In the latest People's Friend Fiction Special, I am especially lucky that alongside my story, 'The One and Only', is a short piece about the man who illustrated it, Mike Italiaander. Thank you Mike! I really enjoyed reading this fascinating 'Meet the Artist' slot. It's also a reminder that it takes the skills of many people to bring a story to the page.
My writing continues to plod along at its current slow pace. My submissions are right down as a result, but I am enjoying allowing myself more time to think hard about each story. One of my problems is that I have too many ideas. Maybe some people wouldn't see that as a problem. But I have spells of feeling very frustrated that I cannot use every single idea.
Because of the number of ideas that overwhelm me, I tend to try and use too many of them in one story. Taking stories more slowly has made me realise that I don't need to throw in more and more ideas. What I need to do is go into the original idea more deeply instead of flitting off at a tangent. We're always learning, aren't we, which is one of the reasons why I don't think I will ever be tired of writing.
Here's me, gazing philosophically into a river on a freezing February day!
16 comments:
Love the frosty river view Joanne.
Thanks - but you probably wouldn't have enjoyed the temperature!
It is always seeing how others see our characters, isn't it?
Congrats with your story in the People's Friend and how amazing to see it all illustrated too!
Hooorah for you overspill of ideas! I hope they all find outlets soon.
Today was really mild - this time last week - snow! Ice! Frost!
Take care
x
That's a lovely picture.
I haven't got my PF special yet. How lovely to have a piece about your illustrator in there :-)
You are right, we never stop learning and our writing never seems to stop evolving. Lovely isn't it x
Congratulations on this story success, Joanne. I must get a copy of the PF special.
I love the illustrations too and enjoy seeing how they've fitted them to the story. It's fabulous that they've included information about your illustrator.
I agree about having too many ideas. I am gradually learning to calm myself down and save some ideas for subsequent stories, rather than get carried away putting them all together. I find it hard, though, not to weave several strands in once I've thought of them, rather than separating them out. I do think taking it more slowly is a help
As you say, it is certainly a learning process that never ends. I'm sure I used to take it more carefully when I started writing, but then became very immersed in it and a bit over-zealous. Now I'm trying to take things more steadily again.
Patsy, it can be a real surprise!
Kitty, mild here too but forecast to go cold for the weekend. Typical.
Teresa, hope your Special comes soon. It's in the shops now.
Joanna, I can certainly identify with becoming over-zealous! It's not always a good thing.
Love the photo - and I also love the cold! Good to know you're in the PF - I'll get a copy this morning hopefully. Can empathise with the too many ideas, but it makes me come to a halt wondering which to use sometimes.
And I love illustrations. Many years ago, I wrote to WW becasue I loved the paintings of one particular illustrator - they published the letter.
I've not read your story yet, Joanne, but I have read 'Meet the Artist' and loved what he said about story illustrations.
As for trying to use too many ideas in one story ... Oh, I am so guilty of that! Like you, I now make myself think for longer about a story before I write it.
Rosemary, illustrators are very talented aren't they, and their work really adds to the enjoyment of reading a magazine.
Pat, clearly it's not just me who has the urge to throw everything I can think of into the story mix! It's a relief to know that, actually.
I'm off to buy a copy of PF in the morning and looking forward to reading your story.
There is a Kreativ Blogger award for you over at my place if you'd like to accept it x
Thank you Maggie, and also to Teresa for the award!
Very interesting to see how other people interpret and understand your work.
It is a great thing to have so many ideas!
Hi,Joanne,
I read your story 'The One and Only' in the PF spring Fiction Special and loved it.I found you by chance, cos Patsy nominated you for the sunshine award and I clicked on you. I'm also in that PF Fiction Special (page 33) and the illustrator , Stephanie Axtell, was my specific request cos she does lovely pony pictures!
Nice to meet you! Oh yes, and Patsy also nominated me, but I think it was just to kick me up the butt and make me write something cos I don't blog that often ...
Thank you Celia. I do remember your pony story as I always love anything to do with horses or dogs. I'm going to have another look at it now, and the accompanying illustration.
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