Jenny Beattie - One Thing I've Learnt

Not for all the tea in China

 

Except I’m not in China, I’m in Thailand; but still, a western woman in an eastern culture. When I moved here seven years ago, Western tea was Lipton’s. That didn’t cut it with me; I’m a Brit. I needed hardcore builders’ tea.

 

I soon discovered that, set in my ways as I was, asking for a cup of tea was much more of a liability and that being served Lipton’s was a good result. I could be given Chinese green tea (which is lovely in its own right but not builders’ tea) or it could be Japanese tea, which is different again and powdery. I could get hot-ish water - getting colder by the second - with the tea bag waiting patiently on the side. Sometimes the tea was black (YAY) but it was presweetened or it was served with condensed milk or steamed milk…

 

Of course, I’m not just talking about tea here. When I moved to this new culture what I thought I knew about life was thrown upside down and shaken about. I’ve had my ideas challenged, my palette widened and my notions confronted.

 

And now, I’ll pretty much drink my tea however it comes.

Helen Hunt - One Thing I've Learnt

One Thing I’ve Learnt …

I’ve been writing for seven years now, and teaching writing for nearly a year, and one thing I’ve learnt is that you never stop learning.

One of the most satisfying things about teaching writing is that I learn as much from my students as, I hope, they learn from me. Every time a student asks a question about writing it makes me examine how and why I write as I do. Every time I do a critique of a story for a student I learn something that I know will help me in my own writing.

I’ve also learnt that I love teaching. Explaining to others how short stories work, and how to write them well, is a joy. And when a student ‘gets it’, and I realise I’ve been able to help them achieve that eureka moment, it makes it all worthwhile. Recently, one of my students sold her first story and I think I was almost as excited as she was.

Learning as you go is one of the best things about writing, and as I continue to write, and try new and different styles of writing, I hope to keep learning, improving and being able to share that with others through teaching.

http://www.helenmhunt.co.uk/

http://fictionisstrangerthanfact.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/hmhunt

The RNA Summer Party

Last night at the Royal Overseas League was a glittering affair...

Me, Kay Burley and Jane Wenham-Jones

Handsome Date and Biddy Coady

Me, Scarlett Wilson and Lynda Dunwell - three of the Joan Hessayson Shortlist

The wonderful Evonne Wareham won with her novel her Novel Coming Home...

And then the Romantic Novel of the Year...Please Don't Stop The Music by the wonderful Jane Lovering

A brilliant night!

More photos of the night are on the RNA blog here.

It seems I have been appearing everywhere this week....the links

Over on the International Chick-Lit Month blog I've written a letter to my unpublished self here
There's a new Cornish Literature blog here
At Novelicious I'm there with my top tips for writing here and my writing rooms here and the fabulous review here...

Tomorrow we continue with the 'One Thing I've Learnt' series and you'll next here from directly the day after the London Launch of The Cornish House...on the 25th. Of course if you are in Lodon on the 24th you don't need to wait for the blog post - please come and join the celebration. It's on the 24th of May 2012 at 7PM at Waterstones High Street Kensington...there will be Cornish pasties...

Emma Lee-Potter - One Thing I've Learnt

I never dreamed I’d say this but the main lesson I’ve learned over the years is that I love deadlines. Whether it’s a news story in 20 minutes flat or a novella in a month, writing is so much easier if you have one.

My first real experience of deadlines came when I worked as a news reporter for the Evening Standard. I’d just arrived in London from a sleepy weekly newspaper in Devon (where the most exciting thing that ever happened was the council’s planning meeting) and I nearly fell off my chair in shock when my boss sent me out of the office at seven a.m. with instructions to file my story from the other side of London by nine. I didn’t even have a mobile phone, so I wasted loads of time hunting for a phone box. But my story was in the paper by noon.

A couple of months ago a publisher asked me to write a novella. “When do you need it by?” I asked. “Four weeks,” he replied. The eye-wateringly tight deadline sealed the deal and made me get cracking immediately. And yes, I delivered my novella, Olympic Flames, bang on time.

As for other lessons I’ve learned, here are a few more:

If you want to do something, just do it (well, within reason).
Trust your instincts.
Think big, work hard and laugh lots.

http://housewithnoname.blogspot.co.uk

Emma’s new ebook, Olympic Flames, is out now. Showjumper Mimi Carter is desperate to win an Olympic gold medal at London 2012. But as injury threatens and an enigmatic old flame arrives back on the scene, can she put her feelings to one side and realise her dream?

The Dubai Launch of The Cornish House

All I can say is WOW! I was awed and humbled by the friends, acquaintances and strangers who came to the the Dubai launch of the Cornish House at Kinokuniya in the Dubai Mall. The Cornish Cream tea was a huge success and dear friends brought the flag of St Piran which saved the evening....

After the early prep work in which I was ably aided by DH, Bee and the wonderful Matt Cowdrey of Hachette...

 It was time to take off the apron and face the crowd...and unlike most Dubai events- people came early which was wonderful as we had a chance to chat and nibble...

Behind DH's smile you can see Matt introducing me...

I look like I'm giving a stern lecture!

A now for the reading....

What was great was there was a lovely chance to mix and mingle before hand. and afterwards. Very unlike me to not be able to find the words to describe the evening but I can't -from the moment I walked into Kinokuniya's and saw my books on display front of house to all the wonderful people who came to wish me well and who bought soooo many books...in fact more books than people who attended!

What am amazing start in an amazing place...

If I can work the technicalities I may have video footage later!

Before I sign off to catch this flight I need to say there have been some fabulous things said about The Cornish House on Novelicious here and I've been put as a top summer by Isabel Costello on her On The Sofa blog here...

Back to One Thing I've Learnt tomorrow and I have been loving these little posts...each day I'm reminds me of something important or something new...

Kate Hardy - One Thing I've Learnt

One thing I’ve Learnt…

…is to be resilient.

Being an author is just like any other job in that it has ups and downs. New contracts, awards shortlistings, glowing reviews, bestseller listings – they’re all wonderful to celebrate. But you also have to deal with changes in editor, changes in the direction of an imprint that don’t work for your voice, publishers closing and snarky reviews. And things can happen in your non-writing life that take up all your time and creative energy, affecting your work more than if you had a job in a different field.

Being resilient is what will keep you writing, meeting your deadlines and staying ready to take new opportunities.

How do you keep going through the tough times? That’s when your support group comes in. Usually fellow writers, who can understand because they’ve been there or seen it before. Friends who’ll sympathise, let you vent for just a little while, feed you chocolate, and then encourage you to overcome the obstacles and get on with it instead of letting you wallow in misery.

I’m immensely grateful for my writer friends. (You know who you are. And thank you.)

Kate Hardy

http://katehardy.blogspot.com/

http://www.katehardy.com/

http://www.facebook.com/katehardyromanceauthor

http://twitter.com/#!/katehardyauthor

Janet Gover - One Thing I've Learnt

One thing I've learnt…

… is how to live without my 'stuff'.

Just over a year ago, my husband was posted to New York and we moved to a shoebox-sized apartment in midtown Manhattan.  Seriously – a shoebox - for a pair of kitten-heeled slippers – not even a big boot box!

Don't get me wrong – New York is fab-u-lous and our apartment is in an amazing location. But when it comes to cupboard space – forget it.

All our 'stuff' went into storage. My books. My new cookware. My collection of classic weepy movies on DVD. I only brought 7 pairs of shoes with me!!!! 

I discovered I can live happily without all that stuff – except the books of course, but now I have a Kindle.

Instead of collecting 'stuff', we're spending our hard earned money on experiences : trips to amazing places, concerts and Broadway shows.  Collecting memories.

A New York Blizzard - one of Janet's magic memories

I also learned that I can't live without my friends, which is why I'll be on a plane soon to join them all for the RNA conference.  I confess – I will be bringing a couple of pairs of new shoes.  Just because I CAN live with only 7 pairs of shoes – doesn't mean I DO.

Website: www.janetgover.com – with a blog about those great experiences.

Kate Harrison - One Thing I've Learnt

One Thing I’ve Learnt ... is that you never stop learning

I hated school. From an early age, I was allergic to authority, royal blue blazers and sub-zero PE lessons.  I couldn’t wait to get out.

Which is why it’s been a surprise to find out I love learning. I don’t mean Physics or Trigonometry. No matter how many A*s you have, certain mysteries remain: the opposite sex, the meaning of life and why anyone laughs at Last of the Summer Wine.

That’s why I became a reader and then a writer: to try to make sense of other people. Putting myself in the shoes of a vengeful colleague, a war-scarred reporter or a bossy Brown Owl has taught me more about people than a psychology textbook.   

Not that I’m against textbooks. I’ve written ten novels now – well over a million published words – but I can’t resist the latest ‘how to’ book. I love to read how other authors write five thousand words before breakfast, or the latest theory that story-telling is buried deep in our DNA.

And then there’s the practical stuff. I’m learning to sew (though girls-only Domestic Science classes instilled a fear of the sewing machine that’s taken two decades to overcome). On my kitchen counter,  there are three noxious-smelling jars of gloop that I still hope might eventually turn into sourdough bread.

My curiosity even drove me to spend an entire week doing military style PT training for my new novel. The Boot Camp. I only remembered how much I hate organised exercise when I was ordered to do twenty push-ups on wet sand. Still, it’s all a learning experience, right?

The best people are those who never stop asking why.  So if you’re also afflicted by an insatiable curiosity, join the after-school club. It’s a lot more fun than Trigonometry.

http://kate-harrison.com/ 

Kate's next novel is available 2nd August 2012 - The Boot Camp

Five women with one goal: to feel like a million dollars for the first time in their lives. They have nothing to lose but their muffin tops!

Susie Vereker - One Thing I've Learnt

A few things I've learnt about gardening.

It's difficult keeping up a garden in England if you're an expat and I made several mistakes in the beginning when I was young and green. For instance, initially I didn't realise ground elder was a weed and let it rampage.  In the TV gardening programmes the presenter often starts with a bare plot (with amazingly good soil) but in real life it's often a question of trying to get to grips with a wild old garden. Seek early advice from an experienced gardener and if in doubt, rip out.

A few more tips. Spend money on keeping large hedges under control from the beginning (we didn’t).  Crucial: right plant, right place. No point in buying delicate plants that hate chalk if you live in a chalky frost pocket. If you don’t know what will thrive, look at your neighbour’s garden. 

Last vital piece of advice: never, ever plant arum italicum, however pretty its leaves, & even if you see it in the smartest garden centre.  Its tiny bulbs spread like triffids.  You think you’ve burnt it, but next year up it comes, all around the bonfire, all over everywhere.

http://susievereker.blogspot.com/

Helen Redfern - One Thing I've Learnt

In the past few months I've learnt so many things. I've learnt that it is stressful putting your family home up for sale. I've learnt if you clear all the books and paper out of your office it makes it look bigger. And I've learnt that my writing mind just disappears when I've got a lot on in real life. Making you question whether you're a real writer at all.

It took me a while to learn that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you have a few weeks off writing because you're dealing with estate agents, solicitors and banks. It doesn't matter if you can't write because all you can think about is houses, new schools and what on earth do I do with an aga.

Writing has been my saviour when struggling with inner demons. It has given me purpose and structure to my day. It has given me an escape. It has provided me with new friends. But mostly it has given me enjoyment and a feeling of achievement. 

When writing isn't an enjoyment because real life is intruding, and I'm just staring at the keyboard or mindlessly surfing the web, then it's ok to take a walk. Soak up the sounds of the birds singing, observe the way the river looks after a heavy period of rain. Walk through the town and listen to voices. Real life dramas being replayed in front of you whilst you sip a cup of coffee.

And guess what? Now I've learnt all of that I feel I can write again. I feel I've given myself permission to worry about other stuff but now I want to open my notebooks and pull out my special pen.

Yes, writers do write. But maybe not whilst selling their family home.

Helen Redfern

http://afeastoffemalefiction.com/

http://helenredfern.com/