Telling it as it is....

....something you don't want to do as a writer!

Since taking a break from Agoraphobics Anonymous over the holidays, I've started back and recognised my problem. I was so keen to work out the story, I concentrated on telling it rather than showing it. There's a world of difference between the two, not something I'd ever heard or thought about.

When you tell a story, you concentrate on the facts and the actions. Your characters do one thing, then they do another. You work your way through the plot from Start to End and are really happy when you work it out. Then you read it back and realise you killed off your characters.

Showing is when you take the facts of the story and personalise them. You write as if you ARE the character, rather than a narrator. That's when your writing takes on a life of its own and people start identifying with the characters.

I don't say the whole book is rubbish - I'm really pleased with huge chunks of it. But I'm going to be spending quite a bit of time rewriting before I get to the proofing/editing stage. It'll be a fun challenge.

In the world outside my imagination: it's been snowing but I've got my fingers (and toes) crossed that Lovely Boyfriend will still make it home this week. I survived my first solo music classes with only a dry and croaky voice at the end. The kids (and parents) left with smiles on their faces so I think I managed OK. It'll take time for us all to settle down with each other, but I'm hopeful this will all work out just fine. I was nervous but I really enjoyed myself! My own musical society meets up tomorrow night to discuss our next show (Little Shop of Horrors) so I'm looking forward to starting that.

I'll stop here, because it's actually too dark to see the keyboard anymore...good job I learnt to touchtype over the years!

2013....

....is turning out to be as much fun as this time last year, when Lovely Boyfriend and I met for the first time. Yesterday was the first anniversary of our first lunch together. In some ways, 2012 vanished in a blur, but in other ways it feels like we've known each other forever. It was nice to have a happy year for a change, and I'm hopeful 2013 will turn out the same.

I took a complete break from writing over the holidays, thanks to a couple of over-excited Twotsies and, quite simply, deciding I needed a break! I started back with my editing head this afternoon and feel much more refreshed thanks to the decent break.

I'm also singing a lot of nursery rhymes while I work! I'm helping a friend by tutoring some toddler music classes. I had 2 this morning and they were great fun. There's nothing like smiling babies and toddlers to put a smile on your own face.

Plans for 2013? Get divorced. Be happy. Keep on writing (which also means keep on editing as it turns out to be just as, if not more, important than the initial creative burst). I'll keep you posted on how things are going!