Liz Fenwick's Blog, page 15

Julie Cohen - One Thing I've Learnt

I left teaching for writing, and I miss it. But I still get my teaching 'fix' by leading creative writing courses, giving workshops and talks, critiquing manuscripts and occasionally being a sounding board or sort of mentor to other authors who are trying to get published. It's very exciting, it teaches me more about writing craft, and it's fun. It is always a privilege.




One thing I've learnt is that there is nothing quite like the feeling when an author who you've helped finally gets their first publishing contract. Don't get me wrong—I can't take any credit for their success. Writing is hard work and nobody can do it but the author. But I know that before I was published, several generous authors helped me, reading drafts and giving advice. I probably would have done it without them—eventually, somehow, because I was extremely bloody-minded—but I know they helped me get there faster and with more confidence. They helped me avoid pitfalls, and to stop making the same mistakes over and over.




I love it when I feel I might have done the same for someone else.




In the past month, I've received two emails, and two public thank-yous, from four authors whom I have worked with, and who have recently signed their first book deal, or their first major book deal. I know that I don't feel one-tenth of the pride, exhilaration, excitement, and joy they feel. But they have let me share it. 




It's one of the best feelings in the world.












http://www.julie-cohen.com

Twitter: @julie_cohen




Julie's 2012 Advanced Novel Writing workshops are sold out, but she is giving workshops at the Festival of Writing in York in September.

http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/events.html

























THE SUMMER OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY

An ordinary woman. An extraordinary adventure.

out in paperback from Headline Review

http://www.julie-cohen.com

April Hardy - One Thing I've Learnt

One thing I’ve learnt is that it is never too late to find the
right path. It took me forty years but I believe I’m on the right track now!

From studying drama at college and theatre school, convinced I was
destined for Drury Lane, to retraining as a chef in a Swiss hotel school, it
was always the written side of things which fulfilled me most.

Choreographing “ballets” for Greek bouzouki clubs, a stint on a Mediterranean
cruise ship and assisting a temperamental wedding cake designer were
interesting detours. However, a few freelance jobs on a magazine’s cookery
pages and writing recipe booklets for a biscuit company started heading me back
in the right direction.

I’d be lying if I said none of the twists and turns I’ve followed
on my life’s journey so far have been wrong directions. Although even those
seven months in the Aegean being sea-sick every day resulted in a drop of two
dress sizes!  But most have just been
delightful detours, adding new experiences along the way.  

Any regrets I didn’t find my path sooner? None at all! Because all
those experiences are filed away, just waiting to be used!

Anita Burgh - One Thing I've Learnt

by Tommy O'Connor
One Thing I’ve learnt . . .is that people are invariably the opposite to that which they claim to be.  My husband had a demanding and ultra possessive grandmother who had brought him up.  “I am incapable of feeling jealousy,” she would boast while planning how to rid herself of me since she was resentful of my relationship with her adored grandson and riddled with the green-eyed monster.“We’re all mad in our house!”  Hearing that my heart sinks, without doubt they will be as boring as hell.“Of course, I’m stupid!”  And then, you learn, she has a PhD in astrophysics.“I’m the worlds worst cook!”  A lie you find out.  But come to think of it, perhaps “I’m a brilliant cook!”  is worse.“I’m so shy.”  Invariably the life and soul of the party.“I’ve never had botox.” Said with rigid face.“I should write a book I’ve lead such an interesting life . . .”  No you haven’t, your life is about as dreary and humdrum as it can be you long to say.See what I mean?  http://www.anitaburgh.comhttp://www.anitaburgh.blogspot.com

Jenny Beattie - One Thing I've Learnt

Not for all the tea in China

 



Except I’m not in China, I’m in Thailand; but still, a western woman in an eastern culture. When I moved here seven years ago, Western tea was Lipton’s. That didn’t cut it with me; I’m a Brit. I needed hardcore builders’ tea.

 

I soon discovered that, set in my ways as I was, asking for a cup of tea was much more of a liability and that being served Lipton’s was a good result. I could be given Chinese green tea (which is lovely in its own right but not builders’ tea) or it could be Japanese tea, which is different again and powdery. I could get hot-ish water - getting colder by the second - with the tea bag waiting patiently on the side. Sometimes the tea was black (YAY) but it was presweetened or it was served with condensed milk or steamed milk…

 

Of course, I’m not just talking about tea here. When I moved to this new culture what I thought I knew about life was thrown upside down and shaken about. I’ve had my ideas challenged, my palette widened and my notions confronted.

 

And now, I’ll pretty much drink my tea however it comes.

Helen Hunt - One Thing I've Learnt

One Thing I’ve Learnt …




I’ve been writing for seven years now, and teaching writing
for nearly a year, and one thing I’ve learnt is that you never stop learning.




One of the most satisfying things about teaching writing is
that I learn as much from my students as, I hope, they learn from me. Every
time a student asks a question about writing it makes me examine how and why I
write as I do. Every time I do a critique of a story for a student I learn
something that I know will help me in my own writing.




I’ve also learnt that I love teaching. Explaining to others
how short stories work, and how to write them well, is a joy. And when a
student ‘gets it’, and I realise I’ve been able to help them achieve that
eureka moment, it makes it all worthwhile. Recently, one of my students sold
her first story and I think I was almost as excited as she was.






Learning as you go is one of the best things about writing,
and as I continue to write, and try new and different styles of writing, I hope
to keep learning, improving and being able to share that with others through
teaching.




http://www.helenmhunt.co.uk/

http://fictionisstrangerthanfact.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/hmhunt

The RNA Summer Party

Last night at the Royal Overseas League was a glittering affair...



Me, Kay Burley and Jane Wenham-Jones



Handsome Date and Biddy Coady



Me, Scarlett Wilson and Lynda Dunwell - three of the Joan Hessayson Shortlist

The wonderful Evonne Wareham won with her novel her Novel Coming Home...



And then the Romantic Novel of the Year...Please Don't Stop The Music by the wonderful Jane Lovering



A brilliant night!



More photos of the night are on the RNA blog here.



It seems I have been appearing everywhere this week....the links



Over on the International Chick-Lit Month blog I've written a letter to my unpublished self here

There's a new Cornish Literature blog here

At Novelicious I'm there with my top tips for writing here and my writing rooms here and the fabulous review here...



Tomorrow we continue with the 'One Thing I've Learnt' series and you'll next here from directly the day after the London Launch of The Cornish House...on the 25th. Of course if you are in Lodon on the 24th you don't need to wait for the blog post - please come and join the celebration. It's on the 24th of May 2012 at 7PM at Waterstones High Street Kensington...there will be Cornish pasties...

Emma Lee-Potter - One Thing I've Learnt

I never dreamed I’d say this
but the main lesson I’ve learned over the years is that I love deadlines.
Whether it’s a news story in 20 minutes flat or a novella in a month, writing
is so much easier if you have one.



My first real experience of deadlines came when I worked as a news reporter for
the Evening Standard. I’d just arrived in London from a sleepy weekly newspaper
in Devon (where the most exciting thing that ever happened was the council’s
planning meeting) and I nearly fell off my chair in shock when my boss sent me
out of the office at seven a.m. with instructions to file my story from the
other side of London by nine. I didn’t even have a mobile phone, so I wasted loads
of time hunting for a phone box. But my story was in the paper by noon.



A couple of months ago a publisher asked me to write a novella. “When do you
need it by?” I asked. “Four weeks,” he replied. The eye-wateringly tight
deadline sealed the deal and made me get cracking immediately. And yes, I
delivered my novella, Olympic Flames,
bang on time.



As for other lessons I’ve learned, here are a few more:



If you want to do something, just do it (well, within reason).

Trust your instincts.

Think big, work hard and laugh lots.











Emma’s new ebook, Olympic Flames , is out now. Showjumper Mimi Carter is desperate to win an Olympic gold
medal at London 2012. But as injury threatens and an enigmatic old flame
arrives back on the scene, can she put her feelings to one side and realise her
dream?

The Dubai Launch of The Cornish House

All I can say is WOW! I was awed and humbled by the friends, acquaintances and strangers who came to the the Dubai launch of the Cornish House at Kinokuniya in the Dubai Mall. The Cornish Cream tea was a huge success and dear friends brought the flag of St Piran which saved the evening....







After the early prep work in which I was ably aided by DH, Bee and the wonderful Matt Cowdrey of Hachette...







 It was time to take off the apron and face the crowd...and unlike most Dubai events- people came early which was wonderful as we had a chance to chat and nibble...





Behind DH's smile you can see Matt introducing me...



I look like I'm giving a stern lecture!





A now for the reading....

























What was great was there was a lovely chance to mix and mingle before hand. and afterwards. Very unlike me to not be able to find the words to describe the evening but I can't -from the moment I walked into Kinokuniya's and saw my books on display front of house to all the wonderful people who came to wish me well and who bought soooo many books...in fact more books than people who attended!



What am amazing start in an amazing place...



If I can work the technicalities I may have video footage later!



Before I sign off to catch this flight I need to say there have been some fabulous things said about The Cornish House on Novelicious here and I've been put as a top summer by Isabel Costello on her On The Sofa blog here...



Back to One Thing I've Learnt tomorrow and I have been loving these little posts...each day I'm reminds me of something important or something new...

Kate Hardy - One Thing I've Learnt

One thing I’ve Learnt…




…is to be resilient.




Being an author is just like any other job in that it has
ups and downs. New contracts, awards shortlistings, glowing reviews, bestseller
listings – they’re all wonderful to celebrate. But you also have to deal with
changes in editor, changes in the direction of an imprint that don’t work for
your voice, publishers closing and snarky reviews. And things can happen in
your non-writing life that take up all your time and creative energy, affecting
your work more than if you had a job in a different field.




Being resilient is what will keep you writing, meeting your
deadlines and staying ready to take new opportunities.




How do you keep going through the tough times? That’s when
your support group comes in. Usually fellow writers, who can understand because
they’ve been there or seen it before. Friends who’ll sympathise, let you vent
for just a little while, feed you chocolate, and then encourage you to overcome
the obstacles and get on with it instead of letting you wallow in misery.




I’m immensely grateful for my writer friends. (You know who
you are. And thank you.)




Kate Hardy




http://katehardy.blogspot.com/

http://www.katehardy.com/

http://www.facebook.com/katehardyromanceauthor

http://twitter.com/#!/katehardyauthor

Janet Gover - One Thing I've Learnt

One thing I've learnt…

… is how to live without my 'stuff'.

Just over a year ago, my husband was posted
to New York and we moved to a shoebox-sized apartment in midtown
Manhattan.  Seriously – a shoebox - for a
pair of kitten-heeled slippers – not even a big boot box!




Don't get me wrong – New York is fab-u-lous
and our apartment is in an amazing location. But when it comes to cupboard
space – forget it.




All our 'stuff' went into storage. My
books. My new cookware. My collection of classic weepy movies on DVD. I only
brought 7 pairs of shoes with me!!!! 

I discovered I can live happily without all
that stuff – except the books of course, but now I have a Kindle.

Instead of collecting 'stuff', we're
spending our hard earned money on experiences : trips to amazing places,
concerts and Broadway shows.  Collecting
memories.


A New York Blizzard - one of Janet's magic memories





I also learned that I can't live without my
friends, which is why I'll be on a plane soon to join them all for the RNA
conference.  I confess – I will be
bringing a couple of pairs of new shoes.  Just because I CAN live with only 7 pairs of shoes – doesn't mean I DO.

Website: www.janetgover.com
– with a blog about those great experiences.