Course, it was great!

19/10/2012

Autumn skies can be so dramatic. I nearly walked into a wall looking up at these scudding clouds.

I've written myself into a few walls in my time too. Often it's because I've taken my eye off the story. Yes, it's nice to go for aimless rambles every now and then and yes, cloud-watching is soothing and often inspiring, but that inspiration also needs to be crafted into something that other people can understand. Assuming that's your ultimate ambition for your writing.

Yesterday evening was the final reading of the short stories worked on in the latest course and I must congratulate everyone. What a wonderful session it was. I was very impressed with all the stories and how gratifying for me to see how they had developed over the past few weeks. Phew!

There will be more information coming soon about the writers' surgery in December. I have also arranged for prolific novelist, poet and one-time editor of Embrace Books, Jane Holland to lead a workshop on writing about s**.

Date to be confirmed butI can tell you it will be very popular!

2 Comments

alison bailey

20/10/2012 03:58:13 am

I found the short story format quite hard. but first time I have attempted one and I don't read them that often, So thank you for the space to learn, from you and others. I will make a start on the reading list, soon(ish), I hope.
As I can never finish, because can't find an ending, do you think I might try to decide on an ending first and then create the beginning and middle? Have you any experience of people who use this as a strategy? Will look forward to the December opportunity, but hope that it does not require the submission of masterpieces or complete stories, as that might be a barrier to me. See you on Tuesday,
Alison

Cathie

21/10/2012 11:55:33 am

Yes, Alison! Definitely start at the end. In fact, I'm glad you said that because I'll do something along those lines in the morning course a little later in the term. A long time ago I wrote a blog about how I collect ingredients together before I write a story and it can take months. An ingredient can be a character, a setting, a line of conversation, and events...small things and big. Usually I do have an ending in mind, although I have to say, that invariably it changes as I go along.
 As for submission of masterpieces, that would be a big problem for us. What would we have to talk about? Keep plugging away, Alison and don't be too hard on yourself. It's important to build a body of work, lots of it might well be terrible but you need to put it down in order to see that! We all do. It's also true that what's terrible in one context can be brilliant in another. Don't throw anything away!

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Course, it was great!

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