A quick update on what is happening with the books.
I am listening to PJ Harvey's Stories from the city, stories from the sea, which matches the work I am doing at the moment: updating the various pages of this very website, thinking about my forthcoming books - which all contain stories from the city and stories from the sea... Today, I am reading through I Am a Muse to make sure it is ready for publication. Everything is now ready to be uploaded on Lulu, which I will be trying out on Sunday. I am so worried, I have butterflies in my stomach. This weekend was my deadline for uploading as I still would like to hit my November publishing date. If everything goes well and all the files upload properly, I should be able to order a proof copy of my book immediately. So Lulu will need to send the copy to me, then I will need to read through it and check that the printing has gone well. This should take another two weeks, if I am not interrupted by some freelance work - yes, it's money, but... Or it could all go wrong on Sunday and I will be in a spot of bother. *UPDATE 28/10/2012: I began reading through I Am a Muse on Friday. I couldn't help changing words, tweaking things... So this has now turned into a last minute revision of the manuscript, which is not cool as it will delay the publication further. I hope this will not take too long and I will be able to try out Lulu in the forthcoming days... In other news, I have now purchased two domain names for my websites so the addresses look more professional. So you will find me at www.missgish.com - well, here - and also at www.arcanepublishing.net. Business cards should get done in the forthcoming weeks. I have been updating details about my next books as I have been to a lot of inspiring places and events and my brain has been overheating this week (see previous blogs!). I have added the first writing piece for The Right Place HERE as well as some of the pictures taken during my holidays in Dorset earlier this month. I have used them as inspiration for that very piece. I have added some details on the Anti page. Walking around London has given me quite a few more ideas for my Urban Noir tale... I hope I will be able to go back to The Book of Thoth next week, but it looks like work is coming my way in the next few weeks. I will try and apply the "write everyday" rule nevertheless, let's see if I can do it. Usually, if I am working, my brain refuses to switch to "writing mode" and I can only write if I have a whole free day. 23/10/2012 A weekend of inspirationOn Saturday, I was back in London to see Tate Britain's exhibition Pre-Raphaelites - Victorian avant-garde. I adore Pre-Raphaelite art, which seems to be enjoying a rehabilitation after having been dismissed for years. I have never given up on them, because their work genuinely inspires me. You could write a whole novel using any of their paintings as a starting point. Being face to face with such craft and beauty really moved me. Pre-Raphaelite paintings can take your breath away and send you into a daydream you will find difficult to shake up. Such beauty in our very ugly, bling world is incredibly welcome. Art for art's sake: this is a motto I completely adhere to. William Holman Hunt is my least favourite of the Pre-Raphaelites; he was obviously tormented by religious guilt and fever and his numerous Bible-themed paintings, if extremely well executed, do not do anything for me and do not fire up my secular imagination. It's a little bit too evangelical for me. But I have found two reasons to like him again: The Light of the World is infused with an incredible light. Then there is The Lady of Shalott. I almost fell over when I saw it. It is not a painting, this is a whole scene in motion: the hair tossed around, the threads flying across the room... You have to go to the exhibition and see the large framed painting to really appreciate its sheer power, energy and beauty. After a walk along the Thames which provided me with yet some more ideas for my fourth novel, an Urban Noir tale set in London, we reached the ever popular South Bank centre and the BFI. We wanted to make sure we would catch "The Art of Frankenweenie" exhibition - this was the last day - and I am so so glad we did! It was just amazing to be able to see a little bit behind the scenes of Tim Burton's latest offering - I am a big fan. There were sets, videos, trailers, and some of the puppets that had been used for the movie (Sparky the dog is so cuuuuute!) The exhibition made you understand how incredibly detailed and thought through everything was, and to be able to see all the tiny little details of the sets was a real bonus; you can never see everything when you watch a movie, as the action distracts you from the rest. There is an excellent little article about the exhibition HERE, together with some pictures, so go and have a look. I adore Tim Burton's universe, because it is so very close to my own. He might be considered as the "weird", "eccentric" director, but for me, he is the one I find reassuring. In Frankenweenie, he celebrates old movies, the beauty of black and white, what it feels like to feel alienated from a world you don't fit in. He celebrates brainy, intelligent, curious, creative kids. He tells children (and adults) that it's OK to be who you are, to be different, not to follow the crowd. It's fine to like books and science, not to be desperate to be popular. It's OK to have a dark side and like strange things, it is what makes you special. And I will go and see Frankenweenie, even though it's a Disney movie aimed at children. Well, probably according to the marketing office. Us adult Tim Burton aficionados, we know otherwise. We haven't left adulthood destroy our dreams... On Sunday, we went to The Palace Theatre open day and had a great time... But this will be the subject of another blog!
22/10/2012 Metal's creative LAB: On Writing FictionSo there. I have done it! I have survived my first creative writing course. And to be perfectly honest, it will probably be the last. No course could be better than this one. This was pretty special. Last week, I had to get into the habit of going off to work somewhere outside of my flat again – something that hasn't been happening for the past three years exactly – I left my last full-time position on 23rd October 2009! I also had to get used to being around a group of people day in and day out again. I have grown incredibly fond of my hermit life, alone in front of my laptop… I am a loner by nature, and being around people – especially people I don’t know well – emotionally exhausts me… Interacting with other people makes me be on my guard all the time. The reasons for this are numerous and would take too long to explain. Let’s just say I am extremely weary of people in general. Going to exhibitions, the theatre and gigs doesn't really count, I guess, as one can still remain in one’s own little bubble, even though it gets reduced a great deal. There was also the fact that I have never shown my work to anyone else. My work in music journalism was of an entirely different nature, and a lot of people read my articles and reviews, but that didn't bother me. I knew I was good at it and I was talking about other artists’ work, not mine. Fiction writing is completely different: you disclose your inner world to others, whatever comes out of your imagination is part of you and it can feel intimidating. Metal’s Lab: On writing fiction wasn't full of pedantic self-aggrandising wannabe authors who, having paid good money to get a place on a course, feel entitled to behave like the customer they are; after all, “the customer is King”. They expect to be told how to become a famous author in 10 steps, just because they’re worth it – or at least they are worth something because they have paid. All the people on last week’s course had been invited to attend after a rigorous selection process, and all 9 of us felt very thankful and privileged to have been picked. One thing was immediately obvious: there was passion in there. We all had very different personalities, backgrounds and life experiences. But we also all had a passion for books, for the written word, for our writing. Chalkwell Hall was filled with energy the whole week; you could feel the subtle power of creative brains at work. There was also a lot of talent. I was absolutely amazed at the quality of the work produced by the other participants and their knowledge of literature – and of a lot of other subjects too! Nobody was dabbling; we were into serious writers’ territory, there. It was a humbling, inspiring, energising experience. The staff at Metal were absolutely wonderful: friendly and genuinely interested, they listened and observed without dictating. A special thank has to go to Syd Moore, our “tutor” and “team leader” for the week, for her guidance, expertise and encouragement. I love listening to other people and absorb information like a sponge, and therefore that’s what I have mainly done: I listened, and I learned a lot. On Monday and Tuesday, we had special guest speakers, all seasoned authors in their own right. I was particularly thrilled to be able to listen to Christopher Fowler, whose books I have been reading on and off since 1998, and whose fab blog I have been following for the past three years. He was absolutely fascinating, as was the mesmerising Cathi Unsworth – what a charismatic personality! Julie Myerson was the most famous speaker of the three – her and her husband form one of London’s cultural power couples. I was very impressed by her self-confidence and her strong opinions on writing, even though as a person and a writer, I feel closer to Christopher Fowler’s and Cathi Unsworth’s world(s). I actually spent one day and a half working on the top floor of Chalkwell Hall on my own work – what will become my third novel, The Right Place. When I started off, I vaguely knew in which direction I was going: my third novel would be set in Dorset, would be inspired by the landscape, the history and the very special, quasi surpernatural atmosphere of the county; I also wanted to use PJ Harvey’s song “The Wind” as inspiration, and I kept the printed lyrics in front of me while I viewed my holiday pictures of St Catherine’s chapel and Chesil Beach, two of the most important locations in my novel. And suddenly, it all started to pour out, all those ideas… A few hours after having set up on the table, my notebook was covered in Post-its and scribbles. By the end of the day, I had written half a tempestuous scene which I then finished off the following morning. I genuinely surprised myself! I had so little when I had first arrived! It usually takes me a good six months to plan a novel, and I had done the equivalent of a month work in a day!
I am quite happy with that scene and will post it in The Right Place section of this website when I have done the small amendments that need doing. On the Friday, when I finally stood up in front of the small, intimate audience to read an extract of the piece I had produced earlier in the week, I thought I was going to faint; I was so very nervous! I could swear small silvery stars momentarily danced in front of my eyes – for a whole second, and I forgot to breathe. It was a very different feeling to the one you have when standing in front of a class of 30 attention deficit disorder-riddled teenagers - I am an ex-teacher. This was just so much bigger. But I did it, and I think this first time was very very important. I believe I was the only participant who had never read to an audience before… So now it’s a year to Metal’s Shorelines Festival – the literature festival of the sea – and we have all been invited to participate… I already have an idea about what I would like to do, but it is a whole year away and therefore I will not dwell on it… I have gained a lot from this intense week, and I know that from now on, I will be approaching my writing in a slightly different manner. The instinct needs to be supported by more craft, and this is the recipe I will be using. I have been thinking about revising my (hopefully) about to be self-published novel I Am a Muse before publication, but I am now running out of time. I will be doing a quick read through this week but will leave it as it is: rather raw and incredibly imperfect, a naïve and probably not fully formed first novel. 9/10/2012 Rural NoirNames of places around Dorset are insane. Some are poetic, some are downright rude or grotesque - Scratchy Bottom, anyone? Actually, there are quite a lot of bottoms: Burnt Bottom, Happy Bottom, even an Aunt Mary's Bottom... Also, we have Shitterton and Shaggs (apparently there is a royal connection here, to prince Harry of all people) stop sniggering at the back!... For more wonderful names and facts about Dorset, you can acquire a great little book: The Little Book of Dorset, by David Hilliam (I have linked the Amazon page here, I don't think there is any website for it). I have bought mine at a lovely independent bookshop in Wimborne Minster, Gullivers. I personally love Gussage All Saints, as it inevitably reminds me of the beautifully named newt-loving P.G Wodehouse character Gussie Fink-Nottle (in the Jeeves and Wooster series). Wodehouse is my default reading at the moment: serious book / Wodehouse/ serious book / Wodehouse - not that I don't take Mr Wodehouse's writing seriously! Reading his books just make me happy, so I pick it up whenever I need a little... pick-me-up! Dorset's most famous writer Thomas Hardy famously changed all the place names and created his very own semi-fictional county of WESSEX with them. The poet John Betjeman actually wrote a poem using the evocative names of Dorset villages: Rime Intrinsica, Fontmell Magna, Sturminster Newton and Melbury Bubb, Whist upon whist upon whist upon whist drive, in Institute, Legion and Social Club. Horny hands that hold the aces which this morning held the plough While Tranter Reuben, T. S. Eliot, H. G. Wells and Edith Sitwell lie in Mellstock Churchyard now. Lord's Day bells from Bingham's Melcombe, Iwerne Minster, Shroton, Plush, Down the grass between the beeches, mellow in the evening hush. Gloved the hands that hold the hymn-book, which this morning milked the cow While Tranter Reuben, Mary Borden, Brian Howard and Harold Acton lie in Mellstock Churchyard now. Light's abode, celestial Salem! Lamps of evening, smelling strong, Gleaming on the pitch-pine, waiting, almost empty even- song{:} From the aisles each window smiles on grave and grass and yew-tree bough While Tranter Reuben, Gordon Selfridge, Edna Best and Thomas Hardy lie in Mellstock Churchyard now. {Note: The names in the last lines of these stanzas are put in not out of malice or satire but merely for} their euphony.} On our way back from Dorset last weekend, we noticed a village called Barton Stacey (OK, this is in Hampshire, not in Dorset, but we were on our way back from our holidays in Dorset, and it's still pretty rural, so there's a link!) and my partner said:
"Wow, that would be a cool name for a private detective, Barton Stacey!" It would, indeed. "Yes," I replied, "It could be the name of a character in a detective book set in the countryside. Like, Rural Noir" - rolling of the "Rs" - as opposed to the decidedly more urban genres of the Film Noir and Noir novel... And we started laughing and imagining what such a book would be about. Would the detective be wearing wellies? We could find some cool titles... "Hayfever - a Barton Stacey mystery" or "Barton Stacey and the mystery of the flying cow"... I don't know, I am not sure I could myself write a detective novel, although I have read quite a lot of them... And I do not know enough about crime, policing, etc. Also, this would have to be a spoof, and I am not witty enough to start dabbling in comic/comedic writing. But wouldn't it be fun to try and create a series of it... Who knows, maybe one day? By the way, the Rural Noir genre actually seems to exist: SEE HERE I guess you could call Faulkner's work Rural Noir. Nick Cave had a good go as well with his And The Ass Saw the Angel... It is more Rural Gothic though... 8/10/2012 Back to the deskI came back to the overcrowded South-East on Saturday night, and I already have the impression I have never left. But it has been an astonishingly inspiring two weeks. It's a bit grim after two weeks of this: Perfect peace and quiet, very few people and complete darkness at night.
We have discovered some absolutely wonderful new places full of beauty, mystery and power... Secret chapels in the woods, altars and offerings, iron age forts, stone circles, imposing country mansions, squabbling gentry families, inspired writers... and even a white deer - which apparently is stuff of legend... I have photographic proof! I hope to post more pictures and thoughts here this week before embarking on my week-long creative writing course next week - I hope to be able to chronicle the course with yet more thoughts and pictures, this is what this blog is about. Thankfully for our sanity, we have a whole schedule of exhibitions, gigs, vintage markets and theatre plays to keep us busy. London is not far away and even though I am becoming more and more obsessed with Dorset and the mysteries of the landscape and life there, my love for the capital remains unchanged and it can still deliver its regular dose of culture. On the horizon: Pre-Raphaelites, Cecil Beaton, Hollywood costumes, Amanda Palmer, Fields of the Nephilim... to name but a few! This week is free from freelance work, so I will be splitting my time between blogging about Dorset, writing at least 1,000 words a day of The Book of Thoth and preparing a presentation for the course. 10/9/2012 Do you slash?It is quite funny how the media always attempt to pigeonhole people and put them into brand new categories with silly names. Usually, those people have been doing their stuff without thinking they were part of a particular group, just following their instinct.
So imagine my hilarity when my partner came back with a copy of the (atrocious) ES Magazine he found on the train and on the cover was the following headline: "Meet Sarah. She's a slashy". Then inside, several pages about some photogenic young people DOING THINGS! Well, yeah, if you're dynamic, creative, passionate, inventive and want a fulfilling life, you, like, do things. (Article HERE) So we've discovered that we are "Slashies" (although we no longer live in London and we are older than those featured in the article, so we probably don't count). You know, we have a job that officially pays, and then we do some other enterprising, creative things on top of that. As if that's new. So, dahling, I'm, like, so chuffed to be part of the new AWESOME slash/slash/slashy trendy category: Meet Miss Gish, editor/writer/translator/publisher/assistant stall holder - my boyfriend suggested adding bird feeder to the list, but I'm not sure that counts! 1/7/2012 Fact: I am human!Whilst setting up the little website for The Curious Home, I've had to go through a few surreal things, like verifying that I am indeed a human being. And you know what? I am relieved: Weebly has confirmed that I am...
I have stolen the image above from Christopher Fowler's blog.
The image is by Hilary B Price, and her website is fantastic: http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/ Now that I know it is there, I will be visiting it regularly! 14/3/2012 On working from homeSo you turn the radio on and you hear a woman declaring very matter-of-factly: "I am a freelancer and therefore I spend my whole day working at the kitchen table in my pyjamas."
NO, NO, NO! This is the idea people have of freelancers and writers: big slobs who wander around the house procrastinating, looking a mess because they can't be bothered to shower/get dressed. I really don't know how those people can function. Maybe they lack pride, self-respect and willpower, it's up to them, really. It is just not for me! Implying that every freelancer/writer is like that... It infuriates me! Personally, I cannot start writing/working before I've done my hour of exercise, had a shower, got dressed and put my make-up on. Then, and only then, am I ready to get things done. And I don't procrastinate. 17/2/2012 Writing life: exerciseI always start my freelance and/or writing day with a one hour work out, without fail.
It stimulates the brain! |
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January 2025
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