It’s been difficult to maintain this blog for many reasons; other commitments, lack of time etc. But, they say, if you want something doing, ask a busy person. In reality, I could have found the time to update the blog if i really wanted to; the truth is, I didn’t have the inclination.

This is the real reason the blog is coming to an end. It was started a long time ago, for a reason that is no longer relevant. The early days mistakes are too plentiful to mention and too awkward to rectify. The purpose got lost along the way and it became a rambling road – one that I rarely venture down these days.

As a result, I am currently building another blog, one that suits the changes in my lifestyle – both as a writer and as a person. I will be taking only the best posts from this blog with me and, although I was originally going to archive the rest, I’ve now decided to kill them off.

The support has been great, but I feel it’s time to do something better. So I hope you’ll support me and follow along. Watch this space.

Hero of the week goes to #twitterxmassingle…

The lovely and kind hearted – as well as talented – folk who put together this awesome charity song can still be supported for just 99 cents over on iTunes. All proceeds go to charity and you get a cracking Christmassy song to boot.

Blog shout outs go to…Kirkus MacGowan for his advice to writers on slowing down and Kim Wright for her advice on the most dangerous words for writers. Thanks folks for these compelling – and insightful – reads.

And my other shout outs go to…Christmas decorations for working so hard at making the world cheery when the weather is so bleak and The Bunratty Inn for hosting our christmas-themed wedding reception and dinner as it’s making lots of people smile.

Dear Derek,

Before I went away on my November trip, I told you about this sparkling new blog that I was going to build – after mastering loads of new technical skills and being generally downright awesome in the blogging department.

But the fact of the matter is – I suck at technical stuff and – I cannot pull myself away from writing about fantasy lands long enough. Without someone in front of me saying – no you idiot, click on that – in the time that it’ll take me to learn the necessary skills and actually create the real life sparkling new blog of my dreams, the internet will be null and void and we’ll all be communicating telepathically.

And so – apologies. I’m a big fat liar This same old blog is sticking around for that bit longer – ’tis hard to teach old dogs new tricks. But this ole dog will get there yet – and there will be more blog posts. Promise. A real promise this time.

If you could find it in your  heart to forgive me and tell Santy he can still pay a visit, it’d be much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Elizabeth ‘sucks at tech stuff’ Murray

###This is a post dedicated to the wonderful derekf03 – a prolific blogger and go-getter who writes like a dream and laughs like a daemon. Check out his awesome music here.

There’ll be lots of pics from this time too.

See you back here in December!

Each panelist gave a five minute talk on their area of expertise before the floor was handed over to the audience for questions. Throughout the hour and a half long session, a vast amount of information was passed to the audience, covering everything from reasons behind writing for children, how to submit manuscripts, details on what agents and publishers are looking for and how to approach signing a book contract.

When it comes to the writing process, Anna chose to write teen book because “in teenage years, emotions are so heightened, it lends itself to the melodramatic and is a great source of comedy. I wanted to write a funny book.” Anna also discussed the importance of writers reading, both for enjoyment and for research. “I never stopped reading children’s and teen literature and I think any good book for aged 11+ should be good for an adult too if it’s well written.” Oisin described the different expectations regarding word count, language and editing when writing for different age groups. But in all cases, he lets the story dictate what the reading age will be; “the story comes first and the reader age comes second. In books for younger children, the illustrations help carry the story but by the time you get to young adult fiction, story is king.” In short, you need to have great ideas, perfect them with a passion and know your market before you start pitching them.

This outlook was mirrored by Paddy and Julia. Paddy gave some specific examples of where the gaps are at Puffin Ireland, (such as another huge ‘boy’ series, a comical series and a tear jerker) but then quickly added – “of course, that doesn’t mean that’s all we’re looking for. We’re open to everything. We’re looking for a great voice and an original story.” Likewise, Julia doesn’t follow trends in publishing because “there’s such a small window – it has to be right thing at the right time.” For Julia, there are six important pieces to the publication puzzle; “concept, character, story setting, theme, voice and hook – all these things need to fuse into a great story.” She pointed out that manuscripts never arrive on her desk ready to go to publishers but (thankfully!) she loves the slush pile and is always open to the next big surprise. “The story needs to be fresh and something I can work with so it can be pitched with clarity.” To help demonstrate this point, Julia read several (and masterful) examples of books that she has pitched to publishers – and, as you would expect, they all sounded amazing. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is the easy part; writing a decent pitch is an art form and needs plenty of time and edits.

So, how do you approach publishers and agents?

The consensus is that it’s fine to approach publishers directly although there are fewer open submissions being accepted. Plus, having an agent has its advantages; for instance, an editor will read a manuscript more quickly if passed on by an agent. It’s also fine to send submissions out to several publishers/agents at once; Julia recommended ten at a time but everyone on the panel agreed that precise records need to be kept so that time isn’t wasted and submissions aren’t duplicated. Another general consensus; “you need skin like an armadillo” (Oisin). Trying to secure an agent or a publisher is tough and takes lots of time and patience. However,“persistence pays, harassment doesn’t,” warns Oisin. “Once you’ve got a submission out there, be patient.”

For those who have already sent out submissions and have been rejected, here’s a bit of consoling information: Malorie Blackman had 82 rejections and Kate Miller had 350 rejections. It’s part of the business so all is not lost if you receive a rejection (or several). But if you do secure a publishing contract and don’t have an agent, the Irish Writers Union is on hand to help; successful novelist Conor Kostick is available at the union to look over proposed contracts and give advice.

Light-hearted yet extremely useful, this was a fabulous evening and well worth watching out for in the future. Sarah was a delightful Chair for the event and in a fabulously giddy mood: please note, everyone, Sarah definitely does not like books that contain rabbits in jackets (though Anna would consider rabbits dressed as kittens and a love story set in space)!

Please note; This is a cross post with Writing_ie.

The Cork International Short Festival certainly closed on a finale as Edna O’Brien scooped the Frank O’Connor Short Story Award, worth 35,000 euro – a well deserved and impressive result from a prolific and much admired writer. Edna’s acceptance speech was just perfect:

“I don’t have an acceptance speech because I didn’t expect to win.”

Still, Edna managed to address the audience humbly, gratefully and with oodles of elegance…

“I know writing is often more about madness than ambition, but I think writing is also my fortress, and this prize will help me defend it a little longer. It will help me get on with the writing I want to do.”

That’s great news for us as readers.

Yet, for me, it wasn’t just this grand finale that resonated. Yes, this is the biggest award and longest-running short story festival in the world; but it’s also one of the most honest and dedicated.

Firstly, The Cork International Short Festival is committed to excellence. And this shines through in every area; the list of “staggering talent” (Siobhan Fallon) of writers in attendance, the array of events on offer, the surroundings and the smooth organisation which makes sure everyone is well looked after.

Canadian writer, Michael Christie, described the festival as “forward-thinking” and I certainly agree. It continues to champion the short story, one of the most underrated forms of literature today, celebrating both established and up-and-coming writers in their writing career.

Unsurprisingly, the festival was well supported by other writers…I spied Gerry Murphy, Leanne O’Sullivan and Adam Wyeth, amongst others, in the crowd; testimony that Cork literary festivals are creating a supportive writing network which is keen to help others along the way & give literary talent the attention it deserves.

For me, writing the official blog was a real joy; I was introduced to some writers I may never have come across otherwise (I’d highly recommend Canadian writer Deborah Willis), I interviewed some amazing people (such as Peter Murphy and Suzanne Rivecca) and reported from great events. From the organisers who had enough savvy to want a blog in the first place, to the writers who were more than willing to contribute; the whole experience was brilliant.

The blog received excellent feedback – and, more importantly, allowed people who couldn’t make the festival, or some of the events, the chance to find out what they’d missed. And after all, reaching that extra bit of audience, making literature even more accessible, is what it’s all about.

So, if you didn’t get chance to catch up on events, you can go to the official Cork International Short Story festival blog for a read. But, whatever you do, make sure you add next year’s festival to your diary.

I’m privileged to be the official blogger for the festival – after all, you can never comlain if you love what you do! Over the next few weeks I will be counting down on the festival blog, bringing you information about the impressive line-up of interviews, readings and workshops. You can read the Cork International Short Story Festival blog here.

Let’s face it; these things can easily be kept to a minimum. Facebook only requires one or two snippets of something interesting a week at most, and Twitter can easily be scheduled outside of writing time. Blogs definitely take longer to write but so long as your readers know how frequently you intend to blog, you can blog every fortnight, or even once a month, if that’s what fits with your schedule. Be clear and write well and you’ll have a good blog. Simple.

But, even more importantly, I felt that this claim that social media should be avoided by writers missed a crucial point; social media can be used to aid your writing in many ways.

Firstly, you get to make contact with other writers, publishers and agents. This creates a valuable support network which I personally find to be of life-saving proportions. It’s not just a good way to get to speak to people who interest you, who can help you with your writing & point you in the right direction, but you get chance to build up friendships with people who understand the joy/frustration/elation of being a writer. And that’s valuable whether you’re published, almost published or just starting to think about the idea of getting published. As successful self-published author and blogger Catherine Ryan-Howard says “Building a social media presence is the single best thing a writer can do for his or herself outside of writing a great book. It enables you to build a readership, connect with other writers, agents and publishers and even sell your work. Better yet, it’s fun!”

When it comes to establishing an online presence and selling your work, this doesn’t mean bombarding people with hard sell; after all, people will just get annoyed and ignore you. But as you build relationships, people gain an interest in you and your work. You have an outlet to advertise the stuff you’ve done and the chance to gain more of a readership. In addition, you can get noticed and maybe even be approached by an agent, an editor (this happened to me) or a publisher and – fingers crossed – secure yourself a much-coveted book deal. Think Twenty Major, Maria Duffy and Beaut.ie – all people who secured a book deal in one way or another through their social media presence.

Finally, you can find out information that you need or bandy an idea around with instant results. Twitter is particularly good for this because you can direct the question to people you think might know the answer. And with questions thrown out in general, the replies are usually fired back at you pretty quickly. This is great if you’ve come to a sticking point which is distracting you. If you’re worried about the time taken, don’t be; you don’t need to sit there waiting for a reply. Send out the question, get back to work and then check your @ messages when you have time.

So although social media could be a distraction, it doesn’t have to be. Just be mindful of how and when you use it and make it work for you. Like anything else, it’s only a distraction if you want it to be.

These images really got me thinking, because this pretty much sums up many people’s attitudes to writers and writing.

Whenever I tell people I’m a writer, living in the countryside, I always get the same reaction; “Ah, that’ll be inspiring. You can look at the sea for hours on end, waiting for the ideas to come. That’s the life!”

Well, yes, in many ways, it is the life. I’ve surrounded myself with beautiful views and inspiring people, and I get to do what I love every day. But as any writer knows, writing doesn’t entail sitting and waiting for an idea to form; writing is hard work. You have to discipline yourself to sit and write every day – you have to make ideas work, yet be prepared to scrap hours, days, or even several months’ worth of work if the plot/characters/general ideas don’t work out in the end. And you also have to be ruthless and selfless enough to spot the failure in the first place, despite the time and effort you’ve invested.

Writing can be lonely, time consuming and takes an enormous amount of self control – it’s a selfish monster but, if you’re a writer, it’s a necessity. Writing is embedded in your soul and words need to be formed, manipulated and loved on a daily basis, no matter what else is going on in your life. But don’t get me wrong; writing is also a complete delight. And there’s an unidentifiable joy that you gain from jumping into the sea of language and coming up with a handcrafted pearl.

As writers, we take huge risks to follow our passion, our dream. We risk isolation, rejection and failure as, every day, we strive for perfection. We practise and train as much as athletes, craving success and recognition as well as the satisfaction of producing an enjoyable read. Ask any writer; you can write for yourself and try to feel satisfied with your work but there’s an inherent need for verification in the form of a publishing deal.

Yet, with or without a publisher behind us, we have to remind ourselves on a daily basis that yes, we’re writers. We have to know what we’re aiming for and be prepared to go out and get it. So we stoke up our laptops and wield our pens, then leap back into the tide – unsure of where we’re going but delighted to be going on the journey.

Why? Because, contrary to popular belief, writers don’t navel gaze; they write. No matter what else is going on, writing is our driving force for everyday life. And, I must say, it’s magical.

But even though a big top has descended in front of my apartment; that’s not the reason I’ve been letting my blog go to seed. I’ve been preparing for my book to go to publishers and it’s only now that it is out there, being thumbed by prospective editors, that I have time to think about where this blog is going. And so – here’s a shout out to those who manage to write and keep their blog going at the same time…

My first pick is a relative newcomer to the blogging scene: Derek Flynn. His blog, Rant, with Occasional Music, is an amazing mix of music, writing chat and heart warming stories. As well as an incredibly readable writing style, Derek is also a thoughtful, kind and talented man. Have a listen to one of his self-written songs and take a few moments to read this stunning post to see what I mean: but by no means stop there! Have a poke around and see what else is on offer. You won’t regret it.

Next up is a blog which combines “humour, writing, grammar and the occasional recipe” from best-selling author Derek Haines. If you follow Derek on Twitter, you’ll know how funny, charming and interesting he is – and if you don’t, it’ll only take a quick skim of his blog to get an idea. After all, there aren’t many people who can get away with a tab called Grammar Fun! His attitude towards writing is brilliant, and you’re guaranteed laughs a plenty. This is a genuinely interesting, smart and funny blog, suitable for even the most discerning reader.

And finally; a blog which always surprises me: Words and Pictures. Through a combination of photos and superb penmanship, Nettie Thomson covers anything and everything with hope, self-effacing humour and kindness. She’s an incredibly funny lady with a big heart and varied interests so you’re always going to find something of interest. To be honest, the surprise element is a big pull for me; I genuinely never know what to expect and always delighted with my find. I’d recommend starting with the blog post about bullying – as well as the response.

So a huge thank you to these guys and I’ll be taking a bit of inspiration from them as I think about the redesign and future strategy for my own blog. Any ideas/suggestions welcome! In the meantime; here’s another front garden photo!