Towcester Writers' Group

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I'd like to welcome you to my first Writing Group interview, with Louise Gibney from Towcester Writers' Group.

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Hello Louise.  Can you tell us a bit about your writing group?

Towcester Writers’ Group has been meeting once a month since January 2012. We meet at 7.30pm every third Wednesday at the town’s library, and entry is £3 (mainly for room hire and refreshments). We welcome writers from all over the southern part of Northamptonshire. Community Librarian (and Group Treasurer) Gilly Tompkins and I set the group up at the start of the year. 

So you're fairly new then.  How many members, on average, does your group have?

Our first meeting had an amazing turnout of 14 people. It took us by surprise! Since then, our group has grown, and we regularly get a mix of 16-18 people each month, with people dipping in and out of the monthly meetings. We have a following on Facebook of over 50 now, the majority of whom attend the meetings here and there. We understand that a monthly commitment can be quite a lot to some people, but we keep in touch with everyone through the Facebook page and occasional group emails.

That's pretty good considering you're less than a year old.  What is your role within the group?

I am the Chair of the group. In this role I plan the annual calendar of meeting (including a Christmas 'do'!), I create various workshops to stretch our writers and encourage them to try something new (around one in every four or five meetings), and I run the website, social media presence. Membership and advertising has been through various members of the group (mainly via Facebook and Twitter) but I have also written press releases for the local newspapers, and have been interviewed on our local BBC radio station.

The Christmas 'do' is the most important bit, surely!  How are your sessions structured?

We start every meeting with some housekeeping – this in the past has included encouraging writers to submit a personal biography for our website, group discussions on what the members expect or would like from future speakers or workshops, and flagging up the new items on the ‘competitions and events’ board I put together every month. This board is a very useful tool as it brings opportunities to light which some members may not be aware of.

We then also break the meeting in with a ‘brain kicker’ activity for 5-10 minutes which is intended to engage the creative brain. These activities seem to be welcomed by most of the group, and it's fantastic for making sure everyone is included – even those who say they don’t write! We have done word searches, used objects as writing prompts, speed writing, quizzes on literary themes, brain teasers and word association games in the past.

After the ‘brain kicker’ we get down to business, whether it be beginning the open mic sessions, welcoming a guest speaker, or beginning the workshop for the evening. 

I could use one of those 'brain kickers' first thing in the morning!  What types of things do you cover in the group?

Guest speakers – so far we have hosted Dave Ward from The Windows Project, Liverpool, who came to speak to us about his creative writing project with young people. He also entranced us with some readings of his own literature and poems. Future speakers include Danni Antagonist (the Bard of Stony Stratford 2012), and Andrew Smith from the OU. He will be going into depth as to how writers can develop their online and social media presence. 

Workshops – the most recent workshop we did was on writing from different perspectives. One of the most useful and interesting activities we did that evening was to pick any character from the story of Snow White (e.g. one of the dwarves, the mirror, the evil Queen) and write about the main character from their point of view. Our writers were very open to sharing what they’d written, even in a short period of time when they had had no time to prepare. Very inspiring! 

Our next workshop is this month: ‘An introduction to Facebook and Twitter’. This will be an evening for the members who are interested in delving into this promotional and networking tool, followed by a short open mic session. This workshop will be run by myself and is intended to give a good foundation of information for when Andrew Smith visits us in November. 

Open Mic Nights - for showcasing some of the work our members have been working on lately. We ask that their readings are no longer than 1500-2000 words (less than 10 minutes of reading aloud) as we have a lot of readings to squeeze into our session. Also, I think 10 minutes of listening is pushing certain concentration boundaries!

What have been some of your most popular/successful activities?

In May 2012 we ran a creative writing competition to select some excellent stories to be showcased on a public platform – Towcester’s first literary festival. “A Write Good Festival” was held in June at the library, and had a very warm reception from the local community. It was a small event, only 2.5 hours long, but we managed to fit a lot in. Aside from the six competition winning poems and short stories, Julia Jarman visited to read stories to the children, local authors had a chance to display their books and advertise places they had been published (e.g. ebooks, magazines), and a local BBC presenter opened the show for us. We also had a raffle, cakes and tea.

That sounds amazing.  And remember, from little acorns do mighty oaks grow.  Do members of the group get a chance to run/lead a session or part of a session?

We haven’t done this as such, as it takes quite a bit of commitment and planning to organise an evening. This wouldn’t be something we’d necessarily resist though… We’re also still quite a new group, with a full calendar of events coming up already. However, I worked abroad for nine weeks this summer and someone kindly stepped in to Chair in my absence.

Have you ever written collectively as a group, such as producing an anthology?

No, but this is something we are considering for around Christmas 2012. The pamphlets will be sold with proceeds going to the library.

What kind of support does your writing group provide for its writers?

We are a group of writers supporting each other, encouraging and sharing ideas and work. We do not offer any formal support as such, but we can point writers in the right direction concerning things like new competitions we’ve spotted or magazines worth subscribing to. This is all personal experience though.

I think any sort of support is beneficial when you write, as it can be such a lonely endeavour.  Where do you get your ideas and writing prompts from?

To be honest, in the beginning I Googled a lot for inspiration, but since then ideas have been very forthcoming, both from my imagination and from suggestions from group members. The more you throw yourself into the world of writing the more ideas you can get and the more contacts you develop who can help (e.g. guest speakers, workshop leaders).

Ah, where would we be without Google?!  What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?

Don’t stop, keep writing! I know that’s a bit simple, but it needs to be. If you don’t write, you can’t call yourself a writer.

So very true.  And what's the best piece of writing advice you give?

I would recommend joining your local writers’ group too, as it can be an unexpected source of support and ideas, even if you can only commit to a couple of meetings a year.

You mentioned earlier that your writing group has a Facebook page.  Do you also have a website/blog/Twitter?

We have a website which is a mainly static reference point really, to emphasise our presence online. This is very useful for when and if anyone Googles local writers’ groups and our page crops up. I invite any comments anyone has on how we can improved it! www.towcesterwriters.weebly.com

Our Facebook page has become a forum for discussion between the members of the group and a fantastic place for us to share news and points of interest (e.g. new competitions, blogs we feel we should share, local events). I would argue both of these types of websites are a must for any writers groups. www.facebook.com/towcesterwriters

We don't have a Twitter profile as a group, but many members tweet about our meetings and activities, so we are about on the Twitter-sphere somewhere! #Towcester is a good place to start if you want to see TWG related tweets.

And finally, how would someone go about joining Towcester Writers' Group?

They just need to show up! We meet every third Wednesday at Towcester Library, Richmond Road at 7.30pm. If you want more information please feel free to contact us via the Facebook page. You don’t need to bring anything but a creative mind!

Thank you very much, Louise.

Louise Gibney, Chair of Towcester Writers Group

Author of ‘Girl Meets Boys’, an internet age comedy romance novel, and regular feature writer for MK Pulse Magazine www.mkpulse.co.uk

@MissWriteUK on Twitter

www.misswrite.co.uk

www.facebook.com/louise.gibney.writer

Group contacts:

www.facebook.com/towcesterwriters 

www.towcesterwriters.weebly.com

Writer - Rebeccah Giltrow

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I'd like to welcome you to my first interview with a writer, myself.  Enjoy.

Rebeccah Giltrow

Hello Rebeccah, can you please introduce yourself.

I'm Rebeccah, a writer, currently living in a small village, just outside of Lowestoft in Suffolk.

 That's a nice part of the world, so I hear.  How long have you been writing?

I used to write a lot when I was young, but fell out of love with anything literary during my teens.  Thankfully my love was rekindled at university.  So I've written solidly and seriously for about seven years.

What first got you interested in writing?

My dad always used to make up bedtime stories, and his way of creating fantastic new places and characters on the spur of the moment made me realise that there was more to this world; I could escape to wherever I wanted through my own imagination.

Do you attend a writing group?

I attend Lowestoft Library Writing Group, which meets every 2^nd Tuesday of the month at 7pm.  I started going there at the beginning of 2009.  I also run the Teen Writing Group at Lowestoft Library.  We have only had one session, but we will be meeting on the 2^nd Monday of the month at 5pm.

Why do you attend a writing group?

Writing can be a very lonely activity.  We spend time alone at our desks, writing.  Writers seem to live in solitude.  A writing group is a brilliant way of sharing the love for the craft with other people who know what you’re going through.  It’s a place to get and also give support, help and encouragement with all aspects of the writing world.  I also like the writing prompts and homework suggestions we are given, as they often help with the dreaded writers' block.  I've also been given the opportunity to write about topics, or write in certain styles, that I wouldn't have previously considered.

I couldn't agree more.  What is the most valuable thing you've taken away from your writing group?

To not be scared of your writing.  Just write and see what happens.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

What genres do you normally write?

I don’t really write according to the ‘rules’ of genres.  I just write whatever happens to be in my head.  I’ve written about love and murder and mystery and childhood and realistic fiction and even a bit of sci-fi.  Most genres tend to end up in my stories somewhere.

 Are there any genres that you don't enjoy writing?

I find it difficult to write horror.  I don’t know why.  Perhaps because it’s not something that I would normally read, so I wouldn’t have the inspiration to write it.

 What types of things do you write?

I’ve written poetry, short stories, articles, interviews, parody song lyrics, radio plays, and I’ve recently written my first complete novel.  I also write shopping lists, text messages, crossword answers and blog entries.

Who/what influences your writing?  Where do you get your inspiration from?

Phil Terry, one of my lecturers at university, was a big influence on my creativity as he introduced me to Oulipo, a form of experimental writing.  It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I like how it pushes boundaries and encourages the writer (and I guess the reader) to look at things from a different point of view.

My inspiration comes from life.  I like people-watching, and there are some fascinating people out there.  It could be someone on the bus or in a café or at the gym, and they do something or say something that stands out for me, and I use that as the basis for a fictional character or story.

Have you ever thought that you might be one of the fascinating people that other people write about?!  How do you come up with your characters' names and personalities?

My characters’ names come from internet name generators.  I find it very difficult to come up with names.  I don’t like choosing names of people I know just in case they think that the character is based on them.  The personalities just seem to grow as I write them.

What is your writing routine?

I wish I could say that I wake up at the crack of dawn, pick up my pen and write until the sun goes down, but I don’t.  I find the actual sitting down and starting more difficult than the writing.  I tend to write more at night, when I know the world (or my part of the world) is asleep and I've got nothing to distract me.  When I get an idea, I have to write it down until I've run out of things to write.

Do you start out with a complete idea for your stories, or do you just start writing and hope for the best?

I often know how I want a story to start and end, but it's the bit in the middle that comes as a surprise to me! 

Do you have an editing process?

I write and edit as I go along.  Then I print it out and go over it with my trusty red pen.  I fix any punctuation, spelling or grammar errors, then I look for plot flaws.  When I’m happy with that, I rewrite and print it off.  I then give it to my parents who go over it with their trusty red pens.  I sometimes give it to friends or people at my writing group to read over before I start the whole process again.

What do you enjoy the most/least about writing?

I don't like starting.  I find that so difficult.  Even if I've got an idea, I stare at the blank page and it intimidates me.  But I love it when I actually get on and find myself in 'the zone', when my brain is working so fast that my fingers can't catch up. 

Have you ever had anything published?

I was asked to write for a local magazine, The Kessingland and Broadland Times, and became a regular contributor.  I wrote poetry, children’s stories, interviews and articles.  I am currently looking to get my novel published.

Have you sent your novel to any agents or publishers?  Have you received any rejections?

So far I have sent the first 30 pages of my novel and a synopsis to nine or ten literary agents, and I’ve received four rejections.  It's a normal part of the writing process, but it's still not very nice experience.

Would you consider self-publishing/e-publishing?  Are you interested in eBooks or do you prefer the old fashioned, paper-made books?

I would like to exhaust all the traditional channels before considering self-publishing.  I have heard, however, that a lot can be said for e-publishing, so I may consider that after some research.  I do prefer holding an actual book though.  I love browsing bookshops and filling up my bookshelves with books that I may never get around to reading!

How important is it for you to share your writing?

Without sounding arrogant, I want the world to see my work.  I feel that I have something to say, if only someone would hear it!

Have you ever entered any writing competitions?

 I've entered a few competitions but never won anything.

If you could have written anything, what do you wish that could have been?

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley or anything by Roald Dahl.

Do you have any favourite lines from novels/plays/poetry/films/songs, or any favourite literary quotations?

"So many books, so little time." ~ Frank Zappa

"A book in my hand and a dog by my side, we belong together." ~ Edward Gorey

 "Why do writers write?  Because it isn't there." ~ Thomas Berger

 "In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everything, something that no one ever knew before.  But in poetry, it's the exact opposite." ~ Paul Dirac

"The pages are blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible in and clamouring to become visible." ~ Vladimir Nabokov

 "A room without books is like a body without a soul." ~ Cicero

What are you working on at the moment?

Too much.  I’m very good at starting projects but not finishing them.  I've got a collection of short stories about Christmas that I need to finish, as well as sorting out some of my children’s stories to get ready to send off to agents.  Plus my writing group homework and some new poems to present at New Words, Fresh Voices.

Have you ever attended an open mic event for spoken word performers?

I regularly speak at the New Words, Fresh Voices open mic night hosted by The Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft.

Apart from writing, what are your other hobbies and interests?

I knit, I bake, I paint, I make a mess with wax crayons and a heat gun, I take photos, and I make collages.  I go to the gym.  I don't always do anything when I'm there, but just going can sometimes be a workout in itself.  I also spend time with my dog, exploring the village.  There are some pretty interesting places if you look close enough.  Oh, and I read, obviously. 

What types of books do you read?  Do you think your writing reflects your book tastes?

I judge books by their covers.  I wander around the library and pick up books that have interesting covers, so I end up reading anything and everything.  Most of the time they have interesting stories, so that’s always a bonus.  I write what I would like to read.  I just need to find some other people who would like to read what I write.

What's the best piece of writing advice you've ever been given?

Read, read, write and read.  I don't know if anyone famous said that, but it's a good bit of advice.

What advice could you give to a new writer?

Firstly, just write.  Write anything.  Even if you think it’s stupid, just write it.  You don’t have to show anyone.  Secondly, watch and listen.  You could miss some little gems if you don’t pay attention to what’s going on around you.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Not at the moment thank you, but no doubt I’ll think of something later.

 Do you have a website/blog/twitter/facebook dedicated to your writing?

I do indeed have a blog, and you're reading it right now.  It is http://rebeccahgiltrow.blogspot.co.uk/

I occasionally tweet (or twit, as my dad says) at https://twitter.com/RebeccahGiltrow

And I set up a facebook page, but haven't got anything on there yet.  Don't let that stop you having a look though, at http://www.facebook.com/Rebeccah.Giltrow.Writer 

Would you be able to provide a short piece of your work?

I wrote this for a piece of homework at writing group.  It's untitled.

The sun beats in, the heat's gone.  My brow furrows, my eyes fill with yellow.  A shadow judders past; the car's twin tailgater invades, carrying a plane of grey that widens and spreads and takes over and then fades away.  A row of brittle tree bones salute and stretch their limbs across the waning day.  Gnawed knuckles of witches' fingers, gnarled vultures' talons, over-mascara'd eyelashes, dark cracks along aged artex.  The tri-forked tongue of an energising moster spins slowly in the distance; ivory blades slashing through an icy sky.  A moment captured by a mere blink in response to the shocking bulb of light that I can't help but keep my eyes on, an orb of white that refuses to drop below the horizon.  Two birds partake in a mid-air waltz, a perfect pairing of grace and elegance, with swoop after twirl after lift.  One partner departs to rest on a shivering telephone wire while the other performs a solo pirouette, finally settling in a well-balanced next.  Faint water colour blue sweeps into a startling stonewash , flecked with specks of avian silhouettes.  A pallid ribbon wraps around and separates the day from the pale orange evening.  No red sky tonight.  Woe betide the shepherds tomorrow.  Do we even have shepherds anymore?  The shop opposite blends into the background as the natural light waits to be replaced by flickering amber electricity.  A couple, huddled from the freezing air behind a mask of scarves, hurry across newly tarmacked road, the freshly painted lines glow gold against the black.  these tracks trace a wave past a winter empty car-park and disappear around a bend, and never end.

© Rebeccah Giltrow 2012 

Thank you, Rebeccah.

LLWG September

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Last night, Lowestoft Library Writers' Group met for their September session.  Numbers have certainly risen over the past few months, and it is absolutely lovely to see so many people who are interested in writing and want to meet with other writers to share their ideas.  We had two new members last night, meaning that we had to recruit some more chairs from various places around the library.  If this carries on, we'll need to invest in a new table, or we might have to resort to sitting in a circle on the floor.  Beanbags optional.

With the hundreds of millions of people at the group, we had hundreds and millions of pieces of homework to listen to.  At the August session, we each randomly chose different numbers, and the numbers represented various things (a conflict, an object, a character, a location, a trait) that we had to include in our writing.

Mine were:

Conflict = revenge

Object = box of gold

Character = engineer

Location = phone booth

Trait = happy

And here's what I wrote.

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Him Next Door

You know how sometimes there are people you really don't like.  I mean people you can't stand at all.  No matter what they do, you want to punch them in the face.  My next door neighbour is one of those people.  I don't know how long he's lived in his house, but we moved here about six or seven years ago, and he was already here.  It's a nice house, in a cul-de-sac, so everyone knows everyone.  And I don't mind the other people.  But him, Martin, he's just so happy.  All the time.  There's no need for it.  I'm not miserable or anything, but every time I see him, he's too cheerful.  It's not natural.  Do you remember that song, the sun has got his hat on, hip hip hooray?  He sings that.  All the time.  I see him and hear him out in the back garden at all times of the day, in all types of weather.  If it's sunny, the sun has got his hat on.  If it's raining, the rain has got his hat on.  And no doubt if a tornado or earthquake hit, they'd have their hats on too, hip hip hooray.

The wife thinks he's harmless, but I've got my suspicions.  I mean, who is happy 24 hours a day?  Is that even possible?  He pops around every now and then with homemade cupcakes and bread and pots of stew, because he makes far too much and doesn't want to waste it.  His favourite time for doing this is first thing on a Saturday morning.  What happened to the fundamental human right of a Saturday morning lie-in?

I don't think he ever goes out, or has people round.  Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen him with a woman.  I always thought he must be a bit, you know, left handed.  It makes sense now.  All that baking and gardening and no female company.

The wife invited him round for dinner just after we moved in.  Never again.  Not only is he stupidly happy, he is unbelievably dull.  Oh my goodness is he boring.  He's an engineer or a science tech guy or something.  I don't know.  I pretty much stopped listening to him after he said 'hello'.

The wife thinks I'm obsessed, but you should see him.  He's always out in his front garden, measuring the blades of grass with a ruler.  And every time he sees me, he waves like a lunatic.  I'm surprised his hand doesn't fly off.

So last week, after a little bit of planning, I robbed a bank.  Nothing major.  Just got my hands on a box of gold bullion.  I'd tell you how I did it, but I'd have to kill you.  Last night I buried the gold bars in the flower beds in his back garden.  I'm now going to call the police from the phone box around the corner so that they can't trace me.  They'll come round and arrest him in no time.  Let's see him make a happy son about that.

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We then had a 10 minute writing exercise.  Our task was to attempt a piece of travel writing.  I've never thought about doing any travel writing, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.

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Osaka, Japan

We step out of the underground and the humidity of the morning punches us in the face.  I don't think I've ever felt this hot at 10 o'clock in the morning.  We hurry as quickly as we can, through the heavy air, into a small supermarket and stand by the fridge to cool down.  I buy a bottle of Orange flavoured water; the most popular water in Japan, and I now know why.  It's delicious.

Feeling brave, we walk outside.  It's still too hot.  I walk slowly and take photos of everything.  Yes, I look like a tourist, and no, I don't care.  It's not that things are different here; it's just that I feel different here.  A change is as good as a rest, so they say.

We're lost.  I can't read the Japanese signs, and even though Charli can understand a bit of the language, she still doesn't know where we are.  Surely a castle can't be that hard to find.  We walk.  I feel like I'm melting. I put my empty water bottle into my bag and buy another from a vending machine by the side of the road.  They have vending machines everywhere here.

Charli tells me that when she was out walking one day, she came across a vending machine in the middle of a field.  She had no idea where they plugged it in.

We see a sign with the words 'Osaka Castle' written under some Japanese squiggles.  We're not lost anymore!  We turn into the most beautiful park I have ever seen.  I'm just sad that I'm here at the wrong time of year for the cherry blossoms.

It doesn't matter though.  It's stunning nonetheless.  We walk over to a map by a river to try and find the entrance to the castle.  We know we must be in the right place as everything has English subtitles for us stupid tourists.

A Japanese woman starts talking to us.  She loves England and English people and the English language.  She looks like she's going to explode with excitement when we engage in conversation with her, and answer all of her millions of questions.  The woman opens a Burberry umbrella, tells us to have a good holiday and says 'goodbye' about twenty times.  She waves us up the path as we walk through the magnificent gateway into the castle's grounds.

Hoards of school children are walking quietly in line, and are listening to everything their teachers are saying.  I know I'm definitely not in England now.

*****

Homework for this month is to write up to 500 words about somewhere in the local area.  Best get my thinking cap on.

Teen Writers

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I've just come home from running my first session for teen writers at Lowestoft Library.  I used to work as a teacher, but I'd completely forgotten what it was like to be at the head of a 'class' of teenagers.  They're not as chatty and as forthcoming and I'd hoped.  Don't get me wrong; they are nice girls, but it's like pulling teeth to get to the niceness.  I understand that they were probably nervous, so I just hope they can come out of their shells a bit more at the next session.

I wanted to get them talking about writing and what they were interested in.  It seems that, in the main, they like fanfic and horror/gore.  I've never really understood fanfic, but from what I can gather, you take pre-existing characters (from popular literature/films/music) and write your own stories using these characters.  They may be able to teach me a thing or two about that.

We did a 10 minute writing exercise, where I asked them to write about an event that happened to then during the day, to encourage them to use inspiration from their own lives in their writing.  They all wrote really good pieces that depicted quite mundane things, but they were all able to add some humour and interest, and all in 10 minutes.

I set them a piece of non-compulsory homework to write 300-500 words about a place they know well; such as their room or their garden or a place they've been on holiday.  I want them to use all of their senses to describe everything they can about this place.  We'll see how they got on with that next month.

A couple of the girls gave me pieces of their work to read, so I'm looking forward to that.

It's only a page

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So after putting off writing a one page synopsis of my book for weeks and weeks and months, I finally got around to doing it today.  I already have a nice two page synopsis which outlines everything that happens in the book in the briefest detail possible, or so I thought.  I had absolutely no idea how to cut out a whole page of text without losing the pertinent points of the plot, but I did it.  It's not brilliant, and I'm not going to pretend it is.  It feels empty, as though I've just said "there are some people and some stuff happens to them, the end", but if the agents are insistent on a one page synopsis, I have to give them a one page synopsis.  

I'm not complaining (really, I'm not), and I am quite glad that I did it because it was one of those things that the defeatist in me told me I couldn't do.  I'm going to leave it alone for a while and have a read (I'm still struggling with Afterwards by Rosamund Lipton), and then look at the synopsis one more time before I send it off to agents.

I still haven't received any more rejections.  I can't work out if this is a good or a bad thing.

NWFV

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Every two months or so, The Seagull Theatre hosts an open mic night, New Words, Fresh Voices, for poets, story tellers and singers to perform their work.

(taken directly from The Seagull Theatre website)

I have performed my work at every one of these since February 2012 and have loved it.  Each time, Ian sets a loose theme based on the time of year or what's going on in the world/news.

The next performance is on Friday 5th October, so the theme is autumn and the post Olympic/jubilee feeling.

I know I said I would get my one page synopsis sorted, but I haven't done it.  Instead, I have been writing a poem to perform at the next event.  I dug my rhyming dictionary out and wrote about the Olympics.  Who woulda thunk it?!  It's taking a bit of time to edit with a set rhythm and rhyme (although there are a few half rhymes) but as I haven't written poetry in a while, I am enjoying getting into this process again.

I have a short story that I wrote a while ago, and I'm going to read that as it is reasonably autumny.  I just need to tweak it a little bit.

I know I have a month until the event, and it's rare for me to do things this early.  As a result of my procrastination, I tend to leave things until the last minute.  But not this time.

Getting by with a little help

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Every two weeks or so, I meet up with my friend, and fellow author, to discuss all things literary, and on occasion put the world to rights.

We are in similar boats at the moment.  She has written a non-fiction novel and is approaching agents and publishers in order to get her manuscript published.  I have read various chapters of her novel, and I know the general themes and outcome, and I really believe it to be a compelling and profound read and yet she keeps receiving rejections (or RJs, as she calls them) from the agents and publishers.

I don't like it that she's getting RJs, as she's worked so hard on the book and she really has something to say and a very pertinent point to make with what she's written.  But it doesn't make me feel so bad when I get my RJs.

I know no-one likes getting rejection letters, but when you get them, sometimes it feels like you're the only one.  I know that's quite a self-indulgent thought, but it's true.  You may only have that thought for a few moments, but your confidence still gets knocked and you do question whether or not you should give up.

After receiving my RJs (I have four), friends told me not to give up.  They drew my attention to extremely famous authors and famous books that were rejected numerous times before being snapped up.  Knowing that has happened to some of the greats did make me feel better, but it didn't spur me on to send off my manuscript to more agents.

I know I'm lazy and I know I procrastinate, but the defeatist in me likes to rise up every now and then just to drag my spirits down.  "Four people don't want you.  What makes you think anyone will?  Don't waste your time."  And, stupidly, I believe it.  But I also know it's not true.

Initially I think I sent a synopsis and my first 30 pages to about eight or nine agents.  I had no problem with that.  I have about 10 more that I want to send off to, but all of them want a one page synopsis, and that is my Everest.  I've never been very good at being concise, and after a lot of struggling I managed to get my synopsis to fit onto two pages; I'm not sure I can shrink it down to just one page.  Admittedly I haven't tried, but defeatists generally don't try, do they?

While I was writing my book, she would text me to check that I was actually typing away and not just sitting in front of the television, avoiding my responsibilities as an author.  Most of the time I was squirreling away at my computer, but it was helpful to have her support and encouragement, and a virtual boot up the backside!

So recently I've been playing the waiting game, and not being as active as I probably should have been with regards to finding agents.  But after meeting up with her today I have had a burst of enthusiasm to get on and sort out the dreaded one page synopsis so that I can bombard more agents with my awesome writing.  Which I will do.  Tomorrow.