A real page turner

Last week I stumbled across Robert J. Ray's 'The weekend Novelist Redrafts the novel,' in an unpacked box and had a quick skim. I can see exactly why past me had purchased it, lured in by the title, then flung it into a dark corner after properly reading a few pages. The book reeks of hard work. It asks for time. It demands that consideration be given to things like archetypes and subtext.

Past me saw little value in things like that. Firstly (and this hasn't changed) I was hugely intimidated by words like these. My writing degree taught me a lot about my own voice, due to the three years I'd paid to get familiar with it, but very little about what lies behind the words. The teachers were keen to encourage us to lock ourselves away and put pen to paper, but imparted limited advice on the actual craft.

Secondly, past me very firmly believed that great writing was a kind of magic; a slippery, elusive thing which chose to arrive and disappear beyond my control, but, when it was there, it would be flawless, gifted, the plot, characters etc. all prettied up and neat.

Past me was a naive idiot.

The only reason I picked up 'The weekend Novelist,' and instead of throwing it, held it close (this time around) is because I finally have a draft deserving of all that the book requests.

Yes, editing is still an uneasy task for me; I have a lot to learn, and wrap my unwieldy mind around. And past me is still in there somewhere, huffing and puffing about how I just need to crack on and write instead of messing around with scene profiles and antagonists. But present me realises that this prize winning book lark is less about a beautiful sentence here and there, and much more about structure, and chronology and core story. Sadly (I would prefer an easier route).

I feel like the past 6 months have been about arming myself with the tools to push on; a digital writing group which has transcended into good friends who also write, Scrivener, a bookshelf of 'How to' books which actually work for me, and my Study; a space of my own.

I think I'm going to spend a lot of time with Robert J. Ray. Thanks to him (and the other brilliant things listed above), not getting picked for the Jerwood Mentorship didn't feel crushing. The news briefly slowed me down until I thought, 'Right, I guess it's back to work then.'

'If not you, who?
If not now, when?'
~Hillel The Elder~

Suggested reading....for inspiration....
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Fear of Flying - Erica Jong
Beat Poets - Carmela Ciuraru

For getting on with it...

Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
The weekend Novelist Redrafts the novel - Robert J. Ray
A Writer's Book of Days - Judy Reeves