Mumsnet Talk

hey, arti! congratulations, you have been busy! ds2 wow - and picture books!
I've had a bit of a hiatus too, did my teacher training last year and am now about 12,000 into a new crime thriller. I applied for a masters but haven't heard yet, in a way I hope it's a no as I now have a job for September - a real teaching job! it's maternity cover and I have everything crossed for an eventual job share as that way I could find time to do everything.
are you submitting?
waves at bshh, sybil and everyone else!

Hi ninah. Teacher training and a new thriller - you've been busy too! Did you submit your previous book? I am also thinking of retraining in education, possibly FE. Was it mad? Not sure I could do it and keep my sanity with two DCs under 5. I am currently editing and polishing the picture books and getting some feedback. I've never submitted before so it's quite exciting even though I'll probably just end up with enough rejection letters to prop up my wonky table!

yup it was a mad mad year! I don't have family around etc so I waited til dd was in y1 (especially handy as my gtp placement was with y1 in another school so I could pinch some ideas!). Things seem to be changing rapidly in education but despite current climate, teaching is still the best job in the world imo!
Last book - I submitted, one request for full ms, but not a goer in the end. This one is much better! (eternal optimist). Getting feedback is good it helped me a lot as I have problems detaching from what I've written. Wouldn't it be great to publish... I do wish you the very best with subbing it's nerve wracking but v exciting waiting for the responses.
I am teaching Early Years next year if you ever need additional really tiny beta readers ...

Hey ninah. How's it going? I saw on another thread that you are going to do the masters you talked about - which one is it out of interest (if you don't mind posting it)? I have just been offered a place on a DL writing course which offers some creative writing options and some more business/features/non-fiction options. I'm really excited but also thinking 'What have I done? How the hell am I going to do this?!'

hi arti, exciting isn't it! I'd rather not post details on here but I'll pm you if it's any good - I start in Jan. Bit worried about combining it with work but apparently the first term is reading and not too strenuous. My full time contract finishes around April, and I've got my fingers crossed for part time work after that. The writing and research does have a habit of taking over, as it's so absorbing. Maybe we should start another thread!

Oooh - mine starts in Jan too! Go on then PM me! My course is entirely dependent on DS2 being a good napper which is a bit of a worry. Yes, sounds like we need a 'Studying, writing and trying to balance all the other bits of life' thread come January...

haha we should do that! I could do with another day in the week, really
here's to the naps! (his not yours)

Hello! Another newbie here. I decided last summer to have a go at a writing a book and am 20k words into the first draft.
1) it's my first novel but I've written all kind of things for family and friends before and even got a tiny bit published in a Polish SF magazine a long time ago!
2) I used to love SF and comics but nowadays am reading a bit of everything, albeit not enough I must admit.
3) Fiction, in French as it's my mother tongue
4) It's all about lies, lies and lies, and how far can you lie before your world collapse.
5) I'm a SAHM of a 18 mo and a 3 yo so during nap time when chores get neglected.
6) Household can wait.

Hello, back again after a long break from this thread but fortunately not from writing. Am now on Draft 5 of my novel and it's really going well. I'm not struggling to find time to write at all these days as I'm really enjoying the whole process so am actively making time to write.

I'm using Scrivener for the first time ever (despite having used Word for all four previous drafts). I copied and pasted every single scene into the software and gave each scene its own "document" or "file". This is making it really easy for me to analyse and work on all the novel's scenes by character rather than by chapter and it's been an eye opener.

I'm also writing a lot more in my (very fab) local library whenever I can as I find it less distracting than writing at home.

How is everyone doing?

Nearly finished my novel! It's fantasy which I have loved writing. It's for children. I'm at 123,000 words and am in the last chapters. I shall be on the sequel straight after cos I'll miss the characters! Synopsis then laying myself bare, so to speak next...I guess! Sigh...and developing my thick skin! Ho!

Hi! I came around to this thread ages ago.

I'm at around 46,000 words and editing like mad, redoing and redoing and redoing and hopefully it will be finished early next year. Then the real work starts ...

I'm also doing a bunch of short stories on the side to practice writing and plot development (though very short plots.)