Welcome to my blog

Welcome to The Literary Pig's blog - a safe haven for all those afflicted with
the unbearable urge to write.

Monday 23 May 2011

The next BIG author event

Check out The Next BIG Author competition which has now started.  You need to REGISTER on this site and then upload first chapters of your novel (written in May 2011) 5,000-7,000 words max onto the You Write On site.  You have until 31st May to upload chapters (any genre acceptable).  In June you can then review other writer's uploaded chapters - each review you complete earns your chapters a review and critique in return.  At the end of June the entries with highest review scores will receive a critique from on the associated publishers i.e. Random House, Orion etc.

It's free and worth having a go just for the feedback, which can be immensely helpful.  The indoor writer is having a go.

She received some excellent advice recently from a published author in respect to feedback: wait until you receive the same comment from 3 separate reviewers before actioning, particularly if you don't entirely agree with the feedback.  Good advice.  The indoor writer is a sensitive type and tends to pounce on any scrap of feedback - she has an irresistible urge to please everyone!! (A dangerous habit for a writer ...)

Keep writing!

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Versatile Blogger Award


A big thank you to Sally Jenkins for sending me this award!
The rules of the award state that I have to tell you 7 things about myself and then pass the award on to 7 more deserving bloggers. 
Here are my 7 truthful things about myself (Tracy not The Literary Pig!):
1. I am an obsessive list maker (so this should be a doddle) and even more obsessive task list ticker.  In 'Type Talk' (Otto Kroeger and Janet Thuessen) there is a description of someone who is so focussed on their tasks that if they complete something which is not listed they will add it, simply for the pleasure of ticking it off.  Sadly, this is me.
2. I love to run along Worthing seafront at least once a week.  Took up running in last couple of years and slowly increasing distance towards 10km.  Perhaps jogging is a more accurate description of my pace, as I have been known to be overtaken by promenading grannies.
3. Before moving to West Sussex I rode several times a week.  I do miss being around horses and would love to start riding again.
4. I have completed Stage I Counselling Module and am would like to continue with Stage 2/3.  I have no burning ambition to become a professional counsellor, but I have enjoyed managing and working with people and believe these skills do help in my voluntary work.
5. I am proud to be part of a local team of volunteer drivers who take individuals to hospital/medical appointments.  I also visit a 97 year old lady in a nearby village as part of a befriending initiative.  I have met some really lovely and interesting people, learning lots about the history of my own village too.
6. I am not so proud to admit that I am a Chronic Procrastinator (wonder if there is a fancy term for this disorder - suggestions welcome!).  Thankfully being target driven this rarely hinders my writing, as I set daily word targets which I usually hit, but it surfaces elsewhere in my daily life.  I hide it well from my family but it causes much internal strife!  For example I'm always putting off my blog updates, and the diet is always starting next week ...
7. I love to daydream.  Running is good for this.  And of course calling myself a writer gives me the perfect excuse to embrace this habit, in fact its positively part of the Job Description.
Soon I hope to announce the 7 worthy blogs that I’m passing this award on to.


Monday 9 May 2011

Pink bubbles and curry buffet

Good end to the first week in May with indoor writer finishing first draft of her children's novel and tame teenager survived his mock GCSE's.  To celebrate the Fells family decamped to the village Indian restaurant on Sunday for the evening (eat as much as you like) buffet.  Knowing how much the teenager can trough I think this was good value for money!

This week has started on sweet note when email came in telling her she was runner-up in Write Now! Short Story Competition (Bury St. Edmunds writing group).  The theme had been Smoke & Mirrors.

Friday 6 May 2011

THE END - How good it is to finally type those words!

The indoor writer has flipped her lid, she's skipping round the garden like a piglet on rum.  Why?  Because today at 4pm she finally typed THE END for her children's novel.  Phew, thank goodness that's all over.  However, she tells me that was the easy bit and now comes the editing - eek.

She is a bit peeved that it overran by 6 days and 10,000 words, but Stephen King always preaches first draft is likely to be at least 10% longer than it needs to be.  Hence the editing (or pruning) needs to start.  She's going to put it away in the virtual drawer (leave it on hard disk, back up first of course) and come back to it in a few weeks.  Perhaps now she can write and talk about something else for a change ...

I wonder if she remembered the promise about bubbly and chocolate cake ...  I'm feeling pretty famished.

Sunday 1 May 2011

April good reads

Have just finished Black Swan Green (David Mitchell), which differed from his other novels (the ones we've read) in that POV remained with the same first person narrator throughout.  Really authentic voice of Jason (13 yrs) living one year in an English village during the 1980's.  It featured the Falklands war and brought back so many memories - mostly wry and funny - of that era.

Had to give up on The Passage - a giant book and first part of a trilogy.  It was Stephen Kingenesque and once upon a time would have been devoured, but we had to give up at 300 pages.  The POV constantly changed and just as you got used to a narrator then something happened to them.  Sadly, we just ran out of steam and had to move one.

Similar experience with We Need To Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver).  Heard a lot about this book so thought it was one to read.  But just couldn't get into the narrative and took a quick dislike to the narrator - which sort of hindered reading the rest of it as this was totally first person throughout.  Always hate to give up on books but starting to realise that life is too short to plod on with books you don't enjoy.  There are so many excellent books out there.

Ending on a good note.  Started reading The Small Hand (Susan Hill) this morning and within 30 mins had read more than we'd managed with 'Kevin'.  More of a novella but a cracking good read.