End of Term

Today was the last time our MA year got together. We heard the last round of presentations on agency/publisher placements. Am so glad that I am a part-timer as I am so enjoying the course I don't want it to end. We celebrated by having hot chocolate with Fay Weldon. I am now reading The Seven Plots by Christopher Booker. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Story by Robert McKee.

Distraction

I have just discovered LibraryThing and am now spending time I should be writing cataloguing my books, seeing how many other people have catalogued them and their reviews. Scroll down to check out the cool widget.

Friends Reunited

I went back to see my writing group today. I first started going about five years ago in an attempt to see if I could write and also to try and introduce some discipline into my writing life. It worked and after a few years I was ready to start a novel. This then led me to take the MA. For anyone starting out writing, I strongly recommend joining a creative writing class. It is great to meet people from all walks of life, ages and backgrounds who all share a love of writing. It is also good to get practice in giving and receiving feedback. It was wonderful to see everyone again today and when my MA is finished I will be going back regularly.

Meet the Author

Went to see John Harvey giving a talk at the local library. He has written 100 books and is now starting another degree (he was born in 1938 but even so - I had better get myself in gear!). Authors need to get out to sell their books, even John who is successful but can all authors deal with standing up in front of a room full of people and successfully entertaining them for an hour? Well, John Harvey is certainly good at it. He read from his poetry, a previous book for young adults and of course his latest book Far Cry. He talked about his writing career, inspiration and writing friends in a very engaging and open way. A very enjoyable evening.

Plan B

I have spent a very tiring day working on the plan for the second plot that runs through my novel. Typical of me to make life difficult for myself! This part of the novel is also set in the past so I have to make sure everything is absolutely correct. My brain actually hurts. However, it is worth it as I can now write to my hearts content knowing that I am going in the right direction.