WRITING BOOKSHELF

Current Work: My main aim this week is to get a Faerie story out of my head and onto paper (and if I have to on the screen)
On My Bedside Table: Assegai By Wilbur Smith - his latest, just finished it...
Listening to: The ice starting to form around my ears - my office is freezing!


What's On Yours?
Bookshelf that is. And I mean books on writing. I can't tell you how many I've got. I'm just putting together an inventory out of pure interest. I can tell you how many I've read. Very few. So one of my 'goals' this year is to work my way through them. Last week I read Stephen King's On Writing and I've just skipped through one on 'Novel Writing' - skip being the operative word. I'm not going to go into any in-depth reviews here as I'm planning to start a new blog just dedicated to book reviews but today it really struck me. Whilst these books are interesting, informative, even educative, they only tell us about one writers way of going about 'their writing'. Whilst, I know that there isn't anywhere on this great earth that holds the 'writing secret' I do believe that we can always improve our craft and I suppose what better way than to read how other writers 'do it'. Some writers are very technical, with gadgets, widgets and all sorts of techy little programs which help them to get the words down somewhere. Others are more organic, more freestyle and allow themselves to be taken along on the shirt tails of their characters. Others are very organised, methodical and pedantic with their rituals, their lucky charms and their routines. I'm a blend of the last two. Which ever way a writer writes - it's the right way for them and in that way it is unique. I enjoy reading about the 'how to' but am always reminded of the dog eared familiar words that ' a writer has to write...' So I'm going to keep on flicking through my bookshelf, but I've made another promise, that every book I read, I'll write about it. Hence the new blog, so watch this space.


Don't Think Just Write


Visit Writers Abroad

FRESH START

Current Work: Planning for July
Listening to: Nothing, the silence is pleasing
Reading: Echo Burning by Lee Child

A New Month Approaches
I've spent the morning reviewing this month (less said the better) and planning the next month (it will get better). The trouble is with this writing business is that it can be so up and down, but when I stop to think about it - its no different to any other job. Though I'm not sure I could call this a job, the hours are as flexible as contortionists limbs, the pay is infrequent and the conditions, well that's down to me and the best part of the job. Anyway, I've brushed myself down and given myself a good talking too and am now back on track. I've writing three A4 pages of actions and have renewed energy for the next writing saga. So the novel will be submitted to a second agent. The second novel The Promise will start to take shape and the third novel The Good Life will hopefully be well on its way to a completed first draft. I have also started to research a novella, based in Saxon times for the Historical Undone Series and have planned to submit two short stories. Phew!! That's without all the non-fiction stuff with Suite 101 and twelve queries a week. So there is plenty for me to wield my inky pen with. We have relatives staying but that's OK, sometimes having these kind of distractions helps me to focus a little quicker and a little smarter. So onwards and upwards - things can only get better as the song tells us!

Book Worm

Sorry, haven't finished the book yet, though had a good slug of reading time on Sunday. Will have finished by next week, promise



Confucius Says... Quotes on Writing

"For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can."

~ Ernest Hemingway

BACK TO NORMAL?

Current Work: Editorial work, Fiction writing

Listening to: Italian Radio Subasio

Reading: Goodbye to Berlin (Christopher Isherwood)

First Thought for the Day:

The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them. -George Orwell, writer (1903-1950)

Peace of Mind

The writing has had to take a bit of a back seat today. Although I did manage to write, a couple of thousand words this morning and have submitted copy for my editorial contracts. The other canine boarders returned to their home yesterday and we spent the grey rainy day with our feet up. This morning it was Operation Clean up as Monday morning is always a cleaning day. I have written about routines before, and I’m coming round, that actually I like routine, to some degree. I can get those horrid things out of the way and then get on with what I really want to do. But, today securing the garden for our darling dog has been the order of the day. He is becoming very curious and picking up smells, mainly from the wild pigs, which roam about here.

We are going to get round to putting up a fairly pig proof fence some time this year, but at the moment we just need to feel a bit secure to let Bertie roam his estate safely. So hence the fence, (aah the beauty of alliteration, or is it? Its actually just a bit of rhyming so I shouldn’t get too clever with myself).

Website

Well, that took a back seat too I’m afraid. I was going to do it over the weekend, but then I got cooking and yesterday as I said, I just slummed around. Watched Mama Mia! What a great film, I hadn’t laughed out loud, for a long time, and I loved the music. It brought back many fond memories of my two younger sisters dressed as the Abba girls at a Millenium Party all those years ago. EEK! If I can find a photo I’ll post one here!!

The Week Ahead

Well hopefully I’ll catch up. I’m hoping to do a bit on my website tonight to make up for things. However, my Man Friday might fight me for access to the Internet. Roll on tomorrow when we will finally become networked!!

I’m feeling in a good mood, despite the soaking we just got on a walk, but will be glad to see the back of January. Always a ‘grey’ month, but not that so. My Man Friday will celebrate his ‘ehmm’ birthday on Saturday!

And Finally, the Last Word of the Day:

ex libris

PRONUNCIATION:

(eks LEE-bris, LI-)

MEANING:

1. From the library of (a phrase inscribed in a book followed by the name of the book owner).

2. A bookplate.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin ex libris (from the books), from ex- (from) + liber (book).

NOTES:

Novelist and Nobelist Anatole France once said, "Never lend books -- nobody ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are those which people have lent me." An ex libris inscription identifies the owner of a book, and supposedly prevents others from building their own libraries by borrowing. I've also seen bookplates that say "Stolen from the library of ..."

Typically an ex libris is placed on the inside cover or the front end paper. Earlier bookplates featured coats of arms. Like everything else, there are bookplate enthusiasts and collectors with their own societies, conferences, journals, blogs, and more.

USAGE:

"I found a copy of Mein Kampf with Hitler's ex libris bookplate."

Timothy W Ryback; Hitler's Secret Library; The Sunday Times (London, UK); Jan 11, 2009.