Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Comfort of Books

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Sand skates on sand.
The sea is galvanised steel.
The wind buffets and chivvies.
The kestrel spirals upwards, an Autumn leaf caught in the blast.
I leave footprints on the beach.

Small stone, Scarborough beach, 9th November 2015

I took a walk this morning to try and clear the busy-ness in my head. I feel like a plate spinner or – as I’ve said in a previous post – a hat spinner. November sees me: facilitating workshops; giving a talk; formatting my novel for Kindle & createspace; and marketing and launching The Art of Survival. Being buffeted by the wind and hearing the sloshing of the waves is a relief.

After I launched my first novel, The Art of the Imperfect, last December, I methodically detailed what/how I had done in terms of marketing and sales at the end of each month. I thought maybe I would learn how promotional tasks translated into books going to readers. I didn’t and I got fed-up, so stopped in June. It was a nice surprise then to do a bit of a round-up recently and gather the following figures: 270 copies of the novel given away or sold; 233 people (in addition) downloaded it to their Kindle in the recent promotion; 916 people entered the Goodreads giveaway and, of the three who won a free book, two are in the US. The Art of the Imperfect was also long-listed for the Crime Writers Association debut dagger award. As I trot towards the release of my second novel, that feels great.

As well as walking, another antidote to the hat spinning is reading. Yesterday, It was Sara Paretsky’s Fire Sale. I became completed embroiled in the Chicago life she portrays; driving the Loop, hearing the glass on the empty lot crunch under my feet, feeling the finger-numbing cold. Paretsky’s VI Warshaswki novels are not what you might call comfortable reading, they tackle difficult issues and there’s violence (about the limit of what I can take). However, in an interesting way, it is a comfort to creep into this other world, where I can be safely buffeted and challenged and the resolution is not for me to find.

What’s your comfort reading? What do you do when the hat spinning becomes too much?

The Art of Survival
Available on Amazon in paperback & Kindle on 21st November (Kindle pre-order: 11th November).

The Art of Survival asks: What will fear push ordinary people to do?  What happens when little Art of Survival Coverfront onlyfinalgirls get lost? DS Theo Akande is investigating the disappearance of eight year old Victoria Everidge. Her mother, Yvonne, is a desperate woman. What is she capable of? Eminent journalist and newspaperman, Stan Poole, dies leaving a filing cabinet full of secrets. As these leak out, his daughter, Hannah, begins to question her own girlhood. She is losing her way. Her best friend, Lawrence, newly an item with Theo, finds it hard to remain supportive. Instead Hannah clings to her work as a trainee counsellor and to her client Julia. Julia is apparently no little girl lost, but appearances can be deceptive. Then a body is found.

Praise for The Art of the Imperfect:

‘The first thing to mention is the writing style is incredibly strong. … The description through this book is brilliantly constructed so that I really felt completely immersed.’ Lizzy, My Little Book Blog

‘The book … retains its readability on a second or third reading and beyond. It is written by an unobtrusively gifted creative talent, whose gifts will assuredly go on expanding and enlarge their range … The novel is convincing enough to haunt us, and graze us into deeper thought.’ Dr Heward Wilkinson, UKCP Fellow, UKCP Registered, Integrative Psychotherapist.

 

Virginia Woolf, Strictly Philosophers & Me

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When I was doing more teaching at the university than I do now, I would give two pieces of advice to my students. Firstly, separate your essential you from your writing, a critique of your writing is not a criticism of you as a person. Secondly, just because it’s true, doesn’t make it a good story. As with any bestower of ‘good’ advice, I, of course, often forget my own.

Last week, I received another rejection from a publisher. This one was slightly kindlier, and, indeed, left the door open for further submission. They also sent me their reader’s general comments on my novel and her more particular comments on my first chapter. She made some helpful points, ones I can use to develop and improve my writing, so that’s a bonus. On the other hand, she brought up the contentious issue of the likeableness of one of my main characters, Hannah.

She said: ‘I wholly appreciate that not everyone is going to be positive sunshine, rainbows and unicorns, but when they’re always negative, it takes a real emotional toll on the reader that you have to be careful to temper.’

I find it hard to separate myself from Hannah, hers and my own experience of depression are very similar and, I can tell you, it wasn’t sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. However, just because it’s a true representation of one person’s experience (supplemented by my counselling training/knowledge) of depression, doesn’t make it a good story does it?

Then I think, am I trying to make this a comfortable read? Aren’t crime/mystery stories meant to be challenging? Melanie McGrath, in The Guardian Books Blog on June 30th 2014, said: ‘Crime fiction gives us permission to touch on our own indecorous feelings of rage, aggression and vengefulness, sentiments we’re encouraged to pack away somewhere… where they won’t offend.’

There is a psychological theory which says we most fear the ‘other’ which is closest to the parts of ourselves which we wish not to acknowledge. Hannah maybe a hard character to empathise with, but it that, at least partly, because she represents the part of us which is hard to empathise with?

So I am not to be traditionally published this time and I continue on my merry ‘indie’ way. The Art of Survival will be available on Amazon in paperback & on Kindle on the 21st of November, with pre-ordering on Kindle from the 11th of November. The Art of the Imperfect is available in both formats now: http://goo.gl/z7HFgz.

Being accepted by a traditional publisher still remains an aim for me, even though I know it has its own down-sides. I comfort myself with two thoughts. One, Virginia Woolf self-published; OK her husband bought a printing press and installed it in their basement, but if she were alive today she’d be uploading onto Createspace & Kindle.

Two, the words of Tristan McManus, a pro on Strictly Come Dancing – yes, really. He was asked for his thoughts on winning. He said (I paraphrase): it’s hard when you’re doing something you love and there can only be one winner, you have to focus on your own dancing and improving that as much as you can, as the ultimate accolade (of winning) may never be yours. There maybe more than one winner in the publishing world, but, even so, the winner’s paddock is not huge, and I may not get in. However, I can enjoy my writing and engaging with the readers who are there and for whom I am very grateful for.

The Art of Survival – launch date: 21st November 2015
The Art of Survival asks: What will fear push ordinary people to do? What happens when little girls get lost? DS Theo Akande is investigating the disappearance of eight year old Victoria Everidge. Her mother, Yvonne, is a desperate woman. What is she capable of? Eminent journalist and newspaperman, Stan Poole, dies leaving a filing cabinet full of secrets. As these leak out, his daughter, Hannah, begins to question her own girlhood. She is losing her way. Her Art of Survival Coverfront onlyfinalbest friend, Lawrence, newly an item with Theo, finds it hard to remain supportive. Instead Hannah clings to her work as a trainee counsellor and to her client Julia. Julia is apparently no little girl lost, but appearances can be deceptive. Then a body is found. The Art of… crime series by Kate Evans tackles issues of mental health and marginalisation. This isn’t gritty crime, this isn’t cosy crime, this isn’t police procedural. This is poetic storytelling which peels back the psychological layers to reveal the raw centre.

Book Marketing for Beginners

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This morning I have been deep in the re-writing of The Art of Breathing, the third novel in my crime series. Writing, it’s what I enjoy, it’s what I have some talent and skills in. This afternoon, I am returning to the vexed question of marketing and preparing for the launch of the second in the Art of Survival Coverfront onlyfinalseries, The Art of Survival.

Marketing leaves me feeling helpless and hopeless. There are parts which give me enormous pleasure. For instance, Saturday saw me at the Book Corner, a splendid little shop in Saltburn, ambushing unsuspecting customers and giving a short talk on crime fiction. Getting good reviews of my books and disseminating them is also delightful. But as for the rest, it’s a thorny briar on quicksand.

I have read most of the advice available. I know about the power of three, that generally people will act only having been told three times about something. I know about being timely and relevant, about looking out for anniversaries and events in the media to tie the marketing of my novels to. I know about being friendly and helpful on social media and trying to link with others. I know about raising my profile as a writer through blog tours or offering to contribute to other websites/blogs. I have tried as far as I am able to put some of this advice into practice.

Without the recent changes in technology which have allowed for easier indie publishing and for reaching a potential audience through social media, I wouldn’t be able to do what I am doing at all. On the other hand, I do feel like a very small leaf of mint in a very large pea soup. There are, perhaps, too many books out there, and too many people trying to flog them.

Kate E BookSocial media isn’t the whole story, of course, and I believe it is rare for Twitter and Facebook to be the medium by which books are sold. Traditional media has a much bigger role to play. Hats off, then, to the James Bond Spectre marketing team who managed to get coverage of the film’s launch on every BBC news programme last Friday and a James Bond book read on BBC Radio 4 this week. It was a stunt as breath-taking as many which appear in the Bond films themselves. What a difference it would make to indies like me if just some of that marketing time/space on TV and radio could be more evenly distributed.

My strategy for this coming launch includes:

  • various local events, including a signing at WH Smith in Scarborough on the 21st of November and a talk at Filey library on the 1st of December.
  • A goodreads giveaway (https://goo.gl/pIfyF9) and a Kindle promotion this week only for my first novel in the series, The Art of the Imperfect.
  • Copies sent to local and national media for review.
  • A moderate blog tour.

What are your tips for marketing indie published books?

Indie Publishing – when do you celebrate?

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As an indie publisher, it’s sometimes hard to know when to celebrate. Could it be when I’ve completed my initial draft? My final draft? When it’s copyedited and proof read? When I have a copy from the printers in my hand? When I’ve sold my first one? My first fifty? My first hundred? There doesn’t quite seem to be the right time to sit down and say, well done, what an achievement, as the next thing looms on my ‘to-do’ list.

However, there is something thrilling about having the physical book in my hand. Because I decided to go with a local printer, I have a few boxes of The Art of Survival in my back room which I can go and admire. I have done what I can to create a tempting and interesting read, now is the time to try to connect with readers.

I have some events set up. This Saturday, the 24th of October, I will be at The Book Corner in Saltburn from 11am-1pm with a reprise of my Poisoned Pen talk on crime writing at 12pm. The Art of Survival is being launched on Amazon on the 21st of November, and that day I will be in the WH Smith in Scarborough for a signing, 10am-3pm. And on Tuesday the 1st of December, I will be at Filey Library giving a talk on crime writing, 6pm-730pm. It’s lovely to get out and meet readers and other writers, maybe see some of my blog readers there too.

For anyone who hasn’t read the first in the series, The Art of the Imperfect, it is free on Kindle and there is a Goodreads giveaway next week.

When do you as writer and/or indie publisher celebrate? And how do you celebrate?

The Art of Survival
The Art of Survival asks: What will fear push ordinary people to do? What happens when little girls get lost? DS Theo Akande is investigating the disappearance of eight year old Victoria Everidge. Her mother, Yvonne, is a desperate woman. What is she capable of? Eminent journalist and newspaperman, Stan Poole, dies leaving a filing cabinet full of secrets. As these leak out, his daughter, Hannah, begins to question her own girlhood. She is losing her way. Her best friend, Lawrence, newly an item with Theo, finds it hard to remain supportive. Instead Hannah clings to her work as a trainee counsellor and to her client Julia. Julia is apparently no little girl lost, but appearances can be deceptive. Then a body is found.

This is the second novel by Kate Evans. Her first, The Art of the Imperfect, was long-listed for the Crime Writers Association debut dagger in 2015. Kate Evans is a writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her book, Pathways Through Writing Blocks in the Academic Environment, was published by Sense Publishers in 2013. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Sussex University and teaches on the Degree in Creative Writing at the University of Hull, Scarborough campus. She is trained as a psychotherapeutic counsellor. She loves walking by the sea and afternoon tea, and has an inexplicable drive to bring a new generation to the poetry of Edith Sitwell.

Praise for The Art of the Imperfect:

‘The first thing to mention is the writing style is incredibly strong. … The description through this book is brilliantly constructed so that I really felt completely immersed.’ Lizzy, My Little Book Blog

‘The book … retains its readability on a second or third reading and beyond. It is written by an unobtrusively gifted creative talent, whose gifts will assuredly go on expanding and enlarge their range … The novel is convincing enough to haunt us, and graze us into deeper thought.’ Dr Heward Wilkinson, UKCP Fellow, UKCP Registered, Integrative Psychotherapist.

What the Heck is Steampunk Dystopian, Anyway?

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This week I am very happy to host a post from my fellow writer, Kate M. Colby, who resides in New Haven, USA. Kate’s first novel is being published by Boxthorn Press this month – grab an early copy and get money off (see below). Her book, ‘The Cogsmith’s Daughter’ is a steampunk dystopian, and (being over fifty) I had to ask, what the heck is that? Read on for Kate C’s response…

Kate C photo Oct15Picture this: after nearly fifteen years of dreaming about writing a novel, you finally finish your first one and decide to publish it. You’re thrilled—nay ecstatic! You can’t wait to tell your friends and family about it. The moment comes. Someone asks you, “So what’s your novel about?” Your eyes light up, you lean over and say, almost conspiratorially, “It’s steampunk without steam.”

And all you get in return is a “deer in the headlights” look. This, dear readers, is my struggle.

I’ve never been a huge fan of “single genre” books. For example, I rarely read “just romance” (except for the occasional guilty dip into Nicholas Sparks), and I’m not a fan of straight crime fiction. Now, throw another genre in there—paranormal romance, historical crime fiction—and I’m all over it. I read to escape reality, and I like high-concept, complex books to get me out of my day-to-day and into my imagination.

Knowing this, it’s probably no surprise that my first novel, The Cogsmith’s Daughter (Desertera #1), is somewhat of a genre mashup. I call it “steampunk dystopian.” What the heck is that? Well, let me tell you how I see it.

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction. It has close ties to alternative history and fantasy as well. At the simplest level, conventional steampunk relies on the idea that steam power evolved to be the dominant power source (as opposed to fossil fuels and the other power sources we have today). Standard steampunk takes place in the Victorian era, typically in London or wider England. As a genre, steampunk mixes heavily with mystery, crime, paranormal/supernatural, and romance. In a steampunk novel, you’ll find corsets and cravats, all kinds of cool gadgets and gizmos (lots of cogs), and sometimes a hint of magic or alternative science (think Alchemy). For more on Steampunk, here’s trusty Wikipedia.

So that’s the steampunk part. Now for dystopian.

Luckily for me, dystopian fiction has exploded in popularity lately, making it much easier to explain. In short, dystopian fiction features a society that is reminiscent of our reality, but in which something has gone horribly wrong, causing it to be a dystopia, rather than a utopia. Common features of dystopian novels are a corrupt, controlling government, oppressive religious or ideological beliefs, and technology-gone-bad. Popular examples include The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Brave New World. Again, here’s Wikipedia for more.

Got it? Good. So what is steampunk dystopian?

In my world, it’s like the “traditional” steampunk world has morphed into a dystopian society. Long story short, roughly two hundred years before my novel begins, there is an apocalyptic flood (á la Noah’s Ark). The steampunk ancestors of my characters build a steamship (think Titanic) to carry them through the flood. Eventually, the water dries up, and they’re left in a desert wasteland they name Desertera. Without excess water, they can’t power any of their steam technology, and they stagnate. The society evolves under a questionable religion (in which adultery is punished with execution) and corrupt monarchy (in which the king abuses the adultery law to trade out queens whenever he likes). Today, the world is pretty much a poverty-riddled disaster.

As you’ll see, there’s traditional steampunk stylings (cogs, mechanics, Victorian-esque clothing), with all the trappings of dystopian (evil government, unethical religion, social stratification, etc.). There’s also a healthy portion of post-apocalyptic (with the preceding flood and the wasteland), a bit of conspiracy, and the subplot is a romance. Genre mashup? I think so.

Now what exactly drew me to this mash up of genres? Well, when I was thinking about this kingdom, my original idea was not steampunk (more on that later in the blog tour). However, the more I learned about steampunk as a genre, the more I was drawn to the styling, and I decided I wanted to put my own twist on it. As for dystopian, it’s a genre I’ve always enjoyed, so most of my ideas naturally work their way in its direction in one form or another. Same with post-apocalyptic. I’m a total sucker for the end of the world. The story just seemed to demand these genres, so I incorporated them all. Hopefully I did a decent job!

—

If you’re the gambling type, you can enter my Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win one of three signed copies of The Cogsmith’s Daughter HERE.

Don’t like leaving things up to chance? Me either. You can pre-order your copy of The Cogsmith’s The Cogsmith's Daughter - Ebook SmallDaughter at these fine retailers. Note: when it officially releases on Thursday, October 15, the ebook price is going up! Grab yours today.

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon AU, etc.

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Smashwords

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WHEN THE STEAM-POWERED WORLD DRIES UP…

Two-hundred years ago, the steam-powered world experienced an apocalyptic flood. When the waters dried up, the survivors settled around their steamship in a wasteland they named Desertera. Believing the flood and drought were caused by a scorned goddess, the monarchs demanded execution for anyone who commits the unforgivable sin—adultery.

ONE KING RULES WITH ABSOLUTE POWER AND UNQUENCHABLE LUST…

Today, King Archon entraps his wives in the crime of adultery, executing each boring bride to pursue his next infatuation. Most nobles overlook King Archon’s behavior, but when Lord Varick’s daughter falls victim to the king’s schemes, he vows revenge.

UNTIL THE COGSMITH’S DAUGHTER RISKS EVERYTHING FOR VENGEANCE.

When Aya Cogsmith is thirteen, King Archon has her father executed for treason. Orphaned and forced to turn to prostitution for survival, Aya dreams of avenging her father’s death. When Lord Varick approaches Aya with plans for vengeance, she agrees to play the king’s seductress—even though it puts her at risk for execution.

Packed with high-society intrigue, dappled with seduction, and driven by revenge, The Cogsmith’s Daughter is a steampunk dystopian novel with the perfect mixture of conspiracy and romance.

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Kate M. Colby is an author of cross-genre fiction and creative nonfiction. Her first series, Desertera, consists of steampunk dystopian novels with themes of socio-economic disparity, self-empowerment, romance, and revenge. She lives in the United States with her husband and furry children. You can learn more about Kate and her books on her website: www.KateMColby.com.

 

Writers Need Feedback

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As my second novel, The Art of Survival, goes to press, I want to pick up again, The Art of Breathing, the third in the series. I am privileged to be part of the vibrant writing community locally, and I had given my draft to three of my fellow writers. They are now coming back to me with comments, questions and possible solutions.

I believe that some writers, particularly perhaps novice writers, wait too long to ask for feedback on their work. I suspect this is due to a mix of fear and shame and becoming habituated at school/college to handing in our ‘best work’ to be ‘marked’. If I gave my ‘best work’ to my ‘first’ readers, I would find it very hard to listen to anything but praise. I want feedback when I’ve got to the point in my writing when I know I could make it better, but I’m not sure how. It’s like I’ve got to the lip of the summit and I need my ‘first’ readers to give me a hand up so I can properly see the landscape I have created. From there I spot where things are indistinct or where things are too bold/dominating or where they’ve got into a tangle.

I choose my ‘first’* readers carefully. I want them to be discerning readers, to respect my style and to understand the writing process. I also want them to be able to say what needs to be said in a way that I can hear and act upon it. There’s a lot of trust involved. I watch my fellow writers for how they give critical feedback, for how they receive it, for their tastes and approaches, before I will ask them to support me.
(* I have heard the phrase beta readers used in this context, I am not sure where that usage comes from, if someone would like to enlighten me?)

Giving feedback on a 60,000 plus word novel is time consuming. I am not paying my ‘first’ readers even though they are basically doing the job of the ‘structural’ editor which I can’t afford. I am aware of, and grateful for, their commitment. I do try to give back, in terms of supporting their writing endeavours and (it goes without saying) coffee, tea, cake, lunch… An interesting aside: I heard Ann Cleeves speak at Ayton library recently, and she said that publishers ‘these days’ basically wanted to an edited manuscript; editors did not have the time to edit. So most of the editing work on her novels is done by a colleague and her agent.

Now I have (almost) received all of my feedback, I have to tackle the re-writing. I feel a blend of being daunted and excitement. To move onto another metaphor, it’s like I have created a garment which I know has problems with its fit and there are seams poorly sewn. Some trusted colleagues have come along, done their bit and I now have the unstitched pieces in front of me. I have a list of guidelines beside me, but now it’s down to me to somehow create a wearable gown.

How about you, when do you like to received feedback? And from whom? How do you feel about rewriting? Any tips on tackling it?

Indie Publishing (again)

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So the manuscript is done, copy-edited, proof-read and corrected for the 100th time and, for me, the hard graft now starts – the work of getting it out there and (maybe) read by some.

I will still be publishing through createspace/Kindle in November giving me a paperback and e-book and an easy route onto Amazon, but this time I decided to do a short print run with a local printer as well. I have a number of reasons for this. Firstly, I am not comfortable with ‘selling my soul’ to Amazon and am keen to put money into the local economy. Secondly, though the author price from createspace is reasonable, postage and packaging bulk orders puts the unit cost up and the discount is pretty much lost. Thirdly, I want advance copies to send out for review and also for a number of events I have lined up.

I have been working, therefore, with local printer, Mike, at McRay Press (https://www.facebook.com/McRayPress). And I’ve enjoyed the experience.

I’ve always been fascinated by what I call real printing. I was editor of the university newspaper and we had an old fashioned press which we would crank into action in the early hours of the morning to get our rag out to the ‘masses’ the following day. And I remember my first placement on a newspaper, The Morning News in Plymouth. I walked into the printing area which was below the newsroom and was awed by the huge machines and drums. Unfortunately for my love of printing presses, this was the 1980s and everyone was moving over to digital. During my placement the printers went on strike as they saw their skilled work being downgraded and foresaw how, in the future, it would be taken over by computers and the journalists/editors themselves.

Mike is, of course, all digital. But there’s something of those hot-leading, off-set days about Art of Survival Coverhim and his office. Maybe it is the smell of paper and ink. He has also designed for me a rather fab cover.

Once the copies come through, I will be sending them out for review, to national and local press and to those kind people of the blogging sphere who wrote about The Art of the Imperfect (http://goo.gl/z7HFgz). I have decided to do a Goodreads giveaway and a Kindle promotion on this, my first novel, in the hope it may create some kind of buzz around the launch of my second.

I also have various events set up: 24th October, Book Corner in Saltburn (11am-1pm), signing and short talk on crime writing (http://www.bookcornershop.co.uk/);  17th November, Lifeboat Ladies luncheon talk on crime writing; 21st November, WH Smith, Scarborough, 11am-3pm, book signing; Filey library, talk on crime writing, date TBC.

And finally, comes the work of formatting The Art of Survival for its Amazon launch (21st November). Createspace now takes word docs, so that should be fairly straightforward, and it also has a function which offers to format for Kindle. I will give this a go, even though the forums say it’s not very good. My novel uses italics a lot and this tends to disappear when saving from word into html, so I may have to do what I did last time, slowly and painfully format for Kindle myself.

As I say, this is the part I find hardest about being an indie publisher. It is wonderful, therefore, that my lovely ‘first’ readers have come back with feedback on the third in my crime series, The Art of Breathing. This means that, in between all the above, I can get back to what I really love: writing!

 

The Long Distance Writer – the return home

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bootsI have completed my St Cuthbert’s Way – walking from Melrose in the Scottish borders to Lindisfarne in Northumberland over seven days with my sister. I’ve been back home for a week and, though I took copious notes while I was away, I have found it hard to sculpt anything into a post. The many enquiries of, ‘How was it?’ from friends have mainly been met with numerous ‘um’s followed by a bland ‘fine’.

Perversely, given my passion for writing, I found I was afraid of trying to put my experience into words. I was afraid I would lose the essence of what I’d lived through. It was unexpected. I’d not come across this reluctance before. I’d even submitted (and had accepted) an idea for a series of posts for Mslexia on walking and writing (https://mslexia.co.uk/ six posts from October to December). I thought I’d be excited to get writing, instead I was hesitant.

Polkinghorne says: ‘The realization of self as a narrative in process serves to gather what one has been, in order to imagine what one will be and to judge whether this is what one wants to become. Life is not merely a story text: life is lived and the story is told. The life story is a redescription of the lived life and a means to integrate the aspects of the self.’ (Polkinghorne, D. E. (1988). Narrative Knowing and the Human Sciences. State University of New York Press p. 154.)

I did not want to move from the life lived to the redescription, in doing so I felt I might mislay something essential. Yet in order to integrate my experiences into my life (let alone communicate them, however imperfectly, to others) I have to find the story to be told, or rather, the stories. And there are many. For instance, there is: the description of the landscape; the meetings with others on the path; the sparks of imagination ignited; the narrative of my relationship with my sister; the story of my body; the encounters with histories. There are the stories which have, as yet, not presented themselves to me.

Each story-thread chosen will give me a different perspective, a different way in, a different reveal. I hope in the coming weeks on this blog and also in the posts I do for Mslexia, to unravel some of these yarns and find the means to do at least some of them justice.

During those seven days along St Cuthbert’s Way my sole focus became the walking. It even cherviotssurprised me when my sister described me to someone as a writer. I thought, I’m not a writer today, I’m a walker. I did not dwell on the past, nor look to the future beyond the walk. There was a freedom about this, as I put one foot in front of the other, the dry grass whispering against my boots at every step, the expansive sky and hills all about me. It is one of the aspects of the life as lived I would like to hold onto as I creep towards its redescription.

A Prayer Utters Itself

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I saw the risen Christ on Crosby beach.
He stood, stilled by all that we had done.

 

I prayed to the risen Christ on Crosby Beach,
anointed him with my Everyday Tesco Larger.
I asked him for peace for my soul.
He answered not, only stared at all that we had done.

anotherplacesunsetAug15

His halo sank with the sun.
His cheeks rusted with the wind.
Fermenting seaweed and tanker oil perfumed,
the Christ risen on Crosby Beach.

 

I slept in his iron embrace.
I drowned in the salt ocean of tears
he wept as he understood all that we had done.

Photos by Mark Vesey. Poem by Kate Evans
Title ‘a prayer utters itself’ from Prayer by Carol Ann Duffy

 

 

A Writing Life: empty nest

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The Art of Survival, the second of my crime series set in Scarborough, has just gone to the proof reader. I feel a little flat. I wonder if this is partly akin to an ’empty nest’ feeling parents might get when children leave home? I don’t know for I have never been a parent of a child, only a book.

I think it is also partly to do with the process. Getting the copyeditor’s comments back was exciting, and some of the work that had to be done was creative. Some of it wasn’t, like decreasing the indent on paragraphs because what looks fine on an A4 will look strange on a Kindle or in a paperback. I meant to do this from the start of writing, but forgot. And from here on in, I know from my previous experience, the fun, for me, wanes somewhat. The proof reading corrections, the formatting for the various versions (paperback printed locally; createspace paperback; and Kindle), the marketing, I find most of it a bit of a graft.

Then, perhaps, I am depleted creatively. Bringing forth a novel is no small enterprise. I could just be tired. While The Art of Survival is away, I have turned my attention from novel writing in an effort to replenish. In a couple of weeks time I will be doing St Cuthbert’s Way (a 100km walk from Melrose to Lindisfarne) and I am exploring ideas around movement and creativity. Mslexia (https://mslexia.co.uk/) has commissioned me to contribute to their blog on this subject from October to December, so this has given me a focus, though I may want to develop something further after that.

Today I spread our dinning room table with books, notes and articles which I have already collected on this subject. I wrote with a pen, free writing, free-wheeling-words, no plan, no direction. Being away from the computer and the space offered by the table, appeared to give me permission to wander.

I was reading some Edward Thomas, a poet who walked. I love this little snippet from ‘Over the Hills’

……………..Recall
Was vain: no more could the restless brook
Ever turn back and climb the waterfall
To the lake that rests and stirs not in its nook,
As in the hollow of the collar-bone
Under the mountain’s head of rush and stone.

I’m interested in other writers who walked and also narratives/poems where walks are significant. Do you know of any? What connection do you feel between movement and your creativity?