On my writing

3 October

Guess what? I’m back on the learn curve from this morning. After more courses at our local college and 12 years with the OU, I have registered for another OU course through FutureLearn. When I finally gave up with OU I was really fed up with being sat at a table smothered in books, maps, charts, and bits of paper with notes on them that I had made. Jan’s relief was clear when I said I’d had enough in 2009. This current one is all done sat here at me lappy, so that should be OK.

The course is called Writing Fiction and lasts eight weeks. Best of all, it’s free. You may be wondering why I am doing it, which is fair enough. Over the last five years I have been reading various writing mags and a number of times I’ve read about how even successful writers can learn and improve by completing a writing course. Of course, there’s always the chance that those saying this actually run such courses and by attracting a big name writer they always use it as free publicity.

Well, I’m a writer anyway so why do I need to do a course? Some will say I don’t need to, others will say, that I certainly do. As for me, I’m around 50/50 on this one. Reading through my drafts, most the errors I find are usually typos anyway. Picking those up is down to proof reading, and me old mate Bill Howe helps out a lot there, thanks Bill. Preventing them in the first place is a different story, and is one I don’t think any writing course can sort that out. Whatever, I’m looking forward to this one now and have actually made a start.

and Bristol Fashion is now standing at over 47,000 words after writing over 4,000 yesterday. I was rather pleased by that really. I can also see how it will all come together at the end. You see, I normally don’t have a detailed plan for my stories, then my characters decide for themselves what comes next. Sounds daft? In a way it is, but you know what? It works, at least for me it does. I’m not one for sticking to the script and in my case, I am writing the script as I go on.

What happens in reality is that the story lines alter as I write on, having a plan and sticking to it won’t allow you to wonder off when other ideas come on along that might strengthen the story. So I don’t make plans other than wanting to write. This works for me my friends, I mean, and Bristol Fashion is my sixth book, not counting Arathusia and the new Fred Copper, both at 40k words now. None of them were planned, so like I say, it works for me.

What will happen after this current one is finished I wonder? Do I pick up one of the other two, or abandon them and try something entirely new? Right now though, I have enough to get on with, and so I shall.

Today’s photo …

If only … … …     

Today’s funny …

A lawyer and his brother were hunting. A mountain lion jumped out in front of them and started snarling.
The brother said "What should we do?"
The lawyer said "I'm gonna run for it."
The brother said "You can't outrun a mountain lion!"
The lawyer said "I don't have to outrun HIM-- I only have to outrun YOU."