tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11061675997520886462024-03-05T08:09:59.683-08:00Don't give up your day jobFollow my journey as a mature student on a MLitt Creative Writing course. If you're looking for academic stuff this isn't the place. Here you'll find tongue-in-cheek rants and random ramblings...Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-12559290231062982732012-03-11T12:26:00.002-07:002012-03-12T01:05:53.144-07:00New Home!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRlhcmK-oLCAvp6PBfxJKyapfhXu1K1gHomwBwzjBfYyO-1XPI1" /></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've moved my blog to a new site <a href="http://helenmackinven.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://helenmackinven.wordpress.com/</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">so please visit me there!</span></div><br />
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Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-54877378992376679932012-03-04T09:22:00.001-08:002012-03-04T09:22:50.303-08:00Writing and the 10,000 Hours Theory<br />
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Book Day, I met with the university’s other Royal Literary Fellow, Linda Cracknell
to chat about my book- or lack of. My work in progress is not making much
progress at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But there’s really no need to worry
about the WIP as I must be an expert writer by now. Expert? How can I dare to call myself an
expert without having published anything or finished the MLitt course? You can blame
my good friend Jill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Jill (who abandoned me to live in
Michigan 10 years ago- I still can’t forgive her) came home to visit recently
she told me about the 10,000 hours theory. I’d never heard of the book the Outliers
by Malcolm Gladwell and it claims that expertise is all about practice: You,
too, can become Bill Gates (at least the talent part) or Tiger Woods if you
spend 10,000 hours writing code or hitting a golf ball.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Basically, raw talent isn’t enough. You
need to put in the time and effort as well. This was confirmed when I watched a short
video clip made by one of my favourite writers, Kate Long in which she answers
the question, “How did you get your first novel published?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the video, Kate tells wannabe writers
that she had been writing for 10 years and completed three manuscripts before
her best-selling novel-The Bad Mother’s Handbook was published. Kate describes
her journey to publication as a decade long apprenticeship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, I know that hard work by itself isn’t
enough either. I believe that you need some degree of talent as well. Just by spending
10,000 hours writing, doesn’t mean I’m going to be an expert. I’ll probably be
better at writing </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">but that alone won't guarantee success. In the meantime, I'm off to clock up some writing hours...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week, creative writing was more like creative writhing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Friday night, I had a pounding tension headache. What was
the cause of such stress? My WIP! My literary agent had given me feedback that my
current idea was “too small” and I needed to be more ambitious. I needed
inspiration and I’m not too proud to ask for help. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went into uni for a
one-to-one session with Eleanor Updale, an award winning writer and a Royal
Literary Fellow. Eleanor is based at the uni one day a week on behalf of The
Royal Literary Fund Fellowship scheme which places professional writers in
higher education institutions to offer writing support to all students.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eleanor Updale- the author of The Montmorency Series</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My MLitt course is entirely self-funded and I plan to get my
money’s worth and grab every opportunity for professional help that’s available
on campus. So I made an appointment to meet with Eleanor to discuss my WIP in
an effort to help me move forward. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The session was great for sparking new ideas and making me
take a fresh look at the entire structure and concept of my WIP. Eleanor gave
me some very interesting ideas but as I headed home, I was still left with
one key question, if there’s already more than enough books in the world, does
anyone really need mine?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glug, glug,glug. I poured a large vodka, I had a headache
already so a hangover didn’t frighten me. I moaned at my long suffering hubby
and my old pal, Pierre Smirnoff, that life would be sooo much easier if I just
tried to get a ‘normal’ job and save myself (and my family and friends who have
to put up with me) all the aggro?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes it probably would, but I’ve never been one to take the
easy option (this explains a lot of my life choices, hence hubby no 2) so
although I’m struggling, I’m not willing to give in (not yet anyway). And the
reason I need to carry on writing is simple. I write because I have to, whether
the world needs another book or not. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And thankfully my hubby and Pierre still believe in me!</span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-39722518680470117162012-02-19T12:32:00.000-08:002012-02-19T12:32:01.897-08:00Writing as Escapism<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week, I
returned to uni after the ridiculously long semester break. It was great to see
everyone again and I was keen to get stuck into some writing exercises. And
then I got THE call…<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier that
day, I’d dropped my hubby off at hospital as a day patient for a “routine” procedure to tackle a minor heart problem. Unfortunately, he experienced
serious complications and very quickly lapsed into a critical condition. It was
horrendous to watch the man you love dearly suffer extreme pain and trauma. He
needed a lifesaving operation and ended the day in intensive care rather than
being home in time for Masterchef.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Edinburgh Royal Infirmary- the scene of my family crisis</span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later that
night, when the Holby city style drama had subsided, I realised that the
overnight bag I’d requested my son to pack in a hurry was lacking a few basic
essentials. I’d forgotten to ask for my pjs, a change of clothes and my make-up
bag (after a sleepless night, I was a scary sight). But what I had remembered
to ask for was a book, paper and a pen. Were these essentials? Yes! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
everything around me was out of control, the one thing that I did have control
over was words. I read for escapism and I write for escapism too. When my soul
mate’s life was at risk, I needed my book and my scribbles. I didn’t need the
pjs or clothes but anyone seeing me the next day would argue that I did need my
make-up bag!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGKn15BZ3D5lMJ-Zmn9t0Omzj5YAebaGPWYPyduUSv3M2g8DXEhJsXzcHm8IGllMQJ8tw2jk3zfMLh3SU7KREviHKw8pkNgzAfsFzxRVG5SbaCX6GHXxp2_3OXBASN5oUa21TWcdak8/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGKn15BZ3D5lMJ-Zmn9t0Omzj5YAebaGPWYPyduUSv3M2g8DXEhJsXzcHm8IGllMQJ8tw2jk3zfMLh3SU7KREviHKw8pkNgzAfsFzxRVG5SbaCX6GHXxp2_3OXBASN5oUa21TWcdak8/s320/images+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once my
hubby was stable, he was able to joke with me that the whole experience would
make a great short story. I don’t know about that, and I would rather not have
writing material based on his distressing ordeal. But what I do know is that words
helped get me through some of the worst days of my life. </span>And I’ve written a morbid poem to prove it!</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5OCq5w7nKni63MWEBnBGRQSib6LfaSfETWXqA7pTjpDhtYNnCqINlgMPBNSqNRE6LHZnsyIPayzK8q0d5uB05MmBT-Rt-omUdlV91sO_itkXpEZxwQ2_nK2YFsZloUaRtE5MkS3fb0o/s1600/PICT1850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5OCq5w7nKni63MWEBnBGRQSib6LfaSfETWXqA7pTjpDhtYNnCqINlgMPBNSqNRE6LHZnsyIPayzK8q0d5uB05MmBT-Rt-omUdlV91sO_itkXpEZxwQ2_nK2YFsZloUaRtE5MkS3fb0o/s320/PICT1850.JPG" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My precious hubby in healthier times</span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-48646994533197407572012-02-11T11:29:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:49:08.442-08:00Is Being Published the Be All and End All?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqHsLMR7tZSyi9fdyesCLLHe1Se9fxUDd6ycBe_zRnnv6jQc48GwHYuS4G5PMhRsHWmG4EJysoK0u0Jg7w_I_r2TjXcTN6Ws2niNwHRO87MqtW1sHqtBMAYJRWhqAR4K1xrNXfVp7f8Y/s1600/jj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqHsLMR7tZSyi9fdyesCLLHe1Se9fxUDd6ycBe_zRnnv6jQc48GwHYuS4G5PMhRsHWmG4EJysoK0u0Jg7w_I_r2TjXcTN6Ws2niNwHRO87MqtW1sHqtBMAYJRWhqAR4K1xrNXfVp7f8Y/s320/jj.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I <b>HATE</b> musicals with a passion. And yet, I have a fond childhood memory of watching South Pacific with my gran and the catchy lyrics of the show song, ‘Happy Talk’ being forever lodged in my brain,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>“You got to have a dream, if you don’t have a dream</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How you gonna have a dream come true?” </span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The message is simple and one that I apply to my writing. Ever since I started to take my writing seriously, my dream has always to be published (in the traditional sense). There are many aspiring writers who will say that it’s not important for them to get published. Or so they say. They claim to write for the love of the art form, blah blah blah. Am I one of those writers? No. And I’m not ashamed to admit that being published is a key goal. It's not the be all and end all, but for me it still matters. Will I keep writing if I don’t get published? Yes, absolutely and for many other good reasons. But will I give up on my publishing dream?Not on your Nelly!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn't the only aspiring writer in the family sharing this dream- I had competition. My 9 year old nephew, Ryan is also a prolific writer of poems and short stories. One of the best Christmas presents was his own reworked version of a Christmas Carol (his 7 year old brother, Frazer was the illustrator).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">His current WIP is his novel, ‘The Last Dinosaur ‘and I joked that his writing would probably be published before mine. We decided to make it a challenge. I’m a bad loser but I had to admit defeat when Ryan produced a letter saying that one of his poems is due to be published in an anthology. Is it wrong to be even a teeny weeny bit jealous? Of course it is, even for a poor loser like me, that would just be pathetic. I'm well chuffed for him but Ryan’s victory was followed by an email from my agent; one that I had feared might land in my inbox.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ryan <strike>goading me with</strike> showing me the letter from his publisher!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time last year, my literary agent was sending out my last novelto publishers. I got some really great feedback but ultimately there was nobook deal at the end of it. My agent then went on maternity leave and everything was put on hold until she returned to work at the beginning of the year. Then I got the email...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“I think at this point, very sadly, we need to draw a line under it. The business is moving fast with the rise of e-books and the continued growth of Amazon, creating less space for smaller books and generally an enforced sense of competition and that each book must stand out very robustly to the shrinking of margins and of retail display space.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Was I gutted? Hell yeah. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But the upside is that she still has faith in me and wants to see my WIP when it’s finished. In the meantime, </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I'm</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> hoping Ryan will look kindly on his struggling auntie and share some of the secrets of his success. In the meantime, </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I need</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to dust myself off and keep on trying because,"</span></span></span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">You got to have a dream..."</em></div>
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</span></span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-29112466608729637222012-02-03T01:41:00.000-08:002012-02-04T02:39:35.614-08:00Love Your Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Why do I care that tomorrow is National Libraries Day?</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2_ucVPYJwgps_9bK0S16wbN5uEHctlpre2AM0yBqCpXIGPRZIN2vx3dvgfMaRhU_bGAobfY0_rGeS-y9RgPxdpebnVmIJ6PZzS7Ysv2q1r18xfr18UVfDIjg6_X8KKCI7DKbVCdCN_M/s1600/malory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2_ucVPYJwgps_9bK0S16wbN5uEHctlpre2AM0yBqCpXIGPRZIN2vx3dvgfMaRhU_bGAobfY0_rGeS-y9RgPxdpebnVmIJ6PZzS7Ysv2q1r18xfr18UVfDIjg6_X8KKCI7DKbVCdCN_M/s200/malory.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> grow up in a house filled with books (I don’t think the Littlewoods
catalogue counts). But I did grow up with my mum taking me and my sister to the
local library. The weekly pilgrimage was the only way we could afford to satisfy our
appetite for books. I can still remember being transported from my terraced
Council house to the seaside boarding school from the Malory Tower series. And
I spent hours copying pictures from reference books to create my handmade (does
this count as self-publishing?) non-fiction book, ‘Fashion through the Ages’ (my
love of books and clothes has never faded). From picture books right through to
reference books for my teaching degree, the library was a big part of my life.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">When I was a student the first time around, I had a Saturday job as a Librarian’s assistant in the neighbouring town of Denny.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">This photo of the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">shopping</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">precinct, including the library,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"> helps explain why Denny was nominated for a 'Plook on the Plinth' award for being the most dismal town in Scotland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Being on the
other side of the Returns desk was an eye-opener. The staff were regularly abused by
local neds, used as a free crèche and often we had to reach for the
antibacterial spray and a cloth when some of our </span><s style="line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">dodgy </s><span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">interesting characters returned books (you
really don’t want to know why!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But most
folk appreciated how important the library was to their local community and
respected the staff. A library isn’t just about books. My village library is very small but there’s music, DVDs and
a wireless computer network. It has a Book Group, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 115%;">Toddlerhyme</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and plays host to the local history
group as well as being a venue for mini exhibitions and gatherings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the
digital age some might argue that libraries are now redundant when information
is available at the click of a mouse from the comfort of your own home. But not
everyone has internet access or a place to read quietly, especially in deprived
areas. I’ve always felt strongly that libraries should also be open on a Sunday
when families have more time to visit, students need a place to work and the
community can meet for social events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Libraries
are not just the heartbeat of a community; they are a political statement to
demonstrate a nation’s commitment to free information for all, regardless of
your postcode. It’s so sad that library opening hours are being cut and some
libraries are even being threatened with closure. I’m fortunate enough to be able to buy most
of the fiction books I read but I still visit my library most weeks, whether
it’s to borrow a travel guide, hear a visiting writer or pick up a copy of the magazine
Booktime. I also pop in to get free doggy poo bags that are handed out so I won’t
have anyone say libraries deliver a crap service (excuse the pun) when there’s
something for everyone, even my dogs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Forget
Valentine’s Day, love your library while you still have one!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-17027357908177604582012-01-29T08:21:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:50:03.645-08:00Writing and the Dangers of Cabin Fever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday the 25th was a big day for famous literary birthdays. Robert Burns, William Somerset Maughan and Virginia Woolf all share the same birthday. I saw one of Woolf's well known quotes, "A room of one's own" (well I spotted the 75% off sticker first) on a china mug in my local Waterstones. I snapped up the bargain as a wee gift for my good friend, the award winning novelist, Karen Campbell as she's been acting as my unofficial mentor for years and purple is her favourite colour.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.karencampbell.co.uk/">http://www.karencampbell.co.uk/</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I met Karen for lunch in Glasgow yesterday and as always, it was great to catch up with her news and she gave me some really helpful advice about my WIP. As the saying goes,it's good to talk. Woolf was right, having somewhere to lock yourself away to get on with your writing is the ideal scenario but what I've discovered during this ridiculously long semester break is that I suffer from cabin fever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Classes finished at the end of November and it's been too long a break for me. I haven't yet reached for the axe but you only have to watch The Shining to remember how dangerous cabin fever can be...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I need to get out of the house regularly. The romantic idea of being locked away in a remote writer's garret is not for me. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's not a lot of inspiration to be gained from my view of the petrol station across the road! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the break from uni, I've been going to a botanical art class, swimming every other morning, meeting up with friends and working my way through a list of 'must visit' places. This week I went to GOMA in Glasgow to have a look round the polymath, Alasdair Gray's, 'City Recorder' exhibition. His paintings of Glasgow life in 1977 are brilliant. It's hard to believe that one man can be so talented in so many areas. It's not fair!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also had a quick look round the GOMA's 'You, Me, Something Else' exhibition of contemporary sculptures. The idea of the exhibition is to question established assumptions of what a sculpture can be. It certainly achieved its aim as there is no way I'd call a stack of Ryvita boxes or a crumpled pile of plastic sheeting a sculpture! I'm sure all the artwork on display means something, but whatever it does, went right over my head. I wasn't alone in lacking appreciation for the artwork. A comment in the visitors' book read, </span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I've lived in Glasgow all my life, so I’ve seen some shite, but this really is shite.” This wasn't the only derogatory comment and "shite" was a popular word choice!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the break, I've been writing short stories and everything I've written about recently has been triggered by observing and interacting. In my last job, I travelled all over Scotland to visit schools and train teachers. I met new people everyday and I now realise that I need people and places, not just a room of my own, to keep me inspired.</span><br />
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</div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-18228281879513938432012-01-22T07:04:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:51:41.933-08:00Oral History and why Memories Matter<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Who doesn’t like to reminisce? This week I was greedy and
indulged myself with a double dose of happy memories. Hubby and I went to the Riverside
Museum. Glasgow’s well-loved Museum of Transport relocated last summer to the
banks of the River Clyde. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The trip has been on our ‘to do’ list for a while and
we were keen to see the new building that was designed by internationally-renowned
architect, Zaha Hadid and houses 3000 objects, each with their own story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What really surprised me most was that amidst exhibits
such as a glamorous 1910 Bentley, I saw part of my own story, a humble Raleigh
RSW bike. It was the same colour and model as my first ‘real’ childhood bike.
Memories of my dad sourcing the second hand bike for me (not the one I dreamed
of!) came flooding back and inspired me to write a short story about an ungrateful child (don't know where I got the idea from!). </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Here’s a short extract,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">“It is
brown. Not candy pink or baby blue like my sister’s bike. Brown. The colour of
shit. And it has a brown and green checked shopping bag on the back. For </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">shopping</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">. I am ten. This is a lady’s
bike. This </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">isn't</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> a Chopper. This isn’t cool. It’s crap.”</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQw0Ww0QE1-l3tTsQercoHyNeivQomhtBPd6ULnQrwPnw_9eL-JZaitf1HQ4Xd-6iUvhZym8oHi_LQD5eokZRtl22e-ZMVFKw8v5D8lJcjepDmkNyNrahSpEO68goFgz3iLwOHPHxB1A4/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQw0Ww0QE1-l3tTsQercoHyNeivQomhtBPd6ULnQrwPnw_9eL-JZaitf1HQ4Xd-6iUvhZym8oHi_LQD5eokZRtl22e-ZMVFKw8v5D8lJcjepDmkNyNrahSpEO68goFgz3iLwOHPHxB1A4/s200/images+%25281%2529.jpg" width="197" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
following day, I ended up thinking about my dad again. I was at a workshop, an
introduction to Oral History at the Scottish Oral History Centre in Glasgow. The day’s programme included how to plan a
project, interviewing techniques and I got the chance to play around with Zoom,
the latest in digital recorders. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Technology has come a long way since I belted
out, “Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me" into my tape cassette recorder, convincing myself that I was just as good as Lena Zavaroni (I’m still deluded that I can
sing!) </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM4vWMe1hDtFcBA1cYxSphUC6skgsZVGLN86LLuo9bh6Jo8WDkzH0rmZYGeo3BB_u2MACvEftzEaqIXLjlsG5ZInAHc5XVzqSrDzju0dqrAsUXrRhmDXpLsmpMj2nWrjzwYheKuj4Z58/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM4vWMe1hDtFcBA1cYxSphUC6skgsZVGLN86LLuo9bh6Jo8WDkzH0rmZYGeo3BB_u2MACvEftzEaqIXLjlsG5ZInAHc5XVzqSrDzju0dqrAsUXrRhmDXpLsmpMj2nWrjzwYheKuj4Z58/s200/images.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The workshop made me appreciate how oral history has
helped to preserve hidden histories, especially under represented topic areas
and marginalised communities. The concept really struck a chord with me when I
thought about my dad’s background. Professor McIvor used his book, ‘Miner’s
Lung’ as an example. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The book is an exploration into the diseases suffered by
miners due to their horrendous working conditions. One of the men he interviewed
could have been my granda, Peter Meechan. He was a miner living in the small North
Lanarkshire village of Croy and would have experienced the same brutal working
conditions. No such thing as Health and Safety regulations in those days! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Home life was
just as tough too. My gran, Annie died aged 44. She had given birth to 15
children (Peter junior never survived). My dad, Archie was the eighth child of 14 and told me that in his house, “first up, was the best dressed.” And yet
although my dad never played down the reality of his childhood (the wrong bike
was never an issue!), the stories he told were always full of laughter. Maybe
telling his own oral history he romanticised some of the details to entertain me
and my sister but does it really matter? But it does matter that the history of
communities like his are faithfully represented and their story is told.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I
haven’t got the skills or knowledge to record the lives of the families like my
dad’s for historical purposes; I’ll leave that to the experts. But if my dad was still alive, I’d have a Zoom
recorder ready to capture his special stories. It’s too late for that now. My
dad </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> leave a record of his life but he did pass on his storytelling
ability. And for that I will always be grateful.</span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfcGFq1QRRud4G3kEoSUa71H-BH4HAV6cRaUpiA5E2jqJJzyxonCyaSY5fW0FR9LBe9n1AXfC_9N8mcbH0yxZ4b0zpEWlkxt858o1K-P7RqAaVudUrBKEsMnurOk3RCMCR3kw4TpKajU/s1600/dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfcGFq1QRRud4G3kEoSUa71H-BH4HAV6cRaUpiA5E2jqJJzyxonCyaSY5fW0FR9LBe9n1AXfC_9N8mcbH0yxZ4b0zpEWlkxt858o1K-P7RqAaVudUrBKEsMnurOk3RCMCR3kw4TpKajU/s320/dad.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The only childhood photo of my dad.</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-74261486391306768512012-01-14T09:04:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:53:05.458-08:00Writing Competitions-In It To Win It!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ34cOsE8ozaXwwD20Pj7Yl7CZ4tiyatW_x6JER2EWxUXUzvNiA7mI6oz7vDGJU4hIc0rxSbUS9p8EQba1n0EVeClBrFjF-INid04o8lDx5HjblCRr4M0U9LJieYdQGkQIWcuXXxX_mU/s1600/images+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ34cOsE8ozaXwwD20Pj7Yl7CZ4tiyatW_x6JER2EWxUXUzvNiA7mI6oz7vDGJU4hIc0rxSbUS9p8EQba1n0EVeClBrFjF-INid04o8lDx5HjblCRr4M0U9LJieYdQGkQIWcuXXxX_mU/s200/images+%25286%2529.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My name is Helen and I’m addicted to quality stationery.
There you go, I’ve admitted it publically.
And one of my annual highlights is always starting a fresh diary (I know
it’s sad). This year’s object of my affection is a lovely Writer’s Diary
(thankfully my eldest son responded to repeated hints (I don’t do subtle) for a
Xmas present I would actually use. The diary is produced by Mslexia and is
packed full of ideas and info for women writers. On one of the first pages it has a Submissions
section for you to record when and where you’ve sent your precious masterpieces.
There’s nothing quite like pages of blank columns to make me feel under
pressure. And as the publisher,
Bloomsbury has dubbed 2012 as the year of the short story, I felt that I should
get cracking and enter a short story competition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCBpWlZLkyPrtfiLfbeuhdFVj5GsR0RkWM2fky2XiKa76rRNGxJJxxTGcGIsedKZnU4HGMrLCxmuxOAf3C09MQZwE6F1HtThOl3WhnVcG1p7daW9o_EbKyWACUs3Qaoos1SKkr97IHPo/s1600/baby_shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCBpWlZLkyPrtfiLfbeuhdFVj5GsR0RkWM2fky2XiKa76rRNGxJJxxTGcGIsedKZnU4HGMrLCxmuxOAf3C09MQZwE6F1HtThOl3WhnVcG1p7daW9o_EbKyWACUs3Qaoos1SKkr97IHPo/s200/baby_shoes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've not got a lot of experience of writing short stories
and I know it’s not easy. With strict word limits you can’t afford to waste a
single word. I’m in awe of writers who
can pull off a powerful story succinctly. The ultimate in flash fiction, a short form of storytelling, has got
to be Ernest Hemingway’s work of genius, “For sale: baby shoes, never
worn." Wow! How can six words be so evocative? Maybe stunning examples
like that are why I’ve avoided the genre, but it was time to face my fear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukUYhXUpV7Iq5w9IBMoL5WbfNxH_GmQYoKmiKP-sZ6YCa7zzZ0plZM0vpOO-z_t63xiBr8t_Yswj7tGDUsDTTBjxKvB1iuV-m_OfIMnIJbVMRNu3LR33AgDCO8kwejV8A9KDNB0UKRhc/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukUYhXUpV7Iq5w9IBMoL5WbfNxH_GmQYoKmiKP-sZ6YCa7zzZ0plZM0vpOO-z_t63xiBr8t_Yswj7tGDUsDTTBjxKvB1iuV-m_OfIMnIJbVMRNu3LR33AgDCO8kwejV8A9KDNB0UKRhc/s200/download+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I needed a theme and a deadline to motivate me. And I found
it on a trip to visit the newly refurbished Scottish National Portrait Gallery
in Edinburgh. Hubby and I went as part
of a festive trip to Auld Reekie. The
gallery is a fantastic neo-gothic red sandstone building and has something to
suit everyone’s taste whether you like traditional paintings of Scottish lairds
or photographs of Glaswegian slums. It’s
well worth a visit and it’s free entry! On the way out, I picked up a leaflet
for a competition called, ‘Inspired? Get Writing!’ There’s still time to enter! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nationalgalleries.org/education/competitions">http://www.nationalgalleries.org/education/competitions</a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I chose to write about a striking (and a bit scary) portrait
of the acclaimed writer, committed feminist and social activist, Naomi
Mitchison, painted by Percy Wyndham Lewis. She sounded like my kind of woman! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlDCyJEmJ7U_Ie0uEdAUzT-YCcoG4XNdCLKap1hDQ4kA-KDrkFH2arnHKeY_EqGLqg88O3DFRf4WbIiPiDbaJbHkklHeS0RmVNqFccsivHQv0pfgjc_dzp9buhMtmv-l9k-43AoD3lFg/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlDCyJEmJ7U_Ie0uEdAUzT-YCcoG4XNdCLKap1hDQ4kA-KDrkFH2arnHKeY_EqGLqg88O3DFRf4WbIiPiDbaJbHkklHeS0RmVNqFccsivHQv0pfgjc_dzp9buhMtmv-l9k-43AoD3lFg/s320/download.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A very clever lady but what a dour faced looking besom!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sent off my submission this week and felt quite
smug at being able to make my first entry under the Submissions section of my
new diary. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entering the competition has fired me up to enter as many as
I can in the hope of being published. Read a lot, write a lot is my new mantra
and the competitions will give me a goal and the chance to practise, practise, and
practise my writing skills. The chances of winning are slim but as they say, if
you’re not in it, you can’t win it. Watch this space…</span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-10948672973515515532012-01-07T11:49:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:53:27.930-08:00Writing and Best Beginnings<br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting something new is always exciting. That’s why I
really like January, (apart from the dreich weather and hurricane winds that
have caused major roof leaks in my house!) it’s the month of new beginnings. The beginning of a new diet, an exercise routine,
or even a novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweA3sl1zWLNf9IK-G16nCGEqLk_5exsMuyywqJuywwBuUmwJ6zS2EWU5HassfAXdz1BIjo9I2gZ5EdueqhQcKAfwVuR7QNGLeEqGLBkGV5I0kSegLAPFihh-QEzb5Y4kXWIgDuBiBisc/s1600/images66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweA3sl1zWLNf9IK-G16nCGEqLk_5exsMuyywqJuywwBuUmwJ6zS2EWU5HassfAXdz1BIjo9I2gZ5EdueqhQcKAfwVuR7QNGLeEqGLBkGV5I0kSegLAPFihh-QEzb5Y4kXWIgDuBiBisc/s200/images66.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my fellow students posted on Facebook that she
wrote the first line of her novel at the stroke of midnight. She’s kidding us on that it starts, “It was a
dark and stormy night…” We’ll need to wait for her workshop submission to find
out the real opening line. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But her FB post made me think of the best way to start a
novel. I think every writer obsesses about making an impact with their first
sentence. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but that doesn’t
apply to first lines. One of my favourite well known opening lines is, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing
you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood
was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all
that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if
you want to know the truth” – The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h9HjAfwDVs7bLrE8vuoGShT1QYXLVVJdph7Wxf3F6BxRkeiDk4oj8BQB17aSr4H14Npyu2VRzhULPxENBU7omFlXe-f8nGrTtitqLUXQDww02Q0l-fOY4iWbKbc0qLOoYFHmmYotOeg/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h9HjAfwDVs7bLrE8vuoGShT1QYXLVVJdph7Wxf3F6BxRkeiDk4oj8BQB17aSr4H14Npyu2VRzhULPxENBU7omFlXe-f8nGrTtitqLUXQDww02Q0l-fOY4iWbKbc0qLOoYFHmmYotOeg/s200/images+%25281%2529.jpg" width="129" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the best beginning that I’ve read recently was from a
brilliant book- Precious by Sapphire- “I was left back when I was twelve
because I had a baby for my fahver.” I
was immediately plunged into the world of an illiterate black girl who has
never been out of Harlem and is pregnant by her own father for the second time
and kicked out of school. The novel is a fantastic exploration of abuse and deprivation but also totally uplifting. Read
it! I dream about being able to write
such a powerful story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what got me writing in the first place? It was
another FB post that got me thinking. It was a post by a new literary magazine
for students in Scotland called Octavius. They aim to bridge the gap between
being an unpublished student and submitting to professional magazines and
journals and accept work of any genre and looks for writing which is
fresh, unique and exciting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.octaviusmagazine.com/">http://www.octaviusmagazine.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Their FB post asked for a photo of your desk/laptop/outside
of the library you work in, etc, and a brief description about what being a
writer means to you and details about what made you </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">start writing. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">This was my reply.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t have a proper desk, so I escape to my<s>
boudoir </s>bedroom to write at my dressing table. But don’t be fooled by the
pink laptop and flowery décor, my writing can be dark and gritty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started writing when my best friend gave me
a lovely notebook in 2006 for my birthday. The message inside read, “I would
love to buy a novel by you. I’m sure you have the talent and wit and
‘experience’ to make it a great read. Thought you could keep some notes here.
Have fun. Love Veronica x”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love a challenge and her encouragement was
the trigger to write my first novel. Almost six years later, I’m now working on
novel number three and have finished the first semester of a MLitt in Creative
Writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turns out my pal gave me the best present
ever-belief in me that I could write something worth reading and who knows,
maybe one day I’ll be able to give her a special mention in my published novel…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-72150002907773071252011-12-28T15:29:00.000-08:002012-02-19T12:48:48.803-08:00Writing and 2012 - New Year and a New Me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bPATtJn0Y8FD3eNkmgG0Ql6FlVuaNIDbd72dft0w0rf5XUHk3HQ2RBf47ezwffQ038-9WYb0XTX5kQACgzzKoSiA7GSIvtQK2ijPyezDXD7krZcW3436QtiLO0skfeZ4EpOfi-zVCh8/s1600/images+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bPATtJn0Y8FD3eNkmgG0Ql6FlVuaNIDbd72dft0w0rf5XUHk3HQ2RBf47ezwffQ038-9WYb0XTX5kQACgzzKoSiA7GSIvtQK2ijPyezDXD7krZcW3436QtiLO0skfeZ4EpOfi-zVCh8/s320/images+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For many people, it’s that time of year again for coming up
with New Year’s resolutions. And for
most, it’s the same list, just a different year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm very much a 'Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today' person- leaving my job to go to uni is a prime example. I'm good at <strike>being bossy</strike> taking control of my life, except in one area- my health. I'm not usually a big fan of New Year resolutions. I don’t
need it to be the 31<sup>st</sup> of December for me to realise that I need to get
some exercise (the only time my heart's raced recently is at the 50% off signs at the sales) and to eat/drink healthier (I know that just because it's 'diet' Irn Bru, it doesn't make it good for me). The book on my profile pic helps to hide
several chins (but it’s hard to constantly walk around with a book in front of
me, and it can be dangerous when near traffic!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this year, I’m looking at the whole process from an
entirely new perspective (wheezing at the top of the uni stairs). Last December, there was as much chance of me returning
to uni to do a writing course as there was of finding a vegetarian pit bull
terrier. But now as a mature student, it has made me take a fresh look at my new lifestyle as an aspiring
writer. And a doctor's appointment gave me a reality check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that I actually have an excuse to sit on my fat backside
every day, I really do need to think seriously about beating the bulge before
my rear end had its own postcode. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Losing my tractor sized spare tyre will also
mean I can get nearer my laptop and literally closer to my work in progress. A writer is supposed to avoid clichés but I'm making my main resolution to lose weight. Slimming World will have a new member on Wednesday night (after a final Hogmanay binge, well I am Scottish- it's the law here!). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Jt9K3YPUAhvgp06xh-_vBGak-xFPjYUWv1u-9qLsBHhQ_Ps7OPcSFNNnGQ8UPfarqTzch5wtKaokac3PMFcgjAngox3MRtxiDCc5QXlnlejSZ5ifFrjTdFopnPEy1bXXI7veo6Z_ofE/s1600/wannabe_a_writer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Jt9K3YPUAhvgp06xh-_vBGak-xFPjYUWv1u-9qLsBHhQ_Ps7OPcSFNNnGQ8UPfarqTzch5wtKaokac3PMFcgjAngox3MRtxiDCc5QXlnlejSZ5ifFrjTdFopnPEy1bXXI7veo6Z_ofE/s200/wannabe_a_writer.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that I’m not alone with this problem.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Jane Wenham-Jones’s excellent book, ‘Wannabe a Writer?’ she even
devotes a large section of the chapter, ‘Occupational Hazards’ to ‘Writer’s
Bottom’ and shares her very funny dietary tips. My favourite being, “Have lots
of great sex. (N.B. If you’re married, best not to let your husband or wife
find out.)”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.janewenham-jones.com/" target="_blank">http://www.janewenham-jones.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But apart from the usual physical health resolutions, this
year, as an aspiring writer, I’ve added another three psychological goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>Avoiding folk who might judge me on whether or not I should be doing a uni course with
no guaranteed job/career prospects at the end of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Sending
my inner critic on an extended holiday and growing thicker skin (but with a thinner
person inside).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>Believing
in myself as a writer and adopting a “fake it till you make it” strategy in the
meantime. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right."- Oprah Winfrey</span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-14633466309995166752011-12-18T09:35:00.000-08:002012-02-22T02:00:10.568-08:00A Writer's Ego<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Dear Santa,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’ve been a
good girl during my first semester at uni. I didn’t miss a single class and I handed
all my assignments in on time. So I was wondering if there was any chance of
getting my dream Christmas present this year.<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On Christmas
morning, I’d like to wake up without a hangover AND also the confidence to
actually call myself a writer, out loud in public. I’ve accumulated a fair
amount of titles in my adult years- student, teacher, wife (no1 and no2),
mother, Training Officer and student again but I’ve yet to feel that I’ve
earned the title ‘Writer’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In the winter edition of the Society of Author’s journal, ‘The Author’, Robert
Hull has written a great piece on ‘Am I an author?’ where he states that
“somehow one can be a writer without publishing anything, the term
paradoxically seems also to imply a route to authordom.” So, what’s my problem?
That could be me he’s talking about, I write. So I am a writer. But I also paint watercolours
and I don’t call myself an artist. I
pull weeds in my garden but I don’t call myself a gardener. You get the idea. For me, the problem with choosing the title,
‘writer’ over any other title, is one of ego.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">To be a
writer, I think you need to have a big enough ego to put your work out there. You need to believe that people will be
interested enough in what you write to want to invest the time (and possibly
hard earned money) to want to read it. You need to believe that you’ve
something really worthwhile to say in a world where there are already too many
books and more creative writing graduates than you can shake a pen at. My ego was big enough to make me quit my job
so that I could call myself a student, but not big enough to call myself a
writer. Not yet. It’s my personal work
in progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Oscar Wilde
said, “I have nothing to declare except my genius.” Now that’s an ego! I’m not
greedy. I don’t want an unhealthy supersized McEgo, just a regular ego with
fries and a diet coke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But don’t
worry Santa, if asking for a bigger ego is too much, I totally understand that this
is something I will probably have to find myself or search for it on eBay. If your elves can’t sort out a writer’s ego
for me, then here are a couple of ideas for substitute gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">P.S. Another
bottle of double </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">strength ‘Patience-of-a-Saint’ tablets would also be very much
appreciated for my long suffering hubby- he’ll need them for next semester!</span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-54783295238697535872011-12-11T13:16:00.001-08:002012-02-15T01:55:11.800-08:00Writing a novel? Just Do It!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are hundreds of ‘How to…’ books on the market forwannabe writers and during this semester, I’ve read several set texts on the craftof writing, the most useful one being oReading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (avery apt surname for a writer!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the best book I’ve ever read about the creative writingprocess was not on the uni reading list. It is On Writing by Stephen King andis brilliant, not just for the tips on writing but also as a fascinatinginsight into the life of one of America’s most successful writers. <span id="goog_1904438505"></span><span id="goog_1904438506"></span><span id="goog_1515294672"></span><span id="goog_1515294673"></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The man has written a gazillion novels and his estimated networth is $ 400 million so it’s fair to say that he definitely knows what he’stalking about in the realm of bestsellers. I’ve seen most of the film adaptionsbut not read any of his books but you don’t need to be a fan or an aspiring writer to enjoy thismemoir of the craft. This isn’t a book for literary snobs but it’s certainly abook for anyone trying to hone their writing technique and find out what makesthis guy tick. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a great mix of life story and writing advice where hecuts through the crap and is completely honest about the highs and lows of his career (literallythrough his years of drink and drug addiction) and his miraculous recovery froma near fatal car crash.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m proud to say that King has Scottish roots and this showsin his completely unpretentious attitude to telling it like it is. He sees his phenomenalsuccess story as being down to sheer hard work. King writes 2,000 words a day and urgeswannabes to read a lot and write a lot. Simple theory- practise makes perfect (oras good as you’re ever gonna get). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Don't wait for the muse ... This isn't the Ouija boardor the spirit-world we're talking about here, but just another job like layingpipe or driving long-haul trucks. Your job is to make sure the muse knows whereyou're going to be every day from nine 'til noon or seven 'til three. If hedoes know, I assure you that sooner or later he'll start showing up, chompinghis cigar and making his magic."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book is packed full of words of wisdom. I wish I’d read it years ago and realised thatonly timid writers use passive verbs and that “the adverb is not your friend". </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve got a lot to learn but now that the uni semester is over, it’s time for meto stop reading the ‘How to…’ books and in the words of the great Greek goddessof victory, Nike, just do it!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’ve never read the book, it’s not too late to add itto your letter to Santa. Just remember King’s advice about adverbs</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and don’t write that you’d screamloudly, be extremely happy, wildly jump around excitedly on Christmas morningand promise to really cherish the lovely gift if you find it in your stocking</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! </span><br />
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<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-5363150052529241772011-12-04T07:52:00.000-08:002012-02-15T02:17:02.273-08:00Creative Writing is my Guilty Pleasure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This weekend, I was asked (again!) what kind of job will I be able to get once I’d finished the Mlitt course? Deep breath and a silent scream later I replied that I had no idea. I’ve only just finished the first semester and already I’m being forced to look to the future. Is it so wrong to live in the moment?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When wind and rain battered my bedroom window this week, I got up and looked out at the bleak weather. Then I slipped on my cheetah print fleecy dressing gown and snuggled back down to read a brilliant book (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz- if you must know) as part of my day’s “work”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time last year, I would have been driving to work in the dark and coming home in the dark with frizzy hair, fed up and frustrated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if I’m 10 times happier, why am I suffering from a weird side effect called guilt?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I often feel guilty for doing something I really enjoy. I’m convinced that this Calvinist attitude is an unfortunate default setting for Scottish folk. If you don’t believe me, read Scot’s Crisis of Confidence by Carol Craig where she examines Scots’ attitudes and tendency for negativity. She explores how the self-deprecating joke of “getting above ourselves” is a destructive national trait and how Scotland’s Calvinist heritage includes a highly developed work ethic with a deep sense of duty and social responsibility.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how does this relate to me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friends are busy doing <b>REAL</b> jobs- like social worker and teacher whilst I’m faffing about at uni sweating about whether the latest chapter of my novel works. I applaud their career choice and admire the fact that they’re doing a job that’s important. Good on them! But can I <i>please</i> have one year out of my whole life to indulge my need to have a serious attempt at being a writer without feeling guilty? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not out there battling the elements or saving lives. I’m staying cosy in my jammies and making up wee stories in my head. But I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’m determined to shake off John Knox’s legacy (aka Knoxplex) and any hint of guilt to enjoy every minute of the course while it lasts.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-90752359497850721982011-11-27T12:16:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:56:08.089-08:00Writing Feedback-Cruel To Be Kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a mother of two teenage sons, I’m no stranger to tough love. I like to think that I know what’s best for them even if they rarely agree. Do I rise to their moaning that “<i>everybody </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is allowed to…” blah blah blah? No chance! I tell them to suck it up. It’s part of my job description as their mum to be cruel to be kind. I have to tell them things that they don’t want to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;">But being on the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">receiving</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;"> end of a home truth isn’t easy. My second experience of a writing workshop wasn’t any less painful. Hearing your work being criticised and not being allowed to interrupt is not for the faint hearted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily I had just read the latest post on Nicola Morgan’s excellent blog, ‘Help! I Need a Publisher’. <a href="http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/11/beware-of-praise.html" target="_blank">http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/11/beware-of-praise.html</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week’s post, ‘Beware of Praise’ really helped me accept the blows when I later read the written comments (although a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon Rose wine helped even more).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nicola’s analogy is that praise is very like chocolate.<b> “</b>It tastes great at the time. Too much of it is (regrettably) bad for you.” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Oh how true!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would it have been nice to walk out of uni with praise ringing in my ears? Hell yes! But would it have made me a better writer? Duh! Of course not, so I have to suck it up like I tell my boys.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nicola warns wannabe writers to accept praise with extreme caution. And not to listen to your family and friends if they gush over your writing. Step away from praise. It can be your enemy unless it comes from someone qualified in the publishing industry or whom you trust and value.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It’s sound advice. At the beginning of the year, I experienced a line by line edit by my literary agent on my previous novel. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">She made comments like,</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you would think that by now I’d have skin as thick as a rhino’s. Alas, it’s not that simple. I value the opinions of my fellow students and my lecturer and if I didn’t care about my writing it wouldn’t hurt. As Jane Fonda would say, “No pain, no gain!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next semester will mean a fresh bout at the workshop. I will grit my teeth and stock up on rose wine! Bring it on!!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-83280023612612070912011-11-20T03:52:00.000-08:002012-02-15T01:56:41.348-08:00Writing and Giving Yourself the Freedom to Fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a big deal for me to sign up for the MLitt course and I was full of self-doubt before I arrived at my first class. The fear quickly faded by being amongst a group of supportive fellow students and enjoying every week of a well-structured meaningful course. I’d made the right decision BUT…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What if my work isn’t good enough? What if my submission is ripped apart in the workshop? What if I don’t do well in my assignments? What if my family and friends think my writing is rubbish? What if I can’t make it as a writer? What if? What if?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s no end to the list of insecurities! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">I don’t think a writer is ever free of self-doubt. It seems to come as part of the job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But if ever I needed a boost, the visit to uni this week from the award winning writer DBC Pierre was inspirational. In 2003, Pierre won the Man Booker Prize for his debut novel, Vernon God Little. Wow! But how did he manage to win the world's most important literary award?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyone who’s ever heard of him will know that his juicy life story is as interesting as any of his novels. But for Pierre, the positive side to hitting rock bottom meant that no one had high expectations of him and he was free to fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No one likes to fail and it’s hard not to be your own harshest critic. My internal editor is always sitting on my shoulder and instead of just getting the words down on paper, I constantly go over my work getting hung up on every sentence. And then there’s the expectation of others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I told my mum I’d finished my first attempt at a novel. She told her friend. And a week later her pal phoned my mum to ask why she couldn’t find it in Waterstone's!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Pierre’s key message was to give yourself the freedom to fail. He wrote the first draft of Vernon God Little in a stream of consciousness in five frenzied weeks. But it took several drafts and many months of sifting through the original material and reconstructing the writing to create a phenomenal novel. Everyone needs TIME to experience failure before they can achieve success. No artist uses watercolours for the first time and has the painting hung in the National Gallery. It takes years of hard slog to achieve such glory- just ask Jack Vettriano! I know now that I need to give myself permission to produce crap and then keep writing in order to get better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At the book signing, Pierre wrote on my copy of Vernon God Little,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Be free to fail- only by staring into that abyss can we write!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No excuses left now…<o:p></o:p></span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-48498454481614877552011-11-11T12:56:00.000-08:002012-02-15T02:18:05.707-08:00Writing-Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Already Taken<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This week in class we were given an exercise to write about a journey set in a variety of locations. We also had to describe our home town in 3 words. The results were dramatically different. I really enjoyed hearing the range of descriptions and it proved the point that we have all developed our own distinctive writing voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Who else in the group would describe his hometown as “infested”? It was such a loaded word (apologises to anyone from Alloa) that it could only belong to one guy and his characteristic way of describing his world view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This week, we submitted our first assignments and these will be identified by our student number only as per the uni’s guidelines. This is of course only right and fair but pointless really. After spending weeks together, I’d be confident enough to bet my left arm that our lecturer could match up the writing to the person without any names attached to the work. No problemo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But how do you find your writing voice?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This quest has taken me time and effort. And it’s like my novel- a work in progress!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I first started writing seriously I didn’t really understand what was meant by finding a voice that worked for me. So I tried to think of it in musical terms and then it became clearer. You couldn’t expect camp as Christmas Johnny from the X Factor to be able to sing Barry White’s, ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Babe’ in his high pitched voice could you? Although anyone who’s ever watched the X Factor knows that Louis Walsh’s crap song choices are legendary. Who could forget Wagner bashing bongo drums and trying to sing Ricky Martin’s ‘She Bangs’ last year? My ears are still bleeding! And I wonder if Pat Butcher ever did get her earrings back from him? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">But I digress. So I had to experiment and find a voice that felt right for me. One that suited the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Eventually I realised that I was never EVER going to be able to write like Jane Austen or Virginia Woolf however much I tried. I could only write like ME. And here’s another revelation that I finally worked out the hard way… using big words didn’t make my fiction writing read any better. I was trying too hard. And it’s not big or clever to regurgitate the Oxford Dictionary and exhaust a Thesaurus. Using fancy purple prose in fiction is just not my natural style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course a writer needs to be able to create a variety of different voices just as I wouldn’t use the same tone and tempo of voice in a letter of complaint to my bank manager as I would on a holiday postcard to my best pal. But I still need to make sure that I sound sincere and authentic when communicating my message whether it’s, “I wholly object to the exorbitant bank charge” or “the voddy cocktails are amazzzzzing!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” I like to think of myself as very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ type of person but it took me a while to be true to myself in my writing. I’m no longer attempting to fake it to make it on paper. I’m just working hard to be me – a better writer with my own unique voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-43339288771213164172011-11-06T11:58:00.000-08:002012-02-22T01:56:53.085-08:00Writing and the Joys of Working from Home<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I’ave mostly been eating Haribo.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And working on my assignments for uni. But a more accurate version would be that I’ve been TRYING to work on my assignments!</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I studied for my first degree over twenty years ago, I had the same assignment deadlines but in very different circumstances. Back in the day, it was a straight forward case of taking myself off to the library and only emerging when I needed food and drink. Simple. Hassle free.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t even get me started on how easy it is to lose hours on the internet. And there is no chance of completely opting out of daily domestic life whenever I feel like it. Not when my other name is “mum”. My two sons might well be teenagers now but they’re still as needy as ever. And then there’s the new pup and older dog at my feet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do I get the peace and quiet to get my uni work done AND write a bestseller?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">An ex-colleague often set her email notification as ‘out of office’ even when she was sitting right beside us. It was her way of telling us that we might be able to see her but she wasn’t there. It seemed mad at the time but now I can see her logic.<o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is there a way of being ‘out of office’ at home? I can’t lock myself away in a home office or a study because my house doesn’t have one. So I’ve set up ‘office’ in my bedroom and use my wicker dressing table as a desk. It’s not ideal working in amongst my pots of anti-ageing creams and looking out at my view of the petrol station across the road. But my dream keeps me going…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It all started last May when I went with my best pal to the Ideal Homes Show at the SECC in Glasgow. I saw it from a distance. I swooned. I pushed through the crowds and ran towards it. I could hear Vangelis play Chariots of Fire. I was soon close enough to breathe deeply and inhale the smell of the fresh new wood. I stroked the texture of the cladding, I felt my knees go weak at the clever design AND there was a lock on the door. I was in love…</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the object of my desire. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The Armadilla. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">A lot better looking than Roald Dahl's old shed! Although The Armadilla is not worth as much. Even though his estate must amount to millions of pounds, his granddaughter recently launched a public appeal for £500.000 to save it. Bit of a Roald Dahl and the Giant Cheek if you ask me! My youngest son loved his books and I admire his brilliance but how about getting B & Q to sponsor it? Don't ask me to fund it. I'm saving up for The Armadilla!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you want to share my fantasy of the perfect writer's sanctiary? <a href="http://www.armadilla.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.armadilla.co.uk/</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I challenge any aspiring writers not to drool!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe one day I will lock the door behind me and gaze out to lambs gambolling in lush green fields ….<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in the meantime, back in the real world, my youngest son needs help with homework, the eldest wants to know what's for dinner, the pup has peed again on the bedroom rug and the older dog has chewed a hole in my hubby's slipper…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93uChC40Zos_k1fPl_eW50wN4QbUoJ3gDfyJUadushmya0725NhWzwLfgzKB0AvnPBroJHF_Ja4mySo_0ZKjXvIxYIfZtwKiXPYbXAVetTUdryOyXZIe2SsBgcYaHIn92M_sz3K0ahDM/s1600/images+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93uChC40Zos_k1fPl_eW50wN4QbUoJ3gDfyJUadushmya0725NhWzwLfgzKB0AvnPBroJHF_Ja4mySo_0ZKjXvIxYIfZtwKiXPYbXAVetTUdryOyXZIe2SsBgcYaHIn92M_sz3K0ahDM/s1600/images+%25284%2529.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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</span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-66766886752763897842011-10-30T15:03:00.000-07:002011-11-04T06:13:48.148-07:00Write About What You Know<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Oor Wullie would say, "Jings crivens help ma boab!"<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s been a busy and intense first few weeks and I can’t believe that it’s mid semester already. My head is jammed with new information and ideas!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The MLitt course has made me accept the sad realisation that there are so many books and so little time. No matter how many years I have left on the planet, I won’t live long enough to get through all the books I <i>want</i> to read and all the books I <i>should</i> read. Not a class has concluded without several recommended texts. Please no more! Have mercy on my groaning bedside table and my Amazon account. But being a reader of quality novels is vital to making me a better writer. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kwfAnIJ3fAK709U3v6PwyW1EvqRJnEOsO1dvShf5hUVWUXE3ty8w-oxCEfUGzLjEneXrhx2xV7RTXrTN_XIcG8b8jOK67nmL3mdrP5MLKqR-tsF4IhQ8JygpJoVGiPEzafn1cnq6ZGg/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kwfAnIJ3fAK709U3v6PwyW1EvqRJnEOsO1dvShf5hUVWUXE3ty8w-oxCEfUGzLjEneXrhx2xV7RTXrTN_XIcG8b8jOK67nmL3mdrP5MLKqR-tsF4IhQ8JygpJoVGiPEzafn1cnq6ZGg/s200/books.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apart from a time issue, reading books is the easy part. The difficulty is then deciding what I should write about? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve often heard the advice that you should write about what you know. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhHk-ob8pVfuTK9gvXlku3VZvBkJTNJAdNPXxgREDHwLoZJk4U84QSH-zlLbdKmzfGaupaS5L70Jg2iEHV67-PR4lmX5dD9LFUyCD8eQQfzPS0nnM1iEqGQWE00ZVyPWb5edYq6M4Tmw/s1600/write+what+you+like.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhHk-ob8pVfuTK9gvXlku3VZvBkJTNJAdNPXxgREDHwLoZJk4U84QSH-zlLbdKmzfGaupaS5L70Jg2iEHV67-PR4lmX5dD9LFUyCD8eQQfzPS0nnM1iEqGQWE00ZVyPWb5edYq6M4Tmw/s200/write+what+you+like.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hmmm...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s an interesting statement in the week that the film, 'Anonymous' was released claiming that Shakespeare didn’t actually write his plays. The bard is portrayed as an uneducated drunken idiot and suggests that the Earl of Oxford, Edward De Vere actually penned the great works.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The conspiracy is based on the idea that there is no way a working class man could write brilliant literature and so these must have been the masterpieces of a well-travelled aristocrat. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you should write about what you know then surely Shakespeare was incapable of writing distinctively Italian plays when he never actually left England?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For over 150 years, the question has been did he or didn’t he? So was Shakespeare a fraud? We’ll never know. And does it really matter anyway? I haven’t seen the film yet but it does make me consider the idea of writing about what you know.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If a writer is only to write about what they know there would be no science fiction or fantasy novels (not that I’d be upset) as they couldn’t possibly have travelled aboard a Time Machine. And what about the crime fiction genre? Do we expect a writer to commit a murder before she can effectively write about one?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who wants to read about ordinary people living ordinary lives? That’s why I don’t plan to take the phrase literally in my writing. If I want to write a historical piece (although that sounds like really hard work to me) then I don’t need to have lived in those times (that’s what the internet is for). But I do need to know about human emotions such as fear, love, anger so that readers can relate to the story and empathise with the characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I hate to admit that I got a <b>tiny</b> bit excited at the thought of using my new Dyson (well to be fair it is a DC24<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;"> </span>Ultra-Lightweight Dyson Animal Ball Upright Vacuum Cleaner for pet owners!) but it’s hardly going to inspire a great work of literary genius. If I stuck to just writing about what I know it would make a very dull read. That’s why I’m off to hoover the bedrooms while I plan out how I can write about a drug dealing gangster…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-5092183371980024372011-10-24T12:34:00.000-07:002011-10-24T12:34:53.048-07:00Everyone Has A Book In Them<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">And writing a book is easy isn’t it? Anyone can do it. Or so I’m told all too often since starting the MLitt course.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">If I had a pound for every person that’s said to me recently, “I could write a book” then my uni fees would have been paid ten times over! I</span> want to scream at them, “Well what’s stopping you write it if it’s so easy!” Because clearly anybody that can hold a pen or sit in front of a PC can write a book. My dog could probably knock out a Booker prize winner if he wasn’t so busy licking his balls.</div><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">But as the literary critic Christopher Hitchens once said, “Everybody does have a book in them, but in most cases that's where it should stay.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m under no illusion that I’m the next Charles Dickens. I haven’t got enough facial hair for a start. But for all you fellow wannabe authors, here are my midterm musings on my experience of the world of words….<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Our Creative Writing group has been kindly permitted to gate crash a programme of seminars arranged for the university’s post graduate publishing students. So far, this allowed us an insight into the life of an established literary agent- Maggie McKernan, an innovative publisher- Adrian Searle and a successful writer-Paula Morris.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;">We we’ve been treated to fascinating but often </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">frightening</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;"> facts from these highly respected guest speakers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">With the on-going struggle with market forces and the challenges thrown up by the ‘digital revolution’ in publishing, the Maggie McKernan literary agency rarely takes on a new client unless they have been recommended. .<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Adrian’s publishing company, Freight Design recognises that it’s even harder than ever for debut novelists to be taken on by a major publisher and many established writers have become ‘London orphans’ due to their failure to secure major book deals. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">And the biggest reality check came from Paula who blew away the myth that if you’re a good enough writer you’ll get published. Nah! There’s a lot more to it than mere talent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Becoming a published author? Easy peasy lemon squeezy! What’re you all waiting for?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-31895393285495472742011-10-16T02:17:00.000-07:002012-02-17T03:22:01.304-08:00Wolves at the Writing Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you imagine the terror I suffered when a fellow student posted this comment on Facebook days before my work would be critiqued in class?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> “The rewrite, the self-edit, the horror of it being fed to hungry wolves; some starting off kind of sympathetic, but eventually succumbing to the pack mentality, each taking turns to rip my literary efforts to shreds using their razor sharp criticisms, but only when the pack leader allows, and she will allow!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That night I woke up in a cold sweat and I was sure I could hear the sound of wolves howling in the distance. I checked my jammies were still in one piece and hadn’t been shredded to pieces. And yet I was sure that I could feel the hot breath of the hungry pack at the back of my neck. Or was that just my hubby snoring at my side? And then I noticed the scratch on my shin. Could it just be that my hubby's toenails needed a good trim with a Black and Decker? Maybe that explained the scratch. It was going to be a long night….<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend claims that the best thing for insomnia is to get up and read. Good idea. And that’s when I felt the panic set in again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Never mind the wolves, an article by Cila Warncke in the latest edition of Mslexia (Issue 51-Oct, Nov, Dec 2011) about what’s wrong with the teaching of creative writing also had me worried. The title of the piece is, ‘Are You Wasting Your Money?’ This is not something you want to dwell on the week your P45 slips through the letter box and your bank statement shows the course fees have indeed been deducted!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;">Warncke completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Glasgow University and is highly critical of the workshop model. As she says, “great literature is not written by committee” and argues that fellow students often feel under pressure to pass judgement which is largely based on their individual taste. I can see that this is a potential problem as we have a very mixed group who are all writing in different genres. However, our lecturer was quick to point out that within any group, you have to decide whose opinion that you rate as not everyone is your target reader. I think this issue has also been overcome in our group by </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">focusing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;"> on more specific issues such as POV, characterisation etc and avoiding petty comments on personal taste.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;">Until last Wednesday, I’d only participated in critiquing the work from two of my fellow students. They emerged from the </span></span><s style="line-height: 115%;">wolf hunt</s><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;"> workshop claiming that the feedback on techniques and common errors was valuable and the workshop model was an ideal opportunity to gain an insight as to how your writing is working for a variety of readers. They also felt that the whole vibe of the workshop was supportive rather than critical. But it didn't stop the nightmares.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So did I survive the wolf pack feasting on my fiction?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I definitely walked away with a few nasty cuts. Of course it hurts to sit silently and watch your work chewed up and spat out. But once the wolves have left you to lick your wounds, you realise that the comments were vital in shaping your work and making sure it delivers. With a little TCP and a lot of rewriting the wounds are healing nicely. When my turn comes round again next semester, I will hopefully face the pack as a better writer without suffering a wolf themed nightmare and have a hubby with manicured toenails.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-10113902841192820602011-10-09T04:10:00.000-07:002012-02-22T01:59:26.701-08:00Writing Exercises- Am I Fit Enough?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #000066;"></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A BRAIN and a pair of jump leads walk into a bar. The jump leads take a seat and the brain </span></b></div>
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If there was such a thing as a set of jump leads for your brain, I could've used a set over the last few weeks! After doing the same job for six years, autopilot was my daily setting. At times this was a cosy comfort blanket that meant I never lost any sleep worrying about work but my flabby brain was in definite need of a work out.<br />
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My creative writing course has certainly kicked started my brain! Weekly writing exercises have challenged the whole class. One of our favourites has been to write a series of pieces which start with, "When I was seventeen..." and the results from my fellow students have produced a range of emotions from funny to sometimes quite sad. It's been really interesting hearing everyone's work. The exercise I've enjoyed the most so far was to meaningfully include the following 5 things in a 1000 word piece. The things were a tower of top hats, the Oxford Book of Saints, Nescafe, a child standing in water and Bermuda. It wasn't easy! There's 7 of us in the group and it was fascinating to hear the other completely different versions on the exercise.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A highlight for me was the chance to hear the award winining novelist, Andrew O'Hagan deliver an excellent talk<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> on, “Civic Memory: An Argument on the Character of Scottish Culture” to a packed audience.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The talk was adapted from a provocative, insightful, and often comical lecture commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland and presented at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, exploring how our understanding of places in general and Scotland in particular depends on shared memories.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">O’ Hagan argued that civic memory binds us together and is the currency of Scotland’s cultural life. Much of our sense of identity has less to do with politics and more about been shaped by fictionalised heroes. Whisky bottle mottos, such as, “Afore ye go” from O Hagan’s childhood memories were used to illustrate that the Scottish feeling of nationhood is largely a figment of our imagination but it creates a coveted vision of togetherness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">However, civic memory is not about nostalgia and referring to the works of writers such as Robert Burns. O’Hagan emphasised that modern writers such as James Kelman are bringing new energy to expressing a true history of what being Scottish means to most people. The positive side of this parochial instinct is that civic memory keeps politics alive and helps to change the cultural world. O’Hagan clearly celebrates the relationship between art and life and has an optimistic view of civic memory as a means to counteract defensive nationalism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What struck me most was how our understanding of Scotland and other places is dependent on shared memories. For the majority of working class people this is based on verbal history. My dad was what O’Hagan described as a “real character” and was sustained by civic memory. When he died suddenly five years ago, I not only lost my dad but all his stories. Being raised in a deprived family with thirteen siblings made him the man he was and consequently there were many stories about his challenging upbringing as a Catholic boy in an impoverished mining village. O’Hagan’s passion for investing in today’s civic memory has made me keen to explore my own heritage in greater detail and perhaps try in some way to celebrate my dad’s life.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">After 4 weeks at uni, my brain is now getting the work out it so badly needed and with all the writing exercises, reading list and inspirational speakers hopefully it'll soon be in much better shape...</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A BRAIN and a pair of jump leads walk into a bar. The jump leads take a seat and the brain gets the round in, but the bartender refuses to serve the brain.</span></b></div>
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</span></div>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04744878290428282921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106167599752088646.post-22910400416806446272011-09-28T03:32:00.000-07:002012-02-15T01:59:46.516-08:00Never Too Late to Start to Write<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8B7qnhx4F_8uupnMFYtW_Tdu-S6OcF5DUnEkEuSVqVYW57TCoKgvmTuwZ-io0zj7OcIqBSvciTAQN3ukmzQ0tu90zQLR0KtDkDgcw93GZsaJ4pt32qC0fkbmFSSrRO61sIkg7miz8ps/s1600/imagex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8B7qnhx4F_8uupnMFYtW_Tdu-S6OcF5DUnEkEuSVqVYW57TCoKgvmTuwZ-io0zj7OcIqBSvciTAQN3ukmzQ0tu90zQLR0KtDkDgcw93GZsaJ4pt32qC0fkbmFSSrRO61sIkg7miz8ps/s200/imagex.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What aspiring writer doesn't day-dream about leaving the 9-5 to give their writing 100% commitment? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But every bit of advice insists, "Don't give up the day job!" </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I ignored the screaming voices of reason and made a very very late application to university to do a Masters in Creative Writing. A week before the course started, I got the news that I'd been accepted. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It felt scary and exciting in equal measures.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I received my last ever pay slip. The reality of what I'd done set in as I filed away the little scrap of paper. But instead of worrying, I felt liberated and thought, "What's the worst that can happen?" </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I knew I'd made the right decision when I returned from my 'Welcome Meeting' at uni. For the first time in years my brain was buzzing with the challenges that the course was sure to throw at me. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At forty three years of age, I was way out of my comfort zone when I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wandered around the Freshers' Week stalls. It was weird. There was never any pole dancing clubs when I did my first degree! I wanted to stop to admire the skill and fitness of the girl demonstrating. But the look of terror on the acne ridden faces of the teenagers when I paused briefly at the stall made me keep on walking. Of course it was tempting to wind them up by pretending to want to join their club but I didn't have the heart to cause such stress. One glance at me made it obvious that I was only able to polish the pole with Mr Sheen rather than my inner thighs.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At least my MLitt class was a safe haven from giggling girls planning what to wear to Dance Night at the Union. Almost everyone in class is mature in years or in attitude. It felt great to be surrounded with like minded people and it was clear that everyone had made a sacrifice on one level or another to be there.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a former Training Officer, I was for once on the other side of the desk. No longer the ring master and all I had to worry about was could I perform? Would I be able to cope with the workload, the reading,assignments, the creative writing exercises and the ordeal of having my work critiqued?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I instantly started to calm down when the lecturer reassured the class that it's sometimes too early to embark on creative writing but it's never too late.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as they say, it's better to regret what you did instead of what you didn't! But I'll stay away from the pole dancing club...</span><br />
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