CREATIVE WRITING MATTERS
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • CreativeWritingMatters Guides
    • Mentoring
    • Manuscript Appraisal
  • Competitions
    • Our Winners
    • 2024 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2023 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2023 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award
    • 2022 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2022 Exeter Story Prize & Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2022 ESP & Trisha Ashley Award Winners
    • 2021 Exeter Novel Prize >
      • 2021 ENPrize Judge's report
    • 2021 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2021 ESP Winning Stories
    • 2020 Exeter Novel Prize >
      • 2020 ENPrize Judge's Report
    • 2020 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2020 Winning Stories
    • 2019 Exeter Novel Prize >
      • 2019 ENP Judge's Report
    • 2019 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2019 ESP Winning Stories
    • 2019 Exeter Flash Competition >
      • 2109 Flash Winners
    • 2018 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2018 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2108 ESP Winning stories
    • 2018 Exeter Flash Competition >
      • 2018 Flash Winners
    • 2017 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2017 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award
    • 2016 Exeter Novel Prize Award Ceremony and Judge's Report
    • 2016 Exeter Story Prize
    • 2015 ENP Award Ceremony and Judge's reports
    • 2015 ESP, Award Ceremony and Judges' Report
    • 2014 ENP Award Ceremony and Judge's Report
    • 2013 ENP Award Ceremony and Judge's Report
    • 2017 Flash Winners
    • 2016 Flash Winners
    • 2015 Flash Winners
    • 2014 Flash winners
    • 2013 Flash Winners
    • 2012 Flash Winners
    • 2011 Flash Winners
    • 2017 Wow! Winners
    • 2016 Wow! Winners
    • 2015 Wow! Winners
    • 2014 Wow! Winners
  • About us
    • Sophie Duffy
    • Cathie Hartigan
    • Margaret James
    • Contact us
  • Blog
  • Links
  • Privacy Policy

My Writing Process - Blog Tour

3/2/2014

3 Comments

 
PictureBit of kit
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by Sophie Duffy if I would like to follow her on a blog tour. Oh yes, I said. How cool!
Everyone on the tour has four questions to answer about their writing process. Sophie's is definitely worth a read. Her writing process involves hopscotch. Gosh. Go HERE

Here's mine:
What am I working on? 

I’m writing two short stories and having a final read of my latest novel before sending it out. Madrigal is a time-slip novel centred round a contemporary vocal ensemble and the C16th Italian composer, Gesualdo. He is famed for his music, which some, such as Stravinsky, say is the work of a genius centuries ahead of his time. Others find the gruesome murder of his wife and her lover more intriguing.

My novel explores what happens when the menace of Gesualdo begins to undermine the singers of his music today. In the historical thread the story is from the point of view of Sylvia, a servant girl whose witness statement is on record. While rehearsing Gesualdo’s music, my contemporary heroine, Lisa, feels that her family and friends, particularly Jon, the love of her life, are becoming more secretive and distant. Is she imagining it when she sees blood on her music? Is her quartet being haunted by the dead hand of Gesualdo? What is the connection between a macabre manuscript from the Renaissance Naples and Exeter Museum? Lisa has to find out. I hope readers will too!

The in-between novels period is a strange mixture of relief, sorrow – I miss my characters! - and anticipation as I begin to plan the next one.  I try to channel all that nervous energy into writing some short stories and keep a list of ideas on my desk that I add to during the months of novel writing. I don’t usually write two at once, but they are very different so there’s no chance of muddle.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

If I look back at the novels and stories I’ve written, by far the majority are about music and musicians. This isn’t very surprising in the light of my own professional training as a music teacher. I still do a little teaching, although my performing days are over. The hours I used to sit at the piano are now spent in front of a screen. My musical experience, however, is proving a valuable resource. Most people like music! It isn’t only the actual music that has been inspirational – in the story that I have in the forthcoming Romantic Novelists’ Association showcase anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply it was my experience of taking music examinations that gave me the idea. What would it be like for an adult taking their very first grade?

Why do I write what I do?

I like people! I want to know about their hopes and fears, their relationships. I know what moves me, what inspires me, what makes me shrink in anxiety and fear. But each of us is unique. The myriad ways that we conduct our lives is an endless source of fascination to me. Stories seem to be rather like the ‘working’ of a big mathematical problem. I write to make sense of the world around me. In the midst of life’s chaos, a story attempts to make order.

How does my writing process go?

Let me count the ways…sigh. I sometimes wish there was a regular structure to my days, but one of the joys of my life is that no two days are the same. Because I’m so busy, I’ve taken to writing a To Do list on A4 paper for a couple of days ahead. At the top it says something like Finish story or Finish chapter. Of course, what happens is that finishing the chapter or story might take all day and the next! If I’m writing a dramatic or highly charged scene, I often pace round the house, run up and down the stairs several times (good exercise for the sedentary writer) and make cups of tea that don’t get drunk.

My writing kit consists of:


A notebook for my bag. It has to be small A5 or A6, thin and with a stiffish cover. If it's too heavy I won't carry it about. They also get very tatty in my bag so I like to replace them often. The current one is a little darling, especially as some of the cherries are sparkly - see pic

Post-its in many colours for ideas and plotting. I have lots littering my desk.

Scrap A4 paper and a clipboard for diddling about with ideas when I’m sitting on the sofa - see pic above.

A Macbook Air – my darling, my baby, the best thing I’ve ever bought. Necessary accessories are an external drive backup and a gmail account for emailing myself all the work I did that session.

Also required for my writing process are hours and hours and hours…


Picture
It does have sparkly cherries - honest!

What about my fellow Exeter Writer, the very excellent Elizabeth Ducie? How does her writing process go?
Find out next Monday 10th February at the next stop on the tour HERE
3 Comments
kate
4/2/2014 08:12:15 am

Just want to say a big congratulations to Daniel Knibb for his short listings. He was such an entertaining writer on that first course I attended with you as tutor Cathie, I am so sure he will go a long, long way : ).

Reply
Daniel Knibb link
8/2/2014 01:26:42 am

Thanks Kate - how nice! Hope you're keeping well - and keeping writing.
Loving the blog tour, Cathie. I must try your trick with the post-its; plotting is still my major bugbear.

Reply
Cathie
4/2/2014 09:57:51 am

That's nice! I shall pass your comment on to him, Kate.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    What they did next...

    Scroll down to find out about our previous winners.

    Archives

    April 2024
    March 2022
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    November 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Benedict Cumberbatch
    Cats
    Creative Writing
    Exeter
    Exeter Writing Courses
    John Finnemore
    Novelists
    Rna
    Romantic Novelists Association
    The Exeter Novel Prize
    Writing Competition
    Writing Courses
    Writing Workshops



Photos from Noah Sussman, Noah Sussman, Noah Sussman, crosescribe, The hills are alive*, Dave_S., h.koppdelaney, twm1340, Cristian V., PoloGoomba, RachelH_, M Glasgow, wendati
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • CreativeWritingMatters Guides
    • Mentoring
    • Manuscript Appraisal
  • Competitions
    • Our Winners
    • 2024 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2023 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2023 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award
    • 2022 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2022 Exeter Story Prize & Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2022 ESP & Trisha Ashley Award Winners
    • 2021 Exeter Novel Prize >
      • 2021 ENPrize Judge's report
    • 2021 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2021 ESP Winning Stories
    • 2020 Exeter Novel Prize >
      • 2020 ENPrize Judge's Report
    • 2020 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2020 Winning Stories
    • 2019 Exeter Novel Prize >
      • 2019 ENP Judge's Report
    • 2019 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2019 ESP Winning Stories
    • 2019 Exeter Flash Competition >
      • 2109 Flash Winners
    • 2018 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2018 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award >
      • 2108 ESP Winning stories
    • 2018 Exeter Flash Competition >
      • 2018 Flash Winners
    • 2017 Exeter Novel Prize
    • 2017 Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award
    • 2016 Exeter Novel Prize Award Ceremony and Judge's Report
    • 2016 Exeter Story Prize
    • 2015 ENP Award Ceremony and Judge's reports
    • 2015 ESP, Award Ceremony and Judges' Report
    • 2014 ENP Award Ceremony and Judge's Report
    • 2013 ENP Award Ceremony and Judge's Report
    • 2017 Flash Winners
    • 2016 Flash Winners
    • 2015 Flash Winners
    • 2014 Flash winners
    • 2013 Flash Winners
    • 2012 Flash Winners
    • 2011 Flash Winners
    • 2017 Wow! Winners
    • 2016 Wow! Winners
    • 2015 Wow! Winners
    • 2014 Wow! Winners
  • About us
    • Sophie Duffy
    • Cathie Hartigan
    • Margaret James
    • Contact us
  • Blog
  • Links
  • Privacy Policy