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By: Julia Callaway,
on 4/8/2014
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“But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve …”
– Othello (Act 1, Sc. 1, l.64)
April 2014 sees Shakespeare mature to the ripe old age of 450, and to celebrate we have collected a multitude of quotes from the famous bard in the below graphic, crafting his features with his own words.
To read the free scenes, open the graphic as a PDF.
Download the graphic as a jpg or PDF.
Oxford Scholarly Editions Online provides an interlinked collection of authoritative Oxford editions of major works from the humanities. Scholarly editions are the cornerstones of humanities scholarship, and Oxford University Press’s list is unparalleled in breadth and quality. Read more about the site, follow the tour, or watch the full story.
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The post Happy 450th birthday William Shakespeare! appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Candy Gourlay,
on 4/4/2012
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By Maureen Lynas
Are you embarrassed by the size of your slushpile? Do you hide it, ignore it, lie about it? DON'T! Be PROUD of it! SHOUT about it. I'm telling you now - MINE IS HUGE!
Why am I telling you now? Well, after reading Candy's latest blog post on the trauma of completing her second book, and seeing ex-lurker Tamsin's comments about writing for six years and not giving up, I was
by Addy Farmer
So here it is. Finished. For some weird reason, I'm almost ashamed to admit that the manuscript for my 12 plus novel has been 9 years in the making and began taking shape soon after my youngest was born. However, before you decide that I must have been carving it out a word at a time, I would point out that, no, I hadn't been working on it the whole time.
I would have exploded
Hi Ellen and welcome. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?Hi Tracy. Thanks for inviting me.
I’m an American ex-pat; I’ve been in England since the 1990s. I live in Devon with my husband and son in a very old and crumbling house which we are renovating.
My main obsession other than writing is fencing. I’ve been fencing for about a year and a half now but finding enough time to train is hard. It’s a great stress reliever because you can’t think about anything else while you’re doing it. I studied painting and still enjoy drawing; I spin, weave and knit when I have the time. I used to play the violin, but I’ve got a touch of RSI from too much typing, and my bowing arm isn’t up to it. (I fence left-handed now, which isn’t the reason I’m so bad, but it’s a good excuse.)
As a family, we love island holidays. My husband went camping as a teenager on the Scillies and we’ve been going back there regularly since we were married, although we know Alderney pretty well too and would like to get up to the Orkneys soon. These are the best times of my life: when the three of us are free of work and school for a whole fortnight, walking and cycling and picking blackberries, with the sea all around and air so clear it shines.
CASTLE OF SHADOWS
"No clue about why the Queen vanished had ever been found. Until now..."
The day Charlie discovers a scrap of paper that could solve the dark mystery of her mother's disappearance, her world changes. Forever.
Charlie and her friend, Toby, must race against time on a dangerous mission to uncover the sinister truth. But in this shadowy world of secrets and lies, there is more to fear than they can possibly imagine...
What inspired you to write CASTLE OF SHADOWS? One day an image popped into my head, that of a king dangling upside down from scaffolding, building an enormous castle out of playing cards. I have no idea where it came from. So I had a motif, and I invented a situation and characters to go with it. The plot followed.
CASTLE OF SHADOWS was the winner of the Cornerstones 2007 Wow Factor competition could you tell us about your journey from winning until publication?The book was actually written for that competition. A writing buddy encouraged me to enter, even though I was only about fifty pages into the first draft. I decided to be brave and go for it, figuring I wouldn’t make the longlist but writing like mad in case by some miracle I did. The deadlines were a strong incentive! When I won, I thought
Cornerstones would work with me on a rewrite before subbing to an agent, but Helen Corner sent the book straight off to
Rosemary Canter. To my amazement, Rosemary signed me on the basis of that initial draft. I did the first rewrite for her and she submitted to publishers in January 200
Hi Jon and welcome. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Tracy and thank you so much for inviting me for interview. It really is a pleasure.
I live in the North-West of England with my rather large family and a huge number of chickens, dogs, tortoises… and a cat. I’ve taught English, Drama, History, Life skills, shopping, but I like teaching children most. Music is important to me and I’ve played mandolins and guitars in a few folk and ceilidh bands over the years. My childhood was spent playing in the overgrown ruins of a Victorian zoo so I suppose it’s no surprise the way my stories turn out.
MORTLOCK
A wonderfully exciting, dark, and gruesomely gothic middle-grade chiller, set in Victorian London. Perfect and pacy entertainment for both girls and boys of 8+.
For orphan Josie, life is good with Cardamom, the great magician who took her in as a baby and with whom she now performs her astounding knife-throwing act. But then three mysterious ‘aunts’ turn up - taking over the house and transforming into vicious, giant crows, in thrall to evil Lord Corvis. With his dying breath, Cardamon tells Josie to ‘seek the Amarant - and Mortlock’. So begins a terrifying quest for Josie and her newly discovered twin, Alfie, the undertaker’s mute, who soon realize that the legendary Amarant is a plant with power over life and death, which Cardamon, Corvis and Mortlock first discovered many years ago in Abyssinia.
But Cardamon had another secret and now only the final destruction of the plant can quench Corvis’s growing powers and evil plans. Josie and Alfie will need all their courage and skills to save themselves and the world.
What inspired you to write MORTLOCK and how long did it take you from initial inspiration to finally achieving the publication deal?I was watching my son in a school production of ‘Oliver’ and when Oliver Twist is ‘sold’ to Mr Sowerberry the undertaker, I remember having one of
Sarah’s ‘What if’ moments. What if Oliver as an undertaker’s mute marching behind coffins every day suddenly found he could raise the dead? At that moment, Alfie Wiggins was born. November 2007. So you could say it took two years and five months. Of course everything I had written before led up to that point.
Throughout the book each chapter is separated by a quote from a traditional folk ballad. Did these songs inspire the writing of MORTLOCK in anyway?The main influence was
The Twa Corbies (The Two Ravens) it was such a gory ballad and one I had known of since childhood. In part, it gave me the idea of crows as the monsters for the book. The other ballads formed the fabric of my imaginary world. The songs give me an insight into how people might have thought or lived in the past. In one draft of the book, I had a singer who said that the dead talk to us through the old songs. I suppose I believe that.
MORTL
Why should you join a critique group?
by Guest Blogger Miriam Halahmy: Author, poet, workshop facilitator, writing mentor.
I started writing for children about four years ago. I was commissioned to write a story for children with cancer, Peppermint Ward, by a charity called CancerBackup.
I had never written for children before and I discovered a love and a flair for it. But I didn’t know any other children’s writers. Then I discovered SCBWI who encouraged members to set up critique groups. There wasn’t one for me to join, so I started my own. That was the beginning of the North London SCWBI group (NLSG) which I convened and have been running for over three years.
In work facilitating creative writing workshops I meet many aspiring writers in my work who are desperate to be recognised, published, become famous, etc. But so many have never shown their work to anyone, never listened to any feedback, never engaged in the analysis of their own and others work.
My first advice to them is - Share your work, with a class or a critique group. It could be your first real step towards stardom!
Miriam Halahmy & Christina Vinall
NLSG member,
Christina Vinall, who was placed in a
Cornerstones competition says:
'Apart from the wonderful inspiring people you get to know - honest professional feedback from fellow writers.'Of course, creating a healthy, vibrant, supportive critique group doesn’t happen overnight. But with perseverance your critique group could be the foundations for your budding writing career.
The NLSG began with three of us meeting for coffee in Central London. We hit it off straight away but within a year I was the only original member left. At one point there were fifteen people in the group but I wasn’t worried. I knew that the group needed to attract a lot of people before it would take shape and at the beginning I wasn’t sure what that shape should be.
Then I met
Candy Gourlay, a few months after we started. Candy was already a committed and experienced writer and also saw the value of a strong critique group. In the early days the monthly meetings in our homes often consisted of the two of us. But we persevered and it paid off.
Candy is now a widely published writer and a winner in the first
SCBWI Undiscovered Voices Anthology, 2008Here are her views on the importance of joining a critique group;
'Gone are the days when editors took a promising author in hand and shaped them into their full potential. I get this kind of nurturing from my critique group - as well as friendship, support, information and it’s a reminder that I do what I do for the love of it. It helps to be in a group with such strong writers as well because it keeps me striving to write better.' Gradually we recruited more people whom we felt suited the personality of our group and were writing for similar age groups. We agreed that members of our group needed to be working on novels for children to teens. Once we made this decision it was easier to decide who to try out. We wanted very committed writers who would develop their critique skills with us. They didn’t need to be published and personality was also very important. We had to consider whether someone would be a good ‘fit’for out group, not just a good writer. We didn’t want people who would dominate or focus on themselves or put others down.
Helen Peters & Christina Vinall
Helen Peters,
who joined NLSG a year and a half ago and who has just received an
Honourable Mention in Undiscovered Voices, 2009, comments;
'The value of being in a critique group is greater than I could ever have imagined. It is often easier to recognise problems and strengths in other people's work than in your own, but the process of critiquing trains you to become better at recognising the problems in your own work too. Critique partners keep your writing focused on the story and point out when you're being self-indulgent or getting sidetracked.In the isolated discipline of writing, your critique group are your colleagues. They keep you going when your confidence is low and provide a professional network, informing each other about interesting events, workshops, articles, books.' We had to be patient. It took more than a year to achieve the group which we felt would best support our writing. But eventually we became a group of five novelists and our work is going from strength to strength.
Candy Gourlay & Paolo Romeo
Paolo Romeo, author of
The Vespertine Hour also received an
Honourable Mention in Undiscovered Voices 2009, comments;
'Since I’ve joined the critique group three years ago, my writing has improved tremendously. That’s not only thanks to the feedback that I receive from my fellow writers but also the encouragement and motivation gained by attending critique meetings regularly, giving me a belief in my own writing efforts.'So, what makes a strong, enduring, meaningful critique group?You probably need to decide that for yourself, but this is how I did it:
1. I took on the role of Convenor. With email this is of course much easier than it sounds. But all groups need a leader. As Convenor I set the dates and venues for meeting and send email reminders round. I channel any practical problems as they arise, such as changing dates if someone can’t make it.
2. I take the lead in our monthly critique sessions. We meet between 6.30m and 7.00pm, to chat, eat, etc. But by 7.30pm I start the critique part of the session. I take charge of timing to ensure that each person gets a similar amount of attention.
3. We have evolved a way of working which is comfortable for our group. We have agreed to bring one chapter each month. We provide copies for everyone and then we sit and read in silence. We make notes on the work. Then we give spoken feedback.
4. Meeting monthly seems to suit our group. But we often see each other in between at writer events and share information about the ‘writing industry’. We also meet in different combinations informally between our regular meetings, for further critique, or we email sections to each other.
5. Paying attention to group dynamics is essential. I know of many groups who have failed because of members who simply didn’t fit. Be clear about who you want, take time to get to know them. We met people at Conferences and retreats and so were able to observe them in both critique and social situations over several days.
6. Decide how many members you can support. Be honest. Our group now has a reputation for nurturing writers to success and people often ask to join us. But we have found that five is the maximum we can currently support and so we have to state firmly that we are full.
7. Our shared view? Serious, knowledgeable, always striving to improve, with the overall goal to be published.
Not convinced yet? Well all five of us have had success with our writing, from publishing contracts to being placed in competitions.
Candy Gourlay and I have short stories in the same anthology,
Under the Weather, Francis Lincoln, 2009.I have just signed a three book contract with
Meadowside BooksSuccess in writing is a mixture of hard work, perseverance, surviving the rollercoaster ride of interest and rejections and also a bit of luck. Getting a publishing contract felt to me as tough as going through the eye of a needle.
But I also believe that my critique group have been the foundations, breaking the mould of the lonely writer scribbling away in an attic, veering between dreams and despair.
Don’t go it alone, join other writers, develop your critical skills and enjoy yourself. The writing world can keep you busy for the rest of your life if you take the plunge.
Happy Writing!Miriam Halahmywww.miriamhalahmy.comhttp://miriamhalahmy.blogspot.com/
By:
Susan Humphrey,
on 9/14/2009
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Hello again! Thought I'd better do a catch up and tell you about some more competitions that are running and what I've been up to.
I've been out and about quite a bit, took a fantastic trip down the Manchester Ship Canal on the Mersey Ferry (although we had a bit of trouble at the Salford end with a bridge that wouldn't open for two hours!) and I've been on a small mammals workshop in Cheshire where I got to learn about trapping to find out species live in an area.
I got to see a common shrew and lots of wood mice up close and had to help weighing them and picking them up by the scruff of their tiny necks which is very tricky! It was a really interesting day - with a very early start! I'm sure it'll come in useful for my Dr Midas stories one day too, it's great to get first hand experiences like that.
Speaking of Dr Midas I've been working on the second book again in the hope of entering it for the Times/Chicken Book children's fiction competition (deadline October 30th for whole novel up to 80,000 words - http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6733392.ece).
I entered the original competition with Dr Midas and the Pirates but didn't have any success and have wanted to try again but as you need a whole book I was a bit stuck. The only other completed children's book I have is the sequel Dr Midas and the Incas. I think it would be really hard to do well with a sequel but then I started wondering if it could be changed so that it read as a standalone which it is for the main part. The biggest hurdle is how to get round the fact that this is adventure starts with Max finding out that his sister Millie has been on a time travel adventure with Dr Midas. He is so jealous that he decides to do the same and steals the time machine.
I've actually entered the first few chapters in another competition and was happy with them but when Iooked at them again I realised the start was slow in the Max and Millie parts and definitely not strong enough for setting up a first book.
So I've re-written the first two chapters so far, now the book doesn't start at Max and Milie's home but at the museum where they are on a school trip. I'm much happier with the new start, but still have a good way to go. I also need to make sure I really keep in my characters heads all the way through. I do think that my writing has really come on since my Cornerstones critique.
Actually I got asked in a job interview last week (sady I didn't get it) how did I know if my writing was any good? It's an interesting question and my answer was that I'd had a couple of competition wins and some good feedback via my website and query letters but mainly I guess because I love reading and I know what makes me give up on a book. Of course it's much harder to judge when your so close to the work, but leaving a good length of time before revising definitely helps.
Anyway I promised aye-ayes, pirates and more comps!
Firstly aye-ayes - I hope you've been watching Last Chance to See with Stephen Fry - it's been a brilliant series so far, but the best is yet to come this Sunday (BBC 2 8pm) because he's going in search of Madagascar's aye-aye. In an interview with the Radio Times he was asked if he had a favourite animal from his trip.
He said: "We met a captive aye-aye eyeball to eyeball - and what strange amber eyes they have - and watched a wild pair from below a tree as they tapped and sucked at a coconuts. They're astonishing, but spooky too. I think the Mme Berthe's mouse lemur takes a lot of beating for sheer, unadulterated cute."
Another lemur fan! There was a great photo of him and zoologist Mark Carwardine with lemurs too.
Soon everyone will know what an aye-aye is! Hopefully they'll want to read adventure stories involving them and other lemurs too! I'm also pleased to read that the title of the next Pirates of the Carribean has been annouced. Apparantly it is going to be 'On Stranger Tides.' I'm glad pirates are still proving popular and marketable, especially as I'm still trying to find a home for Dr Midas and the Pirates! (I've sent it to another slush pile via email.)
Well there's the new Brit Writers' Awards which I saw advertised in Writing Magazine which is supporting this new competition. There are lots of categories including short story, novel and poetry and entry - which is usually £10.95 is free for WM subscribers. There are also young writers categories and schools can register so their pupils can also enter for free. There's a website www.britwriters.co.uk but information is a bit sketchy at the moment. The deadline is December 8th 2009. I'd be interested to know what other people think about this one - there's a big prize up for grabs too of £10,000.
The Sunday Times have also launched a competition for previously published writers - The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. There's a £25,000 prize for the winning story and entries can be up to 7,000 words long. For more details visit http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6817172.ece
The Sefton Celebrates writing competitions are also open for entry again. Deadline is October 9th 2009 and the theme for this year is journeys. There are prizes for poetry, other writing (£2 to enter), and writing by young people (free entry) . Entry forms/details at http://www.seftonarts.co.uk/uploads/file/writing%20comp%20pdf.pdf Well good luck if you enter any of these competitions.
Susan :)
By:
Susan Humphrey,
on 9/14/2009
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Hello again! Thought I'd better do a catch up and tell you about some more competitions that are running and what I've been up to.
I've been out and about quite a bit, took a fantastic trip down the Manchester Ship Canal on the Mersey Ferry (although we had a bit of trouble at the Salford end with a bridge that wouldn't open for two hours!) and I've been on a small mammals workshop in Cheshire where I got to learn about trapping to find out species live in an area.
I got to see a common shrew and lots of wood mice up close and had to help weighing them and picking them up by the scruff of their tiny necks which is very tricky! It was a really interesting day - with a very early start! I'm sure it'll come in useful for my Dr Midas stories one day too, it's great to get first hand experiences like that.
Speaking of Dr Midas I've been working on the second book again in the hope of entering it for the Times/Chicken Book children's fiction competition (deadline October 30th for whole novel up to 80,000 words - http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6733392.ece).
I entered the original competition with Dr Midas and the Pirates but didn't have any success and have wanted to try again but as you need a whole book I was a bit stuck. The only other completed children's book I have is the sequel Dr Midas and the Incas. I think it would be really hard to do well with a sequel but then I started wondering if it could be changed so that it read as a standalone which it is for the main part. The biggest hurdle is how to get round the fact that this is adventure starts with Max finding out that his sister Millie has been on a time travel adventure with Dr Midas. He is so jealous that he decides to do the same and steals the time machine.
I've actually entered the first few chapters in another competition and was happy with them but when Iooked at them again I realised the start was slow in the Max and Millie parts and definitely not strong enough for setting up a first book.
So I've re-written the first two chapters so far, now the book doesn't start at Max and Milie's home but at the museum where they are on a school trip. I'm much happier with the new start, but still have a good way to go. I also need to make sure I really keep in my characters heads all the way through. I do think that my writing has really come on since my Cornerstones critique.
Actually I got asked in a job interview last week (sady I didn't get it) how did I know if my writing was any good? It's an interesting question and my answer was that I'd had a couple of competition wins and some good feedback via my website and query letters but mainly I guess because I love reading and I know what makes me give up on a book. Of course it's much harder to judge when your so close to the work, but leaving a good length of time before revising definitely helps.
Anyway I promised aye-ayes, pirates and more comps!
Firstly aye-ayes - I hope you've been watching Last Chance to See with Stephen Fry - it's been a brilliant series so far, but the best is yet to come this Sunday (BBC 2 8pm) because he's going in search of Madagascar's aye-aye. In an interview with the Radio Times he was asked if he had a favourite animal from his trip.
He said: "We met a captive aye-aye eyeball to eyeball - and what strange amber eyes they have - and watched a wild pair from below a tree as they tapped and sucked at a coconuts. They're astonishing, but spooky too. I think the Mme Berthe's mouse lemur takes a lot of beating for sheer, unadulterated cute."
Another lemur fan! There was a great photo of him and zoologist Mark Carwardine with lemurs too.
Soon everyone will know what an aye-aye is! Hopefully they'll want to read adventure stories involving them and other lemurs too! I'm also pleased to read that the title of the next Pirates of the Carribean has been annouced. Apparantly it is going to be 'On Stranger Tides.' I'm glad pirates are still proving popular and marketable, especially as I'm still trying to find a home for Dr Midas and the Pirates! (I've sent it to another slush pile via email.)
Well there's the new Brit Writers' Awards which I saw advertised in Writing Magazine which is supporting this new competition. There are lots of categories including short story, novel and poetry and entry - which is usually £10.95 is free for WM subscribers. There are also young writers categories and schools can register so their pupils can also enter for free. There's a website www.britwriters.co.uk but information is a bit sketchy at the moment. The deadline is December 8th 2009. I'd be interested to know what other people think about this one - there's a big prize up for grabs too of £10,000.
The Sunday Times have also launched a competition for previously published writers - The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. There's a £25,000 prize for the winning story and entries can be up to 7,000 words long. For more details visit http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6817172.ece
The Sefton Celebrates writing competitions are also open for entry again. Deadline is October 9th 2009 and the theme for this year is journeys. There are prizes for poetry, other writing (£2 to enter), and writing by young people (free entry) . Entry forms/details at http://www.seftonarts.co.uk/uploads/file/writing%20comp%20pdf.pdf Well good luck if you enter any of these competitions.
Susan :)
This is my most favourite post on the whole trying to get published thing ever. EV-ER!<br /><br />Absolutely brilliant. And yup...you are funny!<br />If I say publication is just round the corner, please don't punch me in the face. But I really believe it.
PS Have just posted this on the Writewords website..
... and about your grammar 'most favourite' ... surely it's 'most favouritest'?!
Ahem! Good morning, early bird!<br />And yes isn't it brilliant? Go, Maureen!
Love it. Look forward to laughing with one of your books. :)
Briliant, brilliant, as only your posts can be, Maureen! And I am much heartened, given the vast size of my own slushpile and gazillion years spent skiing down it! There may yet be hope for me! *rushes off to scribble furiously*
Great post, Maureen. Made me feel a bit better about my pile. And in answer to your question: 2 book shelves and 3 drawers full of multiple versions of 1 adult, 2 YA, 1 mid range, 1 chapter and a heap of stories (two of which actually got published - yippee I'm a writer ;-) ). And that doesn't include the current WIP either!
My slushpile is HUGE. In fact if I hadn't stopped printing things - and started having bonfires - we wouldn't fit in the house.<br /><br />And you are very funny. Clearly, as if you say it enough times (and put it in yellow boxes) it must be so :O)
Leave Caroline's grammar alone, Candy Gourlay - she thinks I'm funny! And she's re-posted! Thanks Caroline :) I shall refrain from punching you.
Thanks, Liane - on day you might just get to do that!
You will, Nicky, it's us determined (obsessed) folk who make it in the end. Love the idea of ski-ing down the slushpile I've always just slid down on my bottom crying Aargh!!!
Impressive list, Jeannette and I'm pleased to see you have multiple versions too. I was a bit bothered that I'd written the Jawbreaker three times and then had to walk away. It's still not right. It may never be right!
Ah, you spotted my subliminal message!
So that's what you've been doing up in the attic for the last twelve years.
Did you miss me?
Of course, where's me tea?
Excellent post! And heartening, as I'm on my 9 1/2 th (can I say that?) novel, most of which have been re-written at least five times. I'm really hoping this is The One, but, boy have I learned a lot along the way! Oh, and I did the Cornerstones self-editing course too. Eye-opening! Good luck with Prince Bob!
Here's my list. Like you Maureen I now realise that 7+ and MG is where i want to be. Great post and so reassuring not to be alone. But really proud of my backlist. There's some great stuff in there.<br /><br />1 x MG dystopian fantasy<br />1 x picture book<br />1x MG girls adventure<br />2 x 7+ adventure series<br />1 x ya space gothic<br />1 x MG boys humour
You should be proud, Jo. That represents a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and hopes. I like the idea of a space gothic, could you do that for MG? Has anyone else, I wonder?
Sent via ancient Imac from a field of turnips:<br />Me too! I have a big slush pile and have been on a similar journey (though I have never knowingly been funny).<br />Great post Maureen. Congratulations on finding an agent and good luck with the next stage of your journey.
Right OK - I've a way to go yet then - <br />Picture books x 4 ( far too difficult)<br />mid-grade x 1<br />7-9 x 2<br />YA novels x2 - though one is being extensively rewritten, now, actually, so why aren't I doing it? Stop distracting me Lynas ;o)
Maureen that was wonderful! Thank you.<br />I feel heartened.<br /><br />Can quite face piling up my slush yet - it's all over the place but it includes some picture books too.<br /><br />Now here's a thought - how about some comedy glasses? They could be your trademark?
What marvellous piles you have, Maureen. Loved reading this - it sparkles!
Brilliant post, Maureen. You are definitely funny! I can relate to your struggle of what to focus on. For me, following through and completing all the ideas I have is a big struggle for me as well. Congratulations and keep on writing! Colleen :)
Thanks Amanda. Good luck with your journey too.
Sorry! Get on with it! Write! Write! Write! We need your books. Kathryn - You Have Talent!
I could borrow some from Edna Everidge! Or maybe Elton John?
Lol and guffaw! Lovely Addy, thank you :)
It's so hard isn't it, especially as the next one is always better than the one you're working on now and will be much easier to write - or so you think until you actually start to write it!
Wonderfully inspiring post Maureen and Nicky, definitely,your time will come. My slushpile holds my bed up so it has its uses. And btw Maureen....you are very funny ;-)
I've always thought you were funny, Maureen - and not just ha-ha funny!
I may adjust the life-long friend comment. It's under review from now on. You have one year. Watch yourself grrr.
Fantastic read, Maureen! And definitely an inspiration to the rest of us to perservere! My slushpile must be nearly as long as yours--I just haven't forced myself to compile everything and see exactly how much I have written. :) Thanks for sharing!
Journey begins ...<br />Stage 1: 'Oh, I shall be an illustrator'. <br />Action: Complete sample artwork and dummies for x4 picture books. <br />Event: 2 deals on table<br />Outcome: Table mysteriously disappears. <br /> <br />Stage 2: 'Oh, I shall be a picture book writer'. <br />Action: completes picture books - x10 <br />Event: x3 accepted by publishers<br />Outcome: currently