Review of the year

A postcard from Clonmel

I have nearly finished unpacking from our recent move to Clonmel. This is the second big move of the year and it is more than a little exhausting. We started 2010 in Shetland. The joy of Hogmanay, and celebrating with good friends was marred by the fact that we would be shortly leaving Shetland and moving to Ireland. Within a few weeks we had settled in Maynooth and had sorted out schools, writing groups, libraries, cricket clubs and all manner of life’s essentials. Maynooth is a great place to live and we would have been content to stay there, but my husband was offered a better and more secure job in Clonmel and so we opted to move again. Thankfully the second move was in many ways less stressful because we had not really put down roots in County Kildare.

My next task is to join the local writers’ group which meets at the Tipperary Arts Centre. I am already in awe of this group as they have published an anthology of their writing, so they are obviously serious writers. I am also going to join the ICA (Irish Countrywoman’s Association) as a way of networking with other people in the community. One of the things I miss most about Shetland was the group of women I got to know in the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute. Some people think it is a bit of a giggle that I got so involved in a Women’s Institute but it was one of the best things I ever did in terms of making friends. It also introduced me to the joys of whiskey, but that’s a whole other story.

This year has been dominated by my MA course. It is very enjoyable but takes up quite a lot of time. Considering it is supposed to be a part-time course, I am finding that it takes up more of my time than my full time degree course did. One of the down sides of the course is that I actually find I have less time to concentrate on finishing my second novel.

The highlights of this year include all the visitors to Ireland that we had. We never had that many visitors to Shetland as it was prohibitively expensive to visit for most people. I love having people to stay as it is a good excuse to put the books aside and get out and explore my new habitat.

The other highlight was getting to know my Irish relatives. I had grown up knowing that I had lots of Irish cousins, but I had never had the opportunity to meet them before now. It feels great to know that I have so many lovely relatives living nearby and I am looking forward to getting to know them better in the future.

This year will end almost as it started, in a state of chaos, surrounded by packing boxes. The weather is equally cold and icy. A strong sense of déjà vu prevails. Next week we will be heading off to the Beara Peninsula in West Cork and will be meeting up with some Shetlanders who we spent most of last Christmas with. Then it will be time to getting cracking on the resolutions for 2011 - get fit, get published, etc etc. So no change there then!

An interview with Melanie Welsh

Melanie Welsh is the author of Mistress of the Storm, published to great acclaim earlier this year. I asked Melanie about her life now that she has turned “professional.”

Getting started

Like so many writers, Melanie’s ambition was sparked off in her childhood. She was just eight years old and a keen reader when she decided on her dream job, however, it was not a career she was encouraged to take up after leaving college, and instead she concentrated on getting a “proper” job. Years later with fully fledged characters waiting to escape from her imagination and on to the page, she decided to devote some time to her ambition and she started work on her first book.

In the beginning she wrote whenever she could find the time in a busy life of working and starting a family. Now that she has been lucky enough to secure a two-book deal with David Fickling Books, she is able to devote more time to writing. However, she does still work part-time on a freelance basis, partly as a way of paying for full time childcare while she writes. Her fulltime job prior to getting published was a Director of Planning for an advertising agency.

Melanie’s working day

Melanie works in a disciplined and structured way. She starts work at 9.00am and finishes at 5.00pm, on her writing days. Each day she sets herself a target, either to write a set amount of words, or perhaps to edit a chapter she has already finished. Once she has achieved that target she allows herself a break. A self-confessed list maker, she keeps on top of the story structure by setting out a grid of paper and jotting down plotlines on post-its and arranging them on the grid until she is satisfied with the story arc. She also writes down bullet points for other details such as characters and descriptions.

She read quite a few books about the craft of writing; however, she did not have time to get involved in creative writing groups. Although she is only in her late 30s, Melanie feels like she is a bit of a late starter in her writing career and wonders what she might have achieved had she tried to pursue her ambition sooner. For now, she is working hard on “Heart of Stone”, the second book in the series of four she has planned. She is also busy promoting her first novel which involves, visiting schools and talking to children about the book, which she described as “great fun”. She is delighted at how well the book has been received by both boys and girls. She ignored the perceived wisdom that says that the central character of a child’s book should be a male because it is thought that girls would read books about boys but boys would not read books about girls. Melanie does not think that this old fashioned view of children’s taste holds true anymore and that children who enjoy reading are far more enlightened and open to different view points than some people believe.

On getting published

Melanie had her fair share of rejection before securing an agent and publisher, which she admits she found painful. Something that will strike a chord with many aspiring writers is that Melanie felt she had no option but to carry on regardless, despite the knocks to her confidence. She stayed focused on her goal and her hard work paid off when she was taken on by Catherine Pellegrino of Rogers, Coleridge and White. (www.rcwlitagency.com). Melanie believes that it is essential to get an agent, as so few publishers will accept manuscripts directly from writers. Although it is hard for authors to get started in the business, she does feel that agents are still looking for the next big publishing success, so it is worthwhile taking time to find one who will represent you.

Inspiration

One of the biggest inspirations for her writing was the Isle of Wight, where she grew up. Island life, with its great sense of community and dramatic scenery was perfect for her seafaring adventure novel. Melanie decided that she wanted to write the type of book she enjoyed as a child, and the resulting first novel is a timeless story, that avoids all the technological excesses of the 21st century but concentrates on great characterisation and plot. It is already tipped to become a classic, and doubtless there are children waiting eagerly for the next instalment.

More information about Melanie Welsh and her novel can be found on her website for the book. www.veritygallant.co.uk