Thursday 17 October 2013

Lots of interest in writing retreat

The article in the Writing WA newsletter saying I am providing accommodation for writers who want to come for a week or two and get some serious writing done in a quiet, secluded environment, has produced instant response.
A woman who is writing a historical family saga set in Scotland has booked in for two weeks in November/December, an author/illustrator of children's books is coming to check out if the place is suitable, and a man writing a YA novel has tentatively booked for January.
I am getting quite excited about the prospect of meeting other writers with the opportunity to talk in depth with them and see how they go about their work. Meetings at festivals and other events are usually short and fairly superficial.
If there are any more writers out there who are interested, the idea is you come and stay with me on my bush property near Walpole on the south coast of Western Australia and write to your heart's content. There is good accommodation, you share meals and contribute to the cost of food and other household running costs and hopefully, there will be lots of opportunities to talk about our work and writing generally. Email me on mjmurphy@westnet.com.au if you want to know more.

Go Grandma ! October 2013

My latest novel, Murder For A Grandmother is rolling along since I went back and changed a lot of my original chapters. It was the old kiss principal. I cut out a lot of complicated plot twists and some sub-plots and got back to the main theme, which is Grandma solving the murder and saving her grandson from the hangman. I still have a tendency to try and save some of the original but I find it much easier to delete it and trust my subconscious to remember any particularly good bits that should go back in.
I also googled faces for my characters and pinned them up on my wallboard, which I find helps as I can glance up and say "how do you feel about this" or "what are you going to do next" and their faces often give me the answers.
Since I already have a publisher who has at least expressed interest in the idea for this series I am feeling quite confident about it. Ideas for sequels are bubbling in my brain and it is hard not to stop and write them now. Priority has to be to get one complete draft of the first one which I am happy with. Then maybe I can jot down some notes for others before coming back to the revisions.