I’ve spent most of the last year writing – or trying to write – short stories. Most failed at the first hurdle: I found out while writing that the story was too long to be short, so those ideas have been put to one side to be worked on later. Thankfully, I did eventually manage […]
Posts in category On writing
Gladstone’s Library – Food Thoughts
It’s taking me a while to work through all the words I wrote whilst at Gladstone’s Library a few weekends ago, but here’s another bit of my musings – I remembered I hadn’t yet posted it when I found myself checking the time & thinking “Not long before 5, I’ll have to start prepping dinner […]
*That* story of mine from Brighton
At the 2012 UK Meet, held in Brighton, the opening session was “Novel Openings”, where writers from a number of sub-genres read out the opening (first 150 words – at least that’s what the guidelines said!) to one of their stories. I volunteered to take part, and read out the following opening of my WiP, […]
Another world, a lifetime ago…
Something I’ve often told people about myself, but rarely explained its significance, is that I spent two summers working as a crew-girl on a hotel narrowboat pair. For anyone who needs a translation, that means I spent two summers travelling around the inland waterways of England, living aboard a traditional motor-and-butty pair of narrowboats. They […]
A Small Celebration
A couple of weeks ago, I finally got as absolutely as far as I could on my own with my WW2 story “Under Leaden Skies”. After a last check through, I sent it off to the publisher I pitched it to* back in September and decided a small celebration was in order so added a […]
Settings, I think I hate them right now
I’m considering choosing which story to write next based on how many different places the tale takes place in. Having spent arggh-many hours finding out, reading up on, looking at pictures of, and in some cases visiting, all the different places, aircraft and buildings which my main characters in Under Leaden Skies live and work […]
Perspective
The Wales Rally GB were around near our village last week. It doesn’t usually affect me as I tend to stick to the main roads once winter weather starts coming in but this year it co-incided with a week when I was heading over to Mach for Write Club on Thursday evening and to avoid […]
Different kinds of stories
I’ve been thinking a bit recently about my reasons for writing stories, and realised it can’t ever be pinned down because each story has its own reason for me writing it. Some stories are about exploring a mood, some stem from learning something really cool* and wanting to share it with others, and some just […]
What not to say when pitching to a publisher
There are, I imagine, umpty-gazillion things one oughtn’t say during a pitch to a publisher, and what I said is only mildly wrong compared to many other things… “Of course, as we know, it’s not going to be the happy ever after they imagine because the changes in inheritance laws and tax and that will […]