Only in my dreams

Goran Visnjic - he's so fine

Sometimes I envy those people that claim not to dream in their sleep. How nice it would be to fall asleep safe in the knowledge that you won’t have to fight off the lion in your wardrobe. I haven’t been reading any CS Lewis recently but I do have frequent dreams about inappropriate wild animals roaming around my house. Although in my dreams I never seem to be alarmed by such events, but when I wake up I always feel slightly disoriented and inexplicably tired.

Fantastical dreams aside, the most annoying are those that are plausible, and involve real people that I know. I am plagued by very realistic dreams that involve mundane conversations and events, that subsequently disguise themselves as memories in my mind. If they involve someone I know it can be hard to shake off the feeling that we have shared a moment that didn’t actually happen. It leaves me unreasonably disgruntled over an argument, and even when I have worked out that the argument didn’t happen, I sometimes wonder whether the dream was the result of some subconscious undercurrent of feeling. But it never is.

Dreams are just so bizarre, seemingly independent of reality and frustratingly uncontrollable. They might be inspired by a film, a book or a conversation, but for the most part the outrageous plotlines appear out of the blue. I wish I had more control over my dreams. Goran Visnjic wouldn’t get much sleep, that’s for sure. But it strange that for someone who spends most of the day plotting stories, my subconscious imagination sometimes shows more potential for creativity. Perhaps I should turn my hand at fantasy fiction, where lions and tigers roaming in the house, and speaking, would be par for the course.

The Clonmel Writers' Group

The ultimate tonic - Writers' group meeting and a pint of the black stuff

For someone who aspires to be a writer there is nothing better than getting together with other like-minded people for inspiration and a lifting of the spirits. On Tuesday evening I went along to my first meeting of the Clonmel Writers Group. I had had a truly miserable day and was feeling deflated by a horrible interview at a call centre. The interview was a partial success as they called me back for a second interview, but by then I had decided I would rather sell one of my kidneys than work in some a hideous environment. I almost didn’t go to the Writers’ group as I was in such a blue funk. However, I knew that if I didn’t go then I would regret it later, probably half-way through a football match that I would probably have to endure as the evening’s alternative entertainment.

I had trouble finding the venue. The meetings are held in St Mary’s Pastoral Centre, which is confusingly close to St Mary’s Parish Hall which was hosting a Karate class. I finally found the Pastoral Centre, hidden in the grounds of St Mary’s primary school. It was locked and all the lights were off. I was only 5 minutes early so with nobody around I started to think I had got the day wrong. The rain was lashing down and I was about to go home and sulk when a group of people approached me. All budding writers; and one of them had the key to the hall.

I was made to feel very welcome and had a very enjoyable evening, listening to a diverse variety of poetry, short stories and the continuation of one person’s draft novel. After the meeting we adjourned to a nearby pub, and continued the discussion about writing, books and local community life. It was a great craic and I went home feeling a million times better. And to top it all, they meet up every two weeks, so I know that I don’t have to wait too long until the next meeting.

Happy Holidays and the Return of my Mojo

Castletownbere - Well worth a visit!

In the past I have often been at my most creative whilst under pressure. I have used writing as an escape valve from life and this has never failed me before. Recently however, possibly due to the numerous household upheavals this year, I have found it harder to remain focussed on my work. I have managed to keep on top of college deadlines, but everything else stopped. This lack of creative energy crept up on me. I noticed that I wasn't reading so much, in fact a week went by and I hadn't picked up a book. For anyone who knows me well, this is indicative of a serious internal crisis.

Every night, exhausted from packing/unpacking and organising new schools and Christmas, I went to bed with a completely empty head. No stories to plot, no movie scripts creeping uninvited into my dreams. Nothing! It was kind of scary after a lifetime of being bombarded with odd characters and plotlines.

So it was with some relief that our Christmas holiday in Castletownbere, West Cork seems to have done the trick. Despite the snow and ice, which was followed swiftly by wind and rain we had a great time catching up with friends and simply chilling out. We had an interesting drive around the Beara Peninsula and whilst I stared out of the window at the craggy rocks and soggy sheep I realised that my first "Irish" novel had been conceived. This little embryo is now taking shape and occupies all my down-time, and I think it will be a beauty.

All I needed was a holiday!

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

Strange Times

I am a self confessed magazine addict, although I have been trying to cut down over the last year. But today I couldn’t resist buying the November issue of Irish Tatler. This magazine was celebrating 120 years and it was filled with lovely snippets of history and nostalgia about life in Ireland since the magazine was created. In amongst the photographs of fashion through the ages, there were articles about the long struggle for female equality in Ireland, which lagged quite a bit behind the UK, not least on issues such as contraception and divorce.

However, what was interesting were the contemporary articles and advertisements. As Christmas is fast approaching there were numerous suggestions for gifts including such extravagant items as scented candles for €195 euros or a Philippe Patek watch for just €120,000. The latter really caught my attention. It was advertised in an editorial style as a discreet luxury with its alligator skin strap and 32 baguette diamonds encircling the face. In these straightened times with the EU about to bail out the Irish banks I can’t help wondering what is so discreet about this watch, and who on earth would dream of spending such a large amount of money on such a trifling object. I would want at least four walls and a roof for this much cash.

The financial crisis is the most common topic of conversation here, and I know many people who have been made redundant and are facing quite a bleak future, let alone Christmas. But it is apparent that there are some ways of profiting from this situation. There is a new women’s magazine title that was launched last year, called Prudence. It is not, as one might expect, the cheapest magazine, even the Irish Tatler is around €2 cheaper, but it does aim to help the fashionable girl about town stay fashionable during the recession and presumably on a budget. But it is quite amusing to see what constitutes a tight budget, since the clothes and cosmetics that are advertised are not significantly cheaper. Instead the magazine seems to devote itself to encouraging its readers to negotiate for better deals for their spa weekend or where to buy their new Kelly bag for less than a grand.

I am not sure where my magazine addiction stems from since I am the least fashionable person I know. So although I know my Cath Kidston from Orla Kiely and can spot a fake Prada bag at 20 paces I do not care much for buying fancy schmancy clothes myself. But I love keeping on top of what is happening in the world of women’s magazines. I wonder what future readers will make of the coverage of the current financial crisis and how it is being “glossed over” so to speak.

Irish Tatler are obviously feeling confident enough in the spending powers of the population as they have just launch Men’s Tatler for the stylish man in your life.

A holiday to lift the spirits

Not your normal holiday snap!

Most people I know would prefer to spend their holiday in a hot sunny place, lazing around on the beach or exploring some historic or exotic city. And whilst I would agree that some element of sunshine is usually desirable I am not excessively fond of the normal sun and sea package holiday; which is why I chose to go to Shetland for my half-term holiday this year.

However, it didn’t seem quite so much of a holiday rather than a trip back home. Walking off the Northlink ferry early on Saturday morning into the bright but chilly sunshine I felt as if I had just returned from a long holiday. A holiday that I must have consumed far too much alcohol on as my memory seemed rather hazy. It was hard to shake off this feeling all week as I caught up with around 30 of my dearest friends and neighbours. It was great to be in Shetland again and I particularly loved the opportunity to gaze out to sea at the view I used to call my own.

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I feel as if I hadn’t missed out on too much of the gossip, but it was so much better to hear it all again at first hand. And Facebook might be good for seeing photographs, but it doesn’t take the place of getting to cuddle lovely new babies.

I have missed Shetland so much during the last eight months in Ireland. There is something really quite extraordinary about the community where I lived. So friendly, so welcoming, so funny. I have missed my book club and the SWRI (Scottish Women’s Rural Institute) and my friends and neighbours. I missed hearing the unique language and dialect, and it was hilarious to hear my son speaking the dialect again, as if he had never been away.

At the end of my short holiday I felt revived and refreshed and all the more determined to get on with my writing. I have people waiting for a sequel to my first Shetland novel, so I had better get back to work. And as much as I like living in Ireland, it made me realise that my first love is Shetland. I shall be back there next summer for another holiday and hope to see all the people that I didn’t manage to fit in this time. Can’t wait!



An exhilarating walk to Eshaness to explore an old broch site