It has been a while since my last post here on this blog.
During the last month I have been busy finishing off my course work for my Master of Arts in Creative Writing . It has distracted me from blogging for quite a few weeks. Then I had a few days in hospital - kidney stones are no fun. This was followed almost immediately by a stay in hospital by my wife. She had a blood clot in her leg which also was far from fun. You could say we were helping to keep the local medical staff gainfully employed. We are both on the mend now.
During my enforced stay in bed I managed to do quite a few hours of reading - all the in line of background research for my thesis novel. The reading was accomplished despite the fog created by the morphine to quell the waves of pain. Okay - I’ll come clean. I actually had to put the book down quite a few times and take frequent naps.
As I was reading, something triggered an interesting response in my foggy brain. I suddenly had an idea for the text of a picture book based on an experience our family had with a Koala many years ago. The story came to me in a flash - start to finish. That is quite amazing as the ideas I have often take many days - and sometimes weeks or even years - to find that satisfying ending.
Fortunately I had asked my wife to bring me my writing notebook to the hospital. Over the next few hours I jotted down the text of the picture book. Mind you, this is only a very rough first draft. It will probably need to go through many more drafts and rewriting before it is ready to send off to a publisher. Coming up with a unique idea is sometimes the hardest part of writing picture books. This was easy. The hard part will be in refining the text to a publishable standard.
Proofreading one’s writing is essential. That’s a given. You certainly don’t want eny mistaeks to creep in unannounced, or unnoticed.
I can handle proofreading because I want a potential publisher to be looking at the content of my writing, not at all the errors I have made. Good impressions and all that.
Editing is a totally different matter. I’ve had a creative block against heavy and focused editing for years. Over the last 18 months while doing my Master of Arts in Creative Writing course I have been converted. Editing is an essential part of the creative process for every writer. Now I strive for every word to count. Is it the very best word to use? Is there a better word? Does that word, phrase or sentence convey the meaning I intended? Is the story, poem or article structured in the best way? And that’s just the start.
Editing can be tedious. It can also be very creative. Above all, it is essential.
It was therefore with amusement I came across a blog post recently called How to Edit even Goodlier. The text doesn’t say much, but the 3 videos are hilarious, especially the third one called “The The impotence of proofreading.” Brilliant stuff.
I’ve recently joined the ranks of those who Twitter. (Okay - you can stop laughing/ crying/ booing etc.
I find it fascinating for keeping up with family and friends (yes - I do have a few).
Earlier today I came across a link to someone who had started Tweeting the Great Works of Literature. Now, with only 140 characters to play with, there is a challenge.
Here are some I particularly like:
Samuel Beckett’s bleak play Waiting for Godot is reduced to: “Vladimir and Estragon stand next to tree and wait for Godot. Their status is not updated.” Pride and Prejudice
janeaustin: Woman meets man called Darcy who seems horrible. He turns out to be nice really. They get together.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
helenfielding: RT @janeaustin Woman meets man called Darcy who seems horrible. He turns out to be nice really. They get together.
The road to getting published is a very difficult one. You need to know what you are doing, and submit the very best you can write.
Sadly though, submitting the very best of your writing is often not enough. You must take a very professional approach to the business of writing - and it is a business. A recent article I read gives many hints on becoming a published writer.
Writing can be a very discouraging occupation at times. Much of the time actually. I went through a period of many months a few years ago when I had a string of rejections - 30 of them in a row. It almost brought me to the point of quitting.
But like my need to breathe, I need to write.
So I kept on writing and submitting stories, poems and articles. I kept posting on my blogs. Soon the income from my blogs increased and soon I started getting my writing accepted again. I’m pleased I didn’t give up. The most recent 30 submissions have seen 18 acceptances. Now that’s a better acceptance/rejection ratio.
My most recent publication success came this week with the arrival of a complementary copy of a magazine which included a suite of five sonnets I had written. That’s more encouragement, and I really needed that because I’m going through a few tough health issues at present.
Tues I said I had a cold. Wrong. I have a terrible flu. Like to get my hands on the "swine" who gave it to me. [achoo! sniff! cough!]
about 17 hours ago from twhirl
Sneezing... sneezing....sneezing.... even my sneezes are having sneezes.
about 1 day ago from twhirl
I dink I'll go to bed - I got a cold in the hed. Didn't need dat right now.
about 2 days ago from twhirl
Forecast today: gale force wind, thunder storms & generally wild weather. Yep - they got it right. Had the wild wind - now the heavy rain
about 3 days ago from twhirl
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