Was Beer the end of Mother’s Ruin?

July 10, 2015 by Roland Clarke

When I was growing up, I was often told that my Quaker ancestors had helped bring an end to the repercussions of ‘Mother’s Ruin’ by promoting beer.

This made some sense as the family had been involved with the brewing firm of Truman Hanbury & Buxton.

Plate 53: Truman’s Brewery, Brick Lane. | British History Online

So, when my writer friend Maureen Vincent-Northam asked me to write about those ancestors, I began wondering whether that was just a family legend, whether that would be an interesting starting-point. Was there was some truth behind the story?

Read the rest here on Maureen’s website.

How Many Spoons Can You Juggle?

July 1, 2015 by Roland Clarke

As this is the first Wednesday in July, I’m talking about ‘spoons’ in my Insecure Writer’s Support Group contribution.

Most people try to juggle too many spoons, taking on too many tasks in a day. But for them the end result is probably not as bad as it is if I take on too much.

Due to my disability, I can only do one task well per day, if that. Each day I have to allocate my time and energy, or ‘spoons’.

The concept of ‘the spoon theory’ was first developed by Christine Miserandino and explained in her article far better than I can do. So read what she says, please.

Wikipedia explains that, “Spoons are an intangible unit of measurement used to track how much energy a person has throughout a given day. Each activity “costs” a certain number of spoons, which might not be replaced until the next day. A person who runs out of spoons loses the ability to do anything other than rest…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory

Washing or showering, dressing, and answering emails, all use up the limited number of ‘spoons’ that I wake up with – on good mornings that’s twenty. And if I sleep badly then I start with fewer spoons. Some things, like online gaming and watching TV, use less spoons as my over-active brain switches down a gear.

However, writing requires far more than just one spoon, even when I’m producing garbage. I even use a few spoons at once as I try to do mundane tasks while thinking about book ideas. So yesterday, having washed, dressed, and checked the bank balance, and read my emails, I wanted to rest. Instead I used up another spoon researching ‘dictators’ during a book launch party, then burnt myself out writing this. (Then I rested before editing this piece and posting it.)

Moral: remember to pace yourself and be content with one thing done well.

But I’m not alone as I know quite a few writers that suffer with their health. And I’m sure some of you have juggling problems.

So how you manage your spoons, please?

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.

Please visit others in the group and connect with other writers – aim for a dozen new people each time.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

And be sure to check out our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/

We also have a t-shirt now! You can purchase it here – http://www.neatoshop.com/product/IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for this July 1 posting of the IWSG are Charity Bradford, S.A. Larsen, AJ, Tamara Narayan, Allison Gammons, and Tanya Miranda!

The 777 Challenge

June 28, 2015 by Roland Clarke

A few days ago, Sarah Zama at The Old Shelter tagged me for the 777 Challenge. I hesitated as I was not sure which WIP was my current one. Is it the one with the beta-readers – “Storms Compass” – or the one I am re-writing with a new protagonist and a new location – “Fates Maelstrom”?

The 777 challenge requires you go to Page 7 of your work-in-progress, scroll down to Line 7 and share the next 7 sentences in a blog post. Once you have done this, you can tag 7 other bloggers to do the same with their work-in-progress.

I decided to let the ‘excerpts’ go head to head, just like my work has to do each day – which one is more pressing/tempting/ready. There was a clear winner as the excerpt from “Fates Maelstrom” is due to be radically changed.

So here is my excerpt from “Storms Compass” which was written as Book 1 of “Gossamer Flames”:

Smiling again, she [Arat] strides forward. Out of the gloom the shadows form into neem trees shrouding a solitary house, a survivor of the last earthquake. At the screen, lowered voices talking Kachhi make her fears vanish into the night.

Breathing more easily, she steps into the low-ceilinged room, which is bare of furnishings. Five men sit cross-legged on the earth floor, in the low light of two oil lamps, sipping chai from a brass urn in one corner. As Chatur embraces them, Arati raises her palmed hands to her chest in an anjali mudra greeting, retaining her distance.

Let the men embrace. I need to remain serene.

Does that sound interesting, or just confusing? At this stage, I am not sure how “Storms Compass” will be released. There is a chance that I may work on Book 2, called “Blood Tapestry”, and work together some existing stories into a seamless plot. The resulting novel would be released, and then “Storms Compass” as the prequel setting up the main novel. Or the individual stories that make up “Storms Compass” would be released.

But I’m getting side-tracked.

Back to the 777 Challenge. So who am I going to tag? I have a feeling that this challenge has done the rounds in some form or another, so I will start with volunteers. All those that can’t do it because of a good reason, step forward now.

Just remember, we do challenges to have fun. Please enjoy yourselves, and write crazy.

Are you an avid reader?

June 16, 2015 by Roland Clarke

Photo of a cloud illuminated by sunlight. ~ by Ibrahim Iujaz from Rep. Of Maldives

After months of thinking, writing, editing, and re-writing, my post-apocalyptic novel, “Storms Compass“, is almost ready for a publisher.

Well, I hope that the manuscript is ready, now that I have integrated the comments and corrections from my kind and brave beta readers, plus from my tireless editor.

Barring a few dotted ‘t’s and crossed ‘i’s, the novel is ready to face a few more brave souls. However, this time I am looking for readers rather than writers.

No writing qualifications required, just the ability to read and know whether the story works. And if it doesn’t, where have I strayed, what is missing, who did you ‘love’ or ‘hate’?

I need to discover if this manuscript is good enough to be a published book.

And if you read historical romance, don’t worry, as it’s good to have readers from outside my genres.

Hoping to hear from you, and all the best, my faithful followers.

Triple A: Author Ailsa Abraham

June 11, 2015 by Roland Clarke

So many insights, so much wisdom, and a need to understand is essential, So had to reblog this interview with fellow writer, Ailsa Abraham.

Miriam Drori, Author

I think all human beings are interesting, but sometimes it’s hard to discover the interesting parts. That’s not true of my guest today – ex-biker, shaman, Bipolar coper, expat, caravanner, author, knitter and much more. Her magic carpet brought her to a walled city, though possibly not the walled city she expected to find.

Hello Ailsa. I’m awarding you the dubious privilege of being allowed inside the walls of my world. I’m afraid it’s just me in here, so not much to see.

Rubbish, came to see you and it’s great to be here.

Part of me is now smiling. The other part is thinking: it’s nice of you to say that, but….

You’ve had your own experiences of mental health problems. Is there anything you want to tell us about them? What message do you want to give readers that might change their attitude towards mental health issues?

Yes, I…

View original post 1,107 more words

What Title change? Which Book theme?

June 3, 2015 by Roland Clarke

Today is the first Wednesday of June and that means this is my monthly Insecure Writers Support Group post. One problem though – I can’t remember what I was going to write about.

A few days ago, I had a brainwave so I scribbled down ‘Title change’ and ‘Book theme’ in the notebook that I use for blog post ideas. If I don’t create a mnemonic then I use a phrase to trigger my memory, but it seems that doesn’t always work.

MORAL: Make proper notes, not cryptic scribbles.

Notebooks make more sense than scraps of paper, and I have ten notebooks on the go. (But I promise not to list them all, just say that they’re not just for writing or musings.)

Normally, I have a notebook per project – although when I was a journalist, everything went into the same spiral back reporter’s pad, until I had to start a new one.

My current project, “Storms Compass” began as a notebook for the “Gossamer Flames” collection of short stories. But now, as I edit it, it has spread into its own notebook.

My “Snowdon Shadows” series has a notebook each for the first two books – “Fates Maelstrom” and “Seeking A Knife”. NOTE: The protagonist, Welsh detective Sparkle Lodge, uses mnemonics to solve her cases, but cleverer ones than mine. Plus she has a better memory for her cryptic clues.

Some projects end up with innumerable notebooks, like my debut novel “Spiral of Hooves”, mainly because it took over thirteen years to write.

Image courtesy of samuiblue at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But I will make odd notes on scraps of paper. Some are transferred, others are short-lived, and some are lost.

Just remember to ensure that all notes make sense, because there comes a day when the brain freezes, or in my case short-circuits.

So what did I mean by ‘Title change’ and ‘Book theme’? Best answer gets a blog spot 😉

***

Purpose of the IWSG day: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post our thoughts on our own blog. Talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. Discuss our struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with our fellow writers – aiming for a dozen new people each time

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are M. Pax, Tracy Jo,Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone , and Randi Lee!