met with Hayden Gabriel who opened my eyes to a whole new world of study including a PHD in Creative Writing (getting way ahead of myself now) as well as the possibility of actually studying for a degree while still working full time. I'll admit I am tempted but I can't help thinking the Open University is for me. Can anyone comment on the virtual classroom versus the actual classroom?
Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-38834312290477799342013-02-11T05:39:00.001-08:002013-02-11T05:39:29.036-08:00The Sneetches and other storiesFollowing on from a previous post I decided to compete at least one New Years Resolution which was to read a Dr Seuss book. Thank you again to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/00474010455394752000">Rebecca Alexander</a> for recommending 'The Sneetches'. which is a great story. I went to my local library and borrowed 'The Sneetches and other stories'. I read all the stories which included: <br />
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The Sneetches<br />
The Zax<br />
Too Many Daves<br />
What was I scared of?<br />
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I'm so glad I got this and I can definitely see myself reading this to my children one day when I am all grown up!<br />
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Highly recommended and great illustrations too.Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-76840690933271309462013-01-23T05:49:00.001-08:002013-01-23T05:49:14.366-08:00Courses I wish I had time for...I have often <strike>moaned</strike> written about the fact that I am currently studying GCSE maths with the National Extension College. <br />
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I also re-took English A' Level with the NEC and I think they are really great if you want to study from home. I received their newsletter the other day with some links to different courses for, but not exclusive to, writers.<br />
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You can check out the links to the following courses <a href="http://www.nec.ac.uk/courses/category-browse?usca_p=t&category_id=8481">here</a><br />
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Creative Writing<br />
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Writing Short Stories<br />
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Writing for a Living<br />
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If you sign up or have taken the course in the past it would be great to hear your thoughts on them as I'd like to take them when I free up some study time.Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-35310025393947946212013-01-14T05:55:00.003-08:002013-01-14T05:55:43.956-08:00Resolution GeneratorIf you were planning to make some new years resolutions and need a little inspiration this <a href="http://moninavelarde.com/newyears/">generator</a> may help.<br />
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My one and only resolution as a result of this is 'read a Dr. Seuss book' - I still haven't gotten around to reading my twilight books yet so that may have to be a resolution for 2014 (or much much later).<br />
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Can anyone recommend a Dr Seuss. book?Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-64490652441319537202013-01-11T12:09:00.001-08:002013-01-11T12:09:40.220-08:00Happy New Year!Slightly later than I had planned but here is my first blog post of 2013. It's been busy at work with lots of events happening on the GP calendar (I work for the NHS now). Wednesday I got to go to Buckfast Abbey conference centre and time keep by blowing a whistle every 10, 8 and 2 minutes. This was my view from the freezing cold corridor:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KoP2uBiDTQQ/UPBsekAzL5I/AAAAAAAAAjY/IXKaEIzIINQ/s1600/Photo0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KoP2uBiDTQQ/UPBsekAzL5I/AAAAAAAAAjY/IXKaEIzIINQ/s320/Photo0012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />A lovely view (my camera phone doesn't do it justice) and best of all I got time to write. Not just this post but a story too. I was inspired by an episode of duck hunters and it got my creative juices flowing. I'm about 400 odd words into a first draft and now I actually feel the January blues ebbing away. It's a great feeling starting with a blank page and seeing a story appear as if by magic and I often find myself thinking 'Did I write that?' - sometimes in a bad way but sometimes in a good way too.<br />
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I didn't make any resolutions because I never stick to them but I've made a list of things to get done.<br />
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- blog at least once a week<br />
- sub a story every other month<br />
- contribute more to my writing group<br />
- drink more water<br />
- do things that make me happy<br />
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It's not a challenging list but its something similar to what I did at school and it works for me, keeps me going. I was really good at spelling at school for a couple of years running I set 'Do better at spelling' as my goals. Every year I'd be rewarded with a mars bar from my teacher. I'm not sure whether my love of chocolate came before my love of writing but they go hand in hand I guess. I didn't get away with it my third year when I was told my goal should be to improve my maths. Suffice to say I didn't get that mars bar again (and I'm retaking GCSE maths!)Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-76592752712714003922012-12-17T05:20:00.001-08:002012-12-17T05:20:49.445-08:00Testing... testing... 123Just checking the dusty blog still works and I hadn't turned into too much of a luddite this last year and a bit. Sorry to those who regularly popped in, and I thought you'd still like to know that in that time I've taken a long sabbatical from the writing but I've been busy. I've been travelling (travel blog still to be finished!), sold my third story, moved from London to Devon, got engaged, got a new job, started studying GCSE maths again. It's been a busy time and this month is only set to get busier so I will be back in January with a proper post and will be getting back to the writing. Womag 2 Weekly have been so supportive during my ever so extended sabbatical. It's been hard to fit things in and I have thought about leaving but I can't bear the thought of not having the group there while I write. I'm looking forward to being a proper member of the group again.<br />
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For now I'd just like to say:<br />
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<img height="461" src="http://www.lovewayz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Merry-christmas-messages.jpg" width="738" />Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-79639141904822322752011-09-14T16:09:00.000-07:002011-09-14T16:09:55.268-07:00Niagra Falls at night and first night of camping - Niagara Falls, United States Travel Blog<a href="http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chez123/1/1315816701/tpod.html">Niagra Falls at night and first night of camping - Niagara Falls, United States Travel Blog</a>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-689059492939836822011-09-12T00:34:00.000-07:002011-09-12T00:34:27.908-07:00Departure for the USA - Newark, United States Travel Blog<a href="http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chez123/1/1314067489/tpod.html?view=preview">Departure for the USA - Newark, United States Travel Blog</a>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-76025442823509676892011-07-21T05:39:00.000-07:002011-07-21T05:39:53.247-07:00Only 5 weeks until the trek starts - London, United Kingdom Travel Blog<a href="http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chez123/1/1310818462/tpod.html">Only 5 weeks until the trek starts - London, United Kingdom Travel Blog</a>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-69039398164496415152011-07-17T09:51:00.000-07:002011-07-17T09:51:11.034-07:00Test - Link to my travel blog<a href="http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chez123/1/1310818462/tpod.html">Only 5 weeks until the trek starts - London, United Kingdom Travel Blog</a>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-59018320723732950622011-06-18T05:33:00.000-07:002011-06-18T05:34:13.921-07:00Another hit and updatesThis week has been a strange one but a great one. Just after I announced my intention to take an earlier than planned sabbatical from Womag2Weekly (I shall return after my US travels in November) I got an email from Jill Finlay at The Weekly News saying she would like to buy my story Thirsty Work. I received such a great critique from my writing group, its a crucial part of why I am selling stories and for that I thank them. I don't know what I would do without their help and support. As if the buzz from selling a story wasn't enough it was quickly published and appeared in this weeks copy. I am really pleased with how it looks.<br />
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I am still editing and subbing stories despite taking a break from writing them and the novel rewrite is almost there. I was knocked off schedule as I was off sick with tonsillitis and a fever last week but I am back to it this weekend.Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-85996700554794420262011-05-29T02:22:00.000-07:002011-05-29T02:22:24.397-07:00A slight blog tweakFor those of you have read my blog and have done for a while, you will know me as Lily. I picked the pseudonym when I first started the blog - for anonimity mainly. I still find it strange when people call me Lily, not bad strange - is there a good kind? But after much deliberation I've decided to have my real name on here, That's all!<br />
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Happy writing<br />
<br />
Cheryl (and for the guy in Vodafone - yes it is just like Ms Cole's name but I had it first so ner!!)<br />
xCherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-28991257980007058542011-05-18T14:42:00.000-07:002011-05-18T14:42:21.871-07:00Massive Action Day - Saturday 28th May with Jurgen Wolff'YOU ARE INVITED TO BE SUPER-PRODUCTIVE AND FOCUSED<br />
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on<br />
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Saturday May 28 <br />
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The next MASSIVE ACTION DAY!<br />
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It starts at 9am UK time (10am on the Continent) and ends at 1am Sunday UK time.<br />
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On the day, pick something you want to work on and log on to our private website. <br />
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I (Jurgen) will stream a live video for about five minutes at the top of every hour with some productivity and time management tips and will give away some prizes, too.<br />
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You can use the site's chat window to declare a goal for the day and what you intend to accomplish in the next 55 minutes. When the top of the hour rolls around, come back and tell us how you did and your goals for the next session. Come for the whole day or just a couple of hours-either way you'll find it's a great way to focus and get lots done.<br />
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As usual, it's all free and it's all online. Here's where to sign up-and you do need to sign up even if you've taken part before:<br />
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<a href="http://www.writingbreakthroughstrategy.com/MAD">www.WritingBreakthroughStrategy.com/MAD</a><br />
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Feel free to invite your friends to sign up, too, the more the merrier!<br />
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(ps: your goal doesn't have to relate to writing-it can be anything you want to accomplish).'Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-33771744612156487512011-05-04T14:50:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:50:26.568-07:00Cracked the womags!!!It is with the greatest pleasure and relief that I can finally announce I have sold a story – to That’s Life! Australia. My very first sale to a Womag (to any publication actually!!)<br />
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After over a year of writing stories with Womag2Weekly I have written 20 stories, subbed 35 times and had 21 rejections. I can honestly say I never thought I’d make a sale and I was about 3 months from giving up completely. In hindsight its easy to say but I implore anyone who feels this way IT CAN HAPPEN!!!<br />
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I cannot wait to see my work in print!!!Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-54567762265061799422011-04-27T05:31:00.000-07:002011-04-27T05:35:51.703-07:00I'm still here!I would just like to say a big thank you to all those of you who haven't stopped following me. I am still writing, still busy subbing stories left, right and centre (and then dodging them as they come flying back). I'm taking a bit of a blog break as there isnt any new and exciting news going on. Unless you count my taking three months off work to go travelling round America in August but believe me there will be more on that nearer the time. <br />
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Hope you all had a nice Easter and haven't turned into a chocolate egg like me!!<br />
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Back soon!<br />
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Lily<br />
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xCherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-39590264654918167292011-04-12T05:57:00.000-07:002011-04-12T05:57:33.557-07:00Catching upWow - that was a productive weekend! I sadly got no sun but I did manage to clear out my entire email. From there I was able to re-organise, re-edit and re-sub 8 out of 16 short stories. 4 of the remaining 8 are seasonal so are on hold for now. The novel isn't really coming along as well as I'd like. I have another idea which has been burning a hole in my head for a while now and I am debating about whether to take part in Sally Quilford's writing challenge: May - You Write Your Novel. 80,000 in 80 days - not bad considering you can go around the world in that time. If you've worked on a novel before you'll know that it can be a lonely business so the support you are likely to get is invaluable. I coudn't have completed the initial draft of CIM without knowing that the novel racers blog was only a click away so I am huge fan of this kind of thing.<br />
Anyway, if I decide to work on something new I will be taking part but for now I shall keep going with the short stories during the week and the novel at the weekend.<br />
If anyone's interested in signing up for Sally's challenge you can sign up <a href="http://80kwords80days.blogspot.com/">here</a><br />
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I would just like to mention that this weekend was down to the Massive Action Day run by Jurgen Wolff. Jurgen ran the MAD between 9am Saturday morning until 1am Sunday with hourly tips and even giving away prizes! I stayed on until 11pm (with a brief break for a few cheeky fat frogs). Jurgen will be running another one in around a month or so, in the meantime you can sign up <a href="http://www.writingbreakthroughstrategy.com/MAD/">here</a> for more information.Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301379981318126431.post-59413339815977190182011-03-14T12:38:00.000-07:002011-03-14T12:42:03.039-07:00Winners!!The 2 winners of ‘Rachel's Holiday' by Marian Keyes Keyes are:<br />
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The lovely <a href="http://debcarrs-daydreams.blogspot.com/">Debs</a> and <a href="http://sangumandanna.blogspot.com/">Sangu</a>.<br />
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Congratulations! Please do email me (address on my profile) your addresses and I’ll arrange for a signed copy to be sent out to each of you.Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653762974885767334noreply@blogger.com5