My friends Corra and Sybil reminded me that we’ve now gone half the year, which is a good point to review what I’ve achieved so far. I posted a list of goals on January 5 and I haven’t looked at it much, but I did keep some of the stuff in the back of my mind. Let’s see what I got done.

* Writing time. I noted that I needed more, which I still haven’t got. I planned to complete my last project at the end of February, but got it done by April. I’ve printed it out and I’m in the process of editing it. I’m keeping track of the edits here. This project should be complete in another month or so.

* Article a month for the local newspaper’s literary pages. - Nothing happened here except for a story or two. I plan to get at least a couple done within the next two months.

* Complete sequel to Sweet Music Man/Distractions - I set a deadline of year end for this. I should be able to get it done.

* I wanted to submit a young adult novel in the 2010 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s Creating Writing Competition. That’s not on since I only managed to get three chapters written since last November.

* Contraband was edited and is now published, so that’s been put to bed. Oh and Sybil made me a cool book trailer. You can see it here.

* Agent search . - The trouble is still lack of time. Within the next 10-15 days I need to start editing Sweet Music Man with a view to finding an agent. I aim to finish editing this novel by the end of July. The agent search will begin in August.

*I’ve taken on additional projects - Annika’s Revenge, Grudge, Lost & Found, and one other that doesn’t yet have a name. I know I can’t possibly write all of these at once, so I’m keeping a blog where I put down ideas as they come. By the time I’m ready to write, I’ll know my characters and the path their stories will take.  Not sure what deadline to put on these projects, but let’s just say maybe in another year or so, I’ll have maybe two of them written.

* My website needs a makeover so bad! I did a great job and then couldn’t load it up. Now I’m using Web Expression, but I don’t like the program, so I play with it for a while and then quit to surf the net. Don’t know when I’ll get this done. I’ve been playing with the thought of using a blog for my official website. I can’t even begin to think of a deadline to get this sorted out. If I had money to pay for this sort of stuff, things would be sweet!

* I was speaking to someone who suggested that I apply for a grant, based on some of the things I want to do for my writing and my books. I must get this done within another fifteen days. I’ve been dawdling too long over it.

Here’s hoping that come December 30, I’ll be able to take most of this stuff off my list. Thanks Corra and Sybil!  There’s nothing like accountability to keep me on track.

I haven’t read much this year. I have a stack of books that I started reading and didn’t get around to finishing. In that pile is Anatomy of Fear, Cat O’ Nine Tales, Cruisin’, That Faith That Trust That Love, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter - and the list goes on… And should I mention the list of how-to books that I have in another pile?

I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing something different with my blog, but reading Corra over at From the Desk of a Writer cemented in my mind what I want to do. At the end of each month, I’m going to do a blog post on what I’ve read. I figure posting will help me stay on track and keep up with my reading. I believe that a writer MUST read. No ifs, ands, buts, or maybes. But that’s a subject for another post. The last book I read was Cloth Girl, so I’ll begin with that. Feel free to share your thoughts on my thoughts.

Storyline: The book is set in Africa in the 1930’s and tells the story of Matilda, a fourteen-year-old girl, who gets married to a much older man (Robert Bannerman) soon after he sees her in his family compound. Julie - Robert’s first wife - is affronted by her husband’s marriage to a ‘cloth girl’ and makes Matilda’s life hell. The ‘cloth girl’ reference comes from part of the traditional dress.

Life makes a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn for Matilda, whose family is eager to capitalize on her new fortunes. She eventually meets Audrey, an expatriate, who teaches her English. Audrey hates everything about Africa, grows apart from her husband Alan, and turns into a drunk. Alan and Matilda meet and disastrous consequences follow.

Players: The characters were well-drawn, and likeable, except for Julie and Matilda’s mother, Ama. I suppose their individual situations brought out the worst in both women. I found Julie pretentious and spiteful. When both Ama and Julie passed, I was sympathetic, but not overly saddened.

It was easy to identify with Matilda, a teenager thrust into adulthood, and forced to deal with an uncaring husband, and a jealous rival. She quickly adjusted to her new life and made the best of her situation. I admired her for her desire to improve herself.

Every girl needs a champion, and Patience was spunky and egged Matilda on to take her rightful place as a second wife.

Robert Bannerman struck me as selfish, wrapped up in his own desires, still he wasn’t hateful, more clueless, and I felt for him when he was humiliated in front of his peers.

I liked: The view of Africa, both from the perspective of the locals and the ex-pats. The lifestyle and traditions of the town’s people, which contrasted with their Christianity. Matilda’s maturity made her admirable, along with her willingness to adapt to changes. She made the ultimate sacrifice, which branded her as a woman of character.

I could have lived without: Julie’s discontent with everything, and yet I came to a point where I understood her plight. It’s hard to empathize with someone who’s determined to be unhappy. Sometimes, I was tempted to skim her chapters to get back to Matilda’s story.

The Message: Women tend to make sacrifices at the expense of their own happiness, settling for the status quo, rather than trying to battle the unknown. Riches do not translate to genuine acceptance, particularly in a colonial society.

Overall Comments: This debut novel was long (561 pages), and took me a while to read, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Matilda’s gradual movement from childhood to womanhood was handled with style and grace, so too the tragedy and turmoil in her life. The setting came to life, which provided a rich backdrop for this well-told story. I look forward to reading The Association of Foreign Spouses, also written by Marilyn Heward Mills.

Rating: For the fact that the book stopped short of un-put-downable, and that the forays into Audrey’s point-of-view became a tad bit irritating, I’m giving Cloth Girl 4.5 hearts.

In 2004, my pals at Blogit suggested I write a novel.  I hemmed and hawed over it for a bit, and then decided it sounded doable.  I didn’t understand what a mammoth task I had taken on, but I read reams on writing fiction.  Still, I made tons of mistakes.  The grammar and sentence structure were in place, but I had point of view issues, as well as the habit of including details that didn’t matter.
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With continued reading and the help of other writers, I improved.   I’ll remain forever grateful to the people I met at the online workshop, The Next Big Writer.   Workshops are wonderful tools to help writers improve their skills.  They can also be dangerous.
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We all have our ideas as to what good writing is, however, in giving my opinion to other writers I try not to sound as if my views are the only ones that count, and that I have all the answers.  Of course, I don’t. I’d be silly to think I have a handle on this art form that tons of people struggle with daily.
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When I do a review, I mostly concentrate on grammar and sentence structure because that’s where I excel.  Half the time, there are things wrong with what I’m reading that I can’t put a name to.  In those instances, I may note that I couldn’t put my finger on what I thought was missing, but I still give encouragement to the writer.
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The last thing I want to do is confuse another writer, but inadvertently, it happens.  I was reading Tirz’s blog post, wherein she pointed out that her book relies strongly on voice and that the narrator was unreliable.  In my mind, there’s nothing wrong with that.  I like a little unpredictability.
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She also noted, and I’m quoting her here, that people wanted explanations.  They want everything to be boxed off and clear and concise. But I don’t think this book will ever be completely normal. But does that mean it won’t be satisfying?
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My response to the above would be to write, first of all to purge and satisfy herself, and then on the edit, make sure the reader understands what the story is about. If she, as the writer has some sense of where she’s going with the tale, and knows what her character should achieve, then it’s okay to pursue the current path.
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The facilitator at the workshop I attended always told the group never to ‘write down’ to the reader.  Always assume your reader is more intelligent than you, is what he’d say and I try to remember that when I’m tempted to explain the obvious.
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It sometimes boggles me when I post chapters and someone remarks that they missed this and they never understood that and suggest that maybe I should have done x or y.  Usually, I go back, read slowly, and check the order and clarity of things.  After I’ve done that a few times, and I’m content that all is as it should be, I comfort myself that the fault lies with the reader – especially if nobody else mentions the problem that particular reader pointed out.
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Writers tend to be deep thinkers. Sometime we think too much.  Yesterday, I read that there are many manic depressives among writers.  That said, I’d rather rake through my storyline with a fine-tooth comb than believe right off the bat that my story isn’t working.  With my temperament, next thing I know I’ll be wallowing in the doldrums.  Maybe if half-a-dozen people tell me it isn’t, I might believe, but I’m not going to sacrifice my story because one person wanders over, has a read and can’t fathom what I’m doing.
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I’m reviewing a novel on tbnw that I can’t make head or tail of; it’s kinda too high-brow for me.  I’m a simple-minded gal, you see.  However, I admitted up front to the writer that I didn’t have much of a clue as to what was going on.  Some of the stuff, I do understand. Other things fly right over my head.
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Better educated writers than I seem to have grasped the concept of the story, and that’s okay.  I make my contribution in the grammar department – but I wouldn’t go out on a limb to offer advice on any of the speeches he’s written for his characters that are related to economics or the working class.
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They might very well not be ’working’ for the novel, but what the heck do I know?  I made a general comment that the book would have a very small niche market and the writer knew exactly what I meant.  He agreed with me.
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But I’m thinking about Tirz’s question…when you’re doing something new, how can you trust someone on plot?…my answer is that you can’t. If the writer doesn’t have all the answers, then it’s a good idea to get the book written before accepting any judgments on the work.  At least when the story is done, there’s a solid lump of material that can be moulded to fit the author’s vision, or it can be rearranged at will.
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I don’t think the middle of the process is the time to wonder if everything makes sense.  Too many people do this, get discouraged and never finish. As with all my projects, I enjoy the journey, taking all the criticisms, compliments and the are-you-sure-you’re-allowed-to-do-that questions in stride.
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The time to doubt myself is when I’ve gone into labour, squeezed out the baby, only to find it’s missing an arm, leg or some other vital body part. Even then, I don’t despair. Reconstructive surgery is always an option.
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We writers are good at that.

Some writers scoff at the idea of being part of a critique group.  A waste of time, they think.  Me?  I understand the value of them.  So much so, that when I started writing for money, one of my first tasks was to find a writing network.  I haven’t looked back since.

I’m now in a romance critique group which was started in April of this year.  The most valuable reward is that I’m writing regularly.  I started Anya’s Redemption, my novel-in-progress, more than a year ago.  Under normal circumstances, I would have finished within four to six months and started the task of editing.  But I neglected the story for months and only got on track in April.

My three chapters come up for review every three weeks, which puts me under pressure to have something ready.  But I don’t mind. As odd as this sounds, if my week isn’t on the horizon, I don’t start writing.  So, that’s one way in which the group works for me.  It keeps me disciplined.  Focused  Writing. 

Writing in the haphazard way that I do means I don’t always prepare a manuscript bible.  You know that notebook or folder where every little detail to do with the novel goes?  That same one.  What happens sometimes is that my protag might have copped out of a relationship two years ago and in another she’s slipped in an additional year.  Some sharp eye or memory is going to catch that.  Another good reason to be part of a critique circle.  They have your back and catch your errors.

Then there are the happenings I can convince myself make sense when they don’t.   Say my protag suffers from depression, but she’s hell bent on getting some nookie.  Some smart cookie will call me on that.  Hey now, since she’s depressed, I don’t think she’ll be all that interested in sex.  Maybe have her do this thing or that other until she’s feeling a bit better, then she can move on.  The same goes for any incredible happenings that don’t make a lot of sense or aren’t based on any real motive. 

When you can’t afford an editor, your critique partners are the next best thing.  This assumes they’re of a certain skill level where grammar and such are concerned.  We all know from experience that exhaustion sets in after a hundred editing passes.  The mistakes become invisible.  The only way to find them - outside of your support group – is to sneak up on them.  Rest a few days…weeks…maybe a month if you have the luxury, and then pounce again.

In any cluster of people, there are those who can give expert advice based on their profession.  In the same way, writers have weaknesses and strengths – the ability to find plot holes, the knowledge of a grammar guru, a good eye for sentence structure or a talent for spotting inconsistencies.  This combination works for the good of all.  

Not by any means least, my critique partners understand when a character or scene refuses to cooperate.  They are the best resource I have, other than my notes, books, story maps, and the internet.

Courtney, Diana (who’s only submitted one story so far, but never fails to review my work), Nadine (who was with us for a while) Rian (the newbie in the group), Sybil and Tina, many thanks for what you do.