Jane Yates's Blog, page 26
February 6, 2015
February 5, 2015
Gardens on sale today
just come out on sale today
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0... very excited jane
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0... very excited jane
February 4, 2015
how i started writing novels
*Why I write: and how one person’s belief changed my world for the better.
I am badly dyslexic and never used to think of myself as a writer at all. I have always been creative and an artist and it was my art that indirectly lead me to the path to becoming a successful writer. In fact, it’s all because of my fat spaniel and an incredible editor called Sarah Edwards from a local paper who believed everybody can be a writer that changed my life.
A few years ago, I was drawing a cartoon about my then overweight spaniel, Mandy. My dream was simple and just to get my cartoon published, but I did not have a clue where to start. I emailed my very first cartoon to Sarah, the editor of Ley’s news, a community paper in Oxford UK, which is delivered to thousands of homes in the area and reaches and even larger online audience. Sarah published my cartoon and asked me to write more. I cannot tell the trill I got when I first held a copy of the leys news with my cartoon and name printed in it. It was such an adrenalin rush and quite additive. I draw more cartoons, and was delighted to see each of them in print, I sent copies of the paper around the UK to my family and friends and took extra copies and left them in various takeaway shops and even launderettes around Oxford City.
One day Sarah told me about a free course in community journalism that she was running and encouraged me to come along. The course was sponsored by Brookes University and was highly structured and Sarah told me that she would be teaching it herself, so I would have a friendly face.
At first I was reluctant to go and I did not want to be a writer I was happy in this save made up world drawing my cartoons. I realise now in hindsight that large part of my reluctance was not only because of my dyslexia but also because I suffered from low self-esteem. Plus if I am honest I was a little scared. I mean what if I had to read something out, or worse, write answers down on a board in front of other people who had come on that course to be writers.
I sat at home in real fear and I was transported back to a classroom setting were as a teenager I had read out a passage in front of my classmates. Shakily holding the book, sweeting and feeling my skin burn red on my face. Recalling how I had stammered and stumbled with the short passage and had to listen to the laughs and jeers of the class, and worse return to my seat the patronising glare of my teacher held fast on my back.
So a course in journalism, no that wasn’t something for people like me. By chance that day I came across a nice quote, which goes something like, ‘you’re not brave in life, unless you’re scared.’ Something click inside me, perhaps everyone was going to be scared at the course, well at the very least I was sure I was not going to be the only one. Plus Sarah had told me that she was going to be teaching it, plus she had said, there would be free tea and biscuits to boot!
So I went on the course partly because Sarah would be there and partly because of free tea and biscuits, also partly because I was curious about writing but mostly because I wanted my cartoon to continue to be published.
Sarah was an inspirational teacher and the other people on the course were friendly. We got to learn not only about writing for a paper but also about how the paper was laid out and the importance of images. When the course finished Sarah encouraged everyone who attended to write a short piece for the next edition. So too fast forward a bit, I started to write regularly for the Leys News. Happily Sarah printed just about everything I wrote and I still got to keep going my precious fat spaniel cartoon. Mostly I wrote about myself, funny stuff like attempting to get fit to run a half marathon. (Calling that column, ‘Wonder Woman’ was all Sarah’s idea,) but I went with the flow.
Things really began to kick off for me when I wrote a yearlong column called ‘Life begins at 50.’ For this I tried all manner of new things, such as sewing, archery and indoor sky diving. Someone in my sewing class told me about National Novel Writing Month. Were you agree to write 50,000 words in the month of November and then submit the words to their website to be counted. The writers meet up regularly though out November and help and encourage each other and talk about their work.
I have to be honest with you, still lacking in confidence at that point, I did not go to one of the National Novel Writing Month meetings, even although they were free and local to me. However I did write the 50,000 words and after a long period of editing, self-published Paradox child, which was to be the first of three books. The third book again written in National Novel Writing Month, but that time I did go to the meetings and found them friendly and helpful.
Paradox child was not what I had planned to write as right up to the night before I started I was going to write in a completely different johnras. Paradox Child It's about a girl who is a dreamer, as I am and set in the 1980s and is heavily influenced by the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, where I work. I think mostly as I had to carry on working while I wrote it and also because I was surrounded by the most amazing and magical objects that were in the museum daily.
But as you see I have no short stories! and have nearly reached my target of a 1000 words for this piece and may have gone slightly of the question of the subject ‘why I write,’ so in brief, I started writing purely because of a Sarah’s passion for writing and her continued encouragement and support that she freely gave me. I continue because of the wonderful feedback I got from my readers. I know I have inspired others to write and I hope I will be able to have a more hands on inspiration for dyslexic and new writers in the future.
It only took one person’s view of writers to steer me onto the path of becoming a successful and well respected writer. So I am hoping that I can follow Sarah’s lead and change someone’s life for the better. Maybe if your reading this it could be you? Please feel free to contact me @JYparadoxchild
The above was written some time ago, but to bring this bang up to date. My forth book ‘Garden.’ Published by Autumn Orchard is out tomorrow, February the 5th 2015.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
I am badly dyslexic and never used to think of myself as a writer at all. I have always been creative and an artist and it was my art that indirectly lead me to the path to becoming a successful writer. In fact, it’s all because of my fat spaniel and an incredible editor called Sarah Edwards from a local paper who believed everybody can be a writer that changed my life.
A few years ago, I was drawing a cartoon about my then overweight spaniel, Mandy. My dream was simple and just to get my cartoon published, but I did not have a clue where to start. I emailed my very first cartoon to Sarah, the editor of Ley’s news, a community paper in Oxford UK, which is delivered to thousands of homes in the area and reaches and even larger online audience. Sarah published my cartoon and asked me to write more. I cannot tell the trill I got when I first held a copy of the leys news with my cartoon and name printed in it. It was such an adrenalin rush and quite additive. I draw more cartoons, and was delighted to see each of them in print, I sent copies of the paper around the UK to my family and friends and took extra copies and left them in various takeaway shops and even launderettes around Oxford City.
One day Sarah told me about a free course in community journalism that she was running and encouraged me to come along. The course was sponsored by Brookes University and was highly structured and Sarah told me that she would be teaching it herself, so I would have a friendly face.
At first I was reluctant to go and I did not want to be a writer I was happy in this save made up world drawing my cartoons. I realise now in hindsight that large part of my reluctance was not only because of my dyslexia but also because I suffered from low self-esteem. Plus if I am honest I was a little scared. I mean what if I had to read something out, or worse, write answers down on a board in front of other people who had come on that course to be writers.
I sat at home in real fear and I was transported back to a classroom setting were as a teenager I had read out a passage in front of my classmates. Shakily holding the book, sweeting and feeling my skin burn red on my face. Recalling how I had stammered and stumbled with the short passage and had to listen to the laughs and jeers of the class, and worse return to my seat the patronising glare of my teacher held fast on my back.
So a course in journalism, no that wasn’t something for people like me. By chance that day I came across a nice quote, which goes something like, ‘you’re not brave in life, unless you’re scared.’ Something click inside me, perhaps everyone was going to be scared at the course, well at the very least I was sure I was not going to be the only one. Plus Sarah had told me that she was going to be teaching it, plus she had said, there would be free tea and biscuits to boot!
So I went on the course partly because Sarah would be there and partly because of free tea and biscuits, also partly because I was curious about writing but mostly because I wanted my cartoon to continue to be published.
Sarah was an inspirational teacher and the other people on the course were friendly. We got to learn not only about writing for a paper but also about how the paper was laid out and the importance of images. When the course finished Sarah encouraged everyone who attended to write a short piece for the next edition. So too fast forward a bit, I started to write regularly for the Leys News. Happily Sarah printed just about everything I wrote and I still got to keep going my precious fat spaniel cartoon. Mostly I wrote about myself, funny stuff like attempting to get fit to run a half marathon. (Calling that column, ‘Wonder Woman’ was all Sarah’s idea,) but I went with the flow.
Things really began to kick off for me when I wrote a yearlong column called ‘Life begins at 50.’ For this I tried all manner of new things, such as sewing, archery and indoor sky diving. Someone in my sewing class told me about National Novel Writing Month. Were you agree to write 50,000 words in the month of November and then submit the words to their website to be counted. The writers meet up regularly though out November and help and encourage each other and talk about their work.
I have to be honest with you, still lacking in confidence at that point, I did not go to one of the National Novel Writing Month meetings, even although they were free and local to me. However I did write the 50,000 words and after a long period of editing, self-published Paradox child, which was to be the first of three books. The third book again written in National Novel Writing Month, but that time I did go to the meetings and found them friendly and helpful.
Paradox child was not what I had planned to write as right up to the night before I started I was going to write in a completely different johnras. Paradox Child It's about a girl who is a dreamer, as I am and set in the 1980s and is heavily influenced by the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, where I work. I think mostly as I had to carry on working while I wrote it and also because I was surrounded by the most amazing and magical objects that were in the museum daily.
But as you see I have no short stories! and have nearly reached my target of a 1000 words for this piece and may have gone slightly of the question of the subject ‘why I write,’ so in brief, I started writing purely because of a Sarah’s passion for writing and her continued encouragement and support that she freely gave me. I continue because of the wonderful feedback I got from my readers. I know I have inspired others to write and I hope I will be able to have a more hands on inspiration for dyslexic and new writers in the future.
It only took one person’s view of writers to steer me onto the path of becoming a successful and well respected writer. So I am hoping that I can follow Sarah’s lead and change someone’s life for the better. Maybe if your reading this it could be you? Please feel free to contact me @JYparadoxchild
The above was written some time ago, but to bring this bang up to date. My forth book ‘Garden.’ Published by Autumn Orchard is out tomorrow, February the 5th 2015.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
February 3, 2015
new review of Paradox Child :)
Am total thrilled to have a new review for @Book_Raiders pls read https://bookraiders.wordpress.com/201... … its mae my day
January 29, 2015
objects from paradox child series
Facebook page
for all the objects from paradox child series
with links to items on display in Pitt Rivers Museum
https://www.facebook.com/objectsparad...
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.ne...
for all the objects from paradox child series
with links to items on display in Pitt Rivers Museum
https://www.facebook.com/objectsparad...
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.ne...
Q&A video post
On the Autumn Orchard Youtube channel there will be Q&A video post where people could send in questions about my writing and i could answer them as a video response.
if you want to take part contact https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
thanks jane
if you want to take part contact https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
thanks jane
January 25, 2015
January 24, 2015
i like to invent things
thinking up new ideas for apps for #GoogleGlass https://www.facebook.com/GoogleGlass
here are three ideas for today
1. pet reconnection app for finding lost pets
2. translation glasses
3. gratitude glasses
https://plus.google.com/1175721526413...
here are three ideas for today
1. pet reconnection app for finding lost pets
2. translation glasses
3. gratitude glasses
https://plus.google.com/1175721526413...
