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.

MODERNISM

Developments in literary Modernism still resonate with writers today. So what is Modernism? 

The term Modernism describes a European cultural movement which influenced thinking in theology, sciences and the arts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result of advances (the industrial revolution, Darwin, Einstein, Planck, Freud, WW1) a cultural crisis occurred. Modernism challenged traditional attitudes proposing that only through the arts (painting, sculpture, poetry, drama, prose) could this cultural crisis be expressed and addressed.

Modernism in literature relates to both form and content.

Narrative time is one aspect viewed from a different perspective by Modernist writers. Frank Kermode discusses time using the Greek terms, chronos (an undirected continuous flow of events), and kairos (particular moments allocated import because of their relevance to the end). 

Modernist writers seldom perceived time as a progression of noteworthy steps leading to a momentous conclusion, but favoured kairos where single moments gain prominence because of distinctive insights gained in those moments.  Considered in this way, the traditional dramatic arc of a story recedes in importance, and the story becomes a series of scenes where content is less important than style, and the whole is seen as an object of beauty rather than an act of communication. 

Another notable feature of Modernist novels is the reduced prominence of the authorial voice.

Characters are presented in several ways: through their responses to the world; revealing how other characters see them; an internal monologue that includes thoughts about the past and the future. A further development of interior monologue is stream of consciousness - the most well known example being Ullysses by James Joyce. Interpretation of meaning is left  up to the reader. 

The question arises then – is Modernism relevant today? I think if you consider how admired and influential Hemingway, Joyce, Woolf, Elliot, Beckett and Nabokov are, to name a few, the answer is yes. Even if most writers still follow traditional structure, if we are to believe Harold Bloom, the American literary critic, writers discover their artistic impetus by reading earlier writers, and start by emulating them in order to cultivate a voice of their own. If this is the case, then Modernism has bequeathed today’s writers a rich legacy. 

Writing Update 

I have to be honest, I’m not writing a supernatural mash-up, well, I am, but it’s a romantic supernatural mash-up! I’m nearly half-way through with the speed editing of the first few chapters a distant memory - and I’m back to the slog; but as I’m re-writing/editing chapter by chapter, it’s a more tolerable slog. And most important, I’m still enjoying the process.

I constantly mull over the traditional vs self/indie publishing question, as well as wondering about PR/marketing options as I’ve one novel doing the rounds of agents/publishers. I've described the book as commercial women’s fiction (not chick lit or romcom) and wonder why we have to categorize books - it's a two stranded story about people experiencing loss, love and obsession!
And in the meantime, I realize the best decision is to keep writing. So I’m focussing on my particular twist on the eternal triangle - there are no new plots - only new ways to present them! 

Today’s Haiku  

he’s keen can’t take his

eyes off the swing of her hair –

he’ll buy what she sells  

Useful Links:

For more information about Moderism:

http://www.online-literature.com/periods/modernism.php

An informative post on scene breaks:

http://buff.ly/1em9iy4 

Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku 

Thank you for visiting my blog (I love when people leave comments), and to all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.

THE DRAMATIC ARC

Structure is inherent in everything around us - think of our own lives, or of anything living on this planet (including the planet itself) and you’ll have a beginning, a middle and an end. Starting with myths and legends, down through folk tales, Greek tragedies and comedies and up to the modern novel, you’ll find the same structure exists. 

Stories have:
       a beginning (introduces setting, character & conflict)
       a middle (escalation of conflict leading to climax)
       an end (conflict resolution)
For example, in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the beginning shows Lennie and George arriving at a new farm for work; the middle where they settle down and make friends - with Lenny’s friendship culminating in disaster; and a tragic ending where George has to kill Lenny to save him from a worse fate.

There are of course many novels where the dramatic action is dealt with differently. Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway is a less obviously plot driven story, and the dramatic action, focusing on one day in Mrs. Dalloway’s life, is more subtle and internal. Woolf, as a Modernist writer, approaches time as a flow of successive events, where the meaning of a moment can only be realized in relation to that moment. She deftly demonstrates that dramatic arcs need not pivot around a grand sweeping event. The action can be small – yet its effect on a character can result in significant changes. 

Structure in a novel is the edifice on which you hang your story; it's something which is necessary, but should remain hidden in the background.

 

Writing Update.

I’ve been coasting along this week, editing a chapter every two days. At least I was until

I followed a link in a newsletter I subscribe to by Joanna Penn, and read a post by Russell Blake. I believe there is no one way to write – whatever works for you is the only rule anybody should follow – but when I read Blake had written twenty-two thrillers in thirty months, selling around 45,000 books in the last year or so, I had one of those, boy, I’d better knuckle down and work harder and faster moments. Every now and then, I realize I have to up my game if I want to achieve my goals. We'll see.

I probably should take the marketing aspect of writing more seriously than I've done so far. And with this end in mind, I’m working out how to make my Blogpress website look the way I want, as I'd like to reach more people. But I’m not holding my breath as this may take some time to come to fruition...

Today’s Haiku

COFFEE

I love that first hit

that jolt of caffeine – liquid

electricity

Useful Links

A great website full of helpful info for writers considering the self-publishing route. http://www.TheCreativePenn.com

A read of this post gives you an idea of what can be done!

http://russellblake.com/how-to-sell-loads-of-books/

Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku

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