recommendation, jealousy and procrastination

What do they have in common? Nothing, just recurring themes in my head at the moment.

Many writers malign 'how to' books on writing. I don't. A high percentage of what I've learned on the nuts and bolts of the craft has come from these resources. That said, there will always be advice you think is nonsense and instantly ditch, such as the chapter I read on how to hook the reader with the opening sentence. The following example particularly riled me: 'You did what?' I found this irritating and patronising, the implication being that readers require instant gratification, that no-one could possibly be expected to wade their way through several sentences of description or a less 'in your face' beginning. This is not to undermine the importance of 'hooks', just to point out there's nothing wrong with something more subtle.

On my desk are three books which could loosely be described as 'how to', all recommended by people who know what they're talking (and writing) about:

Reading like a writer: a guide for people who love books and for those who want to write them - Francine Prose
How Fiction works - James Wood
Short Circuit: a guide to the art of the short story - edited by Vanessa Gebbie

I will spend many happy (and productive) hours with these books, making notes to add to my 'definitive guide to writing', an ever-expanding tome.

On the subject of jealousy, doubtless I succumb to this as much as anyone. I experienced it again recently. I was with a group of writers when it was announced that one of them had received a communiqé thanking her for an 'insanely charming' message. The jealousy goblins sped along the autobahn to my writer's heart and beat on its walls for hours. I still feel the ache, weeks later, a yearning for any aspect of me to be described as 'insanely charming'. Even 'charmingly insane' would have made less impact. The adjective 'charming' was once mentioned in connection with me (as bridesmaid), and there'll be many who consider me to be verging on insanity, but there's something intoxicating about the two words bonded together. So the inevitable and weighty question is: do I allow myself to be consumed by this negative emotion, or can I transform it into a motivator to strive for betterment in my writing (and everything else)?

The above images come courtesy of Google. The woman with the horns is how I look, the woman in the ballgown is how I'd like to look (without the washing) and the one of the bees I thought was cute...

And finally, procrastination, an abstract noun sadly too familiar. I'm not religious but I do believe in a higher self. My prayer to that more intuitive and directive being would be along the lines of: Dear wiser self, please prevent any more blogs from surfacing in my thoughts until I've attained this week's target of 5000 words for the novel assignment. Please respect my need to work, and not evacuate my thoughts like amoebic dysentery any time of day or night.

Determinedly yours,


Jane