Superjack On The Fly ...

Okay - so the charity story Superjack At The Edge Of The World did not make the top bestseller list or get a look in with Richard and Judy - but it has been a huge success!  I have received orders for another four today which I shall put together tonight.  That means a cheque will be winging its way to Jeans for Genes within the next few days. That to me is Success!

The really great thing for me is that the whole Superjack story came to me the second I suggested a fund-raising story to my colleague Claire at the Day Job - whose own little boy succumbed at age just three - to some rare and little known syndrome for which there is currently no cure.  When I wrote the first draft, I did so sitting in my favourite coffee shop the following morning, before starting the Day Job.  I just knew what to say, who the characters were, how the story would develop and even how it would end.  And - because I cannot draw to save my life - I had to make sure it would read well aloud, so I had to give it page-turn-ability in order to keep its target audience interested without the aid of brightly coloured illustrations.  And I did it!  Feedback has been great.  That to me is Success!

Last week I had two more poems published and tomorrow - yes tomorrow I will finally be signing off My Writer.  It has taken a bit longer than I had anticipated but hey - on the penultimate leg now so Watch This Space.  So you see Success is Out There in whatever way, shape or form it is in.  This is the message I try to instill in my Young Writers - and indeed in every student who has ever attended one of my courses or workshops.  Being a Writer isn't about being a millionaire superstar (not that I'd complain if it happened to me - but who would?), it is about getting words on paper, getting it out there so people can see it and touch it and become part of it.  Nobody can write like you can.

That to me is Success.

Happy Halloween ...

When I was fifteen and a half, I wrote an article entitled "Our House Is A Haunted House".  It was around a thousand words long and was the first article I had written with the intention of finding a magazine to publish it in.  And the first one I sent it to - the now long-defunct Fate & Horoscope Magazine - not only accepted it, they asked for another article.  My first commission at barely sixteen!  That first article detailed some of the strange goings-on my family had experienced in our modest council house in Carshalton.  Strange knocks and noises - people singing, whistling, talking, the way the dog would sit at the foot of the stairs and bark at something at the top when all the family were downstairs, things disappearing and reappearing, the apparition of a cat etc etc etc.  Hardly Exorcist material (thank goodness) - but somewhat alarming to experience when you are young and there are no logical explanations to be found.  Anyway Fate liked it enough to publish it - much to my ecstatic delight - and ask for something else to be submitted, so it must have struck a chord somewhere.

I have always had an interest in folklore, myths and legends and my mother always told everyone I was sensitive to all things psychical.  I suppose that is true.  My diaries and journals over the years have been littered with experiences I've had.  In fact it occurred so often that it was as natural to write about as say - bacon and eggs.  I'd say something like - "good day at work, weather appalling, the dog's claws need cutting, I saw this old woman on the bus today who disappeared in front of my eyes.  Baked beans for tea.".

When I was around eleven - long before it became popular to Trick or Treat - one of my little friends and I dressed up as witches and went around the local streets jumping out on people and howling about The Ides Of March.  No doubt about it, I'd love to be a child nowadays on Halloween Night.  Not only must it be tremendous fun, I should think it feels quite adventurous being out after dark dressed as a Hogwarts student or a vampire.

At Halloween I always remember that first article for some reason and the other day at the Young Writer group the assignment I set was an exercise in research.  I asked the Young Writers to find out what they could about Halloween and write it down as a report in time for the next session.  Be interesting to see how they get on.  It is the first time I have set them something like this.

Anyway - just thought I'd reflect a little.  Next time I write a Post it will be more Writing related.
Happy Halloween!

I'm Back ...!

Sorry to have been away for a few weeks.  My life has just been on a massive fast-forward since my last post - daughter's wedding, charity book, setting up the Young Writer exhibition.  The wedding went really well.  Daughter looked great.  Don't normally cry at weddings but wept buckets at this one - especially when the four children got up and did their family speech - OMG!  There wasn't a dry eye in the hotel!  Could not have asked for a better day - the weather was great, everyone had a great time, the setting was amazing!  Made for a very long weekend but worth every second!

Remember me mentioning the charity book I was going to produce for a colleague to help raise funds for children's charities (I did mention this didn't I?)- well I got the final draft finished and printed it off, bound it all up, presented it to colleague - and suddenly I have orders for around a dozen more, so my printer is going to be very busy over the weekend!  Luckily it only runs to eight pages.  Nice that everyone likes the story, though!  Even nicer knowing I can raise funds for worthy causes without running a marathon (I wouldn't make it to 26 yards, let alone 26 miles!).  Plus the story is just plain fun.  It was fun to write and it is fun to read!  I might even do something similar another time.

Spent a couple of hours at the local library yesterday afternoon setting up the displays of work by the Young Writers for the exhibition.  Chuffed to bits with how it looked once I'd finished it.  can't wait to show my members tomorrow at the next session.

As for My Writer - well I have yet to read the final proof but should get it done next week so need to get my marketing cap on and think of the best way to Get It Out There.

Oh yes - and just the other day I won an award at The Day Job....

Busy Busy Busy ...

Great Young Writer session yesterday.  I had ten members in including one newbie and a random enquiry from a passing parent when the session ended.  Next week I will start collating what will go into the display at the exhibition next month.  The children are getting very excited about seeing their work on view and I am so proud of them.  See addiscombeyoungwriters.blogspot.co.uk  to see how incredibly well it is all going!

Finished the Charity story last week - including the second draft.  I am now putting it into print and have realised the only way I can really raise funds from it for Jeans for Genes is to personally print off and bind any copies requested.  Unless there is a local printer out there who fancies doing it for free - after all it is for a very good cause?  No?  Ah well - I live in hope!   My colleague at work will get the first copy I print off because I wrote it for her.  She will obviously get hers free.  The story is a rather fantastical adventure story called Superjack At The Edge Of the World and it has all kinds of weird and wonderful characters in it, including  Captain Twoheads Nosescratch - the most notorious Space Pirate in the whole ten million year history of space piracy!  More about this after I have finalised it.

Can't remember if I mentioned a month or two ago that I had contacted the local council with an idea to write a series of stories for children to put my hometown on the map.  Have been advised to look into funding and have no idea where to start.  I might see if there are any grants available from the local authority.  I might also look at this new trend - crowd-funding - which I plan to research over the next few days.  I keep hearing about it.  Just don't actually know anything about it.  The idea for the local story books seems to have met with approval.  Now I just need to work out how to go about it!

No further news as yet on the publication of My Writer.  David my publisher is on annual leave and not back till 29th September so the whole project is currently on hold.  Should be available to buy or order from the end of November and once I know for sure, I will spread the word.  I will also organise a proper launch.

Anyway, better go.  Words to write.  Books to finish.  You know how it is for a writer -  busy busy busy!

A Day Of Mixed Emotions

The extent of my feelings simply knows no bounds.  I have gone from High as a kite to being full of self-loathing - all in the space of a day!  I was high as a kite when I carried on with a story I am writing for one of my work colleagues whose little boy died a few years ago.  She and another colleague are going to do a parachute jump to raise funds for various children's charities in remembrance of the little boy.  I do not have the guts nor the inclination to throw myself out of an aeroplane   And as much as I say I'd like to do a marathon, I know I would be struggling inside ten minutes.  But I know I can write.  In fact, most of my published books have raised funds one way or another.  With the poetry books it was Great Ormond Street Hospital.  With the Yucketypoo books, it was Clic Sargent.  And - depending how My Writer sells once it is published, I will ensure I make at least some kind of contribution from sales.  Maybe to the NSPCC this time.  Anyway getting back to my colleague, I offered to write a story book in honour of her little boy and as soon as I said it, this idea crashed into my head which has been consuming me ever since!  So I have been writing feverishly and getting such a massive kick out of it!  I have found myself smiling somewhat inanely several times as my pen skims across the page.  Other people must wonder what on earth I am writing about!  So - high as a kite then.

Filled with self-loathing when I seemed to be doing so abysmally at the Day Job.  It is the kind of job that comes and goes.  You are either doing unbelievably well and floating along in a delirium of joy. Or you doing terribly when the only way out seems to be a dive through the nearest window!  My supervisor tells me I am doing great and I have to believe him or else I really would just give up.  But then, right at the end of the day when it did pick up. Whadoyaknow!  High as a kite again!

I also entered a poetry competition during my lunch break today.  It was a particularly poignant poem penned during my last trip to visit my lovely old mum.  I didn't know what else I was going to do with it so I put it into a competition where the first prize is a publishing contract for a book of poetry. Now that I could do with.  So as I put the words on screen - felt almost sad as I thought of the sentiments that brought it about.  But once I pressed Enter - guess what?  High as a bloody kite again. I mean what is going on?  It is hardly hormonal - not at my age!  I just think I must be quite a complex being.  I love doing well at the day job but I yearn to write full time.  I love writing in the evenings - yet it takes every ounce of willpower to climb the stairs, switch on the laptop to actually get going.  Weird or what!

Oh and by the way - the Kindle saga.  What a carry on!  I finally got round to taking it back to the shop a couple of weekends ago.  They fiddled with it and finally  diagnosed it had a fault.  What a surprise!  Could I swap it for another?  Well I could but actually they had none in stock.  Would they be getting more?  Oh yes.  Come back after Tuesday.  Went back Thursday - um - no stock.  So now I have had a full refund but I am completely Kindle-less!  Why is life so complicated sometimes?  I see other people reading theirs almost mockingly.  They clearly have no problems.  Ah well.  Never mind.  Onwards and Upwards they say.  Onwards and upwards!

Moving On ...

I have just finished correcting the proof to My Writer and emailed it back to David at Publish Nation.  I am so pleased with the layout and everything and I am more convinced than ever that this book will reawaken  interest in Creative Writing because it is the kind of book I would buy for myself - as I buy every book I come across that has a connection to Writing - no matter how vague or for what age group.  I now need any advice anyone anywhere can give me on marketing this book to its best advantage.  I have a lot of ideas - and a lot of contacts in the Writing and Publishing world.  And I have marketed a lot of stuff before -not only my own work, but in various jobs, for the Young Writer group, for a kids' drama group back in the 80s - so I know there are plenty of options.  But I am still open to fresh ideas so please get in touch if you, or someone you know, has any suggestions.  I'd be eternally grateful!

Had a bit of a panic earlier.  Could not get the internet up on my laptop for love nor money!  Had to ring Sky and they helped me re-boot it all so at the moment - touch wood - it is working fine.  Panicked because I was determined to get this book back to David today, even if it meant sitting up all night.  Anyway - it has winged its way back.  It's David's move next.

Still struggling with Kindle.  So desperately want to use it.  Almost makes me sad.  I was so grateful when my cousin Stephen said he could help me with it.  I did send him a message back saying thank you, but haven't heard from him yet.  Me and my cousin Steve were really close as kids.  He was like the big brother I never had and I loved him to bits.  Still do.  But it is the same old story with families really.  As they grow up, find lives of their own, move, have kids - the contact between them just kind of drifts off and that is a real pity.

 I can remember one particularly funny story about me and Steve.  We decided to go to London for
 the day.  He would have been about seventeen or eighteen and I was a bit younger.  We were growing up. Spreading our wings.  Becoming independent people.  And we thought it would be great to go into London for the day so off we went to see the sights - Trafalgar Square, Regent Street etc.  We stopped for lunch in a cafe - I can still remember what we had - cheese and beans on toast - then we went off in search of St Paul's Cathedral.  Couldn't find it after endless walking around.  Finally came across a Tourist Information centre so we went in.  Went up to the counter.  Said "Can you tell us where we could find St Paul's Cathedral?".  The girl behind the counter looked at us a little incredulously and pointed.  "It's over there," she said.  Our eager gaze followed her finger - and there it was - exactly opposite.  How on Earth had we not seen it?  It's big enough!  That still makes me laugh even after all these years.  Anyway I just heard that Steve and his lovely wife Fiona have moved into the beautiful Northamptonshire countryside and I wish them all the best.  And I will say it again - PLEASE tell me what I can do with my Kindle ......

All Systems Go ...

I have been unbelievably busy since my last post!  I have been away, had two family get-togethers,  a token Young Writer session, meetings, day job, proofs to read.  Oh yes.  it has all been happening!  In fact tonight I simply must finish proof-reading My Writer.  And I need to email The Society of Authors, update the Young Writer blog.  And I still need to get back to Wattpad before I am forgotten completely.  I love all this busy-busy-business and I am not complaining.  Not getting a lot of writing done though, apart from the poetry which is bombarding me at all times of the day and night! I have got to find time to start my new book.  How else will I be able to keep the momentum going?  Love it!

Wasn't it a complete shock about Robin Williams?   I remember him in Happy Days and Mork and Mindy. The first film I saw him in was The World According To Garp (the book of which by John Irving remains one of my all time favourites to this very day) and he was amazing in that, equally able to portray a confused teenage boy and a middle aged man in the space of a couple of hours.  He was also brilliant in Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting,  as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin and of course Mrs Doubtfire. There are quite a few others I remember him in - One Hour Photo, Night At the Museum and various others whose titles momentarily evade me. He was a very talented actor whose comedy timing was faultless and he will be very sorely missed.  If the papers are to be believed he was also the archetypal tragic clown - but I prefer to think of him as the gifted man he was.  Very sad really.

Still having problems with my Kindle Fire HD.  One night a week or so ago, when I emailed and asked for help,  someone rang me from Kindle and told me how to get it all going.  It seemed to be connected  - but, by the next day it was playing up again.  I have had it six weeks and haven't read a word on it apart from emails.  I really cannot understand what is going on with it.  I see other people with theirs and they never seem to have a spot of bother.  Me?  Forget it!  I have had nothing but bother.  So now what do I do?

Anyway.  better go.  It if 9.30 already and I still need to do the Young Writer blog.

Good writing!