Not a lazy post but a tribute ...

I didn't post a blog last month, because I was on the last stretch on editing and tweaking my WIP, Book Two in the 'Samsara Trilogy', before sending it off my editor. I'm still hoping to make my self-imposed publishing deadline (end of October - paranormal, Halloween, etc.) and my brain was glued to this one task. Currently the cover and blurb are being readied, which makes me sad and excited. Sad because, even though there are bound to be some issues to address, I'll soon be leaving the characters and story which have occupied so much of my inner world this past year; and excited because the book will soon be published - which is a thrilling adrenaline-fuelled nerve-wracking exercise. Watch this space ...

So I want to use this post to thank the following bloggers. I have the utmost admiration for those writers who post on a regular basis, as well as continuing to work on their novels. These people write not just good, but consistently excellent blogs, and I urge you to at spare a few minutes of your day to check them out.

http://carolhedges.blogspot.co.uk

Carol is witty, makes a great job of being an L-Plate Gran, and has just released her latest Victorian crime (Sensation) novel, Death & Dominion.

https://lifeloveandothercatastrophes.wordpress.com

Yolanda's intriguing poems reflect her thoughtful approach to life.

https://vashtiqvega.wordpress.com

Vashti is a lively, friendly blogger, author of The Basement, and she hosts a haiku prompt on Fridays.

http://squidmcfinnigan.blogspot.co.uk

Squid is a generous, supportive, Irish writer who released Honeysuckle Lane, his debut novel this August.

http://paulareednancarrow.com
A writer and performance artist who always has something interesting and insightful to say.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/

A blog chock-full of helpful advice for indie writers.

http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdotal

Writer and book critic, Anne successfully published her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, in July.

https://cicampbellblog.wordpress.com

One of the most helpful people I've ever met, Christine blogs on a number of subjects, including the wildlife in her garden, and released the second book in her Reluctant Detective series Traces of Red this August.

http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com

Chris hosts one of the best websites offering support, information and resources for indie authors that I've come across.

http://carrotranch.com

Charli's lively blog is the centre of a literary community, and she hosts a weekly Flash Fiction challenge every Friday.

These are only a few on my list, and there are many more great blogs out there I've yet to discover. I know time is short for all of us (if only it would stretch when you're doing something pleasurable instead of shrinking), but popping in and out of these pages always lifts my mood. IMHO each and every one of them is worth your time and effort.



Check out my short stories and flash fiction on Wattpad (magic realism, sci-fi, crime, romance and women's fiction), just click on the images on the 'Short Stories' page. Or if you're interested in something longer, I've published two novels - and one is free if the genre is to your taste.

Join me on Twitter: @teagankearney

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please leave a comment. 
To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.

A YEAR LATER...

I started blogging just over a year ago and I thought today was the right time to look back on the journey and see how far I’ve come, consider if I’ve achieved any of my goals - or not  - and hopefully pass on whatever useful tips I’ve learnt. 

So what lessons have I learnt? Well, to start with blogging takes time, effort and determination.

When you blog you’re speaking directly to your reader, so for me, this has been an invaluable exercise helping me develop a more conversational, chatty writing voice. This wasn’t a goal when I began, but it became one, and I’m still working on it. Friendly and intelligent is a good tone to aim for - you don't want to talk down to readers. Sprinkling a little humour here and there lightens the mood, and makes the reading experience more enjoyable.

Content needs to be interesting, varied and relevant – easy goals to formulate, but difficult to achieve.  And it goes without saying you correct any typos/grammar/spelling errors. Pondering what to write for the next post when you only write about one subject can be tricky – I think it must be the same as with those master plots – it’s how you do it that counts. I’m not sure if finding topics gets easier or not as time passes.

Presentation should be as eye-catching as possible, but beware of the various issues involved if you’re making title/template/url changes ‘cos otherwise you hit a real steep learning curve. Reading others’ blogs will give a fair idea of what people are doing, shows improvements you can make, as well as letting you know where your weaknesses are. Yes, words such as ‘RSS feed’ still sound like a foreign language – and I've promised myself that when I finish editing this book, I’ll spare an hour of two to figure out some of these things. I have high hopes of making some serious improvements in this area. 

Reciprocating with people kind enough to read and comment on your posts is - according to every ‘how to blog’ I’ve ever read - an absolute must. I find it one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging – it shows people read what you’ve written. And even like it. Making connections with supportive readers and other writers on similar journeys provides much needed encouragement – something writers always appreciate.

The trouble is there’s always this gap between theory and practice; between your ideals and reality.  I have a to-do list of goals for my blog, because I want to keep it fresh for readers and stay enthused, so  I'm going to work hard in the coming year to close that gap. 

Writing Update 

I’m having fun writing a more plot/action oriented story. By the time my plucky heroine has reached chapter 12 (now edited), she’s been attacked by a supernatural being, kidnapped and knocked down by a car. Oh, and I should mention her aunt’s in hospital with an undiagnosable disease, and her best friend has been turned into a supernatural. So no letting up on the challenges she must face. Note to self: check I've not ended every chapter with the poor thing unconscious.

Thirteen more chapters to go, and I hope to have this edit finished by the end of March.

I’m considering checking out Wattpad as I’ve heard good things about getting feedback etc., – difficulty for me is the same old problem – fitting it in with the writing, the blogging, the time spent on social media – oh, yes, let's not forget family, friends, and life!

Today’s Haiku

THE WRITER

she scribbles pauses

to stare out of the window

chasing wayward dreams  

Useful Links:

If you’re feeling down and would like to practice a bit of positive thinking, check out this link.

http://100HappyDays.com You can also post on Twitter #100HappyDays, Facebook or Instagram.  

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please do leave a comment. 
Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku 

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.

THE ROLE OF RESEARCH

 Without doubt, imagination plays the most important role in creating the world where your story takes place. But unless it takes place in your house and in your locale, you’ll find yourself needing to do some research - even if it’s from your living room via Google. Research doesn’t mean you stop using your imagination. Irrespective of whether you write thrillers, detective novels or chick lit you need facts, as detail is what adds authenticity, making a fictional world filled with fictional characters believable. 

Science-fiction and fantasy, where you would think imagination has the greater input, are not exempt. If you want a world with two moons or a denser gravity, without research someone will pick up the fact that the orbit you’ve given your moons would create such gravitational stress that the planet would be torn apart in no time. (Mmm, there’s a dramatic scenario...evacuating a world with the clock counting down; and how many films have been made where our planet is about to be hit by an apocalyptic meteor - which is always destroyed with seconds left?). Many fantasy novelists use a medieval type setting. Again, historical research plus imagination.  

Writers vary in their choice of gender for protagonists. Some writers feel they can only write honestly about their own gender; others have no difficulty in exploring both men and women as they find both equally fascinating, and feel neither exists in a vacuum. In theory, women writers inhabiting male characters, and vice versa, should present no problem to the imagination, but here is where research has a role as it’s the accurate detail you provide which creates a genuine reality.  

People you know can be a great resource. If they’ve lived through a period in modern history before you were born, or if they’ve taken holidays at a location where you’ve set your story that you’ve never visited, they can give you personal insights. Biographies are another resource for an era or place you need to research. And don’t forget libraries - I found a wonderful librarian at my local library who photocopied nineteenth century maps for me.

  

The internet gives you access via Google, Wikipedia, etc., to any other number of online resources. I heard an interview where a writer said he’d done all his research for a novel set in south-east Asia without leaving his house. Now some may say that for the writer’s experience to be real you need to physically go there, but I would disagree. Memory,  or research, when combined with imagination create fictional reality...and when you have all three (not forgetting memorable characters and a killer storyline) you stand a fair chance of writing a decent book! 

Every detail of our experiences in life acts to create who we are – and we bring all of this to our writing. We inevitably mine our memories when we write. Our starting point is what we know, in the same way that the basis of every character comes from somewhere within ourselves.  I once read that although our stories may not be autobiographies in the literal sense, they do tell the story of our inner journey. An interesting thought! 

Writing Update 

The Pro Writing editing experience has been intense. I’m currently working on chapter twenty, and I’ve twenty-one chapters. At first, I think I was so overwhelmed by the endless lists, my brain didn’t properly register what the task would entail. It didn't help that I felt a compulsion to check everything on the list - which must be left over from my early school days when the teacher said it had to be done, and there was no question of not doing it. I soon realized I needed to work faster. 

So I put my head down and got on with it.

This impulse lasted, with a dip in mood at the beginning of each new chapter and a high at the end, until around chapter ten. From here on the task seemed to be more daunting, but I kept going. Again, for some unexplained reason at the end of chapter seventeen, even though I wasn’t finished, I was euphoric. 

At the end of chapter twenty one, I’ll have to go back and check over my repeated sentence starts because for some reason, I didn’t think I needed to do this (duh?), until one day the cursor hovered over those three words and informed me that repeated sentence starts can bore the reader. Boring? That caught my attention. Although I don’t envision the task as a long one, it will have to be done. 

The journey is not what I expected when I began writing this novel. Blogging, tweeting, social media were activities I read about, not ones I did. Almost three months of intense editing, after I don’t know how many drafts, was something else I hadn't envisioned. The interesting thing is though, I wouldn’t change any of it. I’ve learnt so much – about writing, about myself, about what I want to do in life – that I’m simply grateful to be a position to do what I’m doing. 

Today’s Haiku 

blonde brown stubbly stalks 

summer’s bounty harvested –

crows gather and feast   

Useful Links:

I will add these bloggers to the ‘I follow’ button on my website when I can pause long enough to take a breath: they’re all great people who provide great reads – each one for different reasons.

(Apologies to anyone I’ve left out...you’ll be on that follow list one of these days...)

http://adriannajoleigh.com/

http://glipho.com/team/meetaglipher-jasveena-prabhagaran-jazz1

http://rajcmallu.wordpress.com

http://kcrosswriting.com  

Reading Recommendations:

http://amzn.to/18SbSaG  Gold Dragon Haiku  - my first attempt at publishing poetry! 

Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku 

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.