Happy Birthday Tea Stains

Today is my 2nd blog birthday.

Before I started tea stains I’d been lurking on Kate Harrison’s blog for several months but I didn’t dare to comment; I’m not sure why. I kept looking at blogger’s front page and wondering about it. Sometimes I’d click on their info to find out how to do it. It all seemed so easy – too easy. What was my name? What did I want to call it? I didn’t know and I’d press back, back, back.

Of course I was reading Kate’s blog because it was about writing. I didn’t want to blog to blog; I wanted to blog to write.

I wanted to write. I couldn’t say that out loud back then.

My first post, Cyberspace-Penpal, was a bit ‘Dear Diary’ self conscious. My fourth, Uncle Paper and Oesophageal Reflux is less embarrassing and I’m beginning to find the voice I recognise.

Then Kate Harrison and Lucy Diamond started the idea of a novel race: that turned out to be the Novel Racers. I lurked some more and then at the beginning of February, I wrote Dithering. I continued to dither for many months but you know what? I did get there eventually.

I’ve tried to write diaries all my life; and failed. Eventually, I learned I was a letter writer. I think it’s because I received feedback. So now I’m a blogger for the same reason - and not to forget – I’m also a writer.

Thank you to everyone who comes by: commentators and lurkers.

Update:

Daughter has made some cakes.

These are the blogbirthday cakes. Please join me in a cup of tea and a cake to celebrate.

Mostly books

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who left good wishes here and over at the Novel Racers for me and mine during the difficulties we're having in Bangkok. I've had some wobbly moments and your thoughts and good wishes have really helped. Husband got a flight to Phuket from Singapore yesterday. He left Phuket in a taxi this morning: it's a 8-10 hour car journey! (Update: Arrived home 7.30pm)

With no coup, the kids and I went off to see Twilight yesterday afternoon. Daughter is 200 pages in; Son's read it and I have no intention of reading it. It's not my kind of thing at all and it did have flaws, but I really rather enjoyed it. Beautiful landscapes. I still have no desire to read it but I'll watch another film...

After the cinema we went into Kinokuniya - our wonderful, wonderful English Language bookshop (How could I survive anywhere without copious English books?) We went in to buy New Moon, Stephenie Meyer's second book in the Twilight Saga. We also found some Christmas presents, and on the New Arrivals table, I found this:


Kate's books are always available here but the hardback of The Secret Shopper's Revenge hasn't been available to buy here. It's always very exciting to find a Novel Racer's book here in Bangkok.

Bulleted Updates

• I am up to date with my blog reading now, but my commenting is sadly lacking. I am very sorry.
  
• What a lovely weekend. I stayed in a hotel in Monmouth Street, London on Friday and Saturday night; the hotel was nice but the area was lovely. I would be very happy in a tiny wee flat in any of the streets around there. Living in Bangkok has obviously changed me from a ‘I’m not a city girl’ into ‘I’d very much like a city pied-à-terre please.’ I must remember to buy a lottery ticket.
  
• On Saturday morning I rushed to buy a postcard of my MC’s mother – see this post – at the National Portrait Gallery and then went over to Waterstones in Piccadilly for the Novel Racers’ 2nd Meet. I saw people who’d been to Manchester and met new faces too. It was lovely. Those of us that were there made a donation to a kitty to buy Lucy Diamond and Kate Harrison (who started the Novel Racers) a book token which we presented on behalf of Novel Racers all over the world. We wanted to thank them for starting the group as they have made a huge difference to so many of us. Some of us had fairly serious practice already but for others (me) it has facilitated making our writing practice more serious.
  
• I left London on Sunday morning for my parents’ house where Leigh and her children were coming again for lunch.
  
• I haven’t been writing as aswell as being in London, I've been involved in some domestics, but I’m going to get back to my 100 words a day ASAP, though not tonight because I’m a bit wiped out by the domestic dramas. Still, it’s all rich research material, eh?

It is just me.

Is everyone out there intuitive about writing novels? Do you know how to do it without being told or reading up on it - just because you’re readers (or natural writers)? Do you have an innate understanding of structure?

Am I the only one struggling to understand how and what to do?

I’ve had another moment of realisation. In our house we call it an ‘Ohhhh, it’s a scythe…’ moment. (I think this is something to do with Monty Python, but I’m not sure. I don’t really appreciate MP humour I just know that the moment something dawns on you, you say ‘Ohhh, it’s a scythe.’)

Usually I call them epiphanies but I think I’m leading us all astray. I don’t think it’s true; these aren’t Archimedes type eureka moments. I can’t call them epiphanies when actually what I’m having are plain and simple moments of clarity through the fog of my stupid brain. As the lovely Hugh Laurie says as George in Blackadder: 'I'm thick. I'm as thick as the big print version of the Complete Works of Charles Dickens.' Exactly.

When I read I see what writers do to make me feel something. I did English A Level, I wrote essays on what techniques the writer employed to achieve something… I thought I understood enough but I don’t.

So my ‘clearing of the fog’ moment was while reading ‘Story’ (Robert McKee) which I first heard about in the days when I lurked at Kate Harrison’s blog, imagining myself one day being brave enough to actually do it.

Do you know what? I thought the hard part was saying out loud ‘I want to write.’ I thought the writing bit was going to be a doddle. Ha. Serves me right.

And just as I thought I was done here, Doctor Dictionary landed his email in my inbox, telling me the word for the day is neophyte.

Hmmm, I think he means me.