Beginner writer + instinct - experience/wisdom/knowledge = ?

I have finally conquered that niggling bit of the edit. I realized I had an instinct but I’d been batting it away; firstly, I knew how much work it was going to be and secondly, what do I know? Who am I to have instincts?

What is instinct without wisdom? Or knowledge? Or maybe experience. Should you listen?

When you’re learning something it’s really difficult to know whether to trust your instincts or not. But I have learned that when a more experienced writer than I has looked at my manuscript and made a comment, on several occasions I’ve said, ‘yeah… I sort of knew that.’ Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I know everything (oh dear lord; I actually know nothing) but quite often – enough times to become aware of it – I’ve had that little thought come into my head: ‘you knew this already didn’t you?’

I had vowed to listen a bit more to this voice but it can be quiet over the rest of the din in my head. Then on Saturday night it raised its voice, ‘you gotta get rid of the second library scene,’ it said. ‘It’s stealing the first library scene’s thunder. It’s gotta go. Hello? HELLO? Can you hear me?’

I could. I acknowledged Voice but it was late so I printed out the two scenes and went to bed. Yesterday I got up early and brought the two scenes together.

Then I saw this: “Good writers learn how to pare a manuscript down to its most essential elements, carving away the word count fat that marks so many beginning writers” from here and I knew I’d done the right thing.

Instincts are good but sometimes confidence is required in tandem.

Hello? Hello Confidence? Can you hear me? Can I have some please?

Every day is Groundhog Day for writers

Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes to Daughter. Normal life has resumed here. Half term is nearly over. Daughter and Husband are preparing for piano exams; Son has done all his homework (I think and hope) and Daughter is finishing homework after her unscheduled days sick. We’ve done some essential furniture shopping – cheap and cheerful for the kids and something nicer for our communal areas. (For new readers, we moved apartment about six weeks ago and yes, we’re still in chaos.) I've attempted to sort my office out. I emptied all the cupboards and... well, then I lost interest and just left most of it on the floor, the sofa, in bags...

I haven’t been reading blogs or replied to comments here since Daughter was sick and for that I apologise. I will try and get around to it soon.

I am trying to prioritise my editing. Since I've introduced my public humiliation announcements I am indeed humiliated. I’ve got stuck in some sort of Groundhog Day for writers. Edit Hell is on a loop. It doesn’t matter where in my manuscript I start revising when I look at the page number to check out my progress it’s ALWAYS between pages 36-9. Arggggh.

Public humiliation tactic: progress (or otherwise) on my edit: page 36-9 

Friday Photo: Taxi dashboard - badly photoshopped

It's quite common for taxis to have shrines on their dashboard. My book, the brilliant Very Thai says that taxis are "culturally still a boat. The steering column doubles as the prow, the vehicles sacred 'head' where offerings go [to] honour Mae Yanang, the protective spirit of the boat." It goes on to say in other taxis "the dashboard plays host to assemblages of souvenirs, cute cartoon mascots, model cars, wax fruit, heart shaped stickers or toy helicopters..." I suspect that this taxi falls into this category.

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I flatly refuse to add my edit update today - even for public humiliation purposes.

For those that don't know we had a major disruption to life on Wed/Thur as Daughter was rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitis. She didn't have it; she had a stomach infection but I have therefore done nothing.

Here's a warning for you...

Oh I’ve been jumping up and down and squealing at the new followers. Thank you; thank you Rach for your Platform-Building Crusade. Actually I have to be honest I don’t like reciprocal following for the sake of increasing numbers but what I do like about this is that we’re all writers, right? So that’s not just for the sake of it…

Another confession I have to make to my new followers is about tea stains.  If I’m talking about writing it’s often a sign I’m not writing… obviously, to someone who wants to finish her book, this is A Bad Thing.

I’m trying to change the Bad Thing into Good Thing. Good Thing is writing; or editing. So I’ve implemented a new habit: I’m ending each post with an edit status.  Public humiliation tactic: progress (or otherwise) on my edit: page xx. This is working well in that I’m embarrassed to have to say I’ve done very little editing since yesterday. It’s good that I’m embarrassed but that’s not really enough. I need to move the embarrassment and inaction towards pride and action because I’ve made progress. I am determined that pitiful progress won’t happen again tomorrow. Watch this space.

So, when I’m not talking about writing because I am writing (Good Thing) I quite often post about my life as a British woman in Thailand or my family or something I see on the street, or somewhere I go. This might mean my blog is somewhat eclectic but that’s just the way it goes. Anyway, now you know.

Public humiliation tactic: progress (or otherwise) on my edit: page 39 

Rach Writes: Inaugural Writers’ Platform-Building Crusade

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When I wonder why I blog I always come back to the same thing – because I love it. Would I do it if I had no comments, no followers? Yes, if I could see from the stats that people were still visiting, reading; finding out that pineapples really do grow on the ground and not on trees, checking out enormous spiders and enjoying pictures of Crystal Tips and Alistair.

But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love seeing my follower list increasing – and look I am so near 100. So when I came across this brilliant idea, the Inaugural Writers’ Platform-Building Crusade from Rach Writes I knew I had to be involved. There are lots of aspiring writers, bloggers, agents, publishers and  published authors out there all wanting to build their online platforms.

So how to get involved? Go along to this post from Rach Writes and leave a comment with your blogging name and a link to your site. Don’t forget to follow Rach Writes so that you get updates about the Crusade and of course check out the other Crusaders… check them out and follow them so they’ll visit you.

Rach says:

• Write about the Crusade on your blog and link back to this post
• Encourage your followers to come to Rach Writes… and join up (it will help them too!)
• Tweet about the Crusade, including a link to this post (http://bit.ly/9kMySK) and #WPBC1.  Encourage re-tweets. I'm @RachaelHarrie if you want to follow me in the Twitterverse too
• Pop it on Facebook
• Generally, spread the word…

I’ll publish a list of all the Crusaders on Rach Writes.., and I’ll update the list as people join in on future Crusades.

So I’m in. Are you?


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Public humiliation tactic: progress (or otherwise) on my edit: page 36 (but I'm off to do some now.)

Monday memories: Christmas 1986

I’d been going out with Not Yet Husband for about two months. Notions of husbands couldn’t be further from my mind because my first term at university had finished and we were meeting for the first time on fresh turf: Covent Garden. Just us. Would we still like each other away from university?

(I just went to ask Husband if he had any fond memories of this trip. Readers, he had no memory of the momentous occasion. He looked hazy and said, ‘was it a big meet up in the Punch and Judy?’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘it was just us.’ ‘Oh. Did we have lunch in that place in the middle?’ I said, ‘you’re guessing aren’t you?’ He said, ‘well I have lots of memories of Covent Garden…’ I said, ‘but not this special one?’)

To be fair to the old bloke his faculties are probably going. He got glasses for the first time yesterday: reading glasses. At last I’m not the only one… When he got home from the glasses trip he did a bit of tidying. He ventured into the button box where he found a number of treasures. A tie pin (aw gawd, did I really fall for a man who wore a tie pin?); an ARP badge (air raid patrol) and a single earring of mine.

He remembered (vaguely) that these earrings had been purchased by him in our dating days (though he couldn’t put an exact date on it) during a trip to Covent Garden (where we might or might not have been with other people) and was distressed that he had only found one. (The other one was in my jewellery box; I had kept it for sentimental reasons in spite of its singleton status.)

We had wandered about Covent Garden market and saw these gorgeous earrings. They were expensive and we were students but Not Yet Husband told the girl he wanted them. To our horror, the expensive price tag was for a single earring only (damn that trendy Covent Garden) but by this time NYH was unable to back out.

Regular readers will know how much I like lizards. I have blogged about all sorts – monitor lizards here and here; a blue crested lizard here; various gecko visitors here and a skink here. But I thought the lizard fascination grew while I was in Thailand; apparently not.

I wonder what those two young people wandering around Covent Garden in Christmas 1986 would have thought if they’d been told what life had in store for them.

For scale these are about 1cm tall and wide. They are inserted from the back of the ear lobe.

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As a public humiliation tactic, each day I will show my progress (or otherwise) on my edit: page 31.

Oh what a lovely day...

I had the loveliest birthday yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes. Messages came in all day via Facebook which is particularly lovely when cards don’t arrive overseas in time for the right day.

I’m always the first to wake in this house (first to bed too.) And this is the sight that greeted me at the crack of dawn when I crept out of our bedroom:

There was a pile of presents on the table that I presumed I wasn’t allowed to open… Oh the self control… eventually, when everyone was up I got to open the gifts. This was one of them:

(Is it wrong to be so excited by a label maker?)

After much research, Daughter made a wheat free chocolate cake that was delicious but was spectacular this morning after a night in the fridge. I know because I had some for breakfast.

We had dinner at Face in Sukhumvit Soi 38 (I've never been before but it's a gorgeous complex of traditional Thai houses) and then went to see Red at the cinema.