Category Archives: Writing Life

World book day…

Life Happens, Out and About, Writing Craft, Writing Life, YAIE, Young Adult

World Book DayIt’s that time of year again. World Book Day is almost upon us. It’s more like World Book Month though if you’re an author doing school visits. Not that I would change that for a moment.

There is nothing so exhilarating(and/or terrifying) than a room full of teenagers gathered to hear you talk about writing. Like a grown up. Like you know something about it. Like a real author.

You know what I mean.

But while not my natural habitat, I find school visits to be a whirlwind of excitement. I love talking to readers and hopefully future readers. And of course writers or hopefully future writers. There are a lot out there. We always need more.

So while it is nerve racking (seriously, I’ll shake like a leaf beforehand and collapse in a heap afterwards) there is also nothing so worthwhile for an author than getting out there and directly connecting with your readership.

And the questions… oh my, the questions…

This week I’ll be going to Drogheda Grammar School on Wednesday 1st March and on World Book Day itself, Thursday 2nd March, I’ll be in Dubray Bookshop in Bray talking to local students. The following week I’m going to Coláiste Chillian in Clondalkin and High School in Rathgar. All this and work too.

*gazes longingly at bed and promises self I’ll sleep in April*

Reading and writing and musing

Writing Life, ,
I am not well-read. Not in the traditional sense. I have an English literature degree. I love to read. I take pleasure in books of all kind from their physical form to the wonders inside. But I am not well-read.

As a writer, one must read. There are so many reasons of this but for me it’s a case of getting the ideas moving — the giant fan stirring up the words like tokens in the Dome at the end of the Crystal Maze TV show so you can plunge in and try to grab the gold tokens from the air, while avoiding the silver ones which have negative value. In a sense, that is writing to me, madly whirling around in a place full of fluttering glittering ideas and trying desperately to grab the good ones.

Ideas come from everywhere, it’s true. They are all around us every day. But more than anything else, ideas come from other books. Carl Sagan said that when you open a book and begin to read another voice is whispering to you, from across centuries, across boundaries of nationality, race, gender and experience. We’re hearing the words of another, words carefully thought out and crafted, telling you a story, passing on a message. Sharing.

To be well-read, I always imagine, is to be the person who scores highly on those “100 books you must read lists”, who knows who won the Hob-nob prize in 1992 (yes I made that up. At lease I hope I did), who wafts through a bookshop picking up only the best, the most prestigious, the “important” books.

Oh, this is so not me.

I read what I love. I read the things that grab me and won’t let go. I read the books that don’t seem like a chore (I did enough of that in college), that make me ignore TV, or hunger, or anything else really. The books that keep me up at night going “just one more paragraph, one more page, one more chapter”. I read the books that make my family look to see how many pages I have left before trying to interrupt. Luckily I have a family who understand that “I’ve only 20 pages to go!” is a valid reason for making anyone wait. They do it too, of course. It’s hereditary.

And I want to write those books too. I think all writers should. Write what you love. Write what you need to read. Write the book that will not leave you alone, that wakes you up just as you’re falling asleep to say “I have this amazing idea!”

Reading is a superpower, the ability to bring words on paper to life in your mind, to get so emotionally embroiled in a story that it takes over. Writing is the same, because if you aren’t obsessed with this story, with these characters, how can you expect that magic to work on someone else? It’s hard work, but so rewarding, especially when you seek out the stories that you need to tell, that you ache to write.

And I find them by reading.

I am not well-read, but I read what I love.

Magpie Encounter at Octocon

Dubh Linn, Octocon, Out and About, Writing Life, YAIE, Young Adult, , , , ,

I had such a wonderful time at Octocon including the somewhat surreal experience of meeting one of my own characters! Fantastic Magpie cosplay, including threats of violence, weapons and menace.

A writer’s dream come true. Or possibly a nightmare…

magpiekate

Hoping for a relatively quiet Halloween weekend but next weekend I’m up in Ardagh for the Frightfest! Here’s hoping I don’t get followed!

Octocon 2016

Octocon, Out and About, Writing Life, YAIE,

octoconIt’s that time of year again and this weekend it’ll be Octocon, in the Camden Court Hotel, Dublin. Here are the panels I’ll be taking part in over the weekend. I’ll have copies of my books on sale in the tradehall as well and I’ll be happy to sign them for you. I’ll also be hanging out and going to some of the amazing other panels. Really looking forward to it. The full schedule is available here.

octocon2016schedule

Why brain, why?

dublin comic con, Life Happens, news, WIP, Writing Craft, Writing Life, ,

So first off – news! I will be signing at Dublin Comic Con as a guest of Dublin 2019. I don’t know all the details yet but I will share as soon as I can. There will be free books. Yes, free! But not that many so come early.

I’ve been on a bit of a break. And well… this always happens. I’m not complaining but it’s rather interesting that it always happens and it’s always around the same time into any sort of break.

I have just finished the final proofs for A Darkness at the End (out 12th September, preorder now, YAY!). I have handed over the first draft of the latest WIP to my first reader (aka my charming husband – yes I might be buttering him up but it’s true). I have a stack of books to read that is probably taller than I am. It’s been building up for ages. I’m almost finished one. A whole almost one.

So why WHY is this always the moment when my brain goes “Ooooh, do you know what would be cool?” and “Remember that old WIP we abandoned ages ago? I wonder where that notebook went?” and of course, the ever famous and helpful “PLOTBUNNIES!!!”

Yes, that. Three days into any self declared break.

No way brain. I am at least finishing the book I am already reading.

Anyone else’s brain work like this?

Silence…

New Books, WIP, Writing Life, Young Adult, ,

Sorry for the silence (or maybe sorry for breaking your peace and quiet).

Book 3 has now been handed in to my wonderful editor. It’s called A Darkness at the End and it’s the third Dubh Linn book. I will now stop tormenting those poor characters. Sort of. Eventually.

Maybe.

I’m puttering away on some other projects and generally working hard, so I’m going to be quiet for a bit longer. But I am still here.

Oh except for when I go to Eastercon next month.

 

Editing dilemmas

WIP, Writing Craft, Writing Life,

So I started my read through of the first draft of book 3 and was delighted to discover that it doesn’t actually appear to be as terrible as I had thought it would be. This is usually the case, but its always a relief to see that.

Phew!

The other thing that occurred to me were some common editing a first draft dilemmas so I thought I would post them here (I tweeted them this morning). So here we go:

  • no. 1 – do I fix it now or wait until I’ve read through the whole thing?
  • no. 2 – this doesn’t make sense now but it might in a couple of chapters *crossesfingers*
  • no. 3 – did I forget about this bit or deliberately change it later? ‪
  • no.4 – Am I missing a scene in this section?
  • no.5 – I wrote this character out. Why are they here?
  • no. 6 – This whole thing does not need THIS MANY CHARACTERS! (I added this one this evening)

There are many many more, no doubt. I may try to documents some more, but if you can think of any, let me know.

And yes, I am procrastinating.

Back to work.

Magical places of Dubh Linn: Shielmartin Hill

Excerpts, Photo Moments, Publications, Uncategorized, Writing Life, , , ,
Sheilmartin Hill, Howth in A Hollow in the Hills by Ruth Frances Long
Shielmartin Hill, Howth in A Hollow in the Hills by Ruth Frances Long

Shielmartin hill is part of Howth Head, overlooking Dublin and features in A Hollow in the Hills. Local tradition says that the cairn on the summit was the burial place of Crimthann. Most of the summit appears to be made up of the cairn, with other cairns built on top of it.

One of my many magical places around Dublin featuring in A Crack in Everything and A Hollow in the Hills.

I’m going to post some more of them over the next while.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime check out the Goodreads giveaway running for another 8 days.

A short post about drafts and editing

Writing Craft, Writing Life, ,

 

In pictures (some moving) because I really should be editing.

 

I’ve just finished the first draft of the next book.

There was lots of this

Everyword

And now I have a first draft full of all the words. Some of it makes sense. Some of it…

nooooooooot so much.

So…

Hold my purse

It’s time to edit. I have printed it out, I have a notebook to make notes and a pen to decorate the margins in doodles err I mean edit.

tumblr_mq52igRo4v1rnvzfwo1_400

 

I will read through the whole thing and try to make it better. Basically in this scenario there are two me’s. Beckett me and Castle me. (Editor brain and Snowflake brain)

dont ruin my story with your logic

But in the end it isn’t ruined. It’s made better. I hope.

And that is my editing process.

 

Actually there is a lot more to it than that but this is the basic premise and I should be editing, not doing blog posts about editing.

But blog posts with little moving pictures are sooooooooooo much more fun.

(Oh and I totally stole these gifs and images from all over the internet).