Collected musings

An update on the writing front: I have two articles currently in print for any interested parties to peruse. The first is in the Aug/Sept issue of Renaissance magazine and is titled The Rocky Mountain Mystery School. The second is in the Oct issue of Fairlady as part of their article on self-harm. It’s my own story about dealing with it and they have changed my name as requested. If anyone has the inclination to read them I would value your honest opinion.

But moving on… I caught myself being a Book Snob the other day. And I seriously dislike people who are. Before any of you decide to lynch me, let me explain: if you prefer to read particular authors or genres over others this does not make you a Book Snob. If you refuse to read certain books because they did not make it onto Oprah’s book club list; or because your English prof. would have an aneurysm if he caught you; or because they have not won a Pulitzer/Nobel/some other fancy prize - that makes you a Book Snob. I have been having a fabulous time exploring one of the local libraries and while doing so I have stumbled across some really great books. Recently I picked up The Dark Side of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I thought it was awesome – quick, readable, funny. I think one of the reviewers quoted on the cover sums her writing up the best: It’s like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Sex in the City. She has created an intriguing universe of vampires (called Daimons – doomed descendants of Apollo), gods (who also have PMS and egos), ghosts, shape-shifters and Dark Hunters (immortal vampire hunters created by Apollo’s twin, the goddess Artemis). And all this takes place in a modern setting. Anyhow – back to my Book Snob moment. I was thoroughly enjoying the book when I realised that I had just finished reading a pretty steamy sex scene, which meant that this had to be a cheesy romance and therefore clearly out of bounds for someone such as me… wait… this is pretty much where I caught myself, gave myself a swat around the back of the head and got back to reading. And I enjoyed it – enough to hunt down another book in the series and read that too. Plus there’s another forming the base of one of the precarious piles of books that have annexed my bedside table and threaten to smother me in my sleep if an enthusiastic wind should blow. This is entirely my idea of living on the edge….

Gedankenexperiment

A Gedankenexperiment, for those whose academic German is a bit rusty, is a thought experiment. I’m currently reading The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs. It’s the second of his books that I have read (the first being The Year of Living Biblically) and in both he mentions his compulsion to Google for reviews and blog posts concerning his books and him personally. So I figured I would put this theory to the test and see whether Google would lead Mr Jacobs to my erratically updated part of cyberspace.

The Know-It-All is about A.J.’s decision to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A-Z. That’s quite a quest right there. I’m not sure I would have the patience to undertake such a project – admittedly I have been known to dip into the good old Oxford English Dictionary once in a while for entertainment, but to have to read about 100 pages of the EB every day would probably loose its charm for me pretty quickly. But so far I have accompanied Mr Jacobs all the way to the end of the Q’s – and learnt some interesting tidbits courtesy of our fearless reader.

A.J. Jacobs is exceptionally honest in his account of his EB experience and I find myself torn between liking him and wanting to knock some sense into him. That kind of honesty takes a healthy dose of courage and as a result I lean towards a more favourable opinion of him as a person.

Oh, and by the way – his wife, Julie, deserves a medal and a foot massage. Mr Jacobs, if you should happen across this post, please would you be so kind as to fulfil my curiosity and leave a comment. Thank you kindly.

My first article acceptance !

Yup – I heard the good news officially about a week or so ago: Renaissance magazine are going to be publishing an article I submitted to them in their August edition. I am super excited! *bounce*

I have been on a bit of a hiatus from writing. For no other reason than the gremlins of doubt rear their ugly heads every once and a while and I escape by reading other people’s successes. I have acquired a gremlin beat down stick for myself and will be commencing with their termination shortly. Then hopefully I will continue on my merry way with my mad imagination and keyboard for company. I read somewhere that every author is trying to write a book that they would enjoy reading – I like that idea.

Condemned to blog obscurity

Few things in life have been able to show me how devoid of interesting facts and happenings my life is quite like this blog. I was checking my site views and it peaked the other day at 2! I rest my case.

Personally I don’t think it’s that bad, but I update so irregularly that a constant audience remains a thing of blogger wet dreams. Yet I press on regardless.

It’s something about writing that keeps me going I guess. Even if it is updating cyberspace on the latest kitten acquisition plans or posting my “art”. My writing course is going well. I am thoroughly enjoying myself and have already submitted an article for publication in Fairlady magazine. Check back in a few weeks and hopefully I’ll have an update on whether or not it will be used. I have two more articles in the process of being written and Renaissance magazine has expressed an interest in both of them.

I have also recently acquired all of the back-issues for Something Wicked and have spent a delightful few days immersing myself in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy worlds and short stories of South African writers (and a few internationals). There are some excellent pieces of fiction on display and if you are a fan of any of those genres (especially horror or sci-fi) I recommend that you get your grubby little hands on a copy. My reading has encouraged the creative side of my brain to throw out some very promising ideas. Now all I have to do is stop procrastinating and write. This may prove to be challenging, as I am a well practiced procrastinator (taking it almost to the level of an Olympic event) and am quite capable of toying with an idea for ages and then getting bored of it. Sort of like a kitten playing with a rolled-up ball of paper. I think that quite a lot has to do with the fact that I don’t want to find out that I can’t write. I know that sounds a bit weak, but bear with me. I believe that I have a natural aptitude for the written word – I am shit scared of putting ideas down on paper only to find out that I really would be better off flipping burgers somewhere.

As part of my procrastination programme I have been doing quite a bit of reading about writing. The most recent book being On Writing: A memoir of the craft by Stephen King. It’s part autobiography part how-I-do-it book. Whether or not you like King’s writing few can deny that the man has managed to consistently appeal to his fans and has written more than 40 novels in the last 32 years. I really liked his description of how he sees writing. He states that he usually starts with an idea or a premise and lets the story flow from there, plot developing as his characters move forward from situation to situation. He likens it to archaeology. He believes that the novel exists as a whole, but the writer’s job is to excavate it carefully to reveal it to the rest of the world. How careful you are during this process determines how much of the original fossil you extract intact. Good don’t you think?

Wish me luck (if anyone will read this) and I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Writer’s block

OK, so I started writing and very shortly after that ground to a pen-nib breaking halt. Serves me right for crowing about it on-line.

In all honesty writer’s flood would probably have been a better title for this post. And a better description for the problem at hand. The issue is an overabundance of ideas and concepts. I can’t seem to pick what genre to write in. What story to tell. I have too many characters and possibilities whirling through my head any any one point. I reach out to grab hold of one and it is barely there long enough for me to flesh it out when another catches my eye.

I can hear it now. Woe is Shelagh. Spoilt for choice. But honestly it’s getting me down. The ideas seem to press up against my brain begging to be heard. To be expressed. But when I sit down with my pen or in front of my keyboard I have no idea where to start.

I thought about starting a fantasy novel. Then I thought about writing a forensic crime novel – serial killers being a personal interest coupled with my love of (and understanding of) forensics. Then I watched Queen of the Damned again the other night and a couple of vampire plots appeared in my head.

Aaaaargh. Somebody help me out. What are people out there keen to read ? Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

My A is finally into G

‘It’s about bloody time !’ I hear you cry. And you would be right, but I am a procrastinator of exceptional skill and I doubt that much will change that. So the best I can do is recommend that you come back every now and again for a peek to see if I have overcome my lethargy and dial-up connection to post to this here blog.

Many who know me will attest to the fact that I love stories – telling them, being a part of them and reading them. In addition I have also threatened to unleash my ideas on the innocent public in the form of a book, short story or gaming module. These threats have been bandied about for a while, so many will be shocked to know that I finally sat myself down with a pen (thanks to Melanie for my lovely fountain pen) and paper and started to write. My poor mother has caught a brief glimpse of her future. She has already had my jotted notes and ideas thrust under her nose twice and been made to read them and comment while I stood with a stupidly proud look on my face. Picture a small child presenting you with their latest mud cake recipe and waiting for you to eat it and you may have an idea.

Like any geek I then set about doing a quick web-search for any interesting or useful tips, hints and ideas from those who have walked this path before me. I did happen across two interesting things which I wish to share. The first is  Simon Haynes’ website – the first place with a ‘go for it’ vibe. Everywhere else I had looked was layered with ‘give up now, it’s too hard to make a living and get published’ subliminal messaging. I must be an optimist (or delusional) because I would like to think that people can make a living (comfortably) writing and doing what they love. Any authors (published or desperate) out there should feel free to comment.

My second find was through another blog and led me to Mr Haynes in the first place. It’s free tool specifically designed for writers called yWriter. It’s available for download here. I am looking forward to trying it out and will let you know how it goes.

Oh and exam results come out on 11 December 2007, so cross everything you can in decent company and watch this space.