Tuesday 23 April 2013

Update

Hey guys

How you all?  Just a quick update - at the moment I am currently writing a Short Story to enter the Writers Magazine - it's a paranormal story and you heard it here first - the title is "Banshee Calling".
Then will finish the woman's POV story then get back onto my novel - "The Wormhole Effect".

Hope to have a story up here very soon guys.

Neil

Monday 15 April 2013

CWG Meeting 15/04/13

Hi Guys

Hope your all alright - all 11 of you - ha

Tonight was the first Cleckheaton Writers Group meet for about a month and it was a very good night - although Karen was sadly AWOL - ha.
Daniella, Laura and Pauline all shared their challenge short stories - the challenge was "Someone comes home and finds something different on their kitchen table".
All three stories were very good and different - one included a surprise party, another a murder and the other infidelity.
Laura also shared the opening chapter to a new fantasy novel she has started and I can't wait to read more - very good prose.

Daniella informed us that a play she shared with us the first night she came "The Light" won first prize in a play competition.
Pauline told us the inspiration behind her writing - her grandfather who in the 2nd world war vanished in mysterious circumstances!!!
She also advised us to read Write to be Published by Nicola Morgan.

All in all a enjoyable 2 hours - and Laura spared me my planned walk home (part of my keep fit), and gave me a lift - thanks L x

Till next time folks

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Jodi Picoult - In Conversation 3/4/13

Hi Guys

Tonight I did something different to sat at home watching crap on box or looking at laptop attempting to write I actually went out to see someone who does.
Jodi Picoult is a well known author and best selling author - although I have never read her I thought I would go along to Huddersfield Town Hall to see her on tour pimping her latest book - "The Storyteller".

I got there armed with my trusty pen and notepad as well as having a pint of Stella from pub across road and full of cold - I wasn't going to go in case I blew my nose all way through or coughed all night (did for last five minutes - lol).  Also my fellow CWG members never turned up so I was on my own.
I also thought as Jodi's books seemed aimed at women I would be the only bloke there - I was gladly wrong as there were a number of blokes there and people on their own.  It was packed!

When Jodi entered the stage I was smitten - she is very good looking and looks years younger than her 46 years - she also had a soft velvety American voice that helped show her that she was a professional speaker.

At first she read a passage from her new best seller "The Storyteller" - and it was very good - a flashback to the second world war - I really enjoyed it to say it not what I usually read.
Jodi then told us about the research she did for the book including chatting to Holocost victims and told three very moving stories about three of the victims she talked to.

Jodi then went on to talk about her writing and that she writes one book a year.  It takes her 9 months to write the book including research then the last 3 months of the year she goes on tours talking about her book - I think this is a very good plan as raises your profile - and something a lot of authors do.
She let us know that when she gets an idea for a book she always knows how the story will begin and end as her books usually have a twist but she doesn't know how to get there - she lets her characters take her through the story to the end.
Jodi was asked where she gets her ideas from she explained they were mainly from her life experiences and what topics are close to her at the time.

In the questions and answers near the end we learned when she gets time to read for pleasure she reads Alice Hoffman and to look out for Caroline Levitt.
She is 200 pages into her next book provisionally titled "The Elephant Graveyard" about a woman researching Elephants and their memories especially when they loose loved ones and stay and mourn their dead family.
The weirdest research she had to go through was to stay a week with a Hamish family and also spend some times in a death row prison getting to know a prisoner who was on death row.
Jodi advised she didn't have much involvement when "Her Sisters Keeper" was filmed and was lied to that the ending wouldn't be changed but was - she warned the new ending would be bad for it and would loose money -  it did.  She now has more say in some of the productions of her books currently in different stages.

Overall an enjoyable night and it finished just as I started a coughing fit - Jodi's husband is one lucky fellow - she is good looking and talented - bit like me - ha.

See you guys