Yesterday, I got to mix with a wide range of writers from all stages of their career, and hear some fantastic speakers talking about the publishing industry, and how to get published. It was hosted by the Writer's & Artist's Yearbook in conjunction with Literature Works. What made this even better was it was on my dootstep. I didn't have to venture up to London or Birmingham or Manchester... or even Bristol, which is still two hours away and difficult to organise. No, this event was a 30 minute bus ride into the town I spend a lot of time in anyway. It was a long day, but the speakers were so engaging, and the questions from the audience so interesting, I didn't really notice. The glass of wine at the end was very welcome. Here are a few interesting points from the day:
Thank you to everyone who made How to Get Published happen. It was really great that you chose Plymouth as the venue for your first outside-London. If you come back, or indeed if you find other venues around the country, I can guarantee they'll be very much appreciated. I love September. I love the chilly, frosty mornings that give way to warm (or even, hot) sunshine by lunchtime. I love the thought of getting back into my jumpers and thick woolly tights. I love my kids going to back to school and finally having the house to myself again. September always feels like a fresh start. So far this month, I've written - and submitted - two short stories, and a flash fiction. I'm on my third short story now - trying to reduce a 50,000 word novel now to a 5,000 word story. I'm playing around with all the different threads and trying to work out how I want to tell this story. It may sound like a silly thing to attempt, but if I do it right, it'll be awesome. (And, if I do it wrong, no one will ever read it, so that's fine too!) A blank page. A new idea. My change to come is making sure I write on a more regular basis. It's been several months since I completed my last novel (currently being queried), and it always takes me a while to get into another major project. But I think I might be there. I'll let you know in a couple of years!
It's probably time for an update, seeing as though the last post was about a giveaway that happened weeks ago. My excuse is that it's August, my kids are home from school, and I'm doing a course to become a personal trainer. It's really interesting to look more deeply into all the things I've been using as a fitness instructor for the past five years. My body is a little less keen on all the advanced training I'm putting it through at the moment - it's been a great way to realise I've been coasting at the gym for a while... and now all my muscles hurt! There's also been a lot of puppy walking, and puppy playing, and puppy-telling-off. He's worse than a toddler, and likes to cause mischief when he's tired but fighting sleep. I've been getting some writing done. I've had an idea for another short story collection, although at the moment it's too weird a concept to explain - hopefully it'll straighten itself out once I start to write. At the moment, most of my writing has taken the form of staring into space while watching endless reruns of The Big Bang Theory. It's my writing process, and I'm sticking to it :-)
On the plus side, we got a new puppy - which Hubby named Artoo (nothing to do with me). He's so gorgeous, but spends a good part of his day trying to bite me. I must admit, I didn't realise just how much work a puppy was! We're under house-arrest at the moment, for another week, until his vaccinations get done... Hopefully life will be a lot easier once we get this bundle of energy out into a field! And finally...... I broke my big toe.
Oh, okay, the truth? I cracked a small bone, and chipped another, in my big toe. It was a freak accident, and I'm really not sure how I managed to hurt the foot I did, or end up sitting on the floor with my legs folded up beneath me. I'm just grateful it wasn't caught on CCTV. But I'm on crutches, and it's very swollen and very sore - and the dog keeps trying to bite it! So, I deserve sympathy, don't I? I've been pretty busy over the last couple of weeks:
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