The Rights & Wrongs of Writing

February 5, 2019

To turn my mistakes into opportunities

Fran's School of Hard Knocks, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing, Women's fiction and chic lit 8 Comments

To turn my mistakes into opportunities

By some miracle, I now have three books published, two more written, and another underway. What will I do with myself when I’ve finished writing my latest book? Write another?

I endow my characters with more practical skills than I have, more confidence, as well as the hope that everything will work out in the end: I am writing women’s fiction, after all, and it seems only right to have an optimistic ending. But also, I write because I can make use, then, of some of my mistakes and turn them to more hopeful account. Writing is not merely wish fulfilment, it is also a form of apology, it allows us to consider different endings, and maybe, just maybe, it gives us extra courage to try for happy endings ourselves.

There is no doubt that an eventful life is excellent fodder for fiction. So is a life littered with wrong paths, poor choices, and the boulders that crop up when we know we are going the wrong way, but seem powerless to turn away. In some ways, fiction represents a synthesis of the best and the worst bits of life lived thus far, with a sprinkling of magic and strong characters whom – oh, yes – we can love and loathe, but whom it is hard for us to ignore.

It seems a very worth-while thing to do; to take a million-and-one mistakes and turn them to good account by writing about them, so that I can laugh and learn the lessons of acceptance. Letting go of my mistakes in such entertaining fashion, I move forward into something better.

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January 7, 2019

Plans for 2019

Happiness Matters, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing, Women's fiction and chic lit 4 Comments

Plans for 2019

My plans for 2019 are still in flux. A lot depends on the health of my mother, which continues to be a cause for concern. Vagueness morphs into neediness which might, at any time, slip into a gentle crisis, though I suppose if I am not there to help, so be it. One thing I have learned is that it is not possible to be in two places at the same time.

I am travelling to the London Book Fair in March this year, with my novels and my radio play. What will be the outcome of my visit, I cannot tell, but I do know that nothing was ever progressed by sitting behind one’s desk for all eternity: if I don’t go, I won’t know. If I have good news, I’ll let you know, and if not, at least it will procure me some food for thought and the occasional blog post. To prepare for that, I would like to finish Book 3, or at least, have a notion about plot developments so that if anyone does express an interest, I will have some idea of to what to say.

Preparation is key, so in 2019 I shall be doing my best to clear backlogs, keep up to date and work efficiently, with minimal interruptions and expectations that bolster my ambitions, instead of sidelining annihilating them.

We’ve all been guilty of expecting too much from ourselves, so this year, I also intend to go more gently and have more fun. I do so enjoy being happy; and if that is not the point of life, I’m not sure what else could be. So that is my aim in 2019. To have fun, to appreciate all my opportunities and make the most of them in the right spirit.

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December 20, 2018

End of term

Happiness Matters, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 4 Comments

End of term

Dear friends

As the end of term hoves in view, it’s time for me to take a break from blogging, though I will pop in from time to time.

In past years, I have done my best to continue working through the holidays, but that rarely works. We have commitments in other parts of the country and in other countries, which makes blogging impractical, so now I take a rest with my family and enjoy seasonal down-time when it comes.

Thank you all so much for reading, commenting and supporting my blogs.

Looking through the the list of what I’ve previously written about, I’m amazed at the number and range of my topics in the last few years. There are plenty of subjects I will be taking another look at in 2019. In the meantime, if there is any particular subject you would like me to write about, please let me know. Suggestions are always very welcome. 

I hope that you and your friends and family have a lovely, restful Christmas, and that New Year 2019 is our best year ever for good news, positive outcomes and enjoyment.

With many blessings, always.

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December 12, 2018

Being scared of writing

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

Being scared of writing

I suspect that one reason why we writers shy away from writing is that we are scared of it. I know I am – I have been – but I suspect that this fear, which can be paralysing and lead to all kinds of delaying tactics, is based around a fundamental misconception about how writing works.

Writing is basically about having fun with words. And worrying about writing is obviously not fun. But why do we worry?

I suspect that one reason we delay, fret and make endless excuses not to write is because we fear we have to ‘get it right’. Since we are frightened that our text is never going to be the best it could be – and it should be easy, FGS, we are writers after all – we shy away from it.

But if we are holding ourselves back from doing what we can enjoy – having fun with our writing – through any belief that we ‘have’ to get it perfect,  we have forgotten that every single piece of work evolves over time by a slow process of idea, expression, editing and refinement, often in ways that are highly personal.

Nonetheless, the key realisation that breaks through personal dread, is that all writing has to evolve; and each writer works in a different ways and at a different speeds to reach an end point which may be months or years ahead. Evolution is a process, implying that every story, every item of literary expression has to be worked at, refined and perfected.

By definition, our first, often most creative writing phases – the ones we are scared to attempt – and not going to be perfectly polished, and are never intended to be. The best they can hope to be is to be perfect material for the next stage in the process.

Once we realise that our writing is not expected to be totally perfect the first time we put it down, we are suddenly much freer to simply relax and allow ideas their expression. Expressing ideas and giving characters and events form in words is, almost by definition, a hard thing to do, so it is rare that an idea announces itself fully formed.

There are times when I have been able to put down a chapter without making many changes, but, simply considering the law of probability, this is bound to happen to all of us occasionally and does not disprove the general rule, that most writing is a labour of love, crafted in different ways and stages over a period of time.

Recognising that our version of perfection may take a while to turn up, suddenly we feel much freer to write whatever we feel like writing, as a first draft. And, paradoxically, admitting that writing is a many-stage process, frees us up to be more confident and to take that leap, to fly by the seat of our pants.

They say the trick is to make it look easy. But writing a smooth finished product rarely is. But that’s okay, as long as we realise that every good thing takes time to get right, and that our time is well invested.

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December 7, 2018

Speaking for themselves

The Rights & Wrongs of Writing, Women's fiction and chic lit 0 Comments

Speaking for themselves

I finished Book 2 in my “Lisa Somerville” series of novels and then confidently expected to carry on with Book 3 and just write it. You know, just fill the page with wonderful, easy text that would be lifted from me as if by magic.

But Book 3 had other ideas. “You need to rest for a while,” it said, “You need to take a bit of time to find my new characters and get a feel for them, before you can write me.” And most obviously, “We are different voices, which may take a little time to emerge, so just keep listening.”

Obvious, really. Now that I come back to writing properly, I find myself editing with relish, to locate the slightly different voices of the characters and their varying vocabulary. My main character, whom I think I voice correctly though she rarely speaks, is staying with others who insist that they have their own way; and if I will only just be patient and listen to them, they will show me. Speaking for themselves, once again I am pleased to find myself listening to my characters and taking notes.

So I tread carefully, I listen – with no music on, at the moment – and I write and edit; and I am pleased to feel my characters relaxing and coming alive. Each of my characters has different motivations – Mr Semple is a bit taciturn, but good at heart; his son is not kind, but then, Ian is motivated by his own fears, so what are those? My MC simply has to navigate the best she can for the moment, until she can pluck up enough courage and resources to take her next steps.

And if I can trust the process of listening and flying with the story, and be available for it, then I can learn a great deal from it. Certainly, it has never felt truer for me, that my characters are teaching me a lot about life.

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November 30, 2018

Changes are everywhere

Happiness Matters, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 0 Comments

Changes are everywhere

Admitting one simple thing – yes, I would like a more interesting life – has amazing knock-on effects. Conceding that I don’t need to keep a handle on everything in my immediate sphere – it’s all right if the laundry ain’t washed today and meals aren’t cooked, because hubby can have a stab at it when he gets home – has started a ball rolling. Or the knitting to unravel, the dominoes to fall. At the moment, changes are everywhere.

So too, if I want to write well, I have to make space for it; by clearing the diary properly, by not answering the phone or by saying, “Sorry, I can’t, not today,” when my resolve weakens and I do answer the phone that rings. I can prepare properly, and that helps the alchemy. I can’t expect to squeeze good writing out of or into the cracks and small, agitated spaces around what else I’ve always done and that I don’t enjoy.

It’s strange, how educative it can be, to be unwell, to have a sore back and to hobble. Or to face one’s end of tether. So that, when the mist clears, I decide it is high time to have more fun, enjoy myself and to that end, to parcel off the boring, routine tasks in another direction for a while. Or to just leave them for a day until I feel more in the mood to tackle them. In the winter, I now send heavy laundry to the laundrette, where it is washed and dried for me. It’s taken a while, but I finally feel that I’m getting a handle on making life more interesting.

The theories around freedom and happiness that have obsessed me for decades not only make intellectual sense, but now begin to work for me so that I can feel much happier, while I also notice that my relaxed state and my happiness are infectious: My family are more communicative, and the unfolding happens more easily without all the pushing and shoving that used to attend my efforts at progress.

The same philosophy helps me in business too. Whereas, previously, I believed I had to keep up, search and find, locate and unearth opportunities – and I still enjoy a treasure hunt – nowadays, I allow life to bring stuff to me. Other people have reminded me that they also work this way, so it’s a method I can use and learn from. So long as I am clear and available for ideas to come, they will. I’m listening. And it’s a relief to stop running.

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November 21, 2018

Printing off my work

Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 2 Comments

Printing off my work

Every time I prepare to visit a bookfair, I have to think about printing off my work. A process which is surprisingly difficult, and relies on me to find the correct weight of paper so that I can print double-sided without the text showing through too intrusively on the reverse, folders that look new enough to be a pleasure to handle, vinyl pages that are clean, not pockmarked and scored, and text that is the best I can make it. And two clear hours during which I can ensure there are no interruptions whatsoever. When get pulled away by anything outside the task in hand, the complexity mounts.

I privately believe that, the day that printing off my work goes without a hitch – no typos, no stray, single pages or mis-numbered sections – will be the time when my book fair visit will be the most rewarding for me. A good, clean print run equates to a good book fair.

So I’m glad I’ve had a few years in this process of growing wiser, to discover what works best, because, travelling with only hand-luggage, every gram counts, and with the passage of time, I’m acutely aware that my gadding-about years are quietly drawing to a close. I’ve had a good innings – fifty-four next birthday and I’m still living pain free for much of the time, and able to go out in the evenings. I don’t take that freedom for granted any longer, and am merely curious to know how much longer I shall have it.

Meantime, I’m pleased to report that my last print-off (for Frankfurt 2018) was quick, relatively easy and fun. Maybe my next print off (for London 2019) will be even better – a breeze!

***

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November 9, 2018

How my legal career helped me

Fran's School of Hard Knocks, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 2 Comments

How my legal career helped me.

In my memoir, I examine my unhappiness with my earlier training in Scots law; but, in a more hopeful spirit of finding value in all things, I begin to notice how my legal career helped me, not only with my writing, but also with bureaucracy and the form-filling that are a part of any business.

Appreciating the importance of attention to detail, the value of each full-stop and comma, for example, taught me the value of internal consistency with plotting and the importance of punctuation, syntax, grammar, and writing clearly: if a thing is poetically expressed but obscure, I will scrap it and start again, because there is little point in indulging fanciful expression, if no-one else understands what it means.  In the same vein, I know that there are legalistic conventions in writing, which I have had to work hard to overcome, though I have never lost a core message, that clarity is vital.

Similarly, working long hours for little recognition or reward – not all solicitors are well paid – taught me that no-one actually owes me a living, and showed me that I can work hard and consistently to a given goal. There is no-one standing beside me to remind me about a deadline or to offer advice about this week’s priorities. So knowing that I can start a challenging project and see it through to the end owes much to my earlier training in the often mind-numbing complexities of legal documentation.

There are more obvious benefits, of course. Compiling accounts and reconciliations for clients often very quickly and at short notice has overcome my fear of columns of figures, my deep-seated conviction that no amount of tallying and totalling would get it right. So I can deal with the IRS and the Inland Revenue without worrying unduly, and confidently complete and submit forms to all and sundry (aka “Do it now, and worry if there is anything to worry about”). Forms get more and more complex, but I get better at navigating them, and also at working out anything I don’t understand.

Perhaps it’s nothing to do with the law: perhaps it is only an outcome of ageing, that I am less fearful and more willing to take on challenges that, twenty years ago, would have sent me into a spinning, downward spiral. On the other hand, any thought that reconciles me to my earlier experiences is a good thing.

***

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August 25, 2018

My current ambitions

Fran Macilvey, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing, Women's fiction and chic lit 2 Comments

My current ambitions

My perambulations in Australia and New Zealand over for now – what a holiday we had! – I am back home again. And what are my current ambitions?

I been reading a lot of books, including lately a series of novels about love, dating, discovering one’s true purpose in life… I’m sorry to say, I find myself increasingly impatient with multiple characters who find themselves able to win Masterchef and Bake-Off at the drop of a hat, who attract, without seeming to try, the attention of major modelling houses, talent scouts etc etc or who are so obscenely wealthy that they can fly off in personal jets anywhere they fancy, in stories that seem to rely on constant scene flashbacks. I take my impatience as a sign that I should really get back to writing my own books.

So, in the last two weeks, I have finished writing my second novel, The Seduction of Susan Scott which I am now combing through with a final edit. Hopefully, it will be in reasonable shape for my next trip to Frankfurt in October. My second novel complete, my fifth book, and finally I feel I am taking my trade seriously.

My ambitions at the moment include polishing both my finished novels Lisa Somerville and Susan Scott for a submission which I have ready to go at the start of September. To have two clean novels to offer feels much more positive than a tentative one-and-a-half. I might, in the month between now and October, write more of novel three (though I find myself having to take time out to say a fond farewell to Susan, Richard and Sheila).

While stepping cautiously forward and hoping for the best, balance has always been my biggest challenge. So now I find that I would rather succeed gently in many small ambitions than think about the possibility of failing at a big one. (If I ignore the big ambition and collect lots of small ones instead, I suspect that I can get to the big ambition without too much of of a panic.) Besides, I don’t really see what failure means, these days, except perhaps that it takes us ten years to do something we thought might take a couple of months…

To celebrate the completion of Susan Scott I am publishing a novella in instalments in my next series of blog posts.

Thanks for reading.

***

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August 23, 2018

Keeping my own deadlines

Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 6 Comments

Keeping my own deadlines

 

Some of our work deadlines – tax submissions, domain name and website renewals – we have little say in. We just pencil them into our diaries, and deal with them as they come up. Others – manuscript completion dates, following up phone-calls – are entirely up to us, so we first have to set these work goals, and then respect them.

Setting a work goal is relatively easy, though sometimes I am a bit too optimistic with my time-frames – ‘Yes, I’ll get that finished by the end of the week’ – but respecting and keeping my own deadlines takes the business ethic to a whole new level.

Authors, by and large, work for themselves, and have no-one else hanging over their shoulders or monitoring their work-rate, telling them how to run their businesses. No-one to chivvy them along, remind… Sure, there are always lots of other things to do, and people telling us what need done – meals to cook, dogs to walk, meters to read…

But if I pencil some work into my diary – reply to so-and-so by a certain date – these days, I do my utmost to respect my earlier decision. Instead of saying, “Well, I’ll just let that go, and do it when I can,” it saves a lot of time and energy to stick with earlier decisions, galvanising me to meet any deadline, and it means that, by and large, I have more time to attend properly to things that crop up at the last minute, instead of rushing madly.

Which might feel a bit tough, and even, on occasion, a bit confusing: which ‘me’ is doing the running. Is it me the worker, me the boss, me the challenger or me the hopeless optimist? And do I have the discipline to stop and have a lunch break, take weekends off, have time with family? It’s all part of the same ethos of self-respect that takes a job seriously (but not too seriously).

And it works! Yesterday, I finished a clean draft of The Seduction of Susan Scott, the second in my fiction series of books. Having the aim to finish it by the end of August, I challenged myself – why not? – to finish it by the end of last week. And while that turned out to be a trifle ambitious, having made that decision, I have found the energy and inspiration I needed to finish, not too far off my target. For which I am thankful.

Thanks for reading!

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