Suddenly I have time…

Writing a novel takes up so much time and energy. It’s only now that the novel is out there looking for a literary agent – suddenly I have time for other things!

So what are the other things I’m doing? I travelled to London and went to see the Cezanne Exhibition in the Tate Modern. The exhibition showed lots of his work but the thing I took away from it was a photo of his paint pallet, its dark tones and dollops of white spoke to me. One of my short stories Roll of Thunder is about an artist who becomes obsessed with a certain image just like Cezanne – who spent a lot of time painting apples. My character doesn’t paint apples – its something a bit more sinister!

Short Stories – As well as the short story mentioned above, I am going back to a number of stories that are written but need work. The good thing about short stories is that if I get sick of one (because I am on the umpteenth draft, not because its rubbish – I hope!) I can open another and get to work rediscovering it and tweaking it. My writer’s group have been great with helpful comments and critique.

Writing Opportunities – I am also researching writing opportunities in the form of open competitions. This is good as it focuses my mind. I have to have a submission in by Friday? I put an extra effort into finalising that short story. So far this year I have sent off four submissions. Each a different story to reflect that particular competition. One submission was for an unpublished novel. I have one of those – so I sent off that submission too. There’s a great sense of satisfaction in getting my work out there – something I have missed whilst completing the novel.

Business end of things – I also find time for the business end of writing. I am submitting to literary agents – which takes a bit of effort as each agent needs to be researched and the application personalised before submitting. I’ve sent off about six query letters so far. I’ve also applied for the ‘Agility Award’ from the Arts Council. It’s the first time ever that I’ve approached the Council – never before having the confidence but I find the more I put myself out there, the greater my belief in myself.

I’ve also applied for an interesting pilot which links writers and scientists called Writing the Earth with the Irish Writer’s Centre. I’ve always had an interest in technology, science and now climate and the environment. It’s a programme that piqued my interest and I’ll let you know if I’m successful.

Other stuff – I’m doing a good bit of gardening. A wonderful time of year, and lots to be done. A picture here of a delightful Hellebore in my front garden.

Talk soon x