2012 Writing Goals

OK, I know I'm horribly late with my first post of this year, but better late than never.

To be honest, it's taken me until now to catch up after the Christmas break. After a few failed starts, I'm spinning out a new story - or rather, re-working an old one.  I'm also trying not to think about my completed novel, Breakwater, while it dips a tentative toe into the world of publishing  Early days, but very exciting so far.

So what about the goals? Usually, my first instinct is to throw in as many benchmarks as possible, but this year I've decided to take a more measured approach and set five only:

1) Craft the new manuscript with patience, care and dedication. Make it my best work to-date.
I always thought I worked hard enough until I read Laini Taylor's amazing collection of essays about her approach to writing  - Not for Robots.  I might not follow all her methods, but I'm definitely going to try lots of them, particularly paying attention to the hard work & revisions section. 

2) Write 3 short stories.
I don't usually write short stories, but I had some success with one of my pieces last year when it was shortlisted for the Frome Short Story Competition. I'd like to set aside some time to try a few more - a ghost story, a sci-fi and maybe a fairytale retelling.

3) Attend 5 events that improve my writing skills.
As a member of SCBWI, I've been lucky enough to attend some amazing talks and workshops, but I'm keen to absorb even more!  I've signed up for the SCBWI North-West events this year, and I'd love to visit a literary festival.

4) Support the UK YA Publishing industry.
This deserves a place here because the more I read, the better I write!

5) Get Taken On by a Fabulous Agent
I've saved the biggest (and hardest) until last, but like every aspiring writer, I'd love to be represented. I can't think of anything better than being able to collaborate with an industry professional and take my work to the next level.

So there they are - short and and relatively sweet. Let's find out what 2012 brings.

How Many Lives Can You Live?

As a writer, I'm rarely satisfied with my work. There's always room for improvement - chapters to delete, sentences to cut. And even when I think I'm almost there, I'll invariably return within months and see glaring errors that should never have made it past the save button. It's the same with life too. I continually question myself. Why did I write/say/not say that? Why didn't I take the chance when I had it? Why didn't I make time? 

But after discovering this amazing talk by Sarah Kay on the Ted Talks website, I've started to see it all from a different perspective. Yes, we tell stories because we want to lead many different lives, but it's also OK to accept that those stories are snapshots in time. They don't have to be perfect. They can be re-written over and over again. We can give ourselves license to let go once in a while.

You can find Sarah Kay's website here.

Book Recommendation: Grub's Pups (Ruby and Grub)

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to go to the launch of the wonderful picture book, Grub's Pups - written by Abi Burlingham and illustrated by Sarah Warburton.

The tale is told by Grub's owner, Ruby, who follows her boisterous dog as he comes to terms with parenthood. At first Grub can't understand why his friend Tilly doesn't want to play, but then one day, after lots of suspense, five pups emerge and life becomes fun again.

This is a gentle tale that presents pregnancy in a light-hearted, sensitive way.  The story is engaging and warm and the pictures are full of humour, making the book an ideal Christmas present for children aged 2-5.

You can buy Grub's Pups here and find Abi Burlingham's lovely website here. 

Longlisted!

I received the best news this week.  I've been longlisted as one of the 2012 Undiscovered Voices authors along with 24 other writers and 8 illustrators. This accolade means a lot to me because the competition is run by the amazing SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), an organisation that's really encouraged my interest in writing teen fiction.  The nomination is also special because the entries have been chosen by a panel of children's book publishing experts who really know their stuff.

The finalists will be announced 5th December and the twelve winning extracts will be published in an anthology that will be distributed to UK editors and agents in January 2012. It would be a dream come true to make it through to the anthology, but in the meantime, I'd like to offer my congratulations to my fellow nominees:

Rosie Best, Jan Carr, Veronica Cossanteli, Liz de Jager, Julienne Durber, Sandra Greaves, Jane Hardstaff, Deborah Hewitt, Jennifer Hicks, David Hofmeyr & Zoe Crookes, Sharon Jones, Rachel J. Latham, Maureen Lynas, Michael Marett-Crosby, Richard Masson, Stephanie McGregor, Anne Mitchell, Chantel Marie Napier, Sally-Jayne Poyton, Melissa Rogerson, Joanna Sargent, Lara Williamson, Rachel Wolfreys, and Jo Wyton.

Kim Geyer, Jennifer Graham, Julia Groves, Amber Hsu, Heather Kilgour, Shana Nieburg-Suschitzky, Nicola Patten, and Rachel Quarry.

Wishing you all the best of luck!

Second Campaigner Challenge - The Imago Test

I really enjoyed having a go at the last Campaigner Challenge so thought I'd try this one too. Here's the brief:

Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc.

The blog post should:

• include the word "imago" in the title
• include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.

For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!

Pretty difficult, but I couldn't resist a challenge. Here's my entry:

The Imago Test

I take my place alongside the other initiates so that the tips of my toes overhang the ledge.  The chasm oscitates ahead, a wide lacuna between two promontories, each studded with a black obelix. Stiffening, I turn to look at Marlo. He catches my eye and manages a weak smile. “We’ll be fine. We’re the chosen,” he whispers, but fear surrounds him like a thick miasma. How are we supposed to survive this?

The horn blows and Martha jumps. I watch as she plummets towards the sea, my heart racing, but then something explodes from her back - wings that reflect the pale sunlight like mirrors. I inhale sharply as she catches the wind and soars to the other side of the abyss, raising her hand in triumph.  Why has no one told us what we might become?

Marlo’s next, but this time I can’t look. I close my eyes. When I open them, there’s no sign of him. 

The priest stands beside me, his face bone-white against purple robes. “Time to take flight, daughter.”

Empty, I gaze up at the clouds just as a butterfly crosses the sky, a silverwing. Marlo’s favourite. In that moment of synchronicity, I fall.

Seven Random Things About Me

I was mightly chuffed to receive a Versatile Blogger Award from Kristina Fugate over at KayKay's Corner  and Jani Grey at Life Debatable today.  To obtain my shiny badge, however, I have to complete three different tasks:

1.)  Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

2.)  Share 7 things about yourself.
3.)  Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it.

So here goes number two. Seven things about me:

1. I've lived in 26 different dwellings (including a old mill and a tent) during my 30-something years. Unsurprisingly, change holds very little fear for me now.

2. I have an intense dislike of cut flowers - almost a phobia.  A bouquet is the worst thing that anyone could ever buy me. Plants are OK, trees are even better.

3. My first story was published in the Puffin Post when I was 12 years old. It was called 'The Sandals and The Unsuspecting Witch'. 

4. I like Hayao Miyazaki's work so much (see last post) that I decided to pay a special visit to the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo a couple of years ago.

5. I eat at least one banana every day - sometimes two.

6. I've never used my dishwasher even though I have lived in my current house for nearly four years.

7. My hiking boots are twenty-two years old and still going strong. They've made contact with five continents, completed two long-distance trails and climbed countless hills.

Now to pass this on. I'd like to give this award to the following bloggers:

Claire Robyns
Read in Between the Lines
Imagination to Publication
Belief Suspenders
Life Debatable
Thoughts from the Hearthfire
The Scribbling Sea Serpent
In Somnis Veritas
Medeia Sharif
The Eagle's Aerial Perspective

And thanks once again to Kristina and Jani for passing this award to me in the first place!

If I Could Be Anyone, I'd Be...

As part of the celebrations for the launch of Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland, I'm joining in with her 'If I Could Be Anyone, I'd Be' party. 
  

I've spent all day racking my brains, but have finally decided that I'd like to be Princess Nausicaa from Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. 

Not only is she a skilled fighter and glider pilot, she’s also wise and compassionate with a soft-spot for giant insects.  I love the way that she steers her own path in the face of overwhelming odds, saving a whole race of Ohms (misunderstood caterpillar-like creatures) from extinction when everyone else fears them.   She’s also the Chosen One – the person destined to restore the earth’s natural cycle.  With credentials like these, I definitely swap places with this character for a short time, although maybe not forever.  

And now onto the real reason for this post - Talli's new book - Watching Willow Watts:

For twenty-five-year-old Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop; nights watching fuzzy telly whilst the elderly residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation is uploaded to YouTube. A canny viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image hidden in the film and Willow becomes an international sensation. Her dire little town is suddenly overrun with fans proclaiming her to be the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers - whose shops and businesses are cashing in - Willow eagerly embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and scoffing cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves. But when the only man she has ever truly loved returns, seeking the old Willow, it's decision time. Should she risk stardom and the village's new-found fortune on love? Or is being Marilyn Willow's real ticket to happiness

You can buy a UK copy of the book here and a US Kindle copy here.