Sunday 27 July 2014

The Blog Hop Why do I Write and other Questions




I have been nominated by  Jessie at Jessie Ansons  to do my own Blog Hop where I am required to answer 6 questions about my writing process and the reasons that I write. Sounds simple I know until you sit down and think about it.  But here goes.

I’ve nominated two other amazing writers to do their own Blog Hop.  





1.        Why do I write.
This question forced me to really explore the why, which I quickly realised was a very good thing at this particular stage of my writing. I realised it is a fairly simple answer. However ‘simple’ doesn’t translate to easy.
I love to tell stories. All kinds of stories.  As a child I enjoyed writing stories for school.  When I was younger I used to sing and loved the emotional songs.  I wanted to express the story and the emotion of the song and through voice, draw the listener in to experience that emotion. Now I strive to do that through the words alone

2.      Why do I write what I do?
I like to be eclectic in my writing so I can express many different emotions and experiences. I like to make people laugh with  jokes and so like to write humorous stories.  I read a lot of SF and fantasy and would like to write more in that genre. Sometimes I write on a particular theme for a competition but it has to be the right theme for me. I want to entertain the reader so they have to keep turning the page.

3.        What am I working on now?
For most of the last year I have been writing a Fantasy/Horror story, that started out with a goal of 10,000 words and grew like topsy into 22,000.  I have put the latest draft aside for a month or so to get some distance before I attempt a final edit. I have written a few 500 word stories for ABC Open and have resurrected my blog from the back burner.  Meanwhile I am back to short story writing.  This has been a difficult task for me as the rest  of my small writing group have been writing incredibly successful short stories – winning or receiving honourable mentions and being published. Their stories have depth and layers and I wanted to have that in my work.  For a short while I struggled to find depth and layers.  Then I realised I had been trying to do that the way they did and that wasn’t my way.  I don’t automatically think in metaphors for example. Now I am finding my own style of depth and layering  in my telling of stories.

4.        How does your writing process work?
Like Jess I do sometimes think of stories when I go about my daily life. I also think about the writing when doing repetitive computer games.  But when I sit down to write I don’t always have a finished story in my head, just a general idea of a start or a plot or  theme. When I write I like to have a large block of time. I tend to ‘think on the keyboard’.  I’m visual so I need to see the words. I like to edit a bit as I go, but generally start with ‘telling’ the story so I get a feel for the emotional content and then go back on the second draft for more showing.  Lately I’ve begun to realise that having a large block of time tends to make me a bit lazy.  I’m deadline driven so sometimes I start when there’s almost not enough time to finish (sigh). Perhaps I should follow all the sage advice I’ve been given and make sure I spend 30 min a day writing, no matter what.  Or at the least at the beginning of the day spend 30 minutes writing before doing anything else.  I need more discipline.

5.       Do I differ from others in my genre
I don’t really have a specific genre. At this stage in my writing I’m not planning to write a novel  quite  yet.  I’m happy writing short stories and long short stories and honing the craft.  If an idea for a novel presents itself to me and appeals I will venture into a novel.  Being part of a wonderful small writing group I have the amazing opportunity to read  stories in the different genres in which the members write.  We can recognize each other’s Voice and this has helped me to  recognise and come to accept my own Voice.

.Meet the Blog Hoppers 
Now I must nominate 3 Bloggers to complete the same task I have carried out above. Jessie has snagged some of the members of our small writing group. So I have only 2 at present but what  great writers they are.  I look forward to reading their Blog Hops.  

  • Karen  from ‘A Writer’s Life’  is a writer extraordinaire.  She is an amazing  teacher who has nurtured all the writers in our small group as well as many other local writers. In addition to  her blog, which gives wonderful writing advice, she writes exquisite 100 word stories for Friday Fictioneers, as well as prize winning short stories.

  • Elena from ‘othersidesun.blogspot.com’ is a wonderful bi-lingual Spanish-English writer of prose and theater.  She has a unique take on Australian life. She has had great success with published stories and articles as well as having one of her plays performed.

Friday 23 May 2014

Stories at The Mosh Pit




I have written before about my Small Writing Group.  It’s interesting  that we have continued to call it the small group despite quite a few attempts to come up with a more unique name.  We have kept our numbers  small and  our writers, while diverse in writing style, genre and age group, are on a similar writing level.  We have grown and developed in our writing and in our critiquing.   It’s no longer about just punctuation and grammar but  the overview of the story  and how we can improve. We have developed a trust in each other to both tell the truth and hear the truth in a respectful way.

Two of us – Jess and I were recently invited to be on the ABC Treasure Hunters”  program.  We were asked about our group and what it was like to share our writing with others. Was it difficult?  We have learned it is essential to be able to share, but initially nerve wracking. Writing is a solitary occupation but sharing and critiquing helps enormously with our progress and our confidence.  

This brings me to our latest project.  We have organized an event  - “Stories at The Mosh Pit” which will be a live read by six of our group members and two guest readers. This gives the writers a wonderful chance to share their stories through live reading.  It will be held at a the Mosh Pit which is a popular and funky Record Store and Coffee shop at Cardiff CBD.  It is to be held on the Saturday 31st May and will start at 2pm and go to 4pm or later. There will be coffee and food available and music in between the readings.  




Anthony Skully  from the ABC 500 Word Stories is one of the guest speakers and will give a short talk on writing getting  your story published online at ABC Open. 

Karen Whitelaw is the second guest speaker.  Karen is a published author and writing tutor who teaches creative writing through the WEA. Karen has organised and guided  a number of writers from the Writers Workshop she teaches, through publishing an e-book anthology of short stories called Mirrors.  Karen will give a short talk about Mirrors and will also read one of her stories.

So if you would like to hear stories read live by local writers, please join us at the Mosh Pit on Saturday 31st May at 2pm.

Tuesday 6 May 2014

On Getting published on ABC Open 500 Word Stories




Recently I went to the Newcastle Writers Festival.  I went particularly to support fellow members of our small writers group who were live reading their stories.  One of these writers had won first prize in the short story Catchfire Press competition.  This was an amazing story and well deserving of first place in the competition. The other three writers  were to read their own stories that had been published on the ‘ABC Open 500 Word Story’  online site. 

It’s the ABC Open 500 Word story site I want to talk about today.

Run by the ABC this site is a wonderful place for budding writers to get their first ever publication of a story and after that as many more as they would like to submit. 

As it says, these stories have a limit of 500 words.  The story must be true and written in the first person. Each month there is a theme given.  Recent themes have included “Cringe” and “First Memory”. There are clear guidelines on the site regarding submissions.

The people who moderate in the Newcastle and Hunter branch are Anthony Skully and recently when Anthony was away, Bronwyn Purvis.  They are super supportive of the ABC writing community. Anthony runs workshops on how to write for the 500 Words, throughout the area and gives great encouragement to all.

I have written two stories in the last two months and they’ve both been published.  It’s a great feeling when you get the email to say your story is up on the site.  And you can then say you are a published author. A friend who has only just taken up writing and who sent in a story to “First Memory”, said waiting to hear if it was accepted was like waiting for a baby.  But just amazing and encouraging to hear it was accepted.

At the festival the ABC 500 group was the best of all the presentations I went to. There was standing room only.  A number of people read their stories which were welcomed with great delight by the audience.  Some made us laugh, some had us on the edges of our seats. All were amazing.  Bronwyn had a slide show up to match the stories and some stories were pre-recorded and played on the day. The atmosphere was wonderfully friendly and discussions later were amazing, with extra stories being told.  One reader of his stories was 97 years old!  The readers were from all walks of life.

It was the wonderful atmosphere that was the best part of that day – friendly and encouraging and happy.

So thank you ABC for providing this wonderful place for people who write, to be published and share their stories..

And to all you writers out there who would love to see your story in print  give it a go.

Friday 25 April 2014

A Spot of Bother





A few of my writing group and I entered a story each in the ABC 500 word stories on the theme of Cringe last  month.. After reading them a friend told me her own cringe story recently and I thought I’d share it here.

This friend, I’ll call Beth, had taken advantage of the flue needle available at her workplace. Now Beth had had a narrow escape years ago when she had been diagnosed with melanoma but the Doctors managed to excise it before it became too invasive. She still has a large scar from the surgery. Consequently she regularly checks her body for signs of skin changes.

 Recently she found a black spot on her arm that she thought was dirt. She scrubbed at it for a couple of days in the shower but it seemed to be spreading a little and she couldn’t get rid of it. 

 Becoming increasingly worried – and who could blame her -  she contacted her GP whom she hadn’t seen for ages and pushed to get a quick appointment.  

 She had a brief chat with the Doctor , explaining her concerns.  The doctor examined the spot closely. 

“Hmmmm.” Said the doctor.

 “Oh God” thought Beth.

“What is it?” asked Beth. 

“Hang on a minute” said the doctor and she got a swab. 

 Beth watched in trepidation which quickly turned to a cringe when the Doctor wiped the residue left from the small band- aid that had been put on the spot where Beth had had the flue needle, days previously. The doctor laughed and Beth thanked her and left, clutching her dignity all the way home.   

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Memories








Recently I submitted a story to the ABC Open 500 Word Stories in the “First Memory” theme.  There was a word limit of 500 words so the story had to be brief.  In thinking of early memories I triggered a wonderful scrap of memory that I have replayed often since. I have written it here.

Memory is a funny thing. Some memories are visual and have a story others may be a brief moment in time or a scent, or a sound.  An early memory that has been visiting me lately and is almost like a meditation, is a moment in time.  I know it happened when I was very young and I know I am sitting in a rowboat while my dad rows us along lake Macquarie. I know that.  But I see  and experience a small part of that scene.  I watch over the side of the boat as the flipper shaped oar dips into the deep green water and pulls the boat forward, powered I know by my dad’s young strong arms. But I don’t see him. I see the oar pull through the water then rise up dripping  as it swings back to dip once more in the propelling and compelling rhythm  of the rowing.  I marvel at the deep green water and peer down to see if I can see the bottom.  I hear the lap of the water on the side of the wooden rowboat, and the smell of the wet wood and the bait and the salty water mixed together wafts gently over me.  I give myself over to the experience.