The Witching Hour

3 am and I can't sleep. I've tried the relaxation exercises. I've counted backwards from 500, got lost and started again, and again. Nothing helps.  It's going to be one of those nights when I simply won't be  going back to sleep. 

Once this situation would have thrown me into a blind panic. Fear of being tired at work the next day, of being too woozy to drive, or to concentrate would have sent my heart racing and the chances of any sleep whatsoever flying. 

Now I look at it all differently. 

Lying in bed and letting my mind drift is a very productive way of spending those witching hours. I've written whole stories which the next morning have been transferred onto the computer. I've had ideas for characters round whom there is a novel waiting to be written. I've realised just what is wrong with a particular piece of writing and how I can put it right. 

Not sleeping is now something to be welcomed and embraced.  It truly can be a magic time. 

Anyone else feel this way? 

What do Agents and Publishers Need?

What is the one thing literary agents and publishers can't do without? Surely the answer to that is writers. Without us they would lose their business, their sources of income and their lifestyles. We are their raw material, on which everything else depends, so why do they treat us the way they do?

First of all there is the general assumption that we, the creative ones, must package our work the way they want us to. The query letter must entice, the synopsis must be the right length, the right tone, the right voice. Never mind that both those forms of writing are amazingly hard to get right, and do not necessarily indicate that you are a good writer of fiction, this is the first hurdle that must be negotiated. Why is it not possible simply to say "Here is my novel, do you like it?" After all it is the novel that will be sold to the readers, not the synopsis or the covering letter, or the CV.

Speaking of which this too seems to be crucial. Surely all that anyone needs to know is whether I can write a good book and follow it up with another. A list of previous publications, if any could suffice and if I'm brand new to this game then you either like my work enough to take the risk, or you don't. Whether I am married, bake muffins or kill sharks in my spare time is surely irrelevant.

Assuming that you have done all this and fingers crossed, heart thumping, stomach churning you have sent off your work what happens next?

Mostly nothing. A few agents and publishers will acknowledge your e mail. Many won't.

Then you wait. And wait. And wait.

And wait some more.

If they like your work, they ask to see more and great celebrations and rejoicings take place.

If however they do not, then..............

Nothing.

And more nothing.

OK. They don't like it. But surely they can at least e-mail  a "Thanks, but no thanks".

It takes seconds. It's only polite. It's treating you like a fellow member of the human race with hopes and feelings.

It also might be one way of not alienating a possible source of income.

After all in this day and age, sick of being treated as if they don't matter how many successful writers have gone on to sell huge numbers of e-books and all without recourse to a single agent or publisher?

What to do when feeling Blue

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I'm feeling down. It's one of those days when counting your blessings, being grateful for all the good things you have in life doesn't make any real difference. 

I could go and sit in a corner and howl. I could stuff myself with rhubarb muffins.  I could start early on the bottle of red wine on the kitchen counter. 

Or I could re-read Josh Allerton's blog on three positive things about having cancer. 

Now that really puts things into perspective. 

Josh has had to face the thing that most of us dread,  life threatening illness at a very young age and he has dealt with it with honesty and courage and a sense of humour. 

He has written about his illness without the slightest shred of self pity or that awful "misery memoir" tone that drags you down to wallow in some voyeuristic pit of second hand emotion. He's just got on with his life. He can talk openly about what he has experienced but he never lets it take over. 

No victim status for Josh. 

Great stuff. 

http://jallerton.com/3-positives-about-cancer/

Keeping the balls...

in the air.

Years ago, when I sought advice about why my writing career wasn't exactly taking off, I was told that I had too many things on the go and once.

That was true then and is even more true now. Not only is there a short story which needs polishing, but I am currently editing my YA novel, promoting "Dark Angel" on Wattpad, looking for small regional publishers for my children's book "City of Secrets" and blogging.

As well as all that, I should be working on the "Dragonfire" trilogy.  I need to step up promotion for the e books and kindle the final volume "Master of Trades". I also have to re-read "Slipping Through the Net" my contribution to Hag Lit, the first few chapters of which, in a moment of madness, I sent off to an agent.

Then there is Face Book and Twitter. The first I love and can manage, the second I'm still working out. I know I have to get to grips with it, but I need to sit down and spend some time following and tweeting to see what works for me.

Between letting the world know what I'm doing, and actually writing my head feels like it's spinning. Much more importantly I feel as if I'm dabbling here, there and everywhere and not focusing on finishing anything.

The trouble is that as a writer nothing is finished until it's bound solidly in a cover; even e books can be scratched and re-written at the click of a key. So there will always be countless balls in the air. The trick is, I guess, to keep calm and focus on the one thing you've chosen to do today. Keeping a list of what has been done and what still needs attention could be useful too.

I should imagine that being in this situation is quite usual for a writer, so if any of you out there have any hints as to manage your work in an even vaguely sensible way, I'd love it if you would share.

"Winter Count" the book launch

Saturday night was a first for me. It was the first book launch I've ever been to and it was a real family affair. Friends and relations all gathered in Foyle's bookshop in Bristol to welcome "Winter Count" into print. The anthology of his poems is the work of my nephew Peter Naumann, the cover was designed by my sister the artist Anuk Naumann who together with her husband Roger had helped to organise the event.

It was a great evening. Greeted by glasses of Prosecco there was time to chat to my mum and Peter Oran the owner of Starborn Books who published "Winter Count" before the main event.

Pete, must have been a little nervous, I know I would have been, but he came across as funny, self assured and totally in control of his material  as he told us about himself, his journey to publication and his work. Then he read a selection from the book, explaining each poem and giving an insight into  what had inspired it.

His poems are dense, alive with with imagery and rich in language. They are poems to be pondered over, their meanings teased out and debated. All of which could be daunting for a reading event, but not this one. Even the most inexperienced poetry reader couldn't help enjoying both the reading, the interview by Peter Oran and of course the poems themselves.

Brilliant!

"Winter Count" is available from sales@starbornbooks.co.uk.

Being on the Radio.

It's something every writer has to do. It's no good writing the book, or the short story, or the play you have to get out there and promote your work and, dare I say it, yourself.

For me this is the hardest part of my writing life. As far as I'm concerned I'd be more than happy sitting in my office working away at my computer. Of course I want people to read what I'm writing but I rather wish it would just happen in some nebulous, magical way and I didn't have to go around telling everyone how wonderful my latest is and how they really have to read, if not actually buy it.

Still that isn't going to happen, so in the meantime I need to do the whole promotion thing. Which is where being on Cre8 radio on Monday night came in.

The first thing I have to say about the experience is how much I enjoyed it. Even before I'd reached the studio Rosie was there to greet me, and Paul Oldfield and Chris and fellow guests Jason and Laura made me feel very welcome.

Talking to Paul on air was like chatting to an old friend. What made it really easy was the fact that like the true professional he is, Paul had done his homework and the questions he asked gave me plenty of scope to talk about my books and the way I write. We also touched on my views on education and the years I spent living in Jamaica, so there were no awkward pauses when I searched my brain for something to say, or, I hope, many "ums" and "ahs".

By the time it came to reading a chapter of "Dark Angel" I was having fun and I hope my listeners were too.

Spooky stories on radio always come across well. There are plenty more in my collection and there's the rest of the book too. Maybe someone, sometime will have a slot for "Tales before Midnight." A series of stories to chill the blood and keep you awake until the first slither of light slips in under the curtains.

Are writers junkies?

Are writers junkies? Apart from being hooked on writing, which goes without saying, I'm beginning to wonder whether there's another addiction we suffer from.  Perhaps not all of us, that might be too much of a generalisation, but I definitely must stand up and declare that I am a writer and an adrenaline addict. 

I thought I wanted an easy life. I thought I wanted to do nothing more than sit at my computer and write. So I did. After a while, however, I became aware of a slight disatisfaction. A feeling that grew more acute as the time went on. I was checking my e mails and coming away disappointed, I was on edge, missing something. Then I realized what it was. There were no stories, no books, no plays out there. No agent, publisher or editor was scrutinising my offering and deciding whether to accept or reject. I hadn't anything to look forward to. Admittedly it might be a rejection, but on the other hand it might just be the golden moment when it seems that at long last my dreams of success out there in the mainstream were going to come true.  

The time has come therefore to face up to my addiction and get another fix.  "House of Shadows" will be winging its way to another agent tomorrow. More of "Dark Angel" will be up on Wattpad and I'll be looking at my cache of short stories to see what needs to be tweaked before going out. 

Then I'll start feeling slightly nervous every time I check my e mails. There will be a feeling of anticipation each morning that maybe, just maybe today will be the day. 

This is how I deal with my need. I'd be interested to hear what other writers do.