Creative Musings

Creative Musings

I have to confess,
my mind is a mess,
ideas and thoughts,
all over the place.

But surely I'll find,
if I settle my mind,
my masterpiece
will get written post haste.

The title of my new novel.......

sub·tle

adj. sub·tler, sub·tlest

1.

a. So slight as to be difficult to detect or describe; elusive: a subtle smile.

b. Difficult to understand; abstruse: an argument whose subtle point was lost on her opponent.

2. Able to make fine distinctions: a subtle mind.

3.

a. Characterized by skill or ingenuity; clever.

b. Crafty or sly; devious.

c. Operating in a hidden, usually injurious way; insidious: a subtle poison

 

 

change (chnj)

v. changed, chang·ing, chang·es

v.tr.

1.

a. To cause to be different.

b. To give a completely different form or appearance to; transform.

2. To give and receive reciprocally; interchange: change places.

3. To exchange for or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category: change one's name;

4.

a. To lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; switch: change methods; change sides.

b. To transfer from (one conveyance) to another: change planes.

 

v.intr.

1. To become different or undergo alteration.

2. To undergo transformation or transition.

3. To go from one phase to another, as the moon or the seasons.

 

n.

1. The act, process, or result of altering or modifying.

2. The replacing of one thing for another; substitution: a change of atmosphere; a change of ownership.

3. A transformation or transition from one state, condition, or phase to another: the change of seasons.

 

The title of my new novel 'Subtle Changes'

 

Ready To Query?

When you're at the querying stage it is important to take note of good advice.

Check out http://daniel-kaye.blogspot.ie/ for excellent advice re: social media and writing in general.

Check out Mike Wells' blog for some great tips about landing a good literary agent. Mike Well's Blog

Just to add to the above and follow on from my last tip, I'd like to share some more advice.

See if the agent/publisher you are querying has a regularily updated blog. You may find more useful information by checking their page. Also, see if they're on twitter, they may post helpful hints as to the genre they are accepting, at the time you're ready to query. It could save wasting your and their time by sending work that may be on their general submissions guidelines, but specifically they want the fifth genre down the list because they are inundated with the others.

Also, they may share information as to what stage they're at in relation to current queries. For example if their submission guidelines say to allow six to eight weeks before they let you know and the date six/eight weeks on is highlighted on your calender, before you send a follow up, check their blog/twitter/facebook. Here, they may be more likely to share that they're actally twelve weeks behind. This helps you plan your follow-up query in a more timely manner - and you'd never know you might hear in the meantime.

Of course, I am not advocating stalking any agent or publisher but, if they are good enough to share the above information on a public forum it would be silly not to make use of it.

Happy writing and happy querying.

One Last Check Before Pressing Send

Ready to send your novel out for consideration?

You are cross-eyed, demented and you swear you will do something drastic if you have to read those first few lines again! You've felt like you have gone over it enough and you copy and paste it into the email after composing it with care.

Subject entered, destination address entered, then your finger hovers as you ready yourself to press send...but wait, just give it one more read after you copy it to the body of the email.

It is a different format so giving it a reread might highlight that little error you may have scanned over or missed by the skin of it's teeth. Usually, it's only up to ten pages to be submitted. It's not as if you have to go over the entire three hundred and odd pages again.

So give it one last check before pressing send.

A poem for Mother's Day

Here is a rhyming one for all the mammies!

Mother

 

When you had us kids,

mum became your name.

Regardless of you real one,

when we called it out, you came.

 

You’d hear us near and far,

there was nothing you couldn’t fix,

you’d appear, ready to act,

with a plaster or a kiss.

 

There for every moment,

from tiny steps to mighty leaps,

and because of that we love you,

heaps and heaps and heaps.

Five Sentence Fiction - Whisper

Time for a new prompt for Lillie’s Five Sentence Fiction. This week the magic word is WHISPER. Check out the other contributions at http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=249784

Helpless

Rosie’s body shivered as the cold set in and a damp sensation pooled underneath her helpless body. She didn’t know where the shot came from; she just knew that she would be in serious trouble if she didn’t get help soon.

Hearing footsteps and a familiar voice she called out, “Sam, Sam, help me please“.

He bent down and whispered, “sure I will.”

Standing over her, he raised the gun, firing an exterminating slug into her brain.

Keith Hanley Interview

Keith Hanley Interview: Ken Wheeler caught up with Voice of Ireland hopeful Keith Hanley after the talented teen got through to the live shows.

Interview with author Mary T Bradford

Have a listen as Mary talks about her short story collection 'A Baker's Dozen' - a collection of 13 short stories about life, love, loss and dilemmas, on BCR 92.6

Interview with author Mary T Bradford

Her new novel 'A Thorn in my Side' get a mention too. Mary and the presenters Charlotte Grimely and John Harrold promote the advantage of print.

Lets Talk Books

I got the opportunity, along with authors Daniel Kaye, Declan Kearney and Mary Bradford, to speak about the launch of Anthology 'Windows of Words' that we have contributed to, on BCR 92.6. We also get to mention our own books: Daniel Kaye's collection of 'Eleventh Hour'; his novel due for release soon 'I, Vladimir'; Mary T Bradford's 'collection of short stories 'A Baker's Dozen ' and her new novel 'A Thorn in my Side' and my own just completed novel 'Subtle Changes'.

Charleville Writers Group: Declan Kearney, Mary Bradford and Marie O' Halloran of the Charleville Writers Group popped in to the studio recently to talk to Charlotte about what the group is up to and about their upcoming book launch.

For Mary's collection:

Mary's book is available here! Easy peasy just click the link!


For Daniel's collection:

Get Daniel's book here! Easy peasy just click the link!

Five Sentence Fiction - Empty

Time for a new prompt for Lillie’s Five Sentence Fiction. This weeks’ is EMPTY http://lilliemcferrin.com/five-sentence-fiction-empty/ Check out the other contributions at http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=244375

A big welcome to the 5SF link Mary Bradford Check out her contribution at http://marytbradford-author.blogspot.ie/2013/03/5-sentence-fiction-challenge.html?spref=fb

 

Empty

Empty… she never knew what he meant by this. Ambitious, progressive, intelligent were the words she used to describe herself, never empty.

“Wait, it’s too soon, not yet” or “it is not the right time”, were always the excuses she’d use when he pressed her to progress their relationship.

Now, as she looks around her large penthouse apartment and sips a solitary latte, she wonders who to share the news of her latest promotion with. He is long gone, she now knows what he meant by empty.

An afternoon with Poet Tony Curtis – Reading at Ennis Book Club Festival Saturday 2nd March 2013

Every so often things happen that lead you on certain paths. At first, you don’t put too much thought into where they might take you and you go along for the ride. I did such a thing on Saturday and I wasn’t disappointed. In a previous post I shared the news that one of my poems was picked to be a runner up in a recent competition. As a result of this, I received a pair of tickets to see Tony Curtis. This poet’s talents are well listed http://www.tonycurtisirishpoet.com/blog.php but I had never attended one of his readings.

A relaxed Mr. Curtis strode into the room and was introduced. He described himself as ‘a bendy kinda soul’ and always dressing in black and white.  Sharing stories of his life and inspirations behind his work, his entertaining descriptions enthralled me. Orating from his collection ‘Folk’ and his new one ‘The Connemara Pony’, I was hooked. The evening got better as he recited ‘The Garden flat’, written at the railing of Michael Hartnett’s house http://www.eigsemichaelhartnett.ie/michael-hartnett-1941-1999.html and ‘What darkness covers’, the last poem Tony read to Michael before his passing. He spoke with affection of his friendship with Dennis O’Driscoll http://dennisodriscoll.com/ and his last encounter with him before his passing in December 2012.

Laughter filled the room as he told us of how the Arts Council did a report into why he was so popular with the people who call the Central Mental Hospital their home. His regard for its occupants was evident as he spoke of how he felt when reading there and shared two poems reflecting life in such an institution.  

We had the pleasure of being the first audience to hear two new pieces ‘Civil War’ and one about Elizabeth Bishop http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/elizabeth-bishop before he finished the evening with a song.

Overall it was worth the journey to Ennis to attend the event and I look forward to reading my signed copy of ‘Folk’ over the coming weeks.