The Value of Writerly Companionship

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For many years, I have been afraid of letting my writing life cross over into my real life. I wouldn’t freely divulge my writing hobby among casual friends and acquaintances… though people accidentally finding my blog when it was under my real name sort of gave the game away. While I had overseas-based online writing buddies, I didn’t think joining a local real-life writers’ group would offer me much more than one conference a year and maybe some writing tips. Or perhaps I was just too much of a scaredy-cat to get over my shyness and put myself out there.

How wrong I was. Through Twitter, the great networker of our time, at first I followed like-minded writers in the US and UK, gradually finding Aussie authors. I’d been following a couple of Kiwi authors for a while, but eventually I came into the sphere of some active RWNZ members. One of them was so kind as to chat with me about my writing and invite me to the local chapter meeting. She was so lovely I just couldn’t say no.

At the meeting I met a variety of wonderful people who welcomed me in and were eager to find out about my writing journey. Shortly thereafter I joined RWNZ officially and have since enjoyed all the subsequent meetings, the newsletter and recently, the email loop. Unfortunately I won’t be able to go to this year’s conference due to a prior commitment (although that commitment is going to be pretty awesome).

I’ve already learnt so much. Not just about the craft and different approaches to writing, but about the various avenues to get your work out there. It’s amazing really: writers come in so many different personalities and tastes, but at the heart of it we all love to do the same thing: create characters, worlds and emotion.

These people are my people, and they get/understand so many parts of me like no-one else in my life can. I feel validated in all my quirks, methods and neuroses. I feel encouraged. I feel less crazy. And even though it’s early days, I feel a bond with this group. It’s still daunting rocking up to a large group of (mostly) ladies I barely know, but it gets easier each time, and when the writing discussion starts, I lap it up.

So if you’ve been thinking about joining a writer’s group, any group, I say go for it. If I scaredy-cat like me can enjoy it, you can too.

The Writing Switch

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Isn't it amazing how the writing vibe can be switched on and off, depending on how much mental energy we assign to it. I've been so preoccupied with attending to urgent business in real life, I haven't really given my imagination permission to do what it must. It's been busy, but mainly trying to imagine my own unknown destiny.

A few nights ago I made a conscious decision I will devote more time to my writing. I then had some fun with research, sparking ideas to use in my WIP. I know I have to make some tough decisions before I can proceed with properly editing this book, but I feel as if I'm almost ready.

But do you know what I love, what reminds me I'm getting back in the zone? When I'm doing my teeth, as I was at the end of that evening, and my brain starts to innocently mull over my creations... then boom. Inspiration. The (possible) first scene for my next book* dropped into my mind. Granted I'm still editing book 1 but I don't argue with the muse. I hurriedly went to my notebook and scrawled down the bones of it, for fleshing out when I'm "allowed" to work on it. The first scene for my current WIP also came to me when my brain was supposed to be otherwise engaged, and I just knew it was a keeper.

A few minutes after that flood I wrote this blog post. Life has since intervened again, preventing me from typing it up! 

However. The switch is back on, baby. I know I must gift myself the time I need to finish what I started. 


*This book is roughly outlined already with quite a few scenes written out of order... what can I say... I'm a hopeless pantser!

Research vs Writing

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One of the main challenges in writing historical fiction is of course, the history. I love it, but by golly does it take some time to get it right.

I jumped back into my WIP last night (after a considerable absence) with excitement, ready to slice and dice that baby into shape. Looking forward to reading my words again. But I became hamstrung by some details I have to get sorted…. such as how to address the younger son of an earl, and what to call the different types of hired carriages. Then I spent the rest of my allotted writing time on this stuff (although I will admit I got distracted by some real-life business that also needed to be sorted) and I didn’t get any actual writing/revising done. Sigh.

(Also I’d like to whine about how frustrating it was to learn that the younger son won’t be addressed by the same name as his father. I wanted this man to share the name of the earldom and their estate, but it’s not to be. Double sigh.)

Being a detail-oriented person, now that I’m at a point where the story’s written, I can’t go on with revising until I fix this stuff. I’m sure my WIP will still have many glaring errors that I’ll be crucified for if it ever sees the light of day, but at some point I just need to be happy with fixing all the stuff I can see and then sending it out there.

Soon, I hope. Pity the research is only a small part of the revision process.

What sucks you in when you’re doing revisions?

Also, this is my 100th post! Yay.

Natural Inspiration

When the minutiae of every day life threatens to overwhelm me, I have always turned to natural beauty for solace. I find my soul refreshed as I gaze in wonder at the world around me. On a recent afternoon country drive we took a walk and I was blown away by the sweeping vistas across the harbour and islands.

These images seem to sum up these little islands of paradise I live on... the clear sky, the deep blue ocean, a deserted pathway, and of course, sheep.

What ordinary magic inspires you in your every day life?

New Year... New Name... New Me

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My life is in a transitory phase at the moment. I'm doing my best to forge ahead, focusing on my dreams. A big part of that is my literary dream, and I hope to have more time over the next few months to focus on my second draft... although there are more transitions to endure.

With the new year, I thought it an ideal time to create a new identity for myself, as my old identities seem somewhat inappropriate for the new me. My first name is my own, but my surname needs a makeover. I need something of my own. This will be my online identity, and I also intend to publish (fingers crossed) under this name.

So it's out with the old and in with the Brentwood. I have no idea why I chose that particular name. It just dropped into my head and seemed just as good as any other. A google search revealed no author competition. 

If anyone has been generous enough to bookmark this blog, please update the link.

On a different note (see what I did there?), I'm loving this song at the moment, even if it does me cry on occasion.

32 and still growing up now...

Merry Christmas!

You Only Live Twice

It’s Bond, James Bond season again. I have an album of the songs from the movies, and when I listened recently this song jumped out at me.


You only live twice
Or so it seems
One life for yourself
And one for your dreams

As writers, we can definitely identify with this. We live parallel lives in our waking dreams (at least I know I do!). As you live out your real life, at the same time your imagination is carrying on a fantasy... creating another universe, which can seem just as real – sometimes more so. If you have more than one story on the go at once, or even just multiple POV characters, it can seem like three or more lives!

It’s funny when you think about it – as you go about your business, no-one knows the rich worlds you are dwelling in in your mind, the characters you love as if they weren’t just figments of your imagination. It's a delicious secret, and though it may seem mad to others, perhaps this second life is what keeps us sane!

How much of your thought-life is in your real life, versus your second, writer's life?