Good riddance

Well, I can see I haven't posted for some time.  I won't bore you with the gory details but I have not had a good time since the wedding, which was the only good thing about this year (Oh, that and getting highly commended for life writing at Winchester).  I am currently recovering from bronchitis, (again), the grandkids have it too, the daughter is unwell and MIL is being tested for her "funny blood".  As these tests involved a marrow and bone sample you can imagine how my mind is working.  I haven't written much and my studying is suffering so much I have had to ask for an extension on the TMA.  Even if 2012 does bring the end of the world, it can't be worse than the last few months for me.  Good riddance 2011.

It's been a while since I posted again, but I have a good excuse, honestly.  I have had a really busy summer, I finished that awful course with the OU and I am back in my comfort zone as I embark on my final module for my BA hons.    
     Number 2 son's wedding went well, the venue was lovely and the food was delicious.  I recommend a hog roast, it's good for entertaining the children.  They all gathered to watch the pig being turned on a spit, which was an improvement on them racing around like crazy.  There was a funny moment during the ceremony when the 2 year old spotted them setting the roast up and began making pig noises, then the 8 month old joined in by blowing raspberries.  Everyone began to laugh, even the bride and groom giggled as they exchanged vows.
     I received notification that one of my stories had been short listed for the Winchester short story competition.  I had forgotten I had entered but it goes to show that if you enter lots of competitions, eventually you will see results.  I think my writing has improved since I began entering competitions and I am beginning to enjoy some success.  Perhaps I will actually win next time.
     I promise to try to post a little more often.

Robocop

I haven't much to talk about at the moment as my time is taken up with babysitting,finishing my project, preparing for number 2son's wedding in 3weeks, and visiting my daughter in hospital where she is recovering from a fractured pelvis, sprained ankle, ruptured medial ligament and snapped patella ligament. She has a great big appliance on her leg that makes her look like Robocop. Nothing of note written, l just wanted to post.

Success!

I got back from Winchester this evening after a horrible drive, I really hate the M6 and the A34.  Enough moaning! I had a fantastic weekend.  I learnt so much and met so many wonderful, supportive people it was worth any amount of driving. 
     I had some good advice from Paul Bryers on how to develop a script I have been working on. I will develop it for radio as he suggested.  Also I did an excellent workshop with Sarah Mussi, and, with guidance, managed to winkle out the selling point of a novel I have been working on.  The title wasn't working either but I have chosen an exciting new title.  My meeting with Kate Nash was enlightening, she saw immediately that the novel wouldn't sell as it was, but offered good advice on the steps I should take to make it more desirable. 
     At the presentation dinner, I chatted with several well known figures from the literary world and shamelessly picked their brains.  Everyone was so generous.  I am bursting with ideas and just want to write all night.  Best of all, I got highly commended in the life writing competition!  I squeaked with delight just to reach the shortlist but I am ecstatic to have highly commended. 
     I was a little alarmed to hear that there might not be enough funding to continue the conference for much longer.  This is an important resource, a chance to learn, network and swop ideas for all writers and it would be a terrible shame to lose it.  If anyone reading this went to Winchester, write and tell the University how good it was and how your writing has improved as a result.

Getting Ready

I got my delegates pack for the Winchester Writers' conference today.  Only a week to go.  I have been organising my writing to take with me.  I have the timetable of  the lectures and my one to one appointments.  I hope to be equipped to market my novel after that.
   The weight loss isn't going so well.  I've had quite a stressful few months so I'll blame that. 

Writers' Conference v OU

I'm looking forward to the Winchester Writers' Conference next month.  I have my one to one appointments and I have sent off some writing I want to talk about.  I always learn a lot at these things.  Even when I think I know as much as I can about something, I learn more.  I am staying for the weekend this time.  Normally I only go for the Saturday but I am travelling down on Friday and coming back Sunday night.
     I've resurrected a script I began in 2008 called Blue Bird, perhaps it't time to develop it fully and get some advice on it. You never know, perhaps police stories will come back into fashion.
     I have to concentrate on the OU for a couple of months now, just two more TMAs and the project to complete.  I know what subject I'm doing so I just have to research it now.  I don't expect to do well, I'll be satisfied with just a pass.  I can't wait until September when I can start Children's Literature, which I wish I had done this year instead of the course I'm on.  More people have complained to the regional office so perhaps they are getting the hint a lot of people are very unhappy with this course.  Thank God it's the last run for it.

Disappointing grades

It's been a while again.  My excuse is, I've been busy completing assignments for the OU and travelling (apart from all the house/life/job stuff.)  The husband is working in Abu Dhabi again and I spent a couple of weeks out there, so I am very tanned right now. 
     The assignment has been marked and returned to me. not brilliant but better than last time.  I know now that I am on track for a 2:2, which is a little disappointing as, until this module, I was headed for a 2:1.  As I need a 2:1 to go on to study for MA Creative Writing at my local university, I have to make a couple of decisions.  Do I settle for a lower second or should I do another module and try to get an upper second.  Even if I do another module, there is no guarantee I would increase my grade as I would need to pass with over 70%.  What if I don't get 70%?  Do I go for another, then another module until I do?  Perhaps there are some MAs that will take me with a lower second if I can show my writing is good enough.  Then I think, why am I even thinking like this, I don't need an MA and a 2:2 is good enough, apparently most people get seconds.  I have a couple more months to ponder on this. 
     I'm going to the Winchester Writers' conference in July. I first went a couple of years ago and loved it. Then I was interested in the "how to" lectures, but now I want to do the marketing and promotions lectures.  "Unwanted Visitor" is available on Kindle and I am very pleased that I have a couple of fantastic reviews. (Thank you, kind people) and no, I am not related to them.  Perhaps if I got an MA, agents would be more interested in my novels, but I write for pleasure as much as anything else.  Hmm, I must have a think.

Success

I have received a cracking review of my new novel, Unwanted Visitor, which is available on Kindle.  Some people, who shall remain nameless, asked me who wrote it, but I don't know who it was, I'm just made up that someone read my novel and liked it enough to tell me.  To me, this is success.
     I would like to get working on the sequel, which is only about half done but Mum in Law has had an op and is staying with us while she recovers.  Between that, finishing my degree and life in general, I haven't had time to do much writing.  Still, next week, I'm going to Abu Dhabi, where the husband is working.  I hope to finish my essay then to spend some time on the sequel.  I might just take advantage of the time and rest.

Published!

I am very pleased to tell everyone that I have published my new novel on Kindle. "Unwanted Visitor" by Trish Finnegan. ASIN: B004VTC2ES
     I got fed up knocking on the doors of agents, so I decided to do it myself.  It is only available on kindle at the moment but perhaps I'll bring it out in paperback if there is enough interest.  Now, I have to think about marketing.  I've told my facebook friends and all my family, perhaps I can put a notice in the local paper?  I must research this, it's not like I can go to my local bookshop and leave a few copies.  I wonder if local radio would be interested?  Perhaps, if there is enough interest, I can advertise nationally, or perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself :-) I must see about getting a webpage.  I might try to self publish the other novels I'm working on.  Snowman is almost ready to go.  Hmmm.  Busy days ahead. I can't wait.

Unwanted

Another day, another rejection.  It was a friendly rejection but still a rejection.  Apparently my manuscript failed to ignite the imagination.  Hmm, I think the manuscript is a good as I can get it so perhaps it is time for me to think about publishing to Kindle or using a local publisher, which is going to be pricey.      
     The problem is that a writer is reliant on the opinion of someone who is probably rushed and distracted.  I could write a masterpiece and wouldn't even get a look in.  It's annoying to think that if my name was well known, I could write any old rubbish and  agents and publishers would be falling over themselves to take my novel, they would even edit it for me.  I must research self publishing.

Chicken Soup

I've caught another cold, not good for weightloss.  All I want to do is lie on the sofa and eat chocolate and toast.  I've heard chicken soup is good for colds but I can't be bothered making any.
     I decided that the literary agent that I sent my novel to doesn't want it so I have sent it out to another one.  Again, this one takes email submissions and will let me know within 30 days.  So much better than the old way of sending off your precious bundle and waiting months.  Perhaps I should look at epublishing?  Has anyone had any experience with that? 

Holding my Breath

Hmm, another long break between posts,  I've nothing to report actually.  I sent off my updated novel but haven't heard anything yet, I haven't heard back from the short stories I sent out either.  I wonder if I should send out some more? The agent I have sent out to sent an acknowledgement email saying if I didn't hear in three weeks, it wasn't for them.  That seems much better than the instructions I have read on other sites. It surprises me that some places expect you to wait months for a reply, if you ever get a reply at all.  I think I'll give it another week then try somewhere else.
     The weight loss is not going well.  No more to be said on that.
     I have been to Center Parcs again, with my daughter this time.  We had a great time.  My daughter is disabled and everyone was really helpful, even clearing the footbath so she could take her electric wheelchair poolside.  We had to visit a local GP when her asthma started to play up. They gave us an appointment that evening and put her on steroids, which averted a hospital visit.  I forget how spoilt we are having a major hospital ten minutes from our house.  The hospital near Center Parcs is forty minutes drive away.
     I'll try to have more news next time.  I feel like I'm holding my breath waiting for things to happen.

Fingers Crossed.

I went to my writers' group anticipating hearing the last chapter of the novel one of our members has completed, but he wasn't there!  I'm going to have to wait another two weeks to find out how he manages to pull all the threads together.  I've finished the rewrite/editing of my own novel and it's gone out to an agent, so fingers crossed. 
The weight loss isn't going so well, 1.5lb on this week.  Oh well, at least I'm lighter than I was but I am beginning to doubt I can reach my goal weight in time for Number 2 son's wedding.  I think I'm going to have to do something drastic, like the microdiet (remember that?)  Onwards and upwards.

Good Feedback

It's been a few days since I last posted.  A week was taken up by a nasty virus that laid me low, then we went to Center Parcs with our small grandsons.  We had a great time, just what I needed to perk me up after feeling so ill. 
    I got the feedback from Bubblecow and I'm really pleased with it.  My novel isn't as awful as I imagined, it needs several tweaks and a bit of reworking in a couple of places but all in all I feel pretty good about it.  Somehow, the formatting went crazy during the sending and the indents and line gaps adopted a pattern all of their own.  I have no idea why that happened.  I have an essay to submit this week but after that, I will get to work on editing my novel.  I have to think of a way for Martin to be thrown into the sea then get rescued a day later, without ruining the photos in his pocket.
    The weightloss is going well too, another 3.5lb this week.  I wish I could eat more sometimes as I feel hungry quite often,  but I need to lose weight for September, when number 2 son gets married. 

Marking Time

I feel like I'm marking time. I stayed the same weight this week and I haven't had the feedback from the literary consutancy, although to be fair, they did say I'd hear by the 7th and it's only the 3rd. 
Number 2 son had his birthday but celebrations were muted as the house is full of chicken pox.  Oh well, I hope next week is more interesting.

Is it relevant?

I still haven't heard anything from the competitions I entered, oh well.  I'll find some more.  I've been too busy to write much this week, I just seem to be running from pillar to post and haven't had time to sit down and really think about what to write.  I have dusted off another novel I began a while back.  It's true when they say you should put your work away then look at it with fresh eyes.  I'm not sure if it's because I have learnt more or because I've had a break away from it, but I could see straight away that it has promise but needed urgent revamping.
     I did well with the weight loss this week, another three lb off.  I've still got a long way to go but I'm beginning to belive that I won't look too bad when number 2 son ties the knot.
     Going completely off the subject, I read a report in the Daily Mail about a terrible fire that has killed 4 children in Manchester.  One thing about the report bothered me.  It mentioned that the children are believed to have been fathered by at least two men.  Why did the paper feel the need to print that?  The only reason I can think of is to invite the reader to judge the woman.  How is this relevant to this tragedy? The woman was said to be a good, loving mother who did not claim benefits, in fact she runs two hairdressers.  This was not a report on the breakdown of families, not a report on state spongers or even a report on feckless single girls having babies; this was a report on a tragedy that destroyed a family and the mother's domestic details are no-one's business.  I feel quite cross about it.
    

Professional Help

I've decided that I need professional help with my novel, Unwanted Visitor.  It's the first book in a saga set in Wirral that spans the period from the second world war to the present day and deals with the theme acceptance versus alienation.  The description I've put in my agent's letter is as follows:-

    

Everywhere he goes, Martin Fischer knows he is not wanted.  Amidst the chaos of war, he tries to build a normal life but everything and everyone he cares for is snatched from him.  An attack by the Norwegian resistance leads to his capture by the British.  He is taken to a POW camp in Wirral and sent to work on a farm.  Despite some local hostility, Martin finds the sense of belonging he has been seeking and elects to stay in England after the war.  When he meets tragic Jane Fellows, he is smitten but to the people of Brimstage, Martin is the face of the enemy, the unwanted visitor in their midst.  He and Jane must again struggle to overcome tragedy and prejudice to find acceptance in rural, post war Wirral.

 
What do you think?  Does that interest you?  I've been chipping away at it since 2007 and I have reached the stage where I can't do any more with the book or the letter by myself.   
   I've researched literary consultants and decided to trust my baby with Bubblecow after I saw they had a decent write up in Writers' Forum (or was it Writers' News, I can't remember, it doesn't matter.)  I'm bracing myself for the feedback and the revelation that the novel I've worked on for so long is unsaleable rubbish.
http://bubblecow.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/BubbleCow/202063449025

Making plans

I haven't heard anything about the competitions or from the magazine.  I'll give it a few more days before I admit defeat over the competitions, then I'll have to find some more to enter.  The magazine says it could be four months before they get back to me. Ages!.
     On a plus note, I lost 5lb last week :-).  I was feeling very upbeat about sending so much writing out, perhaps this week's loss will not be so good. 
     I'm eyeing up the writers' conferences and book festivals.  I went to the conference at Winchester a couple of years ago and loved it.  I want to go back but it's difficult to plan ahead because the husband works abroad and doesn't know what dates he'll be away during the year.  Sod's law says he'll need to be taken or collected from the airport on the days of the conferences I want to go to.

Dreams

I sent of a couple of short stories today, I hope they're accepted.  I worked hard on them and I think they're as good as I can get them.  It's hard to get rejections, they make me wonder whether I have any ability.  Sometimes I think I'm not as good as people tell me I am but then something happens, like coming 3rd in a competition which reinforces my confidence.  At the moment I am quite upbeat.
     Perhaps because I'm upbeat, the weight loss has been going well.  The Fat Writer isn't quite as fat as she was. There's still a long way to go.  Number 2 son is getting married later this year and I want to look reasonable in the photos.  Wouldn't it be great to earn enough from my writing to help him get a deposit for a house.  Get published, lose weight, help the kids.  These are my dreams.

A good day?

I spent this morning polishing my novel, Unwanted Visitor  In a few days, I'll send it off.  I also worked on a couple of short stories, so I'm happy with my output for today.  The diet is another matter, I had a slice of toast for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch and a chicken donner for dinner.  I have no idea how many calories/fats etc are in a donner, but it can't be good because I feel very full.  I must research this, I might surprise myself and find I haven't overeaten today after all.  Tomorrow I'll try harder.

Day One

Well, it's here, the first day of my new regime.  I hope everyone had a great New Year.  I stuffed myself last night, which perhaps I shouldn't have but I will be good from today.  I weighed myself this morning - Aaargh!  I have so much weight to lose.  My first target is March, when I go on holiday with my daughter.  Perhaps if I am really strict, I can shift a couple of stones by then.  My next target is later in the year, when number two son is getting married.
     I'm sending my novel out in a couple of days, I've been researching appropriate agents to write to so fingers crossed I'll get a positive response.  I can update my writing CV with my third place win, which might make agents more amenable.
     Anyway, I've had cereal for breakfast, ham salad is on the menu for lunch and roast lamb is for dinner.  I'm going to write this morning until my little grandson's arrive.  They are staying with us because it's their parents' anniversary.
     Have a good day, everyone.