Not Writing, Just Walking

Monday to Thursday are writing days.  But on Friday mornings I take to the hills…

Dartmoor

Shortlists and Long Socks

Exciting news over the last week: my chapter book for 7 to 9-year-olds, The Adventures of Jake and Moon Granny: Space Pirate Panic has been accepted by Knowonder!  I also made the shortlist for both the  Mslexia 2013 Short Story Competition and the Writers & Artists yearbook Villain competition.  My runner-up Villain entry can be found at http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/2013/05/the-winner-of-our-introduce-your-villain-competition

And the long socks?  That’s what I was wearing in Prague this week, on the not-so-sunny days, with a raincoat thrown in for good measure.  It was truly beautiful in the rain but even lovelier when the sun came out.  Enjoyed a memorable few days of mooching,  Mucha and museums, of stunning streets and tasty tredlniks.  We even took in The Great Gatsby while we there, at the beautiful Kino Lucerna (which opened in 1909).  Magic.

The Waiting Game #amwaiting

So you’ve penned your magnum opus and sent him out into the big bad world with only a thin cover letter and matching synopsis for warmth.  There’s nothing more you can do for him now – he’s on his own.  Perhaps you’re feeling a little bereft, a touch empty nesty…?  It’s only natural.  But now is not the time to sit there staring at your empty inbox until your eyeballs blister.  Oh no.  Now is the time for action.  The post-submission world is waiting, oyster-like at your feet.  Why not take the opportunity to -

• pen a “back up” bestseller or two
• grow a beard
• learn to speak Norwegian
• reintroduce yourself to your children/spouse
• get polishing (we’re talking dirty neglected kitchens this time, not manuscripts)
• landscape your garden
• landscape your desk
• eat
• sleep
• work off your ‘writer’s bottom’
• go notebook shopping.  Daily.  Maybe throw in a new pen or two if they’re really calling to you (You know what pens are like, Buy me, I’m THE ONE. I’ll take you all the way to the Booker Shortlist… honest)
• catalogue notebook/pen collection
• discover the meaning of life (and then tweet about it)

All done?  Very good.  That’s the first few days taken care of anyway.  Back to your inbox now then I guess.  As you were…

The Official Top Three Hats for Writers

If you want to be a writer you’re going to need pen and paper, inspiration and dedication and, most importantly, a selection of hats.  There are many fine models available on the market but for those with an eye to budget constraints, I would recommend starting with the following three essential pieces of writerly headgear:

NUMBER ONE – THE WRITING HELMET:

NUMBER TWO – THE EDITING  HAT:

NUMBER THREE – THE SUBMISSIONS HAT:

This rather fetching ‘Kiss Me Quick’ inspired number also comes with its own hook attachment (you’re going to need a good one to draw in that agent/publisher) and a complementary ‘BUY THIS MANUSCRIPT – IT WILL CHANGE THE LITERARY WORLD AS WE KNOW IT’ t-shirt in either pink or blue (one size fits all).  I’m off to buy mine very soon…

And it really is as simple as that – 3 hats and you’re practically guaranteed literary stardom…  plus they also come in very handy if you’re having a bad hair day.  What’s not to like?

Travelling Solo

If I don’t make it as a bestselling novelist I’ve always got my film career to fall back on….

Lessons from Literature No.1: Buns for Tea

“Whenever an Editor was sensible there were buns for tea.”  Well, if it’s good enough for The Railway Children then it’s good enough for me.

‘Buns for tea’ was the original model for celebrating a “yes” from an editor in our house, but somewhere along the line it seems to have been forgotten.  Sometimes a smallish “yes” doesn’t even get a mention any more, let alone a trip to the local baker’s, which is a shame.  After all, there are always plenty of “no’s” to feel gloomy about in this game, so I think it’s time to reinstate some kind of proper celebration for the “yes’s” along the way.

Watch this space and my waistline… if I can’t fit into any of my clothes by Christmas then it means it’s been a good year!  And of course there’s always a chilled bottle of prosecco waiting in the fridge for that big big “YES”…

Planes and Portals

Back from a brilliant few days in Denmark, visiting Aalborg and Copenhagen.  I must confess I didn’t write a single word while I was away (perhaps the packing of two fresh notebooks was a little on the optimistic side) but there was just too much to see and do, from watching the polar bears playing in the water at Aalborg Zoo to wandering around the Viking burial ground on the Lindholm Høje.

                                                                        

And of course we had to pay our respects to The Little Mermaid back in Copenhagen and try and squeeze all the sights of such an amazing city into a few hours before our flight home.

Planes are all very well, but if you fancy something a bit more instant when it comes to travel you need look no further than 1001 Portals to Try Before You Die.  Check out No. 738 at the Miscellanea Transdimensional Library –  http://eggplantproductions.com/1001-portals-to-try-before-you-die-by-jennifer-moore/