Tag Archives: Writer

The test of true mettle

30 Monday Sep 2013

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Well first off reader, what is mettle anyway?

flower

It was a saying I’d heard often and probably even quoted myself. But, I didn’t know for sure, so I googled!

This is the first of 4,420,000 results

met·tle

/ˈmetl/

Noun
A person’s ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.
Synonyms
spirit – nature – temper – temperament – character

I’ve been in the process of streamlining and restructuring my work/life balance. No mean task, I can tell you. Naturally, I’m disorganised and scatty. Or so I thought.

Recently I’ve made a few lifestyle changes that have proven that my self image was a misconception. I am not lazy and vague. I just shouldn’t eat sugar!

Oh! Don’t stress reader, I’m not going to launch into a lecture about the evils of the white stuff. If you want to read about it there’s plenty of information out there. But here and here are two interesting blogs about sugar and it’s effects. Only click if you want to.

Anyway on with the story. Since I’ve removed processed sugar (not fruit) from my diet I’ve seen a lot of changes.

fruit & veg

Mostly with my concentration. I am much more focused and less inclined to wander away from a task. It’s great. The best thing I’ve found is that I have been able to stick to tasks that previously would have had me cleaning the fans or oven.

But, back to the mettle. There have been a few things happen lately that add up to my feeling a bit deflated. Nothing that is note worthy by itself. But things add up.

Which brings me to where I am and if I can pull myself up by my bootlaces and keep on going.

Of course I can reader. When you want something, you keep trying. Regardless of circumstances. In the words of someone far wiser than I, “It will be right in the end, and if it’s not right, it’s not yet the end.” <quote> 

Last week I talked about NaNoWriMo creeping ever steadily closer and what I’m planning. You can read about that here. So while I’m working on a new story and am excited about that I realise it’s good to move on.

too good to be true

Sometimes, no matter how good something looks, it’s a case of, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Thankfully my writing adventure isn’t in the too good to be true category. So while something in my life haven’t panned out to meet expectations, the good thing is I’m resilient and will keep pressing forward.

Winning and Grinning

26 Monday Aug 2013

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Well hello reader, how’ve you been?

It’s been an awesome week for me. Frightening and exciting all at the same time. But I’ll come to that later.

The first thing I have to share is that last week was the Romance Writer’s of Australia’s annual conference. It’s held in beautiful Freemantle, Western Australia.  I wished I could have made it. Without being too worried about why I couldn’t, I’ll get on with telling you about what I was able to attend! The Clayton’s Conference. The wonderful people at RWA hold an online conference that runs over the same weekend as the live event, so that we, who couldn’t make it to Freemantle don’t miss out.

claytons2013logo

I signed up and I wasn’t disappointed! The online event ran from Friday evening to Sunday night and was jam packed with online sessions ran by several authors, an editor from Random House and the content developer for Harper Impulse. It was fabulous to be able to ask questions of these industry professionals in real time. Not to mention the fantastic questions that other’s asked.

I wrote last week about the wonder of the writing community and I consider myself blessed that I have found most everyone to be welcoming, encouraging and helpful. Well things have just got better.

Beyond my wildest dreams, better!

dream field

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I won a three month manuscript development opportunity with Harper Impulse content developer Charlotte Ledger! I was so excited reader, I could barely speak! I know, hard to believe.

So, let me tell you how I came to be a winner!

When I first joined RWA I had no idea what a fantastic move it was going to be! I have Cathryn Hein to thank for recommending I join. (Cathryn writes fantastic Rural Romance, check her books out here)

Pretty soon after joining up, I saw there was a June write-a-thon about to start and I thought, why not? I had Festival barely started and going off track, so I signed up for #50ks30days and got stuck in. I met some awesome writers in the 50ks chat room and we clicked and clacked and kept each other company. Great fun and a 60K first draft done in 30 days. I was pretty happy with this, as you can imagine reader!

One subject that continued to pop up in the chat room was the RWA conference coming up! I began to wish I could go, but a only 2 months notice and lack of funds, I knew I couldn’t. Next year is in Sydney and I will be going!

Well RWA keep their members well informed and so I heard about the Clayton’s Online Conference and I signed up, I know, I’d already said that, but!!! Wait for it! An email appeared in the inbox and all the Claytoneers were invited to send in an email entry. Send in contact details with book title, word count, genre and where I was up to with the ms. I sent in Something in the Water, 65K, romantic suspense, 4th edit!

Whoo hoo, guess what reader?? Yep, I won!

winner is

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Me, who has not won anything other than a leg of ham at the Christmas Raffle. I did! I won a THREE MONTH MANUSCRIPT DEVELOPMENT FOR SOMETHING IN THE WATER!

With Charlotte Ledger of Harper Impulse! Ha!

The funny thing was, I went to visit a friend in hospital and turned my phone to silent and missed two phone calls to tell me I’d won!

The next day I went to Sydney and on the way home I saw I’d a missed call so listened to the message! It was Dana Scully, of RWA not X Files, and she left a message to tell me that I’d won! I also received a couple of emails from her and another from Charlotte Ledger.

Anyway, I’ve sent off the synopsis for Something in the Water and the first three chapters for Charlotte to have a look at and now I wait for her response. In the meantime I’ll be finishing the 4th, or is that the 7th edit on SITW and trying to calm my crazy palpitating heart.

Have you ever won something reader? Do you even enter competitions? I don’t usually, which is probably why I never win anything. But this is one time I came out a winner. Please share your winning and grinning moment, I’d love to hear about it.

Another day off, but here’s something

12 Monday Aug 2013

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Here is a little something for you as I’m MIA.

under the pile<image credit>

My day has looked a lot like the image above, and although I have several blog posts half ready, I just didn’t get there today. So, dear reader, I hope you enjoy the article about writing good reviews. See you Friday.

Life is good

29 Monday Jul 2013

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I have been reading a book to help me navigate the crazy maze we call social media. It’s called “Are you there Blog? It’s me writer.” by Kristen Lamb. You can check it out here There’s a chapter about what I guess is basically positive thinking.

It got me thinking!

thinking

I am blessed to be able to work from home! Our transport company enables me to slot in writing time between processing invoices. I get to pretend to be efficient when answering the phone, even though I’m actually hanging tea towels on the clothesline. When I get sick of sitting at the computer, I go out and prune the roses. Yes reader, I have finally tidied them up. I’m hoping for a good display this spring, stay tuned.

I mean how good is that!

reading in sun

I get to sit in the winter sunshine and read books and call it working! Even if I do answer phone calls regarding loads from Melbourne to Sydney, between sentences. There aren’t many jobs where you can just pick up your work and carry it outside to take advantage of the sunny day.

So enough of me feeling sorry for myself. I have it good and I know it!

One of the perks of having a transport company I get to drive out west sometimes and I see things and countryside that inspire me. Some places inspire me to write romance, have you ever been to Hill End? I have an idea for a story set in the Gold Rush town. It’s a great place to visit, if you ever get the chance. I’d love to write a suspense horror story set in a place like the small town of Sofala NSW. That place is fantastic, you can almost here the Duelling Banjo’s. (no offence to anyone in Sofala, I actually love it, it has such an atmosphere and old world charm, your left with an eerie feeling of being lost in time.)

Deliverance

I’ve mentioned before, here, (last week) that I am planning a Rural Romance for my next story, and so have provisionally set it in the Dunedoo area. I’ve travelled through, and stopped at, Dunedoo many times. But to set a story there I will have to go out for a day or two and have a closer look. I also need to research the history of the area as my MC will be going on an emotional journey into her family’s history. She will search out connections with the Colonial settlers in her family tree. I can tell you here and now reader, this sort of thing excites me. I get lost in the hunt and sometimes don’t emerge from Google for days.

settlers

So, reader do you like history? I’m fascinated by the lives of our country’s earliest European settlers. I love to read about the contact between the northern invaders and the indigenous Australians. There were many heartwarming stories as well as the horrible events.

Do you ever wish to time travel back to see first hand what it was really like? I do. So I hope to perhaps connect with our forefathers via fiction, and perhaps we can share the journey. In the meantime, I am going to be grateful for what I have and enjoy the benefits. As there are always benefits. Sometimes we just have to look a little harder.