Katie Mayes

New Business Venture!

2011-08-16T19:52:00.003+01:00

Finally!

After weeks of some very late nights/early mornings hunched over the good old trusty laptop I'm pleased to announce that Something Literary has been re-launched and is now fully operational!

It's been a hectic few weeks to say the least - a few teething troubles at the start - but now we are back on track and open for business both online and in Steyning, West Sussex.

You can follow me on Twitter - @SoLiterary which I'm ashamed to say is a lot easier to update than this old blog :-S. I hope to start a new blog soon for Something Literary and say goodbye to this one which never really worked out for me!

But until then ... keep writing!

Blog overhaul and Reader's Digest 100 Word Story Competition

2011-01-03T18:09:00.006Z

Hi All

Hope you've all had a great Christmas and New Year and managed to at least get some sort of break in amongst it all ready to start a fresh new writing year.

One of my resolutions for this year is to get my ass in gear and sort this blog out once and for all ... otherwise I might just have to let it go and come back to it at a later date.

In order to get it tidied up a little I'm going to be adding lots more daily snippets and adding entries to the archive from a journal I kept throughout last year on an overly long word document (I feel I'd be doing myself a favour by keeping everything in one place, I think!)

And now for details of the Reader's Digest Competition:

The Reader's Digest magazine is currently running a 100 word story competition with a top prize of £5,000 for the winner in the adult (aged 18+) category. They state that:

"Entries should be an original, previously unpublished story of exactly 100 words (excluding title). There is no limit to the number of entries you can make. All stories should be submitted under the writer's real name. No pseudo names or fake names are permitted. Entries can be submitted via the website or sent to: theeditor@readersdigest.co.uk The last date for entry is January 31, 2011, the winners will be announced in a forthcoming issue of Reader's Digest magazine."

For further details click here

Good Luck everyone!

Aspirations (and failure) of an amateur blogger

2010-08-17T11:42:00.004+01:00

I devoured Nicola Morgan's blog post this week about successful blogging with the help of a detailed look into the two blogs from Talli Roland and Marsha Moore and have come to the stinging realisation that my own blog is a bit of a waste of virtual space.

At the start of the year my to-do list included starting my own blog because I’d spent so many months lurking and hopping around other’s. But rather than keeping mine in check, it has transformed into a place where I keep my favourite blogs all in one place and very little else.

I’m very grateful for the followers I do have but must apologise now for my own blog being so boring with very few posts. I’ve been too busy reading all your wonderful blog postings on a daily basis that I’ve completely ignored my own. It is nowhere near up in top gear where I dreamed it could be when I began it at the start of this year and for me this is an epic failure on my part. I simply haven’t put in the time I should have and I now know that in order to drag it up a gear I need to do the following:

post more regularly

comment more on other’s blogs rather than just reading and moving on

follow other’s blogs in the hope of getting others to follow me!

However, the question here is time. Talli/Marsha sets aside time for blogging after her writing work is done which in itself is an impressively disciplined approach and one which I would find incredibly difficult to sustain. As it is my writing time alone is currently a few solitary hours I can grab after the smaller members of the household have gone to bed – or before they get up!

So, I’m wondering...
...for those that have blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter, and are regular contributors to the many writer’s community forums out there...how much time does it take you to do the virtual rounds and update everything and comment on everything and read everything and actively take part in it all?

Carol Ann Duffy: June 2010: Chichester & Steyning

2010-06-30T14:46:00.003+01:00

All my life I’ve never been able to understand what the fuss is all about when it comes to poetry. I don’t understand the rules when it comes to writing it and I don’t even know how to read it properly. So, when the chance arose earlier this month to hear a real life poet read their own poetry in front of a live audience I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see for once and for all what it’s all about.
And what better way to be initiated...by hearing it first hand from Carol Ann Duffy.

First up was at the Steyning Festival (29th May to 14th June). Together with her long term collaborator, musician John Sampson, Carol Ann Duffy read her children’s fairy story The Princess’ Blankets and skilfully weaved in poetry she had specially written for the under 12’s such as Peggy Guggenheim, ELVIS! SHAKESPEARE! PICASSO! VIRGINIA WOOLF! and plenty more. It was a real treat to see music combined with poetry, audience participation and storytelling and intrigued me enough to want to see more.

Seeing her open the Poetry and Voice Conference at the University of Chichester (25th to 27th June) was just mind-blowing. We were treated to an array of poetry readings, both old and new, including Premonitions, Cold, Mrs Darwin, from Mrs Tiresias, Anne Hathaway, Virgil’s Bees, John Barleycorn and plenty more ... plus one inspired by Wayne Rooney which I am keeping my fingers crossed will be published somewhere soon while desperately hoping she will pen something for England’s defeat in this year’s World Cup! I have to say that I have been thoroughly inspired by her and will now endeavour to dig a bit deeper into the world of poetry.

Short Fuse: Story Salon: The Art of Short Fiction: Brighton

2010-05-20T13:54:00.004+01:00

I was fortunate enough to get a couple of hours to myself at the start of this month and thought I would take the opportunity to attend the Short Fuse hosted event “Story Salon” at Brighton’s Komedia.

I am so glad that I did.

Not only did we get to hear some amazing story readings from both Tania Hershman and Dave Swann but they also took part in a Q&A session where they both took to the stage and discussed why, how, and what they write as well as taking questions from audience members.

Two new up-and-coming writers, Chris Callard and Louise Halvardsson, then took to the stage and each gave a brilliant reading of their own work. I am filled with awe at how thoroughly at home they seemed on stage, reading from their own work, and only hope that one day I have enough courage in me to do the same.

Having Trouble Finding the Time to Write?...

2010-03-27T21:49:00.004Z

...well, I have found it for you!

About a week ago I was doing my usual Blog surf, checking emails, checking Facebook, reading forum posts, more email checking and more Blog surfing when suddenly I realised I had achieved nothing except point, click, point, click for a whole 60 minutes.

I had to give myself a good telling off because before I sat in front of the laptop, I was all set to get cracking on a new short story I had been pondering on. But I'd done nothing. Grrr....

However, this is not all bad news...

...while in the act of unstoppable Blog browsing I came across this nifty little site: TICK TOCK TIMER

and, oh my god it works!

The first time I used it, I just put in one minute and started scribbling. But when the Zen-like bong went off I suddenly thought 'No, no, no you don't. I'm not finished' and I set it for a further ten minutes. From that, I seem to have developed some kind of 'beat the bong' attitude whenever I use it and I find that I am furiously writing to try and get down everything before the bong goes off. Brilliant!

So, there you have it. No more struggling to find the 'time' to write...because it's right there, on a website, ready for you to set as a tab to come up whenever you open Internet Explorer or set as a favourite.

Now, all I need is for the creator of the Tick Tock Timer to make it into a little downloadable gadget for your desktop and hey presto...with no need to go on the internet and be tempted by mindless surfing, I will kick procrastination up the b-side and get back to my stories.

Back after a writerly lull

2010-02-17T21:14:00.004Z

Finally, the month long lull is starting to subside a little.

I was getting a little worried there.

Time after time, I'd sit down, fully charged and raring to go...but nothing came out.

The more I stressed, the worse it got and the worse it got, the more I felt like giving up completely and convinced myself that this writing malarkey couldn't possibly be anything I was any good at.

I floundered in a very dark place for a good long while but thanks to some really cracking advice from friends, family, and the wonderful chaps at Write Words I've managed to drag myself out of the darkness.

Back to work...

Keeping a Writing Notebook.

2010-01-24T11:04:00.005Z

I've kept a writing notebook for about 18 months now and in all honesty, it has become a part of me. So much so that if I ever lost it, it would be like losing a limb.

I used to take it everywhere but now it's chunky, very messy, and as well as holding all my writing it is full to bursting point with things I've stuck in like: photographs, leaves, stickers, foam animals (?), maps, coins and other random bits, so I'm terrified of losing it!

For me, it is a wonderful source of inspiration - I can just flick back through the pages, look at pictures or snippets I wrote 6 months ago and suddenly a new idea pops into my head.

Some people on a writing course I attended last year were a bit daunted by the thought of starting a notebook so I've devised a few tips below to try and help remove the fear:

1) Take your time choosing a notebook and make sure you feel comfortable with it. Turn it over in your hands in the shop and flick through the pages. How does it feel? Is it comfortable in your hands? Don't buy one too fancy as this will make you think that you don't want to ruin or spoil it by scribbling in it! I bought 4 different notebooks before I eventually settled for the fourth one. The other three had fancy covers and beautiful thick pages and I was so scared of spoiling it, I couldn't write a word. The fourth one is perfect. It is A5, has pages you can take out and expands perfectly to hold eveything in it. It is so perfect, I went back to the shop and bought another 2 just in case they don't stock it anymore by the time I need a new one!

2) Never start on the first page. There is too much pressure on you to make the first page look perfect. Start one or two pages in and come back to the blank ones later. You can always stick pictures or write encouraging quotes onto those pages. Doing this will help to avoid the blank-first-page-can't-get-started mentality.

3) Try to write in it regularly, every day if you can. Even if it's only a few lines or just random words, this will help you get into the habit of using it. But don't feel pressured if you can't find anything to write. Leave it for a couple of days, a week even, and come back to it.

4) What to write? Well, that's up to you. I write: snippets of conversation that I've overheard, character studies, potential story titles, I brainstorm story ideas and plots, character names, a writing 'to do' list, observations of place, I test out dialogue...if it's writerly, it in. Try not to treat it like a personal diary. This should be for all things creative.

A notebook can help you overcome the dreaded 'writer's block'. Just start doodling or practise stream of consciousness writing and suddenly you may find the creative sparks shooting out from your pen.

5)Don't just fill it with writing. Fill it up with pictures, tickets, leaves anything like that. It all helps to create a writer's tool for inspiration helping to generate new ideas and spark that creativity.

6) Don't destroy it. Even if you stop writing in it half way through, never get rid of it. Keep it somewhere safe and cherish it. It's a part of you.

*

My new blog layout is sort of paying homage to my writers notebook. If you notice anything wrong or the links don't work please let me know.

Reading too much about writing...

2010-01-15T13:15:00.004Z

...and not doing enough writing.

One of the dangers of owning so many books about writing and finding so many informative websites and blogs about writing, I've completely let slip the actual act of writing.

I've got (had) two short stories on the go: one for another comp ending this month and the other...well, I just don't know what to do with it but I've become completely distracted by all the reading.

Maybe I need to set a daily writing limit and only allow myself to read once I've achieved the target. Or is that being too harsh on myself?

Need to find the balance before I become a reader of writing rather than a writer writing!

First Competition of the Year Entered!

2010-01-11T13:42:00.004Z

Firstly, a massive thankyou to everyone who stopped by here yesterday/today after Nicola's Blog Party. I had immense fun hopping around everyone's blogs and if I haven't got to you yet, don't worry I will (party animal me!)

...I actually have followers...blimey...and comments...blimey...just when I was about to give up with the blog side of things...I hope in time my blog becomes a little more interesting but please bear with me. I'm new to all this and only just finding my blog shoes!

Now then, today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I finally did it.

I finally finished a story worthy of comp entry.

I've been working on it for a couple of weeks, have drafted, re-drafted, edited, cut, copy and pasted it, I've had a couple of feedbacks from some awesome people at Write Words, I've changed it again, re-wrote it, re-edited it, re-read it, checked it, triple checked it and...posted it!

It is out there! My first ever competition entry. Approaching the post box I wondered whether I should say some kind of prayer/mantra/good luck ritual thing before letting it go but I couldn't think of anything except 'Goodbye!' (If anyone has any good luck ritual thing they do when posting out work I'd love to hear about it.)

So there it goes. Out in to big wide world of writerly comps.

Phew!

Time for a cuppa and fire up the next one!

Silencing the Inner Critic

2010-01-10T12:46:00.002Z

My Inner Critic sounds like my mother.

Very often she will say 'You can't write that. Other people can but not you.'

She often pops up while I'm in the middle of plumping out characters or situations which in turn ends in the story being saved and filed away.

But today I think I've found a way to shush her. For a short while at least.

I've given her something to do.

She's mulling over a line of dialogue: 'But Mum, Redwood Nursing Home is perfect for you.' While I get back to my story.

New Links

2010-01-09T16:02:00.002Z

Just added some new links for competitions, writing prompts and excercises and other websites of interest.

Finding Writerly Friends!

2010-01-08T13:54:00.003Z

I am SOOOO excited today!

Decided to take the plunge and join up to a well recommended writerly site to find some writerly friends:

www.writewords.org.uk

Can't drag myself away from it now!

All the members I've come across in the last couple of hours are so friendly, so inviting and so inspiring...I think I've found my writerly heaven.

It's all good!

Snowing Inspiration

2010-01-06T09:59:00.003Z

It seems to be working.

My writers notebook is getting fuller by the day and I've finally chosen my first competition of the year.

All good stuff.

Yes the snow is a pain but what the heck. I've written a rant about the frustration of it and got that out of the system. So now focusing on how great it is: having the kids at home to share it with, feeding the robin that keeps coming day after day and about how great everything looks covered in the white stuff! Happy days!

New Year: New Writing Blog

2010-01-02T21:57:00.004Z

Rather than making the usual resolutions this year (i.e. stop smoking, join the gym etc which never seem to work - well, they might if I actually tried ;)) I decided to make mine more writerly focused:

1) Stop lurking on other writer's blogs and start my own - yay! tick done

2) Actually do something with my stories - so far have been too scared

3) Find some writerly friends - I don't have any :( I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off or anyone to give me honest, raw feedback...

I think the point of this blog is to "write-dump" all the random nonsense that usually comes to the fore while I try to write. I'm hoping that releasing the nonsense here, I can free up my mind for proper scribbling.

Let's see if it works...