I have a confession to make. I'm having an affair. With a Word document.
Recently there have been a few writing competitions that I have come across, which I have been keen to enter, and so I have written a couple of short stories in addition to the sequel that I'm working on. However, I've found that I've loved working on these small projects and the idea of writing more short stories to explore some of the other ideas I have is very enticing. The only problem is that I feel like I'm cheating on my novel, which I feel should be taking priority in terms of my writing time. If I'm serious about getting my books published then, surely, I should be spending as much of my time on them as possible, right? When it came to writing the first book this was definitely the case but I think part of me feels that there is less pressure when it comes to the second book because, let's face it, I haven't even got an agent for the first book, yet. This means that I don't necessarily even have to write it, I'm just doing it because I enjoy doing so and really do love the characters and story that I've created in the first book. This is probably why I've allowed myself to spend some time writing whatever comes in to my brain and getting lost in new worlds filled with new people. There is always the risk that delving in to something new and shiny with bucket loads of potential is going to distract me from my current, prolonged work and, in the end, it turns out to be a dud that I wasted time on. Even though I do feel guilty at times for working on other projects I'm starting to accept that it's perfectly fine to do so because, as a writer, there's nothing worse than an idea that refuses to leave your mind. It will stick around for weeks, posing questions and seemingly creating its own characters until you get it down on paper and give it the structure it deserves. Having lots of ideas can't be a bad thing, can it? Enkindled may be the project I'm most focused on now but, hopefully, when I'm finished with it there will be a desire from people to read something new and I'd like to be able to fulfill it. So, even though affairs very rarely end well, I'm going to continue with mine with the mindset that it's just a bit of fun on the side as long as I come home to the world that I've loved for so long.
0 Comments
I've decided that as well as blogging about my latest musings of the writing world, which can be few and far between, I'm going to start posting book recommendations and hope that anyone who reads this will do the same as I'm always on the look out for a good book! Although these posts will have a 'review' aspect to them I will only be posting books I like as opposed to writing scathing reviews about those that I don't. So shall we get on with it?
Unsurprisingly, the first book I'm going to recommend is Time Rep by Peter Ward. This book came out in July last year and I was lucky enough to discover it just before the Christmas period kicked in and, quite simply, I devoured it within two days. I love fantasy and sci-fi books that give a new twist on the genre and I especially love all things time travel so this book quickly became one of my all time favourites. The story focuses on Geoffrey Stamp, a boring nobody with no aspirations in life who is selected to become a Time Rep. In the future time travel is not only possible but accessible to all and Time Reps guide tourists through various time periods, showing them great historical moments such as The Great Fire of London and even the moment when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Of course, being the main character, Geoffrey is far from a nobody and by the end of the book you find yourself wanting to take him to the pub and buying him a pint, which he would probably happily accept. I know that a lot of people measure how good a book is by how flowery or poetic the writing is but, for me, it's all about the story. That's not to say that I can abide bad writing but if the story doesn't grip me then I won't think much of the book overall. Thankfully, the pacing of the story and the many plot twists had me grinning throughout. I like to think that I'm quite good at spotting a twist or working out a character's secret but Ward had me floored (oh that is a good but of rhyming) so many times that I lost count. However, the best thing about the book for me was Ward's writing style, which has been compared to that of Douglas Adams and it's easy to see why. He has a dry wit that I find hilarious and if anyone else enjoys sarcasm and silliness as much as I do then I guarantee that you will enjoy this book. Admittedly, this book is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, even hard core nerds may be annoyed at the lack of seriousness but that's why I love it. The book is unashamedly ridiculous but the strong characters and plot keep it grounded so that you can, to a certain extent, believe that these events could actually happen. I pray that one day this becomes a film but until it hits the big time I fear that will not happen. Until then I'm just going to have to see what else Mr Ward has to offer! Hello, there! Happy New Year and all that jazz! Sorry for not logging on sooner but, like most people, Christmas is a very busy time of year and I have neglected my blog. But I'm here now so you can dry your eyes and read whatever intellectual and challenging thoughts I have for you today (if only.)
Yesterday I came across this article on The Guardian's website and thought it made for a very interesting read. If any of you have read my articles on Story Star Publishing you will know that I am a huge advocate for reading, especially among children and teenage audiences and what Rachel Cooke says in the article did make my heart sink a little. I have nothing against technology (heck, this blog wouldn't exist if I did) but I don't see why it can't happily co-exist with more traditional past times such as reading. I know there are a lot of apps now that incorporate stories and make them come to life on the screen as you read them, which is great, but I am worried that sitting down and just reading a book, whether it's in print or an e-book, is no longer seen as a viable use of our time. As a child I would often pick up a book, quickly get lost in it and forget the outside world and then when I was finished I wouldn't know what to do with myself because my head was still lost in the story. The older I get the less that this experience happens, probably because I'm more able to separate fiction from real life these days, but when it does I both adore and hate the feeling. I love it because it makes my brain pulsate with thoughts and emotions and I hate it because for those few days afterwards I don't see how any other book could possibly be as good as the one I've just read. I think we can all agree that magic doesn't exist in our mortal realm but I truly believe that the experience I've just described is the closest thing we can get. It's not a physical, tangible thing but one of the strongest emotions you are ever likely to feel and it's all down to some words on some pages! So who wouldn't want to feel that? Who wouldn't want their child to feel that? As Cooke writes, we have been telling stories since the beginning of time in the hope of fathoming the world in which we live and, to be honest, does Facebook even come close to doing that? All we find out there is who is sleeping with who or get an update on the latest weird cat video. I myself am guilty of wasting hours on the internet rather than reading a book but when I do finally drag myself away from the temptations of the twenty first century I chastise myself for taking so long. That book has been waiting for me to devour it and I haven't shown it the least bit of respect by staring at my computer screen. It's pretty clear that I am a mad woman, especially when it comes to books, but I don't care. Not everyone shares this madness but I firmly believe that's because they haven't found the right book and I urge you to keep looking until you do, even if you leave fifty or so half finished. Because when you find that book that makes your brain want to explode you will never look back. |
Archives
January 2023
Categories
All
|