ON TAKING A BREAK

A whole month has passed since I last posted. So what has this blogger been doing? Quite a lot really, but none of it related to writing.

There's been the on going renovation of our kitchen. Renovating is a first for both me and hubby and we've discovered we like it! Look out house - no walls or floors are safe! When we are finally finished I'll post some photos.

Our oldest son has moved out and the other two are in that teenage stage where they need a lot of input and running about.

I've also been sewing quite a bit. New clothes and crafts. The ideas have been bubbling over.

Of course there is one thing missing from this list: writing.

With both the novels I have been working on I have felt like I had written myself into a corner - well two corners really. So I decided to take a break. A writing sabbatical. Once I got over the guilt and the terrible feeling that my writing days were over, I began to see a way out of those corners. Whilst I'm not putting words on paper (or a computer screen) my stories are churning away in the back of my mind. New ideas and fresh approaches are presenting themselves almost daily.

I'm not sure when I'll get back to the writing. I have a feeling I'll just know when the time is right. In the mean time I'm enjoying my other creative pursuits.

Have you taken a break from writing and how did it work for you?

Here's a wee peak at my new kitchen. There was a window here that looked into our garage - not very pretty. Now I have a lovely shelf. I still have to hang the cow picture. 

NEW BEGINNINGS

I know it's rather late in January to be talking about the New Year, but for me the year starts when hubby and kids go back to school. By the end of the week they will all be back at their various schools and it's time for me to get back into some serious writing.

We've had a long, hot, and sunny summer which looks to continue for some time to come. I've read some great books, watched some excellent movies, visited with friends and family and made some day trips into the country. It's been a wonderfully relaxing time.

There are a lot of 'new' things about this new year.

Firstly, on a sad note, I have farewelled two friends who moved north at the end of last year. One of them is my great writing buddy, Ruth.  We have this great ability to bounce ideas off of each other. When I get stuck in my writing, a long talk with Ruth almost always solves the problem and rekindles my passion for the story. So I am very thankful for telephones and the internet, although I do miss the chats over coffee. Travel to her new home in Wellington and Whangerei, where my other friend now lives, might have to become a yearly occurrence.

I do, however, have a new companion of the furry kind. Monty arrived just after Christmas. He is the cutest little kitty and follows me around like a puppy! I've never had a cat quite like him. Every time I move rooms, or even walk from one side to the other, he's there. When I stop moving he flops down on my feet. When I have the house to myself again during the day, I will not be lonely!

Here's a couple of photos of him. He's about nine months and not fully grown.

And here's our other cat, Captain, snoozing on my desk.

This year I also have a new desk to work at. Much bigger than my old one, I can use it for card making as well and all my patchwork fabrics are stored in drawers underneath. It's the central hub of all my creativity!

Here's a photo.

I'm not one for new year's resolutions, but this year I am determined to devote as much time as possible to my writing. Over the last couple of years I have let other things get in the way and my focus has been splintered. I've made a few adjustments to fix that and one of them will be that I blog less frequently - perhaps once or twice a month.

So how have your holidays, or winter if you're from way up north, been? What are you doing that's new this year? Leave me a comment, I love to hear from you.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY WRITING WORLD

Between my own bouts of 'flu and the families ills and chills I've been making slow headway through various projects.

I'm wanting to e-publish a collection of my historical short stories and I've gathered together seven stories so far. Most of them have needed tweaking, rearranging and in some cases extending. They were all written for competitions with word limits so I'm enjoying the freedom of having that restraint removed.

Some were written a couple of years ago and it's good to see that my writing has improved since then, even though that means more work in rewriting. But it's not just the writing I'm looking at. The story I'm working on at the moment, for example, needed some words and historical facts checked.

The Shacklock orion coal range. 

Set in the time of our one and only bush-ranger - Henry Garrett - it features what is probably his most famous misdemeanor. The robbery of 15 men at the foot of the Maungatua mountains, with unloaded pistols. He was a gentleman you see! Checking a few facts I realised that although the sticking-up took place in 1861, I had eluded to Shacklock's wonderful new coal ranges which  were not produced until 1873!  Here's a photo of one. I would simply love to have one in my own kitchen.











And somehow those majestic horses with the feathered feet became Drysdales. I've now renamed them correctly as Clydesdales.

I'm halfway through this project and have decided to put off the whole technical task of formatting and horrible tax things until I'm finished. By then it should be summer and hubby will be on holiday with a little more time to advise me. Hubbies are very useful, aren't they?

On the novel writing front, I've left poor Amelia standing in the doorway of the Crown Hotel's dining room, staring at Mr Theodore Brennan. Poor girl has been there for a week or two - I hope her muscles haven't atrophied. I'm having trouble with her. I just can't seem to bring out her best side and stifle her rather selfish behaviour. She really is a lovely girl and deserves much better treatment from me.

I think I need to leave her there and jump forward in the story. Write lots of scenes where you can't help but like her and feel a little sorry for her predicaments. Hopefully I'll then be able to go back and salvage the mess I've left her in.

And on a final note: NaNoWriMo is fast approaching and I think I'm going to give it another go this year. More on that later.

Enjoy the weekend!

AND THE ANSWER IS ...

Congrats to Kura for guessing correctly. The photo in my last post was taken inside the Dunedin Railway Station.

I've been snooping around town for old buildings that would've been here in the time of Amelia's novel - set in the 1880s. Alas the Railway Station is Edwardian rather than Victorian, but as it's my favourite building in Dunedin it deserves a post all of its own.

It's only in recent years that it has come to my attention. I think it was a case of growing up with it and really not noticing what a gorgeous building it is. And in the last couple of years, with the destruction of so many precious buildings in the Christchurch earthquakes I started to look at my city in quite a different light. I remember in the days following the February quake, when we were all reeling from the tragic loss of life, every trip through town had me gazing at all our old buildings and trying to imagine them turned to rubble. It was a sobering exercise.

Construction on the station began in 1903 and was completed in 1906, giving Dunedin its fourth station building. (So far I've been unable to unearth photos of the earlier stations.) Back then it was the busiest  in New Zealand with up to 100 trains passing through per day. Which seems a staggering amount considering that these days we only have freight trains and tourists runs.

The architect was George Troup and his elaborate design, using dark basalt and white Oamaru stone, earned him the nickname "Gingerbread George".

The main entrance.

These days the station is not only used for trains. The Otago Art Society and the Sports Hall of Fame are situated on the first floor, the Otago Farmers market is held every Saturday morning, using part of the platform and a car park and every year the ID Fashion parade turns the platform into a cat walk.

The longest railway platform in New Zealand.

But it's not just the exterior that is beautiful. The inside is an absolute treat. Mosaic tiled floors, stained windows and an intricately worked balcony.

The mosaic floor of the main foyer, taken from the balcony.

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of Dunedin's Railway Station.

Now it's back to the writing for me.  Amelia's been left in a rather awkward situation and I'm looking forward to seeing how she extricates herself.

IT"S MONDAY!

Another new week begins. This time without sick kids or sick me ... please?

Well, its almost lunchtime on Monday and I have written several pages all ready. Today's a good day, long may it last.

I'm enjoying the process of Amelia's novel immensely. Little surprises at every turn. It seems so long since I've been writing like this. Having that vague idea about where things are going, then page by page the story crystalizes. Characters say and do things without even asking my permission! New characters turn up without invites! And then the character you thought you knew, felt sure you could rely, does something so out of character it sends your head reeling.

Who said being locked in a garrett (well, a room really) with pen and paper (ok, it's a Mac) was boring?

When I come up for air I've got a post planned, featuring the most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere.

Here's a wee clue.  Any ideas?

This is a picture from the interior.

BACK TO THE GRINDSTONE?

Today is the first day of the new school term. Not long ago I waved hubby and all three kids good bye and immediately the silence of the house descended upon me. It's been a long time since the house was this empty. Last year my daughter was home schooled and for the first part of this year my oldest was unemployed. Today he starts a half year hospitality course at polytech.

As I drink my morning cuppa, catch up with emails and write this, I'm feeling at a loose end. Oh, there is house work galore and bundles of washing; I need to go for a long overdue walk and then there's the writing. But I think I might just pour anther cup of tea and enjoy the silence for a little longer.

Before I nip down to the kitchen again I have a couple of photos to share. Last week we traveled up to Timaru for the day to visit my aunt. It was a cloudy damp sort of day and the sun never did quite show its face. Just north of Palmerston the road follows close to the ocean along a beautiful yet deserted beach. I busily snapped photos with my phone, fascinated by the lemon light. Don't worry - I wasn't driving!

The little fishing village of Moeraki is on the other side of the headland on the horizon.

Miss Amelia Hughes

I haven't posted for awhile, but the reason is all good: I've been writing!

The last few months have been hard work and trying to write has been like pulling the proverbial hen's teeth. But something has just clicked in this brain of mine and it's all go.

I've been working on Amelia's story, (I really must find a title for this novel), and the characters are popping off the page. I need to have an image in my head for the MC and Amelia has always been a bit murky. Was she a brunette, a blond? Tall or short? What colour are her eyes and just what is she like?

Yesterday in the middle of a scene that showed her naivety and her taste for fine, expensive fashions, she leapt off the page as a fully developed and very much 'alive' character. Which, of course, makes it all that much easier to write about her.

What's more, I have seen this young lady before. In a painting.

May I present, ladies and gentleman, Miss Amelia Hughes.

Renior's Dance at Bougival

Well, I must get back to her. She's strolling up Maclaggan Street with a new acquaintance of dubious character. I need to save her before .... well, lets just say, I need to save her!

NEW BLOG DESIGN

Today felt like a good day for change! So welcome to my new look. At least it gives me a topic to blog on! (Yes, I've been scraping the barrel for ideas lately!)


On a more positive note I finished a short story I had begun last year, just in time for our latest competition at the local writers' workshop. Results will be announced on April 11th at our AGM. Which means it is a year since I put up my hand to be president of our group. Time certainly flies.


In my last post I talked about beginnings and that is what I am in the thick of at the moment. I'm almost at the end of the first chapter on my total re-write of Blackbird. It's coming out as a quite different story and that really is good news.  The essence is the same, but it's a more 'together' story. Progress is slow, but sometimes that is just the way it is. 


In other news, I've joined Goodreads. I'm finding it a great way to find new books, read reviews and keep a track of my TBR pile. If you haven't visited yet, it's worth a perusal.


As I'm learning Italian, there's a pile of historical novels set in Italy that I want to read. I'm quite familiar with the art history, but not the political history. All I really know is this family called Medici ....


And now that leads on nicely to a good excuse for another wonderful Italian picture.

Volterra, Italy.

HOW NOT TO WRITE BEGINNINGS!

Last week I prepared a lesson on Beginnings for the writing group I belong to. To round it up I shared my own journey with the beginning of my WIP: Blackbird. I thought I'd share it here so we can all cringe at my myriad mistakes and maybe learn a thing or two.

Here's a brief outline of  my story and the main conflict, or inciting event that fuels the story.


My primary protagonist is 18 year old Maddie. She lives with her outlaw father in the mountains of North West Wyoming in the 1880s. Despite hating the outlaw lifestyle of her father and his men, she seeks to carve out a life for herself on the land she loves. 

The inciting event: Maddie will be given an ultimatum by her father: Be shipped off to an unknown aunt in the city of Boston and never return, or ride with his gang. Being the stubborn, pig headed girl that she is, she chooses to stay; confounding her father and every one else and setting off a chain of disastrous events. This is, of course, where the story truly starts. Everything before this is back story. 


Some setting up is required. The reader needs to understand the setting and time, and know enough of the protagonist to care about her decision. The question is: How much setting up?

This is the journey I have made over the past four years as I have learned how to write.

First draft: I started when my protagonist was about 10. Over ten chapters I set up her background, her relationship with her family and Logan (secondary protag) and threw in a few adventures for good measure.

The inciting event was perhaps 300 pages away!! But believe me, trashing those 300 pages was easy - my writing at this stage deserved to be trashed! 


Lesson learned: At this stage every sentence was a learning curve, but as for beginnings it was to find the 'inciting event'. 

Second draft: I started much later. I started at the point that Logan joined the gang. Still two years and far too many chapters before the inciting event! (You can laugh at my ineptitude at this point! I do!)


Lesson learned: I may need to know all these details but my reader doesn't. 

Third draft: I'd been reading plenty of writer's blogs and read a lot about starting with action. So I started with a bang: A high stakes action scene. Guns blasting; blood spilled. But after the gunsmoke cleared there were no consequences to this scene, it went nowhere. 


Lesson learnt: Action only works if it's relevant.

Fourth draft: I’m almost there: The inciting event is only a few months away. I opened with Maddie watching a funeral. It was meant to show how she felt about her Pa's gang , but was just plain passive. 


Lesson learned:  Don't start with a passive protagonist. 

Fifth draft: Opens with Maddie, spade in hand, increasing the hay field to support the extra cows she plans to buy. This shows her determination to make a life for herself on the land she loves. It shows her goal.
Her Pa turns up and tells her to stop! Immediately we have conflict and this conflict will slide into the inciting event within three to four chapters. Phew - I’ve finally got it. 


Lesson learned: Have the protagonist being active and show her goals. 


Now I just need to work on the middle and the end!

PLANS FOR A NEW YEAR

2011 is well and truly over and as I look back on it I can say I'm glad it's passed. For lots of reasons it was a hard year.  However, there are always high points and interesting diversions to even the worst of years.

It was the year I was able to stand back from my first WIP and make some much needed decisions. At present Blackbird is quietly marinating in my bottom drawer, but not forgotten.

I started two new projects, faltered on one and am slowly progressing through the other.

Putting my hand up and becoming the president of our local Writers' Workshop was a moment fraught with nerves, yet it has turned out to be a very positive move. Sometimes it's good to step outside of our comfort zones.

Fountain at Versailles, France.

After much fundraising we were able to send our oldest son on a European tour. The experience is something he will treasure for many years.

2011 was also my final year as a homeschooling Mum. My daughter is set to start high school next Friday, leaving me with a lot more hours in the day.

As life takes it twists and turns we can never really know our future, but despite that we lay plans for the days, months, and years ahead; hoping at least some will come to fruition.

These are my plans for 2012:

1 Finish my present WIP: working title 'Tegan's Story'.

2 Be more creative: patchwork, card making, stitching.

3 Read plenty of good books.

4 Blog more regularly than I have been.

And as I work on Number 4, you'll get to hear about my long, hot summer; my first foray into 4 wheel driving; and my best reads of last year. I hope you'll join me.

Old Dunstan Road - close to where Rohan, LOTR was filmed.

Oh, I need to add another: Don't put bread in the oven and then write blogs!  (Don't worry, the house is still standing!)

CHASING AFTER CHARACTERS

‎"It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does."  William Faulkner
 


A perfect quote for where I'm at. I really am chasing after new characters, watching how they react with one another and how they cope with what I'm throwing at them. Exciting stuff.


When creating characters, I fill out questionnaires that tell me things like what they wear to their greatest fears and everything in between. I find these really helpful.


The other day I came across a unique idea in an email from Writers' Digest. It was to put your character on the witness stand then interrogate them from both the prosecutors and defenders point of view. A good way to bring out the worst and the best of your character.


But despite all the preparation, for me, the best way to really get to know my characters is to just start writing. That's when they leap off the page and start to tell me their story. 


So how do you create your characters?




  

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Well, I could tell you I've been on a dream-come-true trip to Italy, or a road trip across Australia, but I'd be lying! Truth is I've been here all along carrying out all the normal, slightly predictable routines of being a mother and wife. The one difference being: Internet issues!!!

Now I could rant and rave about a particular internet provider, but that won't get any of us anywhere. Instead I'll say a big HELLO to all of you wonderful loyal readers who are still stopping in despite my absence. I must say the Stats button on Blogger is a wealth of interesting information. It seems that for every New Zealander that pops over for a visit, 3 readers from USA come by. This is a new trend in the last week or so. Not sure why, but hey, it's good to have you.

Since this blog is supposedly about my writing journey, I should catch you all up with my latest doings.

My latest short story, written for a speculative fiction competition, failed to get a place. It's a gothic historical tale entitled The Scent of Lilies. I really enjoyed trying a different genre. I've had good feedback on it and will rework it for another up coming competition.

It is now four years since I started on this great adventure of writing, and therefore I've spent the last four years with the characters in my novel, Blackbird. I had put it aside earlier this year and dabbled with a different story, then went back to it. Big mistake! But we're allowed those, as long as we learn from them and I have.

One of the most important things I've learned is where to start a story. I have a real tendency to start early, to set the scene etc etc. Three times I have cut the beginning chapters off, once I needed to trim about ten of them. And now I finally have worked out where the right beginning should be and what form it should take. I just have to write it.

And that's the rub. I can't find it in me to write another word. I'm just so tired of the story. So, with a sigh, I have consigned it to the bottom drawer. Do I feel like I have failed? No. I've learnt to write on that story. I've moved from the 'truly terrible' to the 'almost there'. Will the novel ever see the light of day again? Yes. With a long break I hope to pick it up and rewrite it from scratch, because I still love the characters and I believe in the story.

So what will I do in the meantime?

Well there's this techno savvy girl, who's found herself in the black blocks of Central Otago, and she's whispering her story in my ear.

photo of Ida Valley from the Otago Daily Times

KOWHAI BLOOMING

I can't quite believe that the first week of the school holidays is over. It only seems a moment ago that I was waiting for them to start!

On the writing front, things are ticking along nicely. My short story is finally finished and I handed it in for judging on Wednesday. I found writing in a completely different genre a real challenge. It required me to change my usual writing style, both sentence structure and choice of words.  I feel like I've had a vigorous workout and have given myself a few days off!

Recently I had some in depth and really helpful feedback on my novel, Blackbird. It's given me much needed inspiration and I'm looking forward to getting back into the thick of it.

On the domestic front, hubby and I are taking off for a few days. On Monday we're dropping our youngest at a camp near Gore then heading off to Arrowtown via Kingston and Queenstown. It's been almost 10 years since I have been up that way and I'm so excited. Central Otago is one of my favourite places in the world. I'm hoping that tripping around and visiting the cemeteries and museums will inspire some historical stories.

I'll tell you about our travels when we get back.

In the meantime, here's some photos of our Kowhai trees, which have just burst into flower. For my overseas readers Kowhai is the Maori word for yellow and is pronounced - ko (rhymes with no) , phi (rhymes with high). The flowers attract many native birds especially the Tui with its little white throat. We're fortunate to have several of them living close by.

A Tui, but not from my camera

MUSINGS FROM A SLEEPY BLOGGER

It's sometimes hard to come up with a blog when not much has been happening. I'm getting over the last of the shingles, which have left me with an insatiable need to sleep! the weather is bouncing between glorious warm sunshine and cold overcast drabness, and I'm still grappling with the first three chapters of my novel - with a modicum of success. So really I have nothing awe inspiring or exciting to report.

Have I read some good books? Yes, definitely, but nothing I feel like reviewing - yawn - I need more sleep.

What about telly?  Well I did watch a doco about three men in a boat in Scotland. I enjoyed that and it rekindled my desire to travel there. A bit of a problem about all the boat rides to the islands though. Not sure I like the idea of little planes either.

Movies? I enjoyed one on the telly the other day. Can't remember the title - what does that tell you?

Oh, a light bulb flash! I watched Young Victoria on Sunday evening. Now that was wonderful. What really intrigued me was her succession to the throne. I always assumed she was the daughter of a king, but not so. This movie really highlighted my ignorance of the monarchy over this period. I know an awful lot about the Tudors - can't avoid them really, can we? Then, thanks to the superb writings of Sharon Penman, I have some knowledge of the Middle Ages, but the Regency? My knowledge of that era begins and ends with what I've gleaned from Jane Austen, and if you know her work then you know that the monarchy gets barely a mention. Well, not that I noticed anyway.

So, there you go. A glimpse into the not very exciting life of an aspiring novelist. I'll think I'll go take another nap now.  I'll just find a pretty picture for you first :)

Victoria and Albert - Quite the handsome couple aren't they?

THE DITHERER

I'm almost too scared to tell you about the latest developments in my writing. If you've followed my blog for the last six months, or so, you will be well aware that I've put one project away, started a new one, rehashed the new one, battled with distractions and generally been rudderless. But this last week everything has changed - I hope. (see, I'm living up to the ditherer moniker.)

I've always maintained that there is nothing more helpful than putting a distance between yourself and your newly completed work. It needs to marinate and the writer needs to have a chance at objectivity, and I believe the last six months have done that. So I pulled out the manuscript to Blackbird and bingo!

It took me less then a day to realise I needed to chuck out the first 300 pages and make what had morphed into two books, back into one. So I sat down and wrote the new first chapter and amazingly my MC Maddie popped out more formed than she ever had been and my style of writing has changed too. I'm writing in a much closer 3rd person perspective and I think it serves the story well.

Now I'm wading through the manuscript. I spent three years learning to write on this story and I wrote far too much. There are too many 'events' and a few too many characters. So I'm making great use of my literary shears: slicing off unnecessary scenes and splicing together others.

I know some writers would turn their back on the story they 'practiced' their craft on, but this is a story I care about and the characters just won't leave me alone.

I'll keep you informed of my progress. And don't worry, Amelia's Strath Taieri story is tucked away safely, but not forgotten.

I'VE BEEN WRITING!

Lately, trying to get words down on paper has been like pulling teeth. At the last meeting of my critique group I had nothing to bring. An absolute first and not one I wish to repeat. And now it is almost time for another of the Dunedin Writer's Workshop short story competitions. The last one, in February, took place with no submission from me. Now I have been known to skip one if the theme was "children's" or "fantasy", but this one had an open theme. Yet no matter how hard I tried, the page remained blank.

The competition which closes in a couple of weeks has the theme "Crime or Mystery" and I'm happy to report that I have two stories, almost finished.

The first I have mentioned before and is based on an historical 'sticking up'. It spent a very long time rattling around in my head before it finally emerged, but it's out and I'm happy.

The second story came about in one of those magical moments, when you least expect it. This morning, as I was about to throw off the bed covers and face the world, it just 'popped' into my head. Complete from beginning to end! I like it when that happens. I wrote almost 2000 words today and it is taking shape quite nicely. The word limit is 3000 words so I am almost there.

So what is it about, you ask. Well, it's historical - no surprise there. Set in the American West in the latter part of the 19th century it involves stagecoaches, outlaws, a curious carpet bag and a captivating heroine named Violet.

Fingers crossed for a place in the competition!

A NEW BEGINNING

Yet another week has flown by. A week where I was laid low by the 'flu. I did however manage to attend the Dunedin Writer's Workshop on Wednesday evening. A red letter day: my first meeting as the new president and my good friend Ruth as the new secretary. Nervous as we were, it was an enjoyable time.  

Our exercise for the evening was on developing characters. First we filled in a questionnaire for a new character, then we wrote that character into a scene. There were some interesting scenarios read out at the end.

I created a character - Mary - who sold flowers at Covent Garden, London, in Victorian times. It was fun, and she has captivated my muse. There may be more of Mary to come. I think Shaw's Pygmalion had just a little influence on my character - though there isn't a Henry Higgins in sight! Just a young butcher boy with an ailing younger sister.

Now for an update on my Catlins novel as promised. It has been one of those stories that is quite bothersome. Nobody does what they are told and writing it has been a real struggle. I decided to move the location, but then I still battled with it. So yesterday I consigned it to the scrapheap. Having purged the horrid story from my mind I lay down for a nap (I'm battling 'flu, remember) and bingo! A totally revised and workable plot dropped like a great weight into my lap!

The main characters will remain the same. The back story will be tinkered with. The plot and all its conflicts are brand new, however, the ending will still look the same. There is one sub-plot to be wrought and another to be streamlined, but I'm confident it will now fall into place.

Unfortunetly I still have no title, but I can't refer to it as my Catlins novel any longer. It is now set in Strath Taieri. A wonderful combination of Scottish and Maori names. The Taieri River meanders through a wide shallow valley- a strath, an hour's drive inland from Dunedin. In typical Central Otago country, brown grass and golden tussock is broken up with protrusions of crumbling schist rock.

The summers there are hot and dry and the winters bitterly cold. I used to holiday in this area as a child and I've always loved the solitude of the place, the sense of being millions of miles from anywhere. There's something magical about the rocks: they take on the shapes of animals, mythical beasts or strange turreted castles.

The small township of Middlemarch is positioned in the centre of the valley: a cute little railway station where the rail trail begins, two stores, two cafes, a museum, a handful of houses and the odd church. I drove up that way a few weeks ago for a poke around and to capture the landscape on camera. It feels like the right place to set my story.

THE MAD SCRIBBLERS' TEA PARTY!

I think I may have mentioned I belong to a critique group, but I think this is the first time I have mentioned its name: The Mad Scribblers' Tea Party - Mad Scribblers for short. We formed a little over two years ago and recently we grew from four to five members.

Last Tuesday evening we had our monthly meeting. We spent the evening nibbling away at our shared supper and reading out extracts of our work. As always we discussed our work, then took copies home to scrawl all over in red pen.

It is an immensely helpful group that is enabling us to become better writers. I can't imagine my writing life without their support. Between the five of us there is always someone to point out when the plot doesn't quite make sense, a new favourite word has been adopted or the MC's eyes keep changing colour. This week they helped me to realise that my MC had changed her mind too quickly. Last month it was my hours of research sounding like a travelogue. Ouch!

An eclectic group, we are a mixture of ages and genders who write across a broad spectrum of genres. There is T who is writing a middle grade story of goblins and fairies with a unique and fresh take. C writes predominantly Sci Fi with an imagination that knows no boundaries. R writes YA or Adult fantasy, or Victorian historicals with elegant prose and K is working on an intriguing paranormal with local content. Then of course there is myself, who is firmly entrenched in the historical.

So if you are a writer and you don't belong to a small critique group, then I highly recommend you form one. I wouldn't be without mine.

THE DECIDED WRITER!

Last time I posted I was the Procrastinating Writer. Since then I've been the Dithering Writer and now I'm happy to report I am the Decided Writer.

So, what does that mean?

It means that I have broken my No Diversion rule. Three years ago a germ of a story popped into my head and started me on this great adventure of writing. I've cut my teeth on that story, poured my heart and soul into it and watched it grow from a tiny idea to a three book series - rather big books at that too! And the really best part is that my writing has improved and I've learnt so much about the craft of writing.

However, three years sometimes feels like thirty and I've got stuck in a rut. The passion has faded (just a little) and the thought of rewriting a good portion of book one fails to thrill me in any shape or form. So, the new story, the one I'd put away when I wrote my last post, has been resurrected and Blackbird is taking a well earned nap. But don't worry, I certainly will not forget about it. As perhaps only a writer will understand, I love those characters. They are almost a part of me and I want their story to be told.

As I throw myself into this new project I am feeling invigorated and excited about writing again and I know I've made the right decision.

I'll tell you about the new novel in my next post, but here is a little peek that could have been lifted from Chapter Two!

The SS Ionic, Port Chalmers, 1880s.

THE PROCRASTINATING WRITER!

As I write this, hubby is outside feeding a whole tree's worth of branches through a mulcher. Very noisy. I could blame that on my failure to do any writing, but that wouldn't exactly be the truth. I have been lagging ever since I finished NaNo (way back in November) but these last few weeks have been totally barren in the writing department.

The red-winged blackbird of my novel's title. 

I think the problem is that I know I have to virtually rewrite the first half of Blackbird - my WIP, and I still have the finishing chapters to knock into shape. Then there is the matter of this new story that raised it's head whilst on holiday. I wrote the prologue and first chapter yesterday and today I guiltily got back to Blackbird.

I'm being very strict on myself. You see I'm the sort of person who starts projects and before I finish, start something new. For example, there is a small pile of unfinished quilts and wall hangings in my sewing room. But when I started writing, I promised myself that I wouldn't do that. And three years later, I've kept to it. Except for yesterday's momentary lapse.

So, new story is saved and temporarily forgotten and Blackbird is being pulled out, shaken and attacked with renewed vigour. I'll keep you updated with my progress.

One of my characters is a Shoshone Indian named Standing Eagle. I thought this was a magnificent specimen.