DOES THE WEATHER AFFECT YOUR LEVEL OF INSPIRATION?

I love writing when the rain is heavy, when I can hear the raindrops rattling against the window - It sends me into my own imaginary world which results in some good plots and story lines (well I think so). Does the weather affect anyone elses writing?

I have read this phrase in Jilly Cooper's novels and whilst the phrase in itself conveys a sort of tumoultuous excitement and I have not really appreciated it until today when I saw otters myself for the first time.

I live very close to the Stour river and walk my dog every morning, crossing it by bridge at some point. I arose late for some reason (probably the fact that the overcast sky made it a little darker than usual) and took my lurcher out at about quarter past seven.

At first I thought it was ducks fishing with their tails in the air not expecting to see anything different, but the fluidity of the movement in the water caught my eye - and there they were. Four otters right underneath me as I stood on the bridge. Two of them were rolling and playing in the water, oblivious to their surroundings and having - excuse the pun - a whale of a time. Two others, possibly the parents, chattered a warning and swam towards the bank. The two sparring otters were carried along by the current, more absorbed by their game and I watched them slowly flow out of sight with the stream.

I became aware that I had held my breath on seeing them and as I let it out, I felt so light hearted and well, yes, joyous it has put a huge smile on my face

I’ve not had the best week. My diet failed miserably. I succumbed to overwhelming chocolate desires. I haven’t exercised. I haven’t blogged regularly. I haven’t tweeted. And my daily word count target seemed determined to go backwards. I attempted to write a short story and couldn’t – it was like my mojo had left the building. Dissipated in the heat, disappeared through the pores of my skin – Mojo Osmosis...


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A friend's agent advised her to write a 'reading-group' book, because 'that's what publishers are interested in'. I've noticed that some books are now so targeted that they include 'discussion questions' as if they were A-Level set texts. It made me wonder about makes a good reading group book and I applied the question to two examples that came up last week.


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I’ve posted before about the fact that I’m a podcast addict. But I’ve never been able to work out why I can’t seem to get on with audiobooks. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of them. I have long wished for a device I could strap to my head so I could read while walking down the street. When you think about it, this is pretty much what audiobooks are all about. Although less ridiculous looking, obviously.

But for some reason they just don’t grab me. While I was walking my dog recently, I was listening to Radio 4’s Open Book podcast about the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. It was a great discussion with people like Meg Rosoff, Kwame Kwei Armah and Shami Chakrabarti all talking about the impact the book had on them. Every now and then there were clips from the new audiobook, read by Sissi Spacek. Now I’ve loved our Sissi ever since she had a bucket of pig’s blood tipped over her head in the movie 'Carrie'. And To Kill a Mocking Bird is an amazing book. So why did my eyes instantly glaze over at these bits in the podcast? It was like tripping a switch in my mind and I couldn’t work out why it was happening.



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Have you ever been on holiday somewhere so peaceful, so wonderfully, soul-restoringly beautiful, that you carry the place away with you, tucked somewhere deep inside yourself, to escape to later for succour and refreshment in times of stress?

Well, for a novelist, that process of escape is part of the job description. It might be for purposes of creation and not of mental restoration, but it is very much the same thing. And for me, recently, the two functions coincided blissfully in one, with the writing of my novel, The Tapestry of Love.


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CV help for graduates – Research shows nearly 70 graduates chase every job
With research showing that nearly 70 graduates chase every job, graduates need help to write the best CV. Are you a graduate that needs help writing your CV? Are you looking for a job, following your graduation? Does your CV leap off the page?

There are now nearly 70 graduates chasing every job, according to the biannual survey published by the Association of Graduate Recruiters. (AGR)

Carl Gilleard, the AGR’s chief executive remarked “Two consecutive years of decrease in vacancy levels is a familiar pattern during an economic downturn and this latest fall mirrors the two-year drop in graduate vacancies prompted by the dot-com crash in 2001-2002. Today’s findings suggest that the recovery is going to be slower than previously thought”.

“Recruiters are under intense pressure this year dealing with a huge number of applications from graduates for a diminishing pool of jobs” said Gilleard.

The simple truth of it all is that graduates now have to present themselves to their prospective employer from the CV stage of the application, or even the telephone call to the company requesting an application form or futher details. It is a buyers market which will present problems for employers who will be faced with a massive increase in applications and CV’s.

Former University Lecturer and now successful business man, Sam Deeks says “When I was an academic, I would reduce the pile of applicant CV’s by selecting out the dreary, the badly spelled, the difficult to read. In business, I do the same. Not because I am horrible, just because I can’t deal with 100 cv’s. Personally, when I am looking at CV’s, after selecting out people who can’t spell, can’t lay out words in a legible way, I’m looking for curiosity, passion and self awareness”.

The bottom line is that your CV has to be perfectly presented and accurate in every dimension. DO NOT LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. Words make a difference!

Call yourself a writer? Just another spin? Do you know where your career is going? I have heard it all. I love writing and I do not really care what people think. Many love my work and are pleased that I have something to occupy my mind - Others are cynical and damm right nasty about it. Writer? Are you having a laugh? What have you published? - Mmmm, I am determined to get work published because I would like others to gain pleasure from my written work but if I don't manage to achieve my goal, then I will still have enjoyed the process of expressing myself, and being creative on paper. I just wondered what my fellow writers and authors think? Have you had any similar comments? and the big question - When can you call yourself a writer?

Of everything I've posted here, I think my blog on procrastination has been one of the most linked-to, and nearly two years on it still pops up in the stats from time to time. But an article in The Author by psychotherapist and author Edward Marriott has confirmed my suspicion that 'procrastination' is the wrong word for what we all do, and some of us rather too often from time, to time, to time, to time...

Of course in the basic sense what you're doing is putting off the writing. And if what you're not doing is your tax return then it's very understandable: you just don't want to do it. What's more puzzling is when you procrastinate about something you do want to do. It baffles others: when you moan they say, 'You just need to get on with it.' You do, of course, to the extent of opening the file... But then you're back on Twitter, or making a cup of tea, or writing this blog post... Anything, in other words, which doesn't feel like abandoning work, but isn't actually doing it.

What this really is is displacement activity. Britannica says that "Displacement behaviour usually occurs when an animal is torn between two conflicting drives": The minor activity diverts the mind and body from the anxiety of something which is profoundly difficult for humans to cope with: the uncertainty and instability which accompanies a choice. And the more powerful the drives - fight, or flight, say - the more frightening it is to commit to one choice or the other, and the more furiously we cling to the displacement activity between them.

So what are the drives we can't bring ourselves to choose between obeying?

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