Path To Publication

March 3, 2018

The unbearable insecurity of writers

Fran Macilvey, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing, Women's fiction and chic lit 0 Comments

The unbearable insecurity of writers

Lots of those we call great authors – okay, almost all the authors I know or have read about – suffer from an insecurity, a question they ask themselves all the time: Is my work any good? Have they done themselves and their characters justice, this time? Such is the unbearable insecurity of writers that even famous and very successful authors suffer from angst and mental health problems.

And to the general public who read books, or who simply watch the show from the side-lines, the answer is – of someone like Stephen King or Marian Keyes or Lee Child – “Of course they are good enough. They sell millions of books. What more do they expect? Perfection?”

Writerly insecurity looks a bit like – and is often mistaken for – an ego needing a good massage, but, I believe the reason for the endless quest for reassurance is more subtle.

When we first set pen to paper – okay, when we sit in front of our PCs with a new file open – we have the whole field of possibility open to us, rather like a child’s first day at primary school. We can write literally anything; excuse the pun. But as a story takes shape and the characters show us where to go, as words and plots are tied down, increasingly there arises the question, is this where I am meant to take this story? What if there is a much better line to follow out there, that I have missed? What if all I have written is but a poor reflection of what I should be writing?

And to that, I can offer only the age-old adages that, “What’s for you won’t go by you..” or “If it’s meant to happen, it will,” or “All things work out for the best…” which may be scant comfort, a bit too much like the superstitions that our forebears relied on, but what else can we do? There is no way to know definitively whether what we have is the best finished article we can make; and, we can always console ourselves that a finished book – or even a half-finished book – is probably better than no book at all.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

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February 15, 2018

A thousand blog posts

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 4 Comments

A thousand blog posts?

I think I must have written, by now, almost a thousand blog posts. (I had more than are currently listed at https://www.franmacilvey.com because I had to delete some posts from my original WordPress site, they having only a very tenuous connection with the categories that I set up for my current blog.)

At three hundred words for each blog posts, that is – yes, I know, but arithmetic has never been my strongest suit, quite honestly – three hundred thousand words, more than enough for three books. Wow. That feels good, and I begin to appreciate the value of all those backups, having wonderful web support and help with SEO and all that jazz. It has been an interesting journey to get this far.

I started out as a tad bewildered author, uncertain of all this on-line media networking jive, and over the years, my hope and optimism trajectories have had more lifts and dips in them than a five star hotel, but now… now I come out of it all, feeling more ready, willing and prepared for what the rest of the year brings: the London Book Fair in April, the Frankfurt Bookfair in October – and I’m not concerned, as some industry insiders would have it, that Frankfurt is only for industry insiders. So what? Writing is a lonely enough occupation without the added isolation imposed by barriers that reek of exclusivity. We take our chances where we can find them.

I’m pleased, in all this time – more than ten years of writing, networking and hoping – to have had the support and encouragement of so many others, writers, readers, industry professionals and neighbours. Thank you so much, for all your encouragement. Without that, my writing career would still be an embryonic hope, stifled by regret and what ifs. Even if my path were to end today, I would feel grateful for the last eleven years of endeavour, experimentation, trial and error.

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February 2, 2018

Lessons learned from writing

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', cerebral palsy, Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Happiness Matters, Memoir, Path To Publication 2 Comments

Lessons learned from writing

My first book, ‘Trapped’

is my first baby, with which I am well pleased, and which shares more hopeful lessons learned from decades of misery. It was a very challenging work to produce – and it very nearly didn’t get written; it would have been so easy to simply turn my head away from the challenge and say, ‘Can’t be bothered’ – but I did pick up the gauntlet that was left lying there, and learned a great deal in the process. I’ve often said, if one other person has also been helped, that has made the whole ordeal worthwhile.

But in some ways, ‘Trapped’ is only a first step. It represents a coming to terms with things, a decision to put away yearning, and start living; a resolution to put an end to simply existing and start moving forward, creating things more consciously. Its narrative ends at the point where coming to terms – what do they call it, a coming of age? – has been reached. But having come to terms, we then need to move forward – and fast, if we have spent so many years simply dawdling on the side-lines. There is living to catch up on.

Which is where my second book comes in. In ‘Happiness Matters’

I had ten years to refine the lessons which remind me, over and over again, that I can only hope to be helpful to others if I can find it in myself to be happy first.

I can’t hope to find any of the answers, or any emotional or spiritual sustenance, unless I learn first, to do, and say, and be, what I would like. Which is not an invitation to a life of hedonistic indulgence; I would soon get bored with that. But it does recognise that the only things worth doing are those that come from sincerity, joy and contentment. So happiness within ourselves is not the outcome, as much as the spring-board that gives life to our most relevant, worthwhile actions. I’m glad to remember that, again, today.

Thanks for reading, and for all your support.

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January 26, 2018

Time and tide wait for no woman

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 0 Comments

Time and tide wait for no woman

Time and tide wait for no woman…. Just occasionally – Not at all often, I am pleased to note – I encounter comments about my book, ‘Trapped’ along the lines of ‘miserable book, miserable git’ or words to that effect.  Not that I mind – different strokes for different folks; and these days I’m more likely to smile at that, than get upset.

‘Trapped’ took me four years or so to write, and was first published in hardback in 2014.  In the intervening period my hopes, attitudes and beliefs have undergone several revolutions.  I guess I’m hardly an impartial witness, though readers can also scan my web content to find my second book, ‘Happiness Matters’ a modest tome about how to be happy.  So I can’t be that much of a miserable git these days.  The test would be whether such comments as these reduce me to an indignant, grumbling mess.  They don’t.

What we are, who we are and what we think about what matters in life, are facets that are constantly evolving.  There is not much I would wish to alter about my books, or my writing, but all things change, and writing ‘Trapped’, my sincere attempt to reflect on my first forty years of life, changed me, and changed my attitudes to life in general, and my life in particular.  I learned a lot from the process, mostly, about the importance of doing our best, and of being as happy as possible more of the time.  Valuable lessons that have empowered me to move forward.  I can’t say I would write or do anything else differently, or speculate how my life might have turned out if I had opted to become a visual artist, say, or stayed on working as a solicitor.

The publishing industry calls memoir, ‘narrative non-fiction’ which is a very polite way of saying that the content is largely true, but reads like a novel and will probably contain some plot holes and a few examples of poetic license.  But after ten years, the truths that held true when we first wrote THE END to finish our memoir, have probably changed, as will the authors themselves.

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January 23, 2018

Editing my next book

Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 2 Comments

Editing my next book, Making Miracles’

I have made time lately – finally! – to get on with editing my next indie book, ‘Making Miracles’, which I hope to publish in May this year.  Given my legendary ability to procrastinate, having a deadline of sorts helps me to focus with the job in hand. Deadlines help me both to work better, and to relax, knowing that I can plan and aim for a certain date.

‘Making Miracles’ is based on a dream diary that I have been keeping since… let me see…since about 2002. That would be about the time I stopped my work as a solicitor and found myself plunged, unexpectedly and joyfully, into new adventures called, ‘parenthood’ and ‘adulthood’ and ‘growing up’.  The practical needs around being a stay at home mother meant my writing didn’t start seriously until Seline began school, but I did keep up with my dream diary, a process which has taught me so much, and which, if I’m honest, is proving rather daunting to review and edit so that it may be published.

Yes, I would like some of this to reach a wider audience, because I have found it so very instructive and interesting. But it is also personal, and challenges me in a ways I never really expected to be, so that the editing is not the light-hearted breeze I had been anticipating.

I’m wary of causing offence with my talk of God, angels, guides and past lives. But in that concern, I find it very important not to agonise over whether I’m doing the right thing, whether I should mention this or that, and whether any of it matters. By far my most important discipline right now is to go ahead, keep going, and leave some of that high-flown worrying until later. At least that attitude helps me to keep moving.

Thanks for reading.

 

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January 21, 2018

Reading while writing

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Memoir, Path To Publication 6 Comments

Reading while writing

 

Few pastimes give me greater pleasure, these days, than leaving wonderful reviews for books that I have discovered that are – wonderful. Well written, funny, intriguing, satisfying, well plotted, thoughtful… we have a hundred adjectives to describe why we like books. I have a few reads and reviews to catch up on.

So I guess I do read while writing, but not always, and definitely not at the same time – even with my super-light e reader, I don’t have enough fingers. Perhaps it also depends somewhat on what genre I’m writing in.

Narrative non-fiction is challenging on so many levels – make it read like fiction, but true, up to a point of view, and don’t tread on anyone’s toes – that I recall long periods of not reading while I was writing Trapped. I was too caught up in my parallel world to continuously make the transition to other parallel worlds, so I kept those others at bay for a while. There was also a lot of emotional stuff to process, so it would have been hard to read anything except books that could matter in the same way – and I didn’t need any more of that.

But while writing Happiness Matters

 

I certainly did read other books, for the change of scene, for light relief and for a pool of ideas to help me refine the text of what I was writing. In any case, my writing rate is relatively slow: I might write two books over the course of three years, and not in strictly chronological order, either, so reading has been vital to keep my impetus going, and to give me space to reflect and escapist time off.

Writing fiction is another whole pond to swim about it, and, on the whole, I enjoy reading books – at bed-time, first thing in the morning – that help me to compare my work. I used to find this very hard to do. Comparisons were never far away, and my insecurities would run riot; but these days, I simply rejoice to find a new author, or a new book that I can enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

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January 12, 2018

Moving Boundaries

Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication 6 Comments

Moving boundaries

New Year, new boundaries.

Having spent fourteen plus years looking after daughter and managing many of the small details of her life – does she need a new toothbrush? What about feminine products? – I have decided that this year, she is old enough to manage these for herself. Goodness knows, she is far cleverer than me in a whole host of ways, and she can afford to leaven her lying about our home with a few trips to the shop at the top of the road – it is, literally, at the top of our short road. And no, she does not need to be subsidised for all her trips to town. Not only do I still pay for most of her clothes – she chooses, I foot the bill – but she gets pocket cash and extra money regularly.

It’s proving more difficult than expected to wean her off the oversight I have been used to provide, and which, if I am not careful, can swing so easily into a host of small remembered details for which I am expected to assume responsibility: Has she fed her cavies today, and has she remembered to take her keys? But moving boundaries are natural and necessary.

As our child grows, my responsibility is shifting away from actual doing for her, to more of the prompting to do for herself, which in itself signals the letting go that we must all renegotiate constantly, so that when she leaves home she can manage all her own small details competently. Yes, I allow for adolescent sleeping and relaxing. I did a lot of that myself. But increasingly, I view it as my role to advise, rather than simply doing for her, again and again. Lifts to activities become weather checks and bus-fares.

I find myself deciding to cast off stuff I have usually done for hubby too. He buys his own clothes now, without any help from me: so instead of four button cuff work shirts, he mistakenly buys two dress shirts which require impractical cuff links. I could get cross, or I could simply reflect that this is a learning curve like all learning curves. Today he wore a dress shirt to work, and enjoyed doing so.

With all this delegation and consequent extra free time I create for myself, my responsibilities change too. I must do more to stay fit – swimming again, walking more, getting outside every day – and work properly, writing and producing good, enjoyable material I can be proud of. I have no more excuses for wasting time or for taking lazy short-cuts.

If this year is to mean anything, I have to follow through with my personal and professional goals, and make sure that I do my best to meet them honestly. If there are a few seismic shifts on the way, I’ll deal with them too.

Thanks for reading.

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December 15, 2017

How to write a synopsis

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Path To Publication 0 Comments

How to write a synopsis

I know, I’ve done all the technical stuff about submissions packages before, and in truth, I have written previously one successful synopsis, – which took about a year to get right, and only after having read lots about how to write a synopsis – which helped me to obtain the services of my agent, and led to my publishing contract. As I propose to publish my next book myself, next year, who knows whether my next synopses, for my fiction series, will ever be useful?

But meantime, I think I have discovered a secret of success with this subject that seems to strike fear in the heart of all writers. So if, like me, you have tended to shy away from the word ‘synopsis’, if the very idea makes you quake in your shoes, these tips for a quick fix might help…

~ Write a synopsis without thinking about the technical stuff, as if you are writing a really exciting letter to your best friend about your new book. What excites you about it? How will you communicate that excitement?

~ Forget your audience or intended target readership. In my experience, thinking about submissions readers or editors before we’ve even finished our synopsis, is a bit like frightening oneself with images of ghosts. Forget the future and enjoy the thrill of writing a condensed version of your novel plot.

~ Be happy while writing, and whimsical humour will come out to help you. Or good ideas, or a nifty sentence you can quote from somewhere in your novel to add flavour.

I guess it comes down to the same thing every time, whatever we are doing. If we are enjoying it, that’s going to reap dividends, and if not, why are we doing it?

 

  • It’s also very helpful to leave a draft synopsis for a while, and come back to it after a break. It’s amazing how a change of scene and time to reflect can bring fresh perspectives.

 

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November 29, 2017

Renewing my ITIN

Fran Macilvey, Path To Publication 0 Comments

Renewing my ITIN

A lot has changed since I first applied for an ITIN in 2013. If you are in a hurry and have applied previously for an ITIN, this is the current position:

~There is a new consul here at the Consulate in Edinburgh, so I do not recommend relying on an existing certified copy, even if you will be submitting the same ten-year passport as previously to obtain a notarised copy.

~The consulate charges $50 for each notarised copies, ($100 for two…)

~Walk-in appointments are available at the Edinburgh Consulate on Tuesdays from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm and on Wednesdays from 9.00 to 3.30 pm The American Embassy in London no longer handles ITIN applications or routes them to Austin, Texas.

~There is no toll-free phone line to the US to check on the status of an application. There is still a dedicated phone-line, but it is charged at the full rate.

While chatting with the clerk who handled my application, the advice was basically to fill in the IRS W7 form – it has been updated recently, as has the guidance, so please be careful which boxes you tick –  and send it to Austin, Texas, with the original certified copy of one’s passport and business paperwork (after having taken several good copies) and hope for the best.

If anyone would like a more detailed look at the process, you can check out this page. It goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – that a close look at the guidance notes – and remembering to swap round your dates – month, day, year – is very instructive.

I’ll let you know how the process goes. Fingers crossed.

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October 18, 2017

Memoir nuts and bolts

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Memoir, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 4 Comments

Memoir nuts and bolts

So we have decided we have the time, and we are going to do this. Pen in hand, we sit at our PCs and we start writing.

People ask me, “How do you start writing memoir? I mean, how do you actually do it?” And the answer is, one word at a time. Yes, it sounds simple, but everything we do, all our endeavours, can be broken down into small steps, in which case, writing memoir begins with the decision to write, followed by that tap-tap at the PC which means we are busy.

I started writing memoir because I was forced to, in a way. It seemed to be the right time, and something was nudging me, saying, ‘I know you have hundreds of excuses but this is the right time, and no, there is nothing better you can be doing…’ Which got me thinking.

About what to write, of course, but also about the other reasons that might make me write: reasons to do with self expression, with the curative effects of being honest about stuff, perhaps for the first time in forty years…

Coming out from the emotional equivalent of a concrete shell after thirty-five years of being self effacing, is in fact so challenging, that it is only possible to write a little at a time. One chapter, one page, a sketch of one circumstance. But it is so valuable, that start. It is the beginning of a new way to self define, as a writer, as a person who is hopeful and courageous.

So take up the pen, switch on the PC and start anywhere. With one word, one line, one full stop. Once we take off the lid and allow ourselves permission, the next word will arrive, and the one after that.

Okay, so now is not the time to discourage any writer by saying, ‘It takes about a million words before we find our voices’ but really, life is about progress in small steps.

 

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