From First to Final Draft - The New Creative Writing Thread.

[CharCharGabor]

Everybody's welcome, if you want to share ideas, techniques, publishing info or just chat about writing. Come on in!

[artifarti]

Hello and Happy New Year! Is anyone still there?! I am in serious need of some motivation. As predicted, the festive season was ridiculously busy and I have written nothing. I'm tired with a stinking cold and have now had two shortlistings resulting in two ultimate rejections I have some ideas in my head but just can't bring myself to put finger to keyboard - help!

How is everyone else doing?

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

I want to write magazine articles. Can I join in?

[WingedVictory]

Hello, there, hello.

Writing is coming along slowly, particularly given my hideous addiction to MN chat over the holidays. Do you think it's the interest in drama and human nature, or is that a self-serving explanation?

DS threw up on me again this evening, and looked quite concerned, though not as upset as last time. I was encouraged by this progression away from man-sickness toward something more akin to his DF's reaction to illness (hiding, not causing trouble). He's not really ill, anyway; that was at the weekend, and this evening it was just eating/drinking too much on a shrunken stomach.

artifarti, there's an idea: why not write an anecdote about throwing up (or something else undignified), to get you through the writer's block? They do say that just mechanical writing can release the real writing dammed up behind.

One of my favourite vom anecdotes is that of the "Phantom Chunderer." I was with some friends during our year out in Russia, on the St Petersburg metro, going only a few stops. We were wedged into the angle of the big square where the doors open. Chatting. The train was rattling, but by no means as loudly as the time when only the deaf could communicate - on that occasion, we couldn't understand one gesture of the conversation except The Finger. But on this day, we could chat above the noise of the metro train. Our stop arrived, announced in the usual way by the train PA. I turned to stride toward the doors, and surfed into a great, flat pool of vomit, which none of us had seen, nor heard, produced. How could we not have heard even the slap of that lake of - pretty murky - liquid? It was the work of the Phantom Chunderer.

I feel better. Hope you will do, too, once you get your vom story out of your system? Very sorry, HalfMumHalfBiscuit, it's not what you were after!

[artifarti]

Hello HalfMumHalfBiscuit. How are you getting on?

Thanks for the vomit tips! I got over my writer's block when DS got ill last week and insisted on clinging to me like a chimp for 12 hours a day solid. Hence unable to write. Hence all I wanted to do was write! I don't think I had writer's block anyway, I was just in a sulk suffering from low confidence after my double-rejection. Anyway, I am off the mark again...which is just as well, as I can't think of any interesting vom-related anecdotes, although I did get drunk on creme de menthe once and the resulting puke was tres pretty...

By the way, I think some of you are Londoners, in which case you might find this organisation interesting, there seems to be stuff going on:

Interesting?

[WingedVictory]

Hello, artifarti, and thank you for the link. I've put it as a home page, to examine at greater length...

Two more short sections yet of my "short" story, then I can edit the so-and-so; it needs it!

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

I finished my article and sent it off to a newspaper. Nothing back so far though. I will send it to others if don't here back by tomorrow.

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

argh 'hear'

[SilveryMoon]

Hello.
I have just read your thread.
I have been trying to write for ages now. I have started 3 different stories. 2 mini-novels and 1 short story, but I have trouble in tying it all up at the end.
Tbh, I haven't done anything at all for a little while now, so maybe it's time to get back and look at what I've done. I've also looked at your links to other sites which was useful.

My plan of action, is to buy some mags thst take short stories to get a feel of thesort of thing that is published and then try to et my stuff to fit in.

I'm feeling quite nervous about it and I haven't even done anything yet! Oh dear....

[WingedVictory]

Still counting down. I've finally got a commute again tomorrow, so time to write on the train, without having to sing and talk to DS!

SilveryMoon, that's just what it is recommended to do; editors moan endlessly about inappropriate stuff's being submitted. Sounds a good plan! I've done something similar, and have kept receipts, to set against anything I might make by publishing, as the Revenue has to accept it's a fair enough "expense"!

HalfMumHalfBiscuit, what sort of article is it? Did you contact the desk editor before sending it in? I used to work in the trade press, and during a freelance period between staff contracts wouldn't write without commission if it was something big, and if it was time-sensitive news, I already had contact with the desk editor before sending it in (therefore they knew who I was, rates had been agreed, I knew what editing they were likely to do to it, etc.)

[SilveryMoon]

Thanks Victory We'll see if my stuff is suitable.
Last night I finished my children's book. It's about a boy (based on ds1) who is always pushing and hitting other boys and girls (ds1).
Over the next week, I'm going to get some pictures for it and bind it. I often wonder if my ds's know the difference between a story I have written to one I have bought....

[WingedVictory]

You're making a book for him? How lovely!

[phdlife]

hi, is it too late to join? (have I already??)

am even now tapping away at last chapter of a novel. of course, I haven't worked on it for 12 months, but I am now, right?

[Litchick]

As some of you know, I'm a writer, and I always like to hang around here giving advice if I can.

Keep going everyone.
Writing is all about the hours you put in.

Silverymoon - there is a fab blog called womag.blogspot. I think. It's all about writing short fiction - stories and serials for mags. She's the queen.

[artifarti]

Hello everyone. I would love to write a story for DS - his full name is very A A Milne-esque and has great rhyming potential! Not sure I'd be much cop at writing for children though...

Short story is progressing well although at that annoying 'first draft, don't look at it too much yet, it's a bit crap' stage!

Hope everyone is progressing well - the last chapter of a novel, phdlife! Wow.

[SilveryMoon]

Thanks Litchick Will have a look at that later.
Victory Yes, it's about a boy who gets whisked away to a magical land where there are no rules. The moral is about the consequences of hitting and pushing.
artifarti I haven't used my ds's name in any of my stories. The main characters are 2 boys (like mine) but have different names so it isn't actually them iyswim.
I didn't actually buy any mags today because haven't been shopping. It's on the list for tomorrow though.

[WingedVictory]

Oh, so what happens to a child who pushes, if he isn't stopped by his parents, you mean, SilveryMoon?

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

WingedVictory it was a piece on what its like trying to get your baby into a routine following on from Nick Cleggs announcement on Gina Ford. I just emailed it off to a few features desks on newspapers in case they were doing follow up stories and wanted a real life story to go with it.

I did try to call one desk but only got an answer phone. My article was time sensitive so I should have put a bit more effort in to talking to someone about it earlier in the week.

I've never written or sent anything off before so I wasn't expecting anything back on my first attempt. I do love writing and am always making up articles in my head but never usually write them down or do anything with them.

So for the future are you saying that you ring the desk editor, tell them you are writing something, agree the price (if they want it of course), then send it in?

Am waiting for my next inspiration...

Does this mean I have joined the thread? Or is this a fiction only group? I am far to self conscious to write fiction of a decent length.

[artifarti]

I don't think we specialise on here, HalfMum. Feel free to come and ramble on about any sort of pen to paper action!

Now it's the weekend that strangely means little or no writing for me as have to do quality time with DP. Unless I can persuade him to take the DS to the park for some father-son bonding, hehehehe...

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

Artifarti - so difficult finding time to write isn't it. I send DH to take DS swimming on a Sunday morning which gives me some time on my own (but still with baby DD).

I have a probably obvious question. How do you all write?
i.e in 'Word' on a laptop, in a notebook with a biro etc? Is there some fancy software that you use?

I try to write a bit of a journal in Word and write in a diary by my bed occasionally. I am terrible for having notebooks and lists all over the place. Its a shared laptop so I am thinking of getting my own and hopefully will consolidate the writing.

[DorindaG]

I'm really glad to have found this group! I have a semi-fictional historical novel in the works, and obviously saw maternity leave as a great opportunity to sit and write it.

Reality is a different kettle of fish though, isn't it?! Being pregnant and probably having a small baby (DS due Feb6th)is not going to be the relaxed affair I dreamily first imagined!
Lethargy, sickness, aching limbs, pain, cramps etc etc etc!!

The other problem of course is that I only have three weeks to go and cannot envisage being able to travel and do the research I would like to do to back up the story I have found.

I know there's a long way to go yet, but I would ultimately love to be the next Tracy Chevalier/Bernard Cornwell!

[artifarti]

HalfMum - I have a small notebook bound with elastic which I always carry with me to jot down ideas, stick interesting things into. I then have a larger notebook that I sometimes make bad drafts of things in if I'm not at a computer. But most of my work is done on Word on a laptop at the kitchen table.

Dorinda - that sounds interesting! You might find that once you have got over the shock and exhaustion of a new baby that you do manage to write. Once DS started sleeping for more regular naps, I did quite a lot of writing. And the endless daily walks I went on for something to do always helped me to move plots along or find inspiration. Before I had DS I had so much time and never did anything with it other than watch Hollyoaks in my pyjamas. Now that I have so little time to call my own I use every last minute of it! Good luck with the birth - come and write your story on here!

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

Dorinda - someone we know said that she was going to do some traveling while on maternity leave and go round the world on her own with the baby. She didn't in the end.

I think doing a bit of writing while the baby sleeps or kicks about on the floor is much more realistic. Short trips for research may be possible with an easy baby but nothing is guaranteed.

[WingedVictory]

More vomit today, this time from toddler DS. Poor thing is quite distressed about losing control, the taste, how he feels, the stickiness of it everywhere... I did get in some writing yesterday, on a train to do domestic errands .

HalfMumHalfBiscuit, I don't have much experience of non-trade press freelancing (and my newspaper days were limited and long ago), but these are probably helpful steps: (1) have a portfolio, which it's possible to cheat into existence nowadays, without having been "published", by blogging (and if the host allows you to monitor site traffic, that could be a tool for marketing your work: "I have X unique hits a week/month"), as an editor wants to know you can actually get a job done; (2) keep an eye on by-lines for names and job titles ("...features editor X found out why", etc.); (3) if a magazine, ring up their advertising people and ask for a forward features list (this also gives you an idea what the deadlines are for copy, so you have enough time to get the feature in). Industry events (exhibitions like baby shows, if that is the field you are concentrating on, given that suggested article?)....

As for writing, I've got hold of an A5 snopake binder (Rymans) and A5 looseleaf paper, as it fits more easily in my nappy bag than the A4 efforts I used to use when I was carrying that sort of thing anyway for school and university. I do like to write a first draft, or two, longhand, then the move to computer can be a radical edit.

Hahaha, artifarti, I know what you mean about endless daily [insert activity here...]. One of the most difficult things for me in the early breastfeeding days was how long it took, and how boring the monotasking was. It's so good to have something else to do or think about. Unfortunately, once I learned to feed one-handed, that was more often neglected correspondence, phone calls and eating, rather than anything properly creative.

Right, off to bed, in time for night-time alerts! Good night, all.

[BernieBear]

Hello there, I have commented on other threads on creative writing, and been lurking on this one too. I have been writing for some time now, but pretty much daily since September. I would like to ask your opinion on Creative Writing Courses. I am considering attending one that starts in April, more so that I can get some critique and pointers with regards to my writing. Do you think they are worth going to? Has anyone who has attended one, felt it has improved their writing? I would be very interested in your experiences as money is pretty tight, but I feel I have got to the point where I can't move forward without some "direction", and would spend the money if the course would be beneficial. Many thanks and keeeeeeeep writing!

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

Thanks WingedVictory for your suggestions. I was dithering over notepads in Waterstones thinking of this thread the other day. For some reason I am drawn to books with graph paper-type pages. Must be the control freak in me.

Bernie - sorry not been on a course so can't help you. I am sure there are some free courses or groups you could join.

I haven't had inspiration to write for a wee while so hoping that something comes to me soon. I like to draw on something that is relevant to me but I am feeling like my life is a bit dull at the moment so people don't really want to hear about it. Still, the in-laws are hear this weekend...