The Writing Life – Feb 2014

Busy with all kinds of writerly activities this week. Yesterday a writing workshop at Art Central in Barry, courtesy of the Women’s Arts Association and their exhibition for International Women’s Day. Events conspired against us, with a few apologies from people who couldn’t make it due to illness (it’s been a bad winter for bugs of all kinds) and other problems, but those happy few who braved the possibility of winter weather were rewarded with a lovely clear day and a lot of fun at the event.

Arriving at the venue in plenty of time, we were unable to drive in as the bollards hadn’t been lowered, but I spotted a lady getting out of the passenger seat of another car and striding purposefully towards the Hall. On a hunch, I suggested we drive round the block and try again – which paid off as a charming man had unlocked the bollards to allow our access. Inside, I barely had time to glimpse the art exhibition as I was shown to the room I’d be presenting in. We rearranged the furniture and unpacked my props and stock. A writing buddy had arrived at the same time and helped set things up and we chatted about our current projects – my books and the script she’s working on.

The organisers (Gwyneth and Eve) had secured funding literally at the final hurdle – they’d only been informed of the final decision the previous afternoon, so they’d decided to make the event a free one, rather than charge participants as we’d agreed to do. It makes a nice change in these austere times to have some last-minute good news about funding!

Other participants arrived in ones and twos, chatting about the weather, their writing and everybody’s health problems. Some things never change. Apparently a local block of flats had been evacuated in the small hours when part of the roof blew off, so there was good reason to talk about the Welsh weather! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-26199300

The workshop went really well – I love it when everybody jumps in with both feet, giving the exercises a good try, even when they protest that my prompts won’t work for their story. I’m a firm believer in the idea that adding elements at a tangent to the story you think you’re writing is a great way to add depth and twists the reader won’t anticipate. Apologies if that sounds like a mixed metaphor – it makes sense if you’ve ever been at one of my slightly anarchic workshops, honest! They were a fabulous bunch and we all had a great time. They left with freebies from me, a partially-constructed story each and several of them were planning to start a local writers’ group.

I still didn’t get time to browse the exhibition after the workshop, as so many people wanted to talk – both workshop participants and those who hadn’t made it for one reason or another. A really friendly town! I chatted with a lovely young lady about the ongoing story she’s writing at school (sounds like she’s got a great teacher) and a few people who asked about disability and told me related issues they had themselves. A few people bought copies of books from me and I even found time to eat a few of the yummy cakes laid on by the WAA ladies. (Loved the cupcake topped with fruit!) Then it was official opening time with the Lady Mayor. I was invited to say a few words about how I became a writer and I encouraged people to have a go at something creative, regardless of their age or life situation. More chat and we left. I was ready to collapse by the time we got back to the car.

A tiring day, but it was well worth it.

A couple of other bits of writerly news. I’ve guest-blogged on the Bristol Book Blog, giving Ten Tips for New Writers. You can read it (and other great entries, too) here: http://brsbkblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/this-week-ive-been-chatting-with-author.html#more

I’m also participating in the #mywritingprocess blog chain. My episode will be posted tomorrow morning, complete with an explanation!

In case I wasn’t busy enough, tomorrow (Monday) is Launch Day for my new book – even though a few people already have their copies and have been giving me some great feedback. It’s a pocket guide for writers, especially those starting out and unsure of how to take their writing to the next level. It’s called Just Add Writing and can be ordered through all the usual retailers as well as myself: http://www.jaywalkerwriting.co.uk

There is a Facebook event for the launch – drop in and say hello if you can. There will be a party on there, with virtual drinks, nibbles and probably some shenanigans behind the virtual bikeshed I’ve had installed specially. There will also be the chance to win some non-virtual prizes. You can find us at: https://www.facebook.com/events/606496329431142/

So today I’m taking things easy, recovering from yesterday and getting stuff ready for tomorrow. Hope to see you at the party.

Beginning to Write

“How do I start to write?” The commonest question any writer gets asked when presenting an event. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who bites back a sarcastic answer of, “Just pick up a pen.”

But it’s not just sarcasm. If you want to be a writer, you have to write. There’s no magic recipe, no simple shortcut to producing a bestseller. Most writers only become successful after years of scribbling in the wee small hours, before they shower and dress for the day job that pays the bills. Yes, we’ve all heard about the lucky writer who turns their fan-fic blog into a huge bestseller – with sequels if they’re really lucky. But flash-in-the-pan success doesn’t last. The biggest selling book one year becomes an obscure trivia question three years later. We live in a world where success is truly fleeting and the way to make a career from writing is to hone your writing.

I blogged a lot in September and October 2013 as a warm-up to NaNoWriMo in November, with a series of articles related to writing a novel. The feedback convinced me there is an appetite for this – that people know they could write a novel but aren’t sure they could structure their work, or don’t know how to make their characters interesting. Or any number of other aspects. So I try to help with tips I’ve learned the hard way over the years.

One beginner didn’t have time to read my blog and told me I had to summarise “just the important bits” for him – I didn’t even bother to reply. Another writer complained he’d signed up for an online course in writing and they kept making him write “boring stuff” instead of the novel he feels he’s got inside him. I don’t agree – I replied that it’s a writer’s job to make the boring stuff interesting and even the worst writing exercise in the world is good practice. Writing courses can be really helpful, every book on writing has something to offer if the reader looks out for the tips that are useful to them. But books take time to read, time you could spend writing. Be wary of reading every book about writing and never putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

Or worse still, buying all the books on writing and arranging them neatly on the shelf to gather dust.

All good writers are readers. Read everything you can get your hands on, especially in the genre you want to write. There are more good books out there than you’ll ever read. Reading in the simplest and most enjoyable way of learning grammar and sentence structure. Forget all the rules you half-remember from school and soak up the rhythms of language from books already published. Learn to read with a critical eye: make a mental note of a phrase that just says something perfectly; stop and reread any sentence that doesn’t quite work – what’s wrong with it? Can you see a better way to say the same thing? Copy out the whole paragraph and have a go…

How does a beginner become a writer? Simple – read everything, write every day and practice editing work to make it better.

Yes, it’s always possible that your blog or self-published ebook will happen to tap into the Zeitgeist – the spirit of our times. But don’t sit around waiting for that miracle:

Read … Write … Edit

If you’re in the Barry area this Saturday (15th Feb), or fancy a day out to visit this lovely town in the Vale of Glamorgan, you may like to come to a writing workshop I’m presenting at Art Central. It’ll be lively and fun, with exercises to encourage you to write. It’s aimed at beginners, but there’ll be plenty to enjoy, even if you’ve been writing for years. £4 a ticket, including freebies, cuppas and cake afterwards. I’ll be selling my books at a discount to participants, but there’s no pressure to buy. Promise! (I’ll never be any good as a salesperson!) Starts at 1:30 pm, or get there early for a chat. More details on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/1416150005295798/ ) or message me. Hope to see you there. 