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Post by claire on Mar 1, 2005 21:01:46 GMT
Well if you ever need a nice or typical dutch name just ask!
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:02:46 GMT
Do you find that the Internet is a huge distraction? I sit down at the computer, and before I know it, half an hour has slipped by, and I haven't even opened one of my writing files. (Like now, for instance) Have you some clever way of disciplining yourself? Judi Hi Judi- Huge distraction Yes, absolutely. But I wouldn't be without it either (I wouldn't have met any of you guys without it.) I work on a laptop, so if I really need to get away from the internet, I take it down to the living-room and work there. There the only distraction is a huge picture window onto the garden. If I spend too long looking out that, I see all the clear-up work that should have been done already,now that 'Spring' is here, and I bury my head back in teh computer!
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:06:03 GMT
At one of the writers stuff talks, Tina Reilly showed us some of her early work where the editor would send it back with all red lines through it, would that still happen to you even now? Like would an editor ask you to change, omit or add new bits in to what you thought was a finished piece of work? If an editor sent my work back and didn't want any changes, I'd be terrified. I'd think they thought it was so awful it wasn't worth the bother. But we don't have the red pen any more- it's the red print in the editing mode of 'Word' I find editing fun. I love hearing another person's informed opinion on how to make the book better. Usually it's to do with pulling more out of a scene, going into greater depth with characters' emotions. Or maybe a character isn't convincing, or just isn't doing enough in the story to justify asking the reader to invest emotionally in them. Then you have the choice of writing the character out of the story, or writing them a few more juicy scenes or chapters. Maybe giving them more of a back story, or if it's a villian, give them a few more likeable characteristics. And as I said to Sarah C earlier- I never consider a piece of work finished... The typesetters have to drag it from my bleeding fingernails.....
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Post by Sarah on Mar 1, 2005 21:09:11 GMT
Hi Catherine, How many words are you books? And do you have any say in the covers - did you chose the cover for Charlotte's Way for example? Sarah
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Post by claire on Mar 1, 2005 21:12:50 GMT
I've got to go now, thanks for taking time to talk here Catherine. Enjoy the rest of the evening
Claire
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:14:22 GMT
My question would be, where do you start? How do you know where a story should begin? I think the end is something that develops as you go along but just where does the story begins? Does that make sense! Where do you start? One easy answer to that is ‘rarely at the beginning’. Deciding how to start a story, or how you’re going to find your way into the story can be the most difficult thing to do, and is probably the biggest cause of 'writer’s block'. You have a story, characters, but how are you going to start? Charlotte’s Way, for example, is about two sisters adopted after the death of their mother. In the first draft, I introduced Charlotte as a teenager who had a lousy relationship with her adopted father. I let her fall in love and be let down. I let her find the man she really loved and marry him, and I showed how her past always had a hold on her marriage. Emily’s story ran in parallel- young schoolgirl etc…<br>Then I realised that the story was really about Charlotte and Emily as adults, and the first six chapters were nice and romantic and dramatic and all that, but didn’t really add much to the whole story. So I cut the first six chapters, and suddenly I had to find a way of filling in all this back-story, and finding a new way into Charlotte’s life. It took a while, but I think I managed to bridge the gap. At least I hope I managed- you’ll have to get back to me on whether I was successful or not!! Not sure I answered your question there…<br> The best advice I could give would be- if you believe in the story- start writing it any old how. If the story’s worth telling, you’ll get a Eureka moment, and you’ll know how to bring the reader in.
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:20:08 GMT
Hi Catherine, How many words are you books? And do you have any say in the covers - did you chose the cover for Charlotte's Way for example? Sarah Hi Sarah (not sure which Sarah?) My books are about 120 k words long. At least. They usually start alot longer, and I cut out the rubbish on the various re-writes. And add more stuff. And have to cut more. Covers are really decided by the publishers- they show them to the book trade, and if the book trade doesn't react positively, it's back to the drawing board. Charlotte has a superb cover and everyone seems to love it, so there's no way I was going to argue with that!!
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:25:37 GMT
Any more questions anyone? I've only just noticed Nic said goodby a while ago- belated goodbye Nic! Enjoy your shopping!
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Post by Sarah on Mar 1, 2005 21:30:28 GMT
Hi Catherine, where did you get the idea for setting up this website - congrats by the way, it's fab! Sarah
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Post by Joan on Mar 1, 2005 21:34:10 GMT
Hi Catherine, just thought I'd drop in to see how you were going. Feel terribly rude though, because having read through the posts, I have to go now and get John up (18 year old) and off to college.
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed "All Shook Up". Oh, your new one's out - will have to go on over to Poolbeg later today. Will come back in later and read all the posts more closely.
Hope it's not too cold over there - spoke to my sister last night and she said it had been snowing in Edinburgh. Very humid here - not nice, although the temperature's okay!
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:37:59 GMT
Hi Catherine, where did you get the idea for setting up this website - congrats by the way, it's fab! Sarah I had set up my own website to help with the publicity for 'All Shook Up', and then i set up another site to help run a rental property we have in France. The more you work on teh web, the more you learn about it and the easier it gets, and quicker. I can't remember where the idea first came from, but I know I always love looking up authors on the net- as a reader as well as a writer, and I thought that other people are probably the same. And it can often be hard to find websites, so I thought a portal, with links to all the irish women writers' sites woudl be a good idea. So instead of having to bookmark 20 writers, one bookmark would be enough. And do www.writeon-irishgirls.com was born The newsletter came next, and then I discovered a way to add forum- this site! The rest as they say is history! But there's no way it would have developped without all the other writers getting involved. Or the readers. In a way, like a character in a book, I just set it on its way and it developped a life of its own!!
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:40:39 GMT
Hope it's not too cold over there - spoke to my sister last night and she said it had been snowing in Edinburgh. Hi Joan It snowed here last week - today it's just freezing!! Please don't talk about having to get 18 year olds up and out in the morning- my two are only six and nine- I thought one day they might get themselves up!!
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Post by Judi Curtin on Mar 1, 2005 21:46:40 GMT
Good night Catherine, (and everyone else). Thanks for all those valuable insights. I have to leave now, to bully my thirteen year old to bed. Parenting doesn't get easier, kids just get more inventive in their ways of not doing what you want. Judi
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Post by catherine daly on Mar 1, 2005 21:49:23 GMT
Well, If that's it, I think I'll sign off and go soak my aching fingers in iced water!!
(Thanks for that encouraging parenting note Judi!!)
Thanks to everyone who joined in, and to anyone who posted questions in advance
This thread will stay up on the board for anyone to read- and if anyone wants to add a question. I'll check in now and again.
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Post by Mary on Mar 3, 2005 10:12:43 GMT
Hi Catherine, thanks a million for replying to my question. You were certainly inundated with queries. Sorry I couldn't be there live, but I was at a basketball match with Mark (13).
Mary
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Post by lisa on Mar 3, 2005 10:27:26 GMT
Just a quickie Catherine to say thanks a million for answering my quesitons and everyone elses so fully. Sorry I couldnt have been there on the night either, Tuesday nights are out for me from now on......any chance of changing the days? ?
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Post by claire on Mar 3, 2005 13:43:46 GMT
I also have to say that I enjoyed it. Your answers were very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing
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