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Back into writing again

No Comments »20th July, 2009; Category: Master of Arts course, The Writer's Life, Writing a novel

I haven’t posted much here on this blog for quite a while. In fact, I haven’t posted much on all three of my blogs over the last two months.

One major reason is that I’ve been busy finishing off the course work for my Master of Arts in Creative Writing . That’s now finished and the final assignments were handed up last week. I almost had a period of grieving when that happened. That might sound a little strange but over the last 18 months my focus has been on completing the requirements of this course. That can be an all-consuming focus too. It has left precious little time for blogging and general writing.

Then over the last five weeks we both had illness to deal with. First, I was in hospital with kidney stone problems. Very painful but over that now. Then a few days later my wife also ended up in hospital and when she came out I had to care for her for about a week. She is now on the road to full recovery too. As if that wasn’t enough I ended up with a severe bout of flu which put me in bed for 9 days. I’m much better now – except for a very persistent cough that refuses to go away.

All through this trying time I was able to keep up with some reading – most of the time I couldn’t attempt much else.

Now I really much get back into the writing again. My major focus for the next few months is to get back into my novel. I’m in the middle of writing a novel for children which will be a major part of my thesis paper for the degree. I’ll keep you posted here on my blog as to progress.

Good writing.


Writing while in hospital

1 Comment »23rd June, 2009; Category: Master of Arts course, Picture Books, Writing for Children

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.

Good writing.


The importance of editing

4 Comments »18th May, 2009; Category: Master of Arts course, Writing Hints

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.

Happy editing – and good writing.


Great Works of Literature on Twitter

No Comments »17th May, 2009; Category: General

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.

To read the original article, click here.

Hints on getting published

No Comments »16th May, 2009; Category: The Writer's Life, Writing Hints

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.

Good writing.


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