Yesterday was a great day. I ended up getting a contract in the mail from the Queensland Writer's Centre for my article, The Unutterable Phrase which will appear in their September edition. I also got an acceptance email from Copeland Publishing for my article, Earning My Stripes. They want to keep it on file to be used in a future edition of their Brisbane's Child magazine, which also has a Sydney, Melbourne and Perth version - I think they are pretty much the same just with local advertising. I guess in reality this one may never be published, but at least they want to hang on to it for a while.
I also was approached to write for CQ (Collegiate Quarterly) which is the Sabbath School lesson produced by the Adventist church for young adults. I jumped at the chance - it's a nice change to write to someone else's specs rather than just where my whim and fancy takes me. I decided to get stuck into it last night, as I'm very aware each evening could be my last before the twins arrive, and became quite inspired by it all. The end result was really pleasing. That one will be published in the fourth quarter, 2009 (Oct-Dec).
It appears that I may have found my calling. This whole process is sitting so well with me - probably because it is me. Hopefully the motivation will continue! It's just so much fun! And even my rejection letters aren't actually bothering me. I guess I've had a balance of yesses and nos, so that helps.
And I've also decided that there's a good reason why I like Christian author, Max Lucado's books. I love the way he writes and I can pick his work just about anywhere. I've decided it's because I actually write in a similar way. Now I'm not suggesting I have his ability, talent or anything else for that matter - it just suddenly hit me why his writing resonates with me so much. Who knows, maybe one day our names will appear in the same sentence!!! It doesn't hurt to dream does it??
Showing posts with label diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diary. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Writing Bug Has Bitten Me...and Hard!
Well it's been an interesting week at my house. I am now over 35 weeks pregnant and am half expecting my boys to arrive at any given moment in time. Each night I go to bed and wonder, "Is tonight the night?" For some reason I can only imagine myself in labour at night...I may fall apart at the seams if it happens in daylight!!
But the insomnia that goes with being this heavily pregnant ("heavily" is actually a really good adjective for the situation I might add) - and that is that I am having time to write.
I have started a novel - yes, another one - but this one is going to be different; not because I'm a better writer (which I think I am compared to 5 years ago), or because it's more interesting (once again, I think it is!), but purely because this time I am going to finish it! It's hard to believe, I know. But armed with me NEO I actually think it's possible.
In my previous attempts at novel writing I have jumped ship when the waves hit. If I felt the storyline was slowing down or my characters were too one-dimensional, I would throw my hands up in despair and abandon the keyboard forever. This time around, I have experienced both of those sensations, yet I'm proud to say I have kept on writing. I have - honest! Because I can't critique what I'm doing on the NEO, I have written through the writer's block barrier (which I personally find more painful that the so-called pain barrier).
So, I am now six chapters into my little creative endeavour and am over 22,000 words on my way to the end. Where the end will be, I'm not exactly sure. But gee I'm having fun getting there!
"What is this novel about?" you may ask. Well, I was inspired to write about something that doesn't require a lot of research, something I know fairly well...so I am writing about the experiences of 5 women who become first-time mums. Of course they have wildly varying personalities and backgrounds, but they are thrown together by a maternal health nurse who links them to form a playgroup. Through their experiences you will get to see varying perspectives on issues such as circumcision, breastfeeding versus bottle, going back to work versus staying at home - none of which I am actually making a statement on. I am simply exploring the perspectives and attempting to show how good mothering means different things to different people. An one of the underlying themes if the devastating impact of post-natal depression...
So far, I like my characters a lot, and they are starting to become real. I don't like chapter 5 at all, but I will wait until I reach THE END to do anything about it. There may be something worth saving. In the meantime I'm writing a chapter a day (which involves me writing from each of the five character's perspectives around a similar theme or timeframe - or dialogue as the case may be). I'm finding the dialogue the hardest part - it's tricky getting the voice of each character right, but I think I'm getting there. I am hoping my boys will wait until I get finished or close to finished before they arrive. I'm writing on average 5,500 words a day so will have to wait and see how far I get!
But the insomnia that goes with being this heavily pregnant ("heavily" is actually a really good adjective for the situation I might add) - and that is that I am having time to write.
I have started a novel - yes, another one - but this one is going to be different; not because I'm a better writer (which I think I am compared to 5 years ago), or because it's more interesting (once again, I think it is!), but purely because this time I am going to finish it! It's hard to believe, I know. But armed with me NEO I actually think it's possible.
In my previous attempts at novel writing I have jumped ship when the waves hit. If I felt the storyline was slowing down or my characters were too one-dimensional, I would throw my hands up in despair and abandon the keyboard forever. This time around, I have experienced both of those sensations, yet I'm proud to say I have kept on writing. I have - honest! Because I can't critique what I'm doing on the NEO, I have written through the writer's block barrier (which I personally find more painful that the so-called pain barrier).
So, I am now six chapters into my little creative endeavour and am over 22,000 words on my way to the end. Where the end will be, I'm not exactly sure. But gee I'm having fun getting there!
"What is this novel about?" you may ask. Well, I was inspired to write about something that doesn't require a lot of research, something I know fairly well...so I am writing about the experiences of 5 women who become first-time mums. Of course they have wildly varying personalities and backgrounds, but they are thrown together by a maternal health nurse who links them to form a playgroup. Through their experiences you will get to see varying perspectives on issues such as circumcision, breastfeeding versus bottle, going back to work versus staying at home - none of which I am actually making a statement on. I am simply exploring the perspectives and attempting to show how good mothering means different things to different people. An one of the underlying themes if the devastating impact of post-natal depression...
So far, I like my characters a lot, and they are starting to become real. I don't like chapter 5 at all, but I will wait until I reach THE END to do anything about it. There may be something worth saving. In the meantime I'm writing a chapter a day (which involves me writing from each of the five character's perspectives around a similar theme or timeframe - or dialogue as the case may be). I'm finding the dialogue the hardest part - it's tricky getting the voice of each character right, but I think I'm getting there. I am hoping my boys will wait until I get finished or close to finished before they arrive. I'm writing on average 5,500 words a day so will have to wait and see how far I get!
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