Happy Easter

Happy Easter.

Tomorrow I'm going to eat one of these...

And one of these...

I'll also be taking a day off from writing my chick lit novel and will be catching up on Labyrinth and Foyle's War on tv and hopefully remembering to put my clocks forward.

What will you be doing?

Writing Essentials

I don't know about you, but the most important thing I need for writing in the winter - after the obvious laptop, of course - is a pair of fingerless gloves. By the time I've wrapped up in layers of fleeces, knitted paraphernalia and chunky slippers, I can barely move, so it's probably a good thing I only need my eyes, brain and fingers to do the work.

It's trying to snow here today. I shouldn't complain because it'll only be the second time this winter and it's not as if it looks like it's going to settle. What a relief!

 

Another essential I love to have are How To books and a recent purchase of mine was, Dummies Guide to Writing a Novel and Getting Published  by George Green and Lizzie Kramer. Lizzie Kramer is literary agent to some well known authors including Scarlett Bailey and Lucy Diamond, and this book is full of useful tips and explanations. I really enjoyed it and will keep it in my bookcase next to Stephen King's On Writing, Carole Blake's From Pitch to Publication and Jane Wenham-Jones' Wannabe A Writer? I suppose if I wannabe a writer I'd better get on and write.

What are your writing essentials?

Happy 2013

Happy New Year!

I love the beginning of each new year when I write down a (short) list of things I hope to achieve.

For 2013:

• Get published and (hopefully) sell many copies of my book.
• Write a follow-up (brilliant!) novel.

Well, there's no harm in being positive, is there?

So, apart from being healthy, happy, travelling a little and reading piles of good books, I'll be delighted to achieve the above. 

I hope 2013 is all that you would like it to be.

What are you aiming to achieve in 2013?

NaNoWriMo

I've succumbed and registered to take part in NaNoWriMo this month. I've no idea how I'll actually get on, but I'm going to do my best to achieve 50,000 words in the next 30 days. I must be mad.

So, without further ado, I'd better get on with it.

Are you taking part? If so, you'll find me under: SilverBee.

Reading In The Sun

This is a picture of last night's sunset.

After months of writing/editing, all I'm hoping to do this weekend is relax in the sunshine. The forecast is that the warm weather will last until Monday and, as the temperature is supposed to be in the mid-twenties, I'm going to make the most of it. So, apart from walking the dog a couple of times, all I intend doing this weekend is catching up on some reading and a lot of relaxing. What a bonus that we have this to look forward to, especially in September. Long may it last.

What are you hoping to do this weekend?

Paragraph Planet

I'm very excited. Paragraph Planet featured my paragraph, 'Be Quiet Alice' on their site on 17th August. You can read my paragraph and those by other writers both unpublished and published, as well as interviews from contributors to the site including Judy Astley, Emlyn Rees and Gabrielle Kimm.

I discovered Paragraph Planet when reading Anita Chapman's blog recently and saw the link to her second featured paragraph, How It Was.

Anyone can submit 75 words - no more, no less - and it can be about absolutely anything.

How about giving it a go?

Writing About Imaginary People

Sometimes even imaginary people argue back. Does that make me nutty? No, it's because I'm a writer and I'm probably trying to wrestle the character's conflict into the story and onto the page, so that it pushes the story along.

I do think that in order to write you have to be fairly solitary, however, I've found that writers make great party guests. After spending so much time by themselves plotting, planning and writing, they usually have the best fun when they mix with people. 

You'll probably find that writers will never be bored because however dull someone might be when they're talking to them, the writer will always be trying to figure out a way to utilise what the other person is saying. They'll probably be studying their actions, or maybe a personality trait or two so that they can find a way to include it into the latest work in progress. Now I've said this I'll have to concentrate on looking fascinated while doing my 'figuring out'.

Do you agree that writers are great fun at parties?