Until Further Notice…

I’m taking a break from blogging.

Whether this is temporary or permanent, I don’t yet know.

Thank you to everyone who read this blog. And thank you to everyone who left a comment.

But... I might be back before too long! ☺ 

Cartoon Dreams

Last night I found myself plugged in to Pixar Studios' dream machine. (That must be what it was!) First, I dreamt that my 13-year-old second cousin was a 7-year-old, world-famous gymnast. She had bobbed black hair, Chinese eyes, white skin, and wore a red leotard. She travelled alone, performing her non-stop-back-flip to huge crowds around the globe. Then I dreamt that my Mum’s tiny soft-toy dog, Bobby, was running to my house to deliver a present. But in the dream, his name was Robby!

I think the key to the dream machine is Tesco’s Moroccan-style hummus. It’s so moreish! I ate the whole tub before going to bed.

Today, I’ve felt quite nauseous.

Research

My current WIP is a contemporary novel with an historical element, which means lots and lots of research! Some research, or a lot of research would probably be enough, but I seem to be doing masses and masses! I’m drowning in books and printouts -- some still unread.

Perhaps I have a geeky academic or collecting urge that lay dormant until now. Perhaps I don’t want to miss an amazing piece of information I don’t know exists -- but won’t find if I stop looking! Perhaps I’m just really enjoying wearing my glasses and ploughing through tons of material. (It’s great!)

I’m so bitten by the bug that, on Wednesday, I attended an auction of antiquarian books and bid on lot 64. I could not honestly say it was vital to my research, yet I felt compelled to have it. And a valuable item can always be sold on, hopefully at a profit.

The auction was well attended. The guide price for lot 64: £50 to £80. I imagined no one else would want it, and I’d probably go home with a bargain. Two others were bidding before I stuck up my hand.

“The lady’s in,” said the auctioneer.

An uncomfortable spotlight moment; he wasn’t commenting on the other bidders!

“£130, the lady … The lady’s still in at £180 … £210 … The lady’s out ... £220 to Jarvis!”

At those prices, what on earth was I doing? Well, Jarvis was determined to beat “the lady”. Whatever lot 64 meant to me, it was more valuable to him. But no way will he make a profit! :)

And Moving Means… Shopping!

After last week’s roller-coaster ride on the local property market, I took off on Friday evening to celebrate with a friend who lives fifty miles away. It’s an easy drive from west to east. And I always imagine the road as a straight line, even though, in fact, it isn’t. But never mind…

On Saturday we toured furniture and department stores. Daisy, my eleven-year-old protagonist, kept popping up with her thoughts and opinions, but was polite enough not to comment out loud. (Her manners are definitely improving!) However, she did drag me into a couple of clothes shops and surprise me with her choices. She has an eye when it comes to creating a look; though she wants you to know, she’s not massively interested in fashion.

Together, my friend and I quickly developed a scheme for the new apartment. Before driving home on Saturday night, I broke the news that, after totting up our selection, I couldn’t afford the Ligne Roset sofas -- just yet!

She looked straight at me. “And the silk curtains for your bedroom?”

“Don’t worry; they are my TOP priority.”

“Thank heavens,” she said.

“Phew!” Daisy sighed.

This girl has exceptional taste!

Yes, I'm Moving

I made a decision on the apartment. The deal is done, and, if all goes according to plan, I will be moving in 8 to 10 weeks!!!


No more endless cleaning!
No more gardening!
No more parking problems!
No more music blaring through the party walls! (I hope.)


I could not be happier. I feel light as a newborn lamb.













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In writing news...

The main character in my WIP is an eleven-year-old girl named Daisy. This is the youngest MC I’ve written. And the problem is … she’s spilling over into everyday life. I’m thinking like an eleven-year-old, even in grown-up situations! (Daisy likes the new apartment, very much.)

Time to create some boundaries!

Moving?

I bought my Edwardian house eighteen months ago. I'd always lived in apartments, so I thought a house and garden would be fun. But I’ve never felt organised here, and the truth is… I don’t have time to keep on top of the property.

I’ve been thinking about moving for several months. But buying/selling/moving is a project that takes time away from writing. However, once moved, I will have more time to write!

There’s an apartment I’ve viewed twice in the last week, and it’s a very serious contender. I have a few more things to think about, and a few more questions about the property before making the final decision.

Despite being somewhat preoccupied with the pros and cons of this potential move, my new novel is happening at quite a pace. It’s the roughest of rough drafts, but it’s exciting and surprising.

Previously, I would write and edit as I went along. This time, I’m allowing the ideas to flow. And this is my favourite part of the process; no thoughts of synopses and pitches – only characters, story, and FUN!!!

A Fine Line

You will be pleased to hear that my Zen phase has passed. Total calm no longer prevails and I am nicely, slightly stressed. Yippee! (Though I did enjoy the Zen phase.)


Few will have missed the Surprisingly Essential First Page Challenge (or First Five Hundred Word Challenge, to be precise), held this week by Nathan Bransford on his blog. The contest closed yesterday, with a total of 645 entries on blogger and 29 on Nathan’s Myspace page.

I’m a fan of Nathan’s blog, but I didn’t enter this contest. And now the deadline has passed, I would like to say why.

The first page of my ‘finished’ novel starts almost halfway down the page and totals 152 words. The first 500 words = more than two pages, and includes the inciting incident, the setting, and motivation of two main characters. That’s quite a slice.

As the entries poured in to Nathan’s comment page, some of the contestants became concerned about their work being critiqued on other blogs. But, "Nathan Bransford -- Literary Agent" is neither a private, nor a quiet, little blog. Had these contestants forgotten where they had posted their pages? I imagine Nathan’s blog draws people from many levels of the industry, all over the world. Everyone, and anyone, can read the entries.

The contest is not being run by a literary agency, but on a literary agent’s blog. To enter such a contest with a hook, first paragraph, first 16 lines, or even a query, is helpful and fun. But, within the context of the blogosphere, the first 500 words of a novel is, perhaps, a step too far.

If I were to post those first 500 words on this blog, it would be a calculated risk. I KNOW I don’t get hundreds of hits per day. Far from it!

I'm not suggesting we should be paranoid about plagiarism. But, in the case of my novel, those 500 words say a lot: context, character, and conflict -- the set-up for the story.

If someone is writing as a hobby, a contest such as this can be part of the fun. But, if a writer is submitting to agents and publishers, their novel is a piece of intellectual property. It is a product they are hoping to sell.

The creative industries are tough. They are cutthroat.

In my professional world -- the fashion world -- you quickly learn the difference between offering a taster, and giving the concept away. It’s a fine line, and one easily crossed by young designers, understandably keen to impress.

But a seasoned professional, offered more than a tiny peak of a collection, can grasp the idea, spin it forward -- and run. The result: your concept lands on the high street before you can blink. Your collection is yesterday’s news.

It’s good to share our work with people we know. It’s good to take part in fun contests with people we don’t. But, when it comes to work we hope to build on in the real world. When it comes to our careers, I think we sometimes need to be careful.

This is obviously just my opinion.

So ends this serious post! :)

Zen

I feel very calm. Which is most unusual, as I normally function at a level of medium to high stress. Rarely low stress. And never total calm.

I can’t remember when I last felt this way, if, in fact, I have ever felt this way at all! I am totally and utterly chilled. I’m listening to ambient music (and visualising dolphins ;)) as I type!

My ex used to insist that stress is good, that without it one wouldn’t get anything done. But these last two days I’ve been highly productive. It’s so enjoyable!

Not being stressed, I haven’t expended energy on unnecessary urgency. I haven’t had the stress response.

But there’s one problem. Everyone else is -- or seems -- stressed. Is stress contagious? Is it expected? Do we worry that others might think we’re not working hard enough, or not taking the job seriously enough, if we aren’t slightly stressed?

Then there’s the anxiety of everyday life. High winds blow litter onto my property, and I hate picking it up. I usually rush out, mildly annoyed, and thrust it all into a bin bag.

But today it seemed interesting (there was quite a haul). And I paid attention to the flotsam and jetsam of life: leaves, string, cigarette ends, pieces of white polystyrene, a two-pint milk carton, a soup cup, a plant pot, paper and plastic bags, sandwich packaging, a beer can, takeaway food trays, a pink umbrella, and two metal forks!!!

Zen Circle. The inscription reads - 'Each thing is perfect'. 

Painting by Tanchu Terayama. Sumi ink on paper.

You have to be in it, to win it!

Lottery by Patricia Wood
















My name is Perry L. Crandall and I am not retarded.

You have to have an IQ number less than 75 to be retarded. I am not. Mine is 76.

I am lucky. I know this because I am not retarded.

I know this because I have two good arms.

And I know this because I won twelve million dollars in the Washington State Lottery.


Perry L. Crandall is an adorable character. His story grabbed me from page one.

I loved the voice and the rhythm of the writing. I felt the haziness surrounding the action and conversations Perry didn’t understand, or didn’t wish to be involved in. Perry is a man with a low IQ, but also a good and happy person.

When he wins the lottery, his mother and brothers try to swindle him out of his fortune. But Perry ultimately proves to be wiser than them.

I laughed, and I cried. Perry’s friends became my friends. And, after 305 pages, I wanted to keep on reading.

This book is a gem!

B-Day

Today is my birthday.

And, at long last, I’m impressed by my sisters’ good taste. Because this year – they both gave me Waterstone's gift cards.

I can buy more books.

Happy Me!!!

Fear of Flooding

In January 2005, after one month’s rain fell within 24 hours, the area where I live was severely flooded. Many properties were affected, and many people’s lives turned upside-down.

This afternoon, I popped to the supermarket, about one-and-a-half miles away. It was raining, heavily.

As I wheeled my trolley towards the checkouts, two cashiers were talking. They said the main road I’d just driven down was flooded, and that my part of town was completely cut-off!

I told them that only twenty minutes ago, it was fine.

They insisted they were right. That I must have just missed it, and would not be able to get back home! And if I lived near the river -- which I do -- my house would be flooded, too!!!

They said they’d heard it on the radio. They said the schools were closing early, and their colleagues who lived in the affected areas had already rushed home.

I was skeptical. I kept my cool. Then I hit a massive traffic-jam (most unusual) and saw cars containing school children, at two-thirty in the afternoon!

The traffic was crazy.

But the roads were open.

There was not even a puddle in front of my house!!!

What a bizarre afternoon.

A New Pitch

This week, as well as work-overload, I’ve had dental appointments and a hospital appointment, meaning messy chopped-up days. It's so frustrating to rush to an appointment, then sit -- waiting for two hours -- when you have other things to do!

But, while lounging around at the hospital, I remembered some pitch-writing advice I’d read on editor Cheryl Klein’s website, Talking Books:

If someone asked you before you met your significant other, “What kind of person are you looking for?” would you have described the exact person you’re with now?

For instance, if you asked me that question, I would not have said “A Chinese-American corporate lawyer from Queens who really likes Dungeons and Dragons,” which pretty much describes my last boyfriend.

And if you pitched that guy to me as a possible date, I might have been, “Ehhh, not so much.”

But if you said, “I know a really sweet, funny, smart guy who likes to read and is taller than you are”—well, there you go!

This makes sense!

And last night, in the after-glow of this light-bulb moment, I re-wrote my pitch in a flash. So, if my current submissions are rejected, I’m ready for the second round.

There is so much advice, so many examples out there of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ pitches, and I’d been trying to make mine 'fit'.

But this is not a pitch and letter writing exam. The purpose is to sell something unique.

Perhaps I’ve veered slightly from the standard. Maybe I’ve broken a couple of ‘rules’. But... I also did that in my novel!

My thanks to Cheryl Klein.