My apologies for my blogging and Twitter absence over the last few weeks – I have two lovely boys who have been off school and, as always, they are my priority. You don’t get many summers with your kids, do you?
I thought I’d have been able to continue to dabble in all things writing despite them being off but in reality, my brain couldn’t do it. There is incessant noise with my two and I’m a work in silence kind of person. I can concentrate in cafes though, probably because there tend to be fewer people hollering ‘Mum’ at a gazillion decibels every couple of seconds. I did write one piece of flash and enter a couple of comps but that has been it. Perversely, in that capricious way the Universe has, me looking away for a bit has led to things gaining momentum. During the summer, several momentous things have happened. I don’t mean momentous is a winning the World Cup kind of way, but in the somewhat smaller and less exciting context of my developing career. The first momentous event was receiving the editor’s report for my novel. I had been worried that I would take it very personally and be upset by it. That turned out not to be the case – so far I seem to be better at accepting constructive criticism than I thought I would be. I had sensed there were issues with the opening of the story but didn’t know how to mend them – that was a key reason for paying for editing in the first place. The report confirmed what I sensed and gave me suggestions of ways to fix it. It also taught me more about standard structures of novels and whilst I’m not really one for too many writing rules, the points made about how to introduce characters and inciting incidents did resonate. When I received the report I was desperate to dive into editing straight away – I have little patience for not just getting things done – but we were in the middle of organising a birthday party and packing for holidays. And, as I say, the children were off and I couldn’t think straight. So I’ve had it for several weeks now and haven’t begun. Although this pains me a bit, I think it has been the right thing. I suspect I am generally too keen to finish things, get things out etc. and that has led to pieces falling short of their best. I now try to sleep on a new piece for at least one night before re-checking, tweaking and sending out and I know this distance has improved my work. I’m hoping the distance from my novel will have allowed ideas and comments to percolate and will make the editing task easier when I begin this week. Initially I got a bit discombobulated by it – not because I didn’t want to change anything but because there were so many ways it could be changed and each had knock-on effects for other parts of the plot. If I made A happen at the beginning, that could work, but then scenes B, F and H couldn’t happen etc. It is like a huge knot that needs untangling but some of the options would initially lead to more tangles. I’ve decided to begin by mapping out my whole book scene by scene on post-it notes. That way I can easily add or remove scenes or play with the order. Then I will consider all the different beginning scenarios and see which works the best. Any ramifications of that change will then need to be tackled. I think it’s a pretty big job. However, apparently I have a “decent first draft” and the fact I now have a plan feels like progress. So watch this space. The second momentous thing was that I sent off a couple of my flash stories to a beta reader for the first time. Again, that felt like I would hate it but she was really constructive and I understood the theory behind all her comments. I have since worked on those pieces again and again, doing the most editing I ever have, and sent them back out. This week, one of them has been accepted for publication. I am very pleased about that and evidently the beta reading and the edits paid off. I have been able to apply my learning to new writing, which is also paying off. A second piece is also going to be published and I am very excited to say that I have made my first shortlisting in a competition. Previously I had been longlisted and highly commended only (once each) so this was a very encouraging development. The winners and runners up have not yet been announced but I’ll be happy with my short-listing. After several months of back to back rejections, these developments are very much welcome. They have certainly boosted my confidence and made me feel as though the slog is worth it. I feel encouraged that if I do continue improving and I keep seeking feedback, perhaps this could become more than a quick route to a dead-end. A further encouragement was seeing my story Missing Person in print in the beautiful Reflex Fiction anthology The Real Jazz Baby. This piece was the first that longlisted in a competition and though it had already been published on the internet some months ago, it did feel momentous to have my first piece of fiction in an actual book. Buoyed by these tit-bits of progress, I am excited to be back at my desk ready to get cracking again. In true writer-style I have spent most of today re-arranging my shelves, washing my vintage glass collection and messing with stationery. But there is tomorrow. And at least my website has my photographs of my own stuff on it now and I have written this post so you know I am not forever lost to motherhood. Until next time, Nicola x
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AuthorNicola Ashbrook Archives
September 2023
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