ABBA Online Lit Fest

I've been reading An Awfully Big Blog Adventure (ABBA), run by the Scattered Authors' Society for while now, so was hugely excited to find out that they were holding an online literary festival 9 & 10 July.

I've never been to an online festival, but I love the concept. Firstly it's free, and secondly, anyone can attend without leaving the comfort of their own home.  This one's particularly special because it's run entirely by a group of talented children's authors. Throughout the day,  they'll be popping in to share insights, tips, book news and giveaways. The schedule looks amazing:

Saturday 9th July

9.30am Anne Cassidy Post: To Blog or Not To Blog?
10.00am Jo Cotterill 
10.30am Anne Rooney & Mary Hoffman Video: Italian Inspiration
11.00am Celia Rees Post: Scattered Authors, the Beginning
11.30am Elen Caldecott Competition: Win 'Operation Eiffel Tower'
12 NOON Sally Nicholls
12.30pm Gillian Phillip Competition: Win 'Bloodstone' and 'Firebrand'
1.00pm Liz Kessler Competition: Win 'A Year Without Autumn'
1.30pm Sam Mills Video: Interview with Tyger Drew-Honey
2.00pm Adele Geras
2.30pm Jane Eagland Post: The Ups and Downs of Research
3.00pm Enid Richemont
3.30pm Malcolm Rose Post: Reader Gregor Kelly questions Malcolm Rose over Forbidden Island
4.00pm Lucy Coats Video and Competition: The Hero Dog Story
4.30pm Susan Price & Katherine Roberts Post: Kindles and Kids Books
5.00pm Wendy Meddour Post: On Not Being a Famous Actress
5.30pm Miriam Halahmy & Savita Kalhan Video drama and discussion about Edgy Fiction
6.00pm Catherine Johnson Post: Rastamouse, the Moomins and Me
6.30pm Penny Dolan
7.00pm Linda Newbery & Julia Jarman
7.30pm Andrew Strong 

Sunday 10th July

10.30am Emma Barnes
11.00 am Dianne Hofmeyr & Miriam Moss
11.30am Kath Langrish Post: Secret Rooms in Children's Fiction
12 NOON Nicola Morgan Competition: Win 'Write to be Published' and a crabbit bag.
12.30pm Julie Sykes Post and Competition: My Favourite Bears
1.00pm Leila Rasheed Competition: Win a critique
1.30pm Joan Lennon Post: The Flamingo and the Writer
2.00pm Hilary McKay Competition: Win 'Caddy's World'
2.30pm Fiona Dunbar & Keren David Video: In Conversation
3.00pm Josh Lacey Competition: Win 'Island of Thieves'
3.30pm Marie-Louise Jensen & David Calcutt
4.00pm Candy Gourlay Video: Creating a Legend
4.30pm Karen Ball Competition: An Inspiring Giveaway
5.00pm Linda Strachan & Cathy MacPhail Video: In Conversation
5.30pm Malachy Doyle Post: The Happy Book
6.00pm Michelle Lovric Competition: Win 'The Undrowned Child'
6.30pm Sue Purkiss Post: What the Dickens?
7.00pm Julie Day
7.30pm Lynne Garner 

There are loads of ways to get involved in the fun. You can join the dedicated ABBA Online Litfest Facebook Event Page to receive updates and follow @AwfullyBigBlog on Twitter, tweeting your thoughts using the hashtag #ABBAlitfest. 

See you there, Pimm's in one hand, mouse in the other!

The Revision Process

I have a love/hate relationship with revisions.  I'm definitely not a one-pass person and admire those who can write something perfect first time.  My story-writing journey tends to be a more complicated affair - starting with a mad-dash first draft and then going through several cycles of correction until I'm happy with the final result. It's a bit like whittling pebbles down to sand and there's no way of really knowing how long this process will take. I revised my first novel ten times and it still isn't finished.  I'm hoping that my second novel will be ready in fewer cycles, but quality will dictate.

I've approached the revisions for my second novel from a completely different perspective, working through Novel Metamorphosis by Darcy Pattison, and then drawing up an outline.  Although the structured exercises might not be to everyone's taste, they definitely worked for me.  Darcy Pattison asks the author to reflect on each aspect of their novel - plot, character, language - and then refine these using various techniques and strategies.  I'm now re-shaping the novel to fit the new outline, although being a pantser at heart, I'm not finding it that easy!  It's also becoming clear that this won't be a simple quick fix for the novel.  The plot might be tighter, but with each rewrite, the characters are still revealing their personalities and motivations - rich material that I can't overlook. I expect that there'll be at least another two drafts, maybe more.

So how do you revise your novels? Do you strive to get it right first time or do you redo it until you're happy? Do you use workbooks or rely on your own judgement? I'd love to hear how other authors sharpen up their stories.

Inspired by...Pagan Mysteries

Following on from the latest blog entry by Fiona Dunbar on Notes from the Slushpile, I've put together a list of my inspirations for my WIP, The Moonlocket.  I've mentioned some of these before in this blog, but thought it might be fun to briefly list some of my other influences:

1) The Wicker Man
It might be slightly dated, but for me, this film really captures the dark underbelly of British tradition and the ancient customs that exist in remote communities. Some of this stuff still happens in Derbyshire, honest! The ending is truly horrific. Drama, death, fire and damnation!

2) A Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks
I'd already written a few drafts of The Moonlocket when I read A Year of Wonders. It's a fictionalised account based on the real-life story of Eyam, a Derbyshire village ravaged by plague in the 17th century.  I'm not hugely into historical novels, but Geraldine Brooks' interpretation of events is both beautifully written and mesmerising. 

3) The Watcher in the Woods
Ruined chapels, ghostly reflections and cryptic messages - this definitely wasn't your standard Disney flick and I remember being terrified by it when I was younger (I avoided looking into mirrors for days afterwards). Nowadays the film doesn't have the same fear factor, but it still manages to capture that unsettling sensation of being watched.

4) A Warning to the Curious
A dark tale of curiosity gone bad.  I'm a massive fan of M.R. James' work and particularly like the creepy BBC film adaptations (you can watch a clip below).  Many of the stories involve cursed artifacts - a much-used theme, but scary nonetheless.

Hope you've enjoyed this round-up of pagan oddities and entertainment. If you have a liking for all things weird and wonderful then you might also want to check out Atlas Obscura.