Go Go Nano!

 Just wanted to say a huge Good Luck to all the nutters writers out there who are embarking on NaNoWriMo tomorrow. 

 I won't be joining you, as I am a wuss with that kind of word quota for 30 days in a row, plus I won't be near the computer everyday. Half term holidays and weekends rather get in the way, I find. (Yes, I know, blaming it on the kids. Again.) So it is NONOWriMo, for me, but those who can, and do, - you have my full admiration. Go to it!


And here is my NaNo top tip - (as if I am any kind of authority) - loosely linked to my last post; 

1.Go out get yourself some of your favourite chocolates or sweets.  
2.Viciously guard them from everyone else in your household. Or simply hide them somewhere ludicrously cunning. 
3. When you hit your word count for the day, immediately scoff one. 

There, what more incentive do you need?

Rejection Chocolates

As a writer and aspiring author I send some of my work out on submission. You have to be in it to win it, right? Sometimes the writing gets picked up and printed, and sometimes it doesn't. Nobody likes rejection, but if you want to play the game, you have to accept it and hopefully, if there are notes with the rejection, learn by it. At least you are doing it, because if you never submitted or posted your work in the ether, then you can’t be discovered. If you won't take my word for it, then Nathan Bransford covers it well here.

Here is how I take the sting off.  These are Tom’s Mini Skildpadder, from Denmark; dark chocolate turtles filled with rum flavoured fondant goo. The Yum. And they are all mine. No-one else in the house gets to so much as sniff at them. Everything I tell my kids about sharing goes out of the window when it comes to these. Only when I get a rejection email am I allowed to eat one. As the old adage goes; There are times when only chocolate will do. And much as the rejection might make me miserable for a day, being able to stuff one of these in my gob always makes things a tiny bit better. (I’m sure there is a link to a Mary Poppins song here, but I am going to pass...)

Book Crush!

It is time to accept that you are crushing on a book when;

•  you have a deep-seated  need to own a copy, when you are only a quarter of the way in. A printed copy.
• you actually have to remind yourself that it is wrong in every way to not return a library book. As in Never...
•  you have a dopey grin on your face while reading it.
•  you laugh out loud while reading it, or keep murmuring “Mmmmm”.
• you start rewarding menial household tasks with  five minutes of book
• you sneak in a chapter when you absolutely haven't got time to
• every Priority on your to-do list suddenly looks over-exaggerated
• you wish that you had written it. (I know Jealousy and Envy are bad bad emotions. But still... )
• you have a building angst- one that is beginning to impinge on your breathing- in fear that the ending could disappoint. Please don’t , please don’t, pleeeeeeaase.....
• you blog about a book before you have finished it.

Did I miss any?




*For anyone watching this on "Dave", then this post was originally written while I was reading Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon.*

Sneaky business

 I turned my back for one second, and two more books snuck into my Autumn TBR pile. (And so soon after Tammara Webber's Easy somehow  slid through cyberspace into my ipad.) 

Yes, shocking indeed, but that's libraries for you. They send out ninja-sneaky books to infiltrate the book piles of innocents such as myself.

Clearly I am extremely bewildered at this unplanned turn of events, but I am obviously now on a deadline to get them read.

Libraries are demanding like that.

A writing tool moment.

I already mentioned in an earlier post that I use 750words.com to have some form of discipline to my writing, because I am demand-orientated - and also like the badges I get for writing a lot, or fast, or for days in a row.  Easily pleased? Yes. Generally happy? Consequently yes.

This is another of my writing tools; My Tiara. Now someone once thought that tiaras were only for watching Strictly Come Dancing, but no, no, au contraire. A Tiara is for Life, not just ballroom dancing...

It might just look like a second-hand plastic tiara stolen from a daughter's dressing up box, but it is soooo much more than that. Can't you tell??  Mine helps me write.  The words flow better, and they might just be better words too. (Turns out it even helps with a hangover – and not just as a visual warning for family to steer clear.)

I first discovered the magical powers of the tiara when working at a children's TV company. Once in a blue moon, I'd answer the phones for a lunchtime, when there was a personnel shortage. There was a tiara on a display behind me and momentarily distracted, I put it on. It was one of the most peaceful hours the phone had ever known. Don't tell me you can’t see the connection.  At the end of the hour, the owner of the company (the creator of Teletubbies- so someone who knows about success...) arrived in  reception and we chatted. At no point did she even mention the tiara, which naturally I took to be a stamp of approval. The display tiara never left my office after that.

So, I'm encouraging everyone to get one and for anyone who had one to match their wedding dress, to dig theirs out and get some value out of it. (The cost-per-use ratio will thank you for it too.) It just makes you feel a little special and life smoother. Cleaning doesn’t feel nearly as awful when you are wearing a tiara. FACT. And the postman gets used to seeing you wearing it pretty fast.

 Make one, buy one, steal one, you won't be sorry.

Mmmmmmmm Cake... Creative Distractions (Pt 2)

I confess I have a very weak spot for cake. Both making and consuming. To be fair, one generally follows the other with a rapid pace. That might even be rabid pace. The foaming at the mouth is somewhat similar.

I'm wondering whether it is a creative mulling mechanism, as mentioned in the post below. (See, I am trying to make it sound more worthy than me just being a glutton.) And in this search for worthiness, I can see that I am not the only writer who likes to bake.

Nicola Morgan is back with her new blog here, where she has posted a recipe for űber healthy Brain Bars. (She also does a Brain Cake, for those who want to make guests smarter). Aside from her fiction, Nicola also writes books about brains. As one does. Particularly teen brains. Her book Blame My Brain sheds fascinating light on just what it is that's going on in a teen brain that makes them behave as they do. I recommend that you do the Emotions test. Suddenly a large proportion of teen behaviour makes sense. What a revelation.

So her recipe for brain boosting bars is one I shall be sampling on the spawn shortly.

 A wee while ago Sara Dessen shared her recipe for Magic Bars, which I actually have some of on my kitchen counter as I write. They are The Yum, and have the added benefit of being a fantastic dumping ground for all the odds and ends in your kitchen cupboard. I think of them as bin bars, to be honest. It's amazing what coconut and condensed milk can cover. And I can get highly creative with what I'll hide under it. The kids haven't a clue...

 But to tie this properly in with writing, (Tenuous? Moi?) I have to flag up a recipe by Maggie Stiefvater, which she posted while writing The Scorpio Races. The deadly horse race of the title takes place in November on the island of Thisby. Part of the celebrations includes November cakes. Not only did Maggie describe these mouth-watering cakes in delicious detail, she actually invented them specifically for the book.  How is that for attention to the detail of one's creative craft?  Plus, making them (and scoffing them) for research purposes must have been a completely justifiable distraction for her.

And that isn't tenuous. It's just plain Genius.

The Joy of Wreckage - Creative Distractions (Pt. 1)

Sometimes the body and brain need to be otherwise entertained in order to mull other creative subjects. As I’ve posted before, I dream up various ideas while driving, and I know someone who finds inspiration when knitting. In addition, I’m a firm believer that creativity begets creativity. However, I feel guilty when following other creative pursuits when I should be writing. It means I  don’t do much as I’d like, when the fact is, sometimes you just need to get away from the words.

 So when I found Keri Smith’s book Wreck This Journal I got very excited. It elicits small bursts of creativity which can fit perfectly - and guilt-free- into my day when the need calls, without distracting from the writing time for too long.  

Firstly it is a book, which immediately makes me feel like it is connected to writing. (Yes, indeed, how easily I fool myself...) And it has instructions and I do like instructions. However, after that, it is an all–out creative free-for-all. Essentially the idea is to abuse the book. In some instances that means literally beating the crap out of it. Yes, I know it sounds like sacrilege, but then often the fear of embarking on something creative comes from the reluctance to make a mess of the blank page, or breaking rules, and this book encourages- actually demands- exactly that.

The first instruction is to break the spine. Yes. Break. The. Spine.  Wilfully. Eeek! That immediately had me nervous, but aah, it was so deeply satisfying. After that you can pick and choose as you go, (no, you don’t even have to read it in order – oh, the naughtiness!) tearing pages, ripping them out and giving them to strangers, chewing them, sewing them, composting them, decorating them in many many delicious ways.

So after a while the pristine book looks... well, less pristine. It becomes unique to you and in fact you become prouder of it the mankier and gnarlier it becomes. I am still looking for a high place to drop mine from, and fyi the ribbons are so that I can wear it rucksack style (of course, what else?)

In true review style, this is one that I Highly Recommend – for anyone, even if you don't think you are creatively inclined. You’d be amazed at your capacity for wreckage and how liberating it can be.

*Cue fanfare* The slightly late unveiling of my Autumn TBR list.

 Yes, I am aware we are already a month into Autumn, but I had blatantly forgotten to blog about the new pile, which admittedly I have already dived into and has me very excited so far.

And so, without further ado, I present to you, (in no particular order, other than as photographed) My Autumn TBR List;

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight – Jennifer E Smith

The Windvale Sprites - Mackenzie Crook   (This is Gareth from the UK version of The Office, or the skinny false-eyed pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean.)

Now is good – Jenny Downham (aka Before I die.)

The 13 Treasures – Michelle Harrison

Paper Towns – John Green

Secrets, Lies and Locker 62 – Lil Chase

Wasted – Nicola Morgan

Let’s get lost – Sarra Manning

The perks of being a wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Sugarcoated – Catherine Forde

The Blood Keeper – Tessa Gratton

(Not shown – 13 little blue envelopes - Maureen Johnson, because I had to return it.  The sharp-eyed amongst you who know my reading tastes/passions may also notice that Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys isn’t there. Curious, no? It’s going to be the flagship book of the Winter TBR pile. See? Planning ahead...)

Also there are two ebooks pending;
Mike Wells' Lust, Money and Murder because he gifted it to me when I followed him on Twitter and he gets so much praise for it from other followers.
Jerome k Jerome's Three Men in a Boat- because it is supposed to be funny and is also vaguely local to where I am. (OK, not completely local, but at least this part of the world.) And I still want to prove that I can read and appreciate grown-up books, given that it is no longer a 100% certainty. (Yeeeees Dracula is still lurking and scowling at me from the bedside table. Do not judge me.)

What are you reading this Autumn?

An open letter to My Inner Critic...

Dear Madam,
Kindly bugger off.
Yours most sincerely,
Pernille