Motivating masterclass!

Earlier this evening I attended an energetic and enjoyable masterclass at the WYP led by Leandra Ashton, focused on harnessing ‘the creativity within’ via some unusual and interesting methods. The class was far more physical than I expected, with plenty of props for inspirational purposes. Rather than scribbling furiously for an hour or so, we spent the best part of the class making full use of the space, incorporating music, movement, clothing and even a washing line to transport us somewhere different and evoke a range of feelings and associations. It was fascinating to see how no two class members saw the same story / associations in the same things. Leandra also explained how her obsession with washing lines had inspired her to create the story and characters for her play, Napoli. And she gave us a fascinating insight into the creative processes she uses when collaborating with the actors in her Flying Cloud Theatre Company. I left the class feeling positive and energised, with the intention of trying out one or more of these techniques the next time my muse has left me high and dry.

And finally...

After 18 months of living in a frustrating state of limbo, our 'house situation' (or should that be 'house saga'?) may soon be half-resolved. One of our houses finally has a buyer (a real one this time, not just a pretend one!) And, once that's done (it all takes FAR longer than it should with more red tape than ever (stupid politicians - no wonder no one wants to move house these days!)) (note to self- I really must stop over-using brackets!) then it will let us start to move forward with our lives. We can't get too ahead of ourselves though as the contracts aren't even exchanged yet. And once we have sold it, everything has to go into storage. And then we have to empty our other house and put everything into storage. And get it smartened up and rented out. And then find somewhere to live! Don't worry we won't be living in a caravan for months, we have family that will put us up (or should that be put up with us?) Who knows, by this Christmas we could actually be living in a proper family home instead of a matchbox!

Slow but steady progress

I'd also like to share (with whoever is remotely interested!) that I've completed over 51 chapters and am (finally) nearing the end of my first draft. I was hoping to have it done by Easter, but... so, my new deadline (for the first draft - not the book itself - that would be madness!) is 31st May. The plan is then to park it and come back to it three months later in September, then edit it to within an inch of its life - oh yes, and then get an agent and become a huuugely successful published author (well, a girl can dream can't she?) Wish me luck!

Featureless silver screen, mist is water in its ghost state...

Last night my friend K and I half-froze on top of a windswept hill near Oxenhope, but it was worth it. We were there for the second leg of a three-part event to mark the end of the Stanza Stones project, a collaboration between imove, Ilkley Literature Festival, poet Simon Armitage and Pennine Prospects. The project, both ambitious and fascinating, has involved many talented and creative people - some of them already famous (Yorkshire poet Simon Armitage), but many of them yet to be discovered - aspiring writers, film makers and dancers. The project centred around six stones (plus an elusive seventh stone in a mystery location) which can now be found in various remote locations along the Pennine Watershed, from Marsden to Ilkley. Into each stone is carved a poem written by Simon Armitage. The overarching theme of the poems is water; each poem represents water in a different form i.e. mist, rain, snow, dew, beck and puddle. The evening itself was very well organised (and free!) - we were shuttled from Oxenhope up the winding road to Nab Hill and dropped off a short walk away from the Mist Stone. The way was quite muddy and the wind unseasonally chilly, making us glad we'd donned all our walking gear. (I felt a motherly concern for the excellent dancers who braved the cold in their thin T-shirts and hoodies to entertain us both during and between the readings!) We arrived at the 'site' to the sound of some interesting world music coming from a soundsystem powered by a couple of bicycles, being ridden by enthusiastic volunteers. Attendees were invited, nay encouraged, to pedal them, and although we weren't keen at the outset, by the end of the evening, once the cold had set into our bones, they seemed quite an inviting prospect! After a bit of a wait (that'll teach us for being early and getting the first bus up the hill!) we were treated to a reading of all six poems by Simon Armitage. Hearing the poems read by their originator really brought them to life, and, as I'm sure many will agree, Simon has 'one of those voices' which entirely engages the listener, drawing them into his world of verse. We were also treated to a series of readings from a number of young writers and poets who had been involved in the project. They had all drawn their inspiration from visiting the moors and attending masterclasses with Simon. Our only real disappointment (apart from the cold!) was that we didn't actually get to see the Mist Stone itself. We had (mistakenly) thought this was part of the evening and if we'd known more about performance timings and exactly where it was (a mere stone's throw (sorry!) away from where we were), then we'd have scampered up to the top to find it. That said, it didn't spoil the evening and it can always be seen another day, perhaps when the weather is less cruel. According to the stone carver Pip Hall, who engraved Simon's poems into each of the stones, the stone chosen for carving at Nab Hill had a hairline crack down the middle which caused it to split in two as they were raising it, giving her a pair of stones to work with instead. So the Mist Stone is in fact two stones - perhaps it should be renamed the 'Mist Stones'? Once the performances had ended, K and I walked (very briskly) back to the waiting coaches and were ferried to the Village Community Centre for much-needed hot chocolates and bourbons! As we regained the feeling in our hands and feet we were treated to a series of films made by young film students from the Leeds College of Art. Some were scary, some were touching and some were downright baffling, but all were entertaining. K and I also bought ourselves signed copies of Simon's poems, although we didn't get to meet the man himself (sigh!). All in all, it was an original and entertaining event and it was well worth braving the cold to be there.

The Scent of Spring

At last our house is back on the market (for the third time) - I really hope we get the place sold before the spring ends. So far, our new agents seem better than the other two and we're both feeling optimistic, so let's hope they deliver the goods!
We're also going to view a couple of houses this weekend, one of which looks promising - it's a good price and ticks most of our boxes - but I find you never really know whether you could / would want to live in a house until you've stepped though the door.
But, even though I can't say why, I've a feeling this is going to be a much better year for us.
Bar the odd day here and there, I've continued to make progress on my book, having now written 41 chapters and a bit, bringing the total wordcount to approximately 60K! I know there is at least one chapter which I'm going to completely rewrite as I'm not at all happy with it, but before I do that I'm determined to finish the (bleep!) story. Something tells me there's going to be more than one book - there's no way they can complete their entire quest otherwise. I'd just really like to get it finished this year!

Chug chug

Well I've written 17 days out of the last 18 (every day bar yesterday) and I'm now part-way through chapter 36. The book was never intended to be anywhere near this long and I suspect some serious editing will be needed at the next stage. But I reckon it's better to have too much and cut it down and than have too little and have to pad it out.
R and I have been out and about plenty although mainly indoors thanks to the sub-zero weather. I've also been to pilates twice in two weeks and am determined to keep at it.
Oh, and the washing machine blew up on Tuesday. So I have been driving up and down the road every day to use my parents' machine while they are on holiday! And this Saturday I am going to be mostly cleaning the other house. We have fallen way behind. partly due to the boiler packing up and having to get it fixed last weekend. Once I've finished it's going to sparkle and shine and someone will fall in love with it and buy it instantly (in my dreams!) Seriously though it's looking great and there's not a great deal more that can be done to it. Here's hoping that the housing market picks up in February and we can start looking for a proper family home at long last.

Slow progress

Well, I've been writing every day for the past eleven days, so that's something to shout about. However, my daily word output seems to be gradually diminishing! I'm making slow progress on the book, and am positively crawling towards the end of chapter 33. It's funny how the words just flow some days and hardly come at all on others, but I think (I hope!) this is quite normal.
But, before the month is out, I've GOT to write R's thank you cards. This Saturday, I have to clean and 'prettify' (okay, this may be another of my made-up words!) our 'other house' and get it back on the market. But, at least we have lots of socialising to look forward to from Sunday onwards :o) And the days are finally getting longer; yes, yes, I know they have been doing that since December 22nd, but it's only now that it's become apparent, to me anyway!
I've just started pilates classes, and I am determined to get my neglected yoga practise kick-started again, until I regain my pre-pregnancy abs, dammit. I've been out walking with the pushchair twice this week and have another walk lined up this Sunday, weather permitting. I love cold, windy days - sounds mad but I think it really does blow away the cobwebs. Onwards and upwards!

Going great guns

I've just had a really productive week on the writing front, with 32 chapters now under my belt plus several more ideas re. plot and character development, and scene setting. If I can only keep this up for a week or two longer, I might even finish the first draft before Valentine's Day! I know I shouldn't get too upset if I don't achieve this, but I find I have to set myself a goal to work towards or my motivation just goes out of the window.
On a completely different note, until I get published, I'm still looking for part-time work and think I may have a possible lead on that front. I would have to pay for my own training and be self-employed, but, as I've always wanted to be my own boss, this isn't a problem. It mainly depends on how much my earnings would be and whether I can still spend enough time with my daughter. It would be good to have paid employment of some kind until I can get myself established as a writer.
Well, it's time to start R's bedtime routine, so I'd better sign off now.

Chapter 30

At long last I have finished writing chapter 30! It seems a funny place to get stuck, but I suppose the mind often works in mysterious ways. I'm still not sure how many more chapters there will be - I originally thought that 25 chapters would be about right, but I was clearly wrong! I'm sure I will have to later take out a few bits anyway, to make the story flow better, and I'll be adding in some descriptive details, so it will end up a completely different length once the first draft has been revised. According to all the books on writing that I've read, I'm still doing the 'easy part', which is a little worrying! If I could get the first draft done before the end of this month it would be nice. If I could get an old-fashioned housekeeper to take care of the household chores, then I reckon it would be do-able! Seriously though, I realise I need to pace myself and stop trying to race ahead all the time. But it helps to have a challenge.
The other challenge is solving our living situation, which unfortunately hasn't changed. Our 'other house' is currently undergoing a makeover - it's been a bit of an obsession of mine lately and taken a lot of organising, but it seems to be taking shape at last. By the time we've finished we're hoping it will be snapped up by one of the first viewers. If we can just get it finished and marketed by the end of the month...no pressure then!

The light at the end of a very long tunnel...

Not long after my last post I hit a wall (figuratively speaking) and have been lying in a wordless coma for almost two months. The dreaded writer's block kicked in as Life once again took over. Aside from the writing, it's been a tough couple of months for reasons which I won't go into. But today I started writing at 6am (I had intended to start at 7am, but some loud thumping from next door woke me rather earlier than expected) and did over 1,300 words in an hour! It's probably complete jibberish, but it's a start. And I've just completed over 700 words this afternoon in a good (but scary) writing exercise. I owe my inspiration to my new-found mentor, Dorothea Brande. She was a creative writing teacher in the '20s and '30s and her book, Becoming a Writer, is a real find! But the real challenge lies ahead - now I have got myself writing again, can I actually press on and finish the book? Only time will tell...