I'm still reading Gordon Roberts about to get stuck into High Country Four Seasons which has been sitting on the bedside table for a month now, gets dusted along with the ornaments once a week, has become part of the furniture. Got a friendly reminder from the library yesterday, so renewed it for another month.
Been a rollercoaster ride for the start of the year. Made redundant from my job of five years last day was on the 27th January and as one door closes another opens. Start a new job this week so very happy about that. My hours will still afford me precious writing time and some space to meet up with friends that I havent seen for awhile.
I decided to have a two week hiatus from the Frank book and edit another story I wrote last year. Completely different genre, a novel length manuscript of around 60,000 words. So I've been hammering the keyboard, and got a good first draft finished today for some writing colleagues to critique.
There is a connection as there's a Frank character in the story. I enjoy writing fiction based on family, and friends and even people I don't particulary like, writing them into solid and believable characters. I observe a lot and take mental notes and or write down keywords in notes on my iphone - all to draw from later. Sometimes a person or something someone says can be the germ that starts the story. Doesn't have to be much only inspiring in some way and the story grows from there.
I now have two unpublished novels, the other has been doing the rounds with publishers for a year now; however more and more these days I'm beginning to look at self publishing for this particular genre. There are some pretty awesome success stories of people self publishing, uploading their work to Amazon or Kindle books for example, so I need to look into that, could be the way to go.
Its back to transcribing interviews from this week and searching the land for any more of Frank's photos and stories. And can't wait to start the Hut book. Leave you with a photo of a hut somewhere in the south island I think. If you know where it is let me know... and here's two of my favourite hut links:
http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/forum/YaBB.cgi?action=print;num=1163108251
http://www.remotehuts.co.nz/
Received this e mail today from Kevin Whitelaw...thanks Kevin.
Hi Louise, The hut you seek clarification on is in the upper Esk Valley, Canterbury. Early N.Z.F.S. hut a classic really and seldom visited owing to the station and its isolated site. Andersons Hut was constructed I think 1956 making it one of the first Forestry huts. Place to be on a beaut kiwi night when about to look for a deer. Cheers and warm wishes Kevin.
Hello Kev,
ReplyDeleteI recall you from Hornby Primary in a different lifetime.
Did a bit of hunting myself in my younger days but my game did not have a fur coat, antlers and shot back.
Good to see that you are still on planet earth, many of our cohort have bpassed on already.
Cheers,
Kevin Bovill