A READING OF SHADOW OF THE LION

I recently did a reading for the Dominion Reading Series in Vancouver B.C.
It included a time to discuss my writing process as well as a Q&A period.
The evening was a big success for me with an enthusiastic audience.

Here's the link to the YouTube video of me reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0oBzQK9leE&t=171s

PROMOTING MY BOOKS AND POETRY

  So far this year (2018) I've been doing a lot of book promoting, readings, workshops and even some poetry readings.  My two novels SHADOW OF THE LION: BLOOD ON THE MOON and the sequel subtitled THE FIELDS OF HADES are both available on Amazon.com and The Book Depository.  I have prepared the full manuscript to be an ebook on Kindle and that should soon be posted on Amazon.com

My travel book ATHENS AND BEYOND is also available on Kindle.

During the year so far,  one of my poems Precious Moments on the Beach was published in an anthology with proceeds going to Syrian refugees.  In January I also became the host of a reading series IN THEIR WORDS, held bi monthly, where readers choose a favorite author, poet or playwright, tell about how they are influenced by this peson's work, and read some of their work.  It's a really fun series with lots of variety.

In February I participated in the series Tellers of Small Tales another series promoted by the Royal City Literary Arts.   I also was a feature poet at the Poetic Justice series and presented my novels at Spoken Ink, Burnaby Writer's group.

In March I went on a fun weekend (comp) to the Westin Bear Mountain Resort on Vancouver Island. I invited three friends along and we had a ball!  It was a good opportunity to do a travel article which I posted on my travelthroughhistory blog.

In April I was invited by Pandora's Poetry Collective to read with another poet in their Poetic Pairing Series.  This was also a lot of fun. 

During this time I was also instructing my writing groups at the Heritage Grill in New Westminster  (Mondays) and Brock House in Vancouver (Wednesdays).

On May 12,  the Vancouver Public Library held their yearly WRITE ON VANCOUVER and I had a table there where I could promote my books. This is also a fun event and  you get to meet lots of other writers and speak to people who are interested in your writing.   Later in the month I also did a Travel Writing Basics workshop at the Anvile Centre.

At Write On Vancouver

I decided to make a little road trip in June to visit two friends in the Interior.  And while there, I decided to book some readings/workshops.  I read for a writer's group in Kamloops and did a workshop on Creating Characters.  this one didn't go that well when I was rudely interrupted after about 5 minutes of reading (from Shadow).  The reading at the Vernon Public Library was better.  I  had a good reading of my novel and then I did a workshop on Travel Writing Basics  (explaining how a lot of my travel stories result from research trips from my novel.)  Later in the month I also did another Travel Writing Basics workshop for the BC Travel Writers Assoc. meetup group.

Another enterprise I'm involved in is the Theatre in the Raw's annual one-act play contest.  I help adjudicate the plays.  The Theatre in the Raw produced my play "The Street" back in 2000.  So over the months I was busy reading plays.   Of course, I'm also invovled weekly with my SCRIBBLERS writer's critique group.  So most of my time is spent in writing or writing related events and projects.

This month, August, was no exception and I was asked to participate in the Dominion Reading Series on Aug 17 where I read and discussed my novel as well as my love of travel with a very attentive audience.   I read alongside two other very talented local poets.   

Reading at the Dominion Reading Series.

I haven't done much travel writing this year (waiting for two stories to be published in EuropeUpClose) but tomorrow, Aug 23, I'm going on a riverboat cruise to Pitt Lake where I understand there are some historical things to view.  Looking forward to this  - and a chance to be on the water out of the humidity.   And Friday I meet with a friend to discuss her in-progress novel. 

September things will get real busy with classes starting up, including 3 weeks at Century House.   I have a reading at Renaissance Books on Sept 19 as well. 

The biggest event booked so far for the Fall, is a reading at the Victoria Public Library for October 6.  Preregistration is necessary because if I don't get a big enough audience they will cancel.  I am also hoping to books some other readings and workshops while I'm there.  I contacted several of the Victoria area writers groups but so far have had no response.

 That's a pretty good start to the Fall season.  Still waiting to hear from a writers group in Kitsilano, Vancouver, who asked if I could take over instructing their group.  And I'm hoping to get a few more workshops lined up.  

THE WRITER'S REPORT FOR 2017

Well, 2017 is drawing to a close and it's time to recap the year with all the writing related and travel that I did. It was a busy year, partly because mid-way I had to move out of the place where I'd been for the past year which was unsuitable, unsettling and a hindrance to my creativity. Fortunately I was able to find a quiet place in Sapperton, the old part of New Westminster which is the city next to Vancouver. It is a quiet, serene place in a friendly neighborhood and finally I was able to get back to my writing. During the summer I didn't do much book promo but I did have my book launch for SHADOW OF THE LION: THE FIELDS OF HADES in June and later a table at Greek Days to display it.

At the first of July I had a table at a book festival in Fort Langley, a suburban town outside of Vancouver. Since then I've done a couple of readings but now the new year approaches I'm making more effort to apply for readings and workshops.

Meanwhile, I'm working on my other novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY and would like to complete it for sure this year! I have also negotiated with my publisher to try and get him to put SHADOW OF THE LION (both volumes) into soft cover but the plan he has proposed is not suitable so I am facing this big decision for the first of the year of what will happen. I am not going to rewrite it or chop it to pieces to put it into an 'Abridged' version, but I will try to get it published as an ebook. I also still instructing a couple of writing group and I'm considering advertising for others including more travel writing workshops. My travels were limited this year to three weeks in Greece so I haven't done much travel writing. I am sorry to say that the Greek Islands ebook I worked on for over a year came to a halt suddenly when the American publisher dropped all contact with me. I will eventually publish it myself when I get time to finish it. My other ebook ATHENS AND BEYOND is avaiable on Kindle.

The highlights of my time in Greece were the three readings I did, one at the Canadian Institute, one for the Athens centre and I read to a grade nine class of 50 students at the Athens Community School as well as giving a writer's workshop for a smaller group of older students.

The biggest thrill of all was my three day visit to Iraklion Crete when I finally got to meet one of my writer/mentor's in person after many years of being only in contact on-line. Dr Jack Dempsey is an authority on the Minoans and has been a great supporter during my writing and publishing of SHADOW. We spent a wonderful afternoon together talking and sharing our writing stories and adventures. I'm hoping to see him again next year as he now lives in Crete (was originally from US).

So this about wraps up the activities and plans for the future in my writing career. And I hope to be more diligent in posting blogs in the coming year as well.

LIVING THE WRITER'S LIFE: CATCHING UP!

Well my goodness! It's been months since I posted here. I hadn't realized just how remiss I had been. The reason, of course, was that I have been busy with other blogs, stories and writing events.  Most importantly though, I have been doing a lot of promoting for SHADOW OF THE LION; BLOOD ON THE MOON and this has included various readings and presentations which included writing workshops. I presented a workshop on Travel Writing Basics for the Royal City Arts Society last November and also presented a workshop on So You Want to Write a Historical for the Lit Fest in New Westminster in April 2015.  More recently I conducted a travel writing workshop at my home in the Spring and this weekend did one on Travel Writing Basics for the VPL which was attended by a huge, enthusiastic group of would-be travel writers. 

The "Empowered Writer" award from World Poetry Assoc.

I have also been actively trying to catch up on my travel blogs which you can find here at 

http://travelthroughhistory.blogspot.com  

And planning my next adventure, leaving here Aug 28 for England, Wales, Spain and, of course, Greece.  I had run out of travel writing material for one thing and needed some new destinations to write about. And I also love visiting my cousins in Wales, will see some friends in Spain (Torevieja and Malaga) and reunite with all my friends in my adopted city, Athens. 

Meanwhile I am also working on my Celtic novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY, which is moving along rather slowly these days because of all the other distractions. And yesterday I did a Travel Writing Basic's workshop for the Vancouver Public Library which was hugely successful.

So...I HAVE been living the writer's life. And now I'll share a few of the adventures I've had with SHADOW. There's been many great comments about the book and some very good reviews posted on Amazon and Goodreads which I appreciate.  After the book launch, I did a reading to a book club group on Vancouver Island thanks to my cousin Lynette.  Then I did a reading/workshop for Grind Writers and Burnaby Writers Spoken Word. I was invited to read at the Vancouver Public Library in June for Greek Heritage Month and also at the Kitsilano Library.  The day I read at the VPL (June 10) happened to be the exact date of Alexander the Great's death.  Both these library readings were well attended and successful. I more recently read for Surrey Muse at the Surrey Public Library, to a small but enthusiastic audience.

Showing my book off to cousins in Wales, 2014

Showing my book off to friends in Athens, 2014

I've been doing a lot of book promo on-line which includes queries to as many local writer's groups (and some across the line in Washington State) in regards to reading and workshops.  I have also sent out notices to as many independent book stores I can find across Canada and to Writer's festivals as well as university classical studies departments.  Unfortunately I have not hear anything back as yet. I really don't know what it takes here to get yourself noticed and invited to these events. I can be rather discouraging when you get no replies at all!  But I will continue to press on with this and hope that eventually a bit more notice will be taken and sales of the book will increase.  (SHADOW is available on Amazon as well as by order through other bookstores such as Barnes & Nobel, Chapters/Indigo etc).  

I am pleased to report that the Canadian Archaeological Society of Athens is planning a book reading for me on October 4.  I'm really looking forward to this and will also be contacting other associations there for the possibility of more readings.

Reading at the Kitsilano Library, June 18, 2015

So that's all the book news I have for now.  I will begin posting bits and pieces about DRAGONS again soon. Currently, I'm trying to catch up on a few blogs and those will include blogs for the novel which can be found at http://shadowofthelion.com   

 Reading at the Athens Centre, Sept 2014

 Reading at the Athens Community School, Oct 2014 

 Books on display, Burnaby Writers' Spoken Ink, November 2014

Book launch, Hellenic Community Centre, Vancouver January 14, 2015

VOLUME TWO, SHADOW OF THE LION: THE FIELDS OF HADES is due to be released in 2016 by my publisher, MediaAria-CDM,  Bristol England. 

CATCHING UP

What Have I Been Doing?



Signing the e-book contract

 

My goodness! It's been six months since I contributed anything to this blog. Meanwhile I have been posting on my travel blog at http://travelthroughhistory.blogspot.com  But it's time to catch up here with all the news that has been happening which is part of the reason I've not taken the time to post blogs on Living the Writer's Life.

First, besides my book contract for SHADOW OF THE LION (Volume One "Blood on the Moon" will be out by mid August!) I also signed a contract to work on an Athens Guide e-book for Hunter Publishing, US. This is exciting as Athens is like my second home. I'll be returning there in September and while there will do more extensive research for the Guide. Meanwhile, I have most of it written and the publisher is pleased!

Unfortunatly, I haven't had any time at all to work on "DRAGONS IN THE SKY" my Celtic tale. But I'm about to start a new chapter just as soon as I can clear my writing desk of the various projects at hand.

Where Have I Been?

A day at Giza



I've been focusing mostly on travel stories, especially Egypt, since my wonderful, surprising and magical trip there in late March. This amazing travel writer's tour included a special side-trip to Alexandria for me because of the research I did for Shadow of the Lion. So far I've had three of the stories published, one is out to market now and there will be several more written in the next few weeks.  I am writing the blogs first, then the articles so it takes a bit of time.

 Alexander and me at the Library of Alexandria

What's Happening Now?
My night school classes ended with the Winter term and will be no more. However I have still some morning groups, though only the WAVES writers is running now, on Monday mornings. The others will resume in mid October. Meantime I am doing a bit of in-home writing/coaching and this Spring I also did an in-home travel writing workshop. I plan to scout around for more venues to teach classes at and will also try to do more in-home workshops in the Fall.

What Are My Plans?
I'm going to England on August 31 and will visit family in Wales, then attend the Historical Novel Writers Conference in London Sept 5/6. I hope I can do some book readings in UK while I'm there. I fly to Athens September 8 and already have two book readings scheduled. I am planning to go up north to Macedonia -- Thessaloniki and around the area such as Pella, where I'll do some more research for my Dragons novel. I'm hoping to get in touch with the Society of Macedonian Studies who were helpful in my early research of Shadow and perhaps do a reading there. As well I am planning to attend a Greek poet friend's presentation in Thessaloniki.

I will be in Greece untill Oct 8. I plan to stop off in Germany en route home to visit my friend Patrick for a few days. Homeward bound Oct. 11

So that's all the updated news. I'll try to begin posting here again more frequently as soon as I clear my writing desk of projects and get some time to write more blogs.

 

Enjoying some souvlaki in Monastiraki, Athens.

 



IT'S OFFICIAL!

It's all official now. The co-signed contract has been returned to me and a few instructions including a Getting Started as A Hybrid Author document.  Pretty soon I'll get a questionnaire to fill out and will send it and photos of myself to be used on the Media Aria-CDM publishers pages.  I am impressed on how they try to promote their writers. Of course, the writer has to promote themselves too. So you can expect more blogs on the subject of SHADOW OF THE LION.

I'm so excited now as it has all become a reality. So remember this, you novice writers, DON'T GIVE UP. Keep on writing, marketing, and sending out queries. Because one day, like me, you'll  hit "BINGO" and you'll find yourself a published writer.  (And what's good about this is, it's not self-publishing which, though popular these days, is something I didn't want to do with a novel like SHADOW OF THE LION.)  www.mediaaria-cdm.com

I'll keep you posted. I'm even going to start a blog specifically about the book. So watch for it.

PLOTTING FICTION: Where to Next?

An Iron Age Celtic Village  (St. Fagans Heritage Park, Cardiff, Wales)

 

 

 

When I started writing Dragons in the Sky back in the early '80's, I had a pretty good idea of how the story began. It started with me hearing the voice of the girl, Olwen, telling me her story, as if I was channeling Olwen. She is a young Celtic girl, raised by the Druids to become  priestess and medicine woman. The first chapters of the story came easily as I wrote down Olwen's words, sometimes using Bardic verse instead of regular prose chapters. She lives in a village called Caer Gwyn, much like the one in the above photo, located below a hill fort at the site of what is now called Old Sarum, on the Salisbury Plain. I've made a number of trips there to research and conjure Olwen's spirit.

 

 

Something dreadful happens at the Midsummer when Olwen is soon to be sent to the Holy Isle for her initiation.  The ricon's (tribal chieftain) renegade son, Sholto, has arrived at Caer Gwyn with a woman, the wife of another chieftain and a young boy he has taken as hostage from a rival tribe.  At the Midsummer Ceremony at the Great Stones, the angry warriors of the opposing tribes attack Caer Gwyn.  In the chaos that ensues when the village is set on fire, Olwen runs to the woods to hide and witnesses Sholto killing his younger brother Ned. He takes her as a hostage and heads south to the Narrow Sea where they take a boat across the Channel to the lands of the Belgae tribes. Olwen tries to alert the ship's boy that she is being held captive, and he tries to help her escape, but Sholto kills him.

They head off toward the east on horseback, crossing the lands of various other Celtic tribes until they reach the Alps, the country inhabited by the Helvettis, and continue on their journey.

As they proceed they meet a young warrior/hunter who tells Sholto that a king to the south is recruiting warriors for his army. This interests Sholto so he heads south, keeping a close eye on Olwen as she is his 'luck piece' because nobody dares to harm a Druid.  I know what happens once they reach Illyria, but it was the in-between part of the journey that has puzzled me.  So I have taken time to write out a rough plot of the possible things that might happen along the way, including several more escape attempts by Olwen.

I've decided to put some of it into Bardic verse rather than describe things step-by-step. The story, as told by Olwen, is written in a poetic cadence. One thing I've decided is that, having been held a captive for so long (it would take them a couple of months to cover the territory), she likely developed what is known now as "the Stockholm syndrome" where a captive becomes somehow 'attached' to their captor.  I also can see her using magic and her skills with herbs and medicines, to help her survive the arduous and sometimes frightening journey. But it was Sholto that was causing me some concern. Although the story is in Olwen's voice, I still need to make it clear what his intention are, what is he hoping to achieve on this journey?  Hopefully I have that taken care of now with my ideas for the plot outline.  It has been quite a different writing journey for me after spending all that time writing Shadow of the Lion which was based on a historic plot.  Writing pure fiction is quite a lot trickier!

Celtic Warriors



DOING THE WORK!

Alexander rides Bucephalus eastward to his conquests

It's done!  After literally years of work writing, workshopping,rewriting,editing, compiling my historical fiction novel Shadow of the Lion is finally on its journey into the big wide world of publishing. First step, I sent it to my historical fiction author friend in the States who is going to read it and forward it to his agent/publisher. Then we'll see what comes next. I feel a great sense of relief (especially after a heart-stopping moment yesterday when I went to finalize the script only to find my entire document file of Shadow notes, versions, etc had disappeared.) I freaked out! But once I calmed down and searched, I found it in the trash box.  Don't ask me how it got there. But for sure now I will get everything on the external hard drive and a zip file. (I had other versions on zips but as I had just finished the editing and was adding things like acknowledgements and authors' notes I was waiting til later that day to save it somewhere else.)  At any rate, it's safe and now in the hands of my friend. 

I have a lot of people to thank for helping me, encouraging me and sticking with me during this long, long adventure which took about as long (if not longer) than Alexander's trek across Asia. But I know in the end it is a great story, a piece of literary fiction not just fluff. And paying out a lot of money to a pro editor was worth the investment in the end. What I sent off was as polished as I could get it. Of course, it was a lot of work. But if you want to succeed as a writer, especially a novelist, you have to be prepared to DO THE WORK!  Author Steven Pressfield has written several blogs on this subject, stressing that it is important to dedicate your time to your writing.  If all you do is poke away at it once a week or randomly, it will never get finished. Determination. Dedication. Discipline. These are key words for a writer.

Of course, in the early years of writing and researching Shadow I was also working full time or at least part time so I had to schedule my writing times. At first it was usually one week night and weekends and I jotted down notes in between. During the '90's when I was seriously working on the novel I had the good fortune to live in Greece six months of the year for several years running and this allowed me time for research and writing. Even when I was there I had to discipline myself though, and always wrote from 11 am to 4 pm before I allowed myself to venture out and hang out at the tavernas or beach. These past years since I retired from daycare work I have devoted all of my time to writing, including instructing writing classes in order to top up my pension.

To make sure I'm not wasting time I keep a daily time sheet and this includes actual writing/editing time as well as attending writer's groups, events, research etc. That way I can see if I am shirking (and it is also in case I ever get audited as a self-employed writer I can prove I am not just putting in time as a hobby).  And yes, some days I am working (writing) longer hours than I would in an office.

Now that Shadow of the Lion is finished, I still have a pile of projects to attend to. First, I want to finish the half-written Celtic novel Dragons in the Sky which I had begun long ago and set aside in order to write Shadow. And then I want to start browsing through old journal notes to compile my memoirs Life Below the Acropolis. In addition to this, I must get more travel articles written.  And I promise I'll try to be more diligent at posting here on my blog.

SOMETIMES IT SEEMS NEVER-ENDING!

Me, at my work station

Sometimes it seems the work of putting a novel together is never ending!  I've been working nearly non-stop on the SHADOW OF THE LION project for literally years. I finished the book in December 2010.  Spent all of 2011 editing with two reader's critiques.  And this year, so far, more editing (professionally done). I still have to go through it one more time just to double-check spelling etc.  

There's way more to do than the actual writing and editing of a novel.  So far, I've compiled the glossary, cast of characters, Author's Note, Acknowledgements, short synopsis, and my map designer says he's almost done.  But I am still working on the long synopsis.  I've spent many hours on it so far and it isn't quite right yet.  And the synopsis has to be as near perfect as you can get it because it's part of your sales pitch.  Then there's the query letter, although I'm not too stressed about that. 

I'm aiming to get it all off and sent out into the publishing world by the end of the month.  After all these years and hours of work I am more than happy to send it on its way.  I know SHADOW OF THE LION is an excellent novel and it's my best writing.  I put my heart into it — actually my soul!

So you novice novel writers out there — especially you historical fiction writers — don't get the idea you can whip off a novel in a few months.  If you want real quality you need to do the work and spend the time.  Blood, sweat and tears, baby!  That's the way it is.  And in the end, if you are lucky, somebody might publish it! 

ON THE QUEST FOR GREATNESS

When Alexander the Great set off on his conquest to drive the Persians out of Asia Minor, I wonder if he realized his journey was going to last over ten years and take him to the farthest reaches of the known world.  (In fact, if his men hadn't mutinied when they reached the Hydaspes River in India, he would have kept going to the Encircling Ocean.  He already knew about the silk route that came from far beyond to the east.)

Just so, when I started writing my novel "Shadow of the Lion", I had no idea it was going to take me on such a long journey over such a lengthy period of time.  I started small -- writing a juvenile historical that should have only taken me about a year to write.  I'd already spent over a year researching it not counting my interest in Alexander that dated back to the age of 16.  Alexander crossed the Hellespont intending to drive the Persians back, but every battle was a victory so he kept on going.  I realized after a year of writing "Shadow" that it was too political a novel to be completed as a juvenile historical. So on the advice of a kid's book writer I started over, using a multiple point of view, given more attention to the theme "how blind ambition and greed brought down a world power."  And so it went...and the years passed and finally by the end of 2010 I had written"the end".  But that wasn't really "the end" any more than Alexander's story ended with his suspicious death in Babylon at the age 33.  Because the battles went on long afterwards.  (And that's what I was writing about.)

Now it's 2012 and I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,  or the completion of the 'conquest'.  After a whole year of having two reader's critiques done and going through the manuscript painstakingly at least three times (not counting the block editing I did while writing it, thanks to the adept critiques of my writing group), I am now editing again, thanks to the professional help I have had in taking a final serious look at what I've written : corrections, cutting, formatting.  And pretty soon now, I hope I'll be finished!

However, just as in any other conquest, there are other things to take care of.  (Alexander left behind some of his soldiers to populate the cities he had establishing along the way. He entrusted his empire to his Successors, who unfortunately managed to destroy it.)  I have to make sure everything is taken care of: synopsis. query letter, Author's notes, bibliography, glossary, a map, a list of characters.  And then, hopefully, the manuscript will be in fit shape to send out into the big world of publishing.

I'm aiming for this summer.  This means I must stay on track, work a bit every day on completion, make sure everything is corrected and presentable.  Then I hope I can turn it over to good hands who will see that it finds it's rightful place in the world of books.  With all the research and writing, rewriting and editing, this has become like a 'life work'.  But I don't regret a minute of it and I feel confident that it's going to be a success.

PROGRESS REPORT #74: When You Reach the Finish Line



Silver coin,  Alexander the Great wearing the horns of Ammon

(I wear a ring made of a copy of this coin, and also have it as a medallion)

I compare the writing of this novel, "Shadow of the Lion", to a long and arduous journey.  Like running a marathon, though I've made some rest-stops along the way.  The story itself is a journey, beginning in Babylon in June, 323 BC and ending in Amphipolis, Macedonia in June 310 BC.  And that journey itself took years!

Just like a marathon runner, a writer must persevere if you want to reach the finish line.  Sometimes you might stumble and almost fall;  sometimes you get so tired you might want to quit; sometimes you lag behind and wonder if you're ever going to reach the finish line.  But you keep on persevering, in spite of discomfort, obstacle, discouragements.  And finally you see ahead of you,  your goal!

Before you set off on this long, long race, of course you need to prepare  yourself,  "get into shape", know what's in store.  Writing a novel is a long project and one that requires discipline if you want to achieve your goal and finish.  Before I began writing Shadow, I did months of research.  I already had a lot of knowledge and a great love of my subject (Alexander the Great) and I enjoy doing research  -- a kind of brain 'gym' work,  getting prepared for the big 'race'.  Sure, you sometimes make a false start and have to begin over.  I actually spent a year writing "Shadow" as a juvenile historical,  thinking it would be a short run and I'd be finished the project in no time.  Then, as I delved deeper into the history and saw how complicated the events were, I realized it was not going to work as a story for youngsters.  It was far to complex and political.  So I was advised to start over. (That first year was just a 'training run').  And so I did.  I started over and wrote it with a multiple point of view, complicating matters, but allowing me to really develop the characters and tell the story of the fall of Alexander's dynasty with all the political complexities and scheming that finally brought it to the end.  Certainly, once I established the theme: How blind ambition and greed brought down a world power, the way became clear and I was able to tell the story the way it needed to be told.

Yes, it has been a long, long journey.  But this week I finally came to the end of the final chapter.  And now, before this week is over, I should have the Epilogue finished with a bit of extra work on the Prologue, tying it all in together. 

Was I excited and emotional about reaching the finish line?  I actually had the final chapter written almost from the beginning, so I knew how it ended.  But I had to proceed slowly when I wrote the final chapter, making sure I kept the tension high and not giving away the ending.  I wanted it to have an emotional but satisfying ending and hope I have achieved that.  At least I know I have given it my personal best.  This, of course, is not the grand finale.  There will still be some edits, rewrites and cuts to make.  And I won't be completely 'finished' until I write THE END when I finish the Epilogue.  My goal is to finish it this week, before the New Year.  Can I do it?  Yes, I can!

A painting of Amphipolis with Mount Pangeion, the lake and the River Strymon

(in my research I have visited here twice)

ALL ABOUT WRITING

This award is yours if you've been following these handy writer's tips.

A couple of weeks ago Marie awarded me this Powerful Words award from the Shameless Lions Writing Circle. I'm not sure which individuals I should 'tag' to receive this award, so it's yours if you've been hard at work, focused and nose-to-the-keyboard accomplishing what you can of your works-in-progress.

The gist of this meme is to list three important things that help make your writing powerful and good. Well, here's three things I always stress to the people who join my writing classes:

1. If you want to succeed, you need to be dedicated, disciplined and driven. You will not accomplish a great work if you only dabble in writing once a week or once a month. You need to write daily and often even if it's in a journal or for 10 minutes while you take a coffee break. Just as a musician must practice every day to become accomplished at whatever instrument he/she plays, so must a writer write. And be prepared to do lots of rewriting. It's all part of learning the craft and making your work excellent. Being in a critique group is especially helpful.

2. Carry a notebook with you at all times. You never know when that fabulous line of dialogue, description or narrative is going to pop into your head and you need to write it down immediately. It's those spontaneous bits of writing that give your work it's zip and shine and immediacy.

3. Write about what you know or are fascinated with. And be prepared to do endless research in particular if you're writing about historical periods (and that includes 'near history'.) If you're writing a story set in New York and you've never been to that city, then you'd better take yourself there! And most of all DON'T GIVE UP.

In addition to this 'award' meme, Marie has recently posted another fun exercise.
See how many of these questions you can answer:

1. What was the last thing you wrote?
I've been editing and rewriting a piece about Papua New Guinea for my travel
web site. (It's another person's story but I had to do some additional text for it.)
2. Was it any good?
It is now!
3. What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
A hand-written little 'novella' about pioneers, written when I was 12.
4. Write poetry?
Sometimes.
5. Angsty poetry?
Often.
6. favorite genre of writing.
historical fiction/ drama
7. Most fun character you ever created?
There's been a few but I love Nabarzanes, the Persian Court Advisor (a fiction
character in "Shadow of the Lion"; and Olwen, who I 'channeled' in "Dragons in the Sky."
8. Most annoying character you've created?
Maybe that would be Alkides, the soldier poet in my Sappho play.
9. Best plot you've ever created?
"Shadow' is written from a historical plot, so I didn't create it. I'd say the
best one I actually created is the plot for "Dragons"
10. How often do you get writer's block?
Not too often and usually it's brief.
11. Write from facts?
"Shadow" and "House of the Muses" (a play) are based on historical facts.
12. Do you type or write by hand?
I usually write notes by hand first, and often write paragraphs of narrative,
some dialogue and always jot down lots of ideas and possibilities.
13. Do you save everything you write?
I save on my hard drive file as well as on CDrom and flash disc as well as
keeping hard copy. If I erase something from the computer I always make sure I have the hard copy just in case i decide it's something I can use after all.
14. Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
Sometimes.
15. What's your favorite thing you've written?
Currently, I'm loving my work on "Shadow". I also feel an urge to return to my
Celtic tale "Dragons" though I'd shelved it out of frustration. I'm also quite
proud of my play "The Street" which was successfully produced in 2000.
16. Do you ever show people your work?
All the time. I believe that a good critique group is one of the most helpful
learning tools a writer can have.
17. Did you ever write a novel?
I've been writing novels since I was in my teens.
18. Ever written romance or teen angst drama?
I love writing drama. "The Street" was a drama based on a true story from
my late teens (and written first when I was 18); I tried writing romance
(such as Harlequin) but I'm not that fond of that genre. I do love putting
romance in my novels though.
19. What's your favorite setting for your characters?
In the case of "Shadow" that would be Greece, of course. And "Dragons" is set
near Stonehenge in England.
20. How many writing projects are you working on right now?
I am mainly working on "Shadow" (have put "Dragons" and "House of Muses"
on hold til it's done) But I also write travel and currently do a lot of editing for
submissions for my travel web site. Also do editing for people in my writing
classes.
21. Do you want to write as a living?
Of course! I'm now a full-time writer but I mainly make my writing money from teaching, editing, some travel submissions, and occasionally one-on-one
writing coaching or workshop groups. (Don't expect to get 'rich' from writing)
22. Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I once won first prize in a 1 page writing contest. My "awards" are publication.
23. Ever written anything in script or play format?
I began writing plays when I was about 10. I wrote "The Street" when I was 18
and rewrote it in 1998 (it took 2 years to rework it including taking a playwright's course). I have a script in progress "House of the Muses' about the poet Sappho. I love the theatre!
24. What are your five favorite words?
I love dictionaries and thesauruses.
25. Do you ever write based on yourself?
"The Street: a Modern Tragedy" was based on a true story involving me and
the first love of my life who became a heroin addict. I think the protagonist,
"Olwen" in "Dragons in the Sky" the voice of me coming from another time.
26. What characters have you created that most resemble yourself.
"Angela" in "The Street" and "Olwen" in "Dragons"
27. Do you favor happy, sad or cliff-hanger endings?
Well, I'm a drama queen and love tragedies. "The Street' was a true tragedy,
'House of the Muses" is also tragic and the ending of "Shadow" is strewn with
the bodies of people I've grown to love.
28. Have you written based on an artwork you have seen?
Yes. Art is a great prompt for writing. I have written a poem based on
artwork.
29. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Not in my first drafts. I try to keep the internal editor out until I'm ready
to let her take charge for later and final drafts.
30. Does music help you write?
Music is another powerful prompt. But while I'm writing I am fussy about
what I listen to as it has to set the tone for my thoughts and what I am writing. I listened to a lot of '50's music and jazz while I wrote "The Street
I have a CD of Sappho's poems set to music (with an ancient tone) for when
I am writing writing "House of the Muses"; I have Persian and some special Greek music, classical or music from certain movies I listen to while writing "Shadow".
31. Quote something you've written
"It was my thirteenth year with the Druids. I had learned all the incantations of magic before I was ten years old. Essylt, being a sorceress and diviner of the auguries, was both my guardian and my teacher. I caller her modryb, Auntie, because she had nursed me in infancy as though she were my natural mother. The Druid said my real mother died in childbirth. I would have been exposed for the wolves if someone had not brought me to the Great Stone Circle on the plain.
Listen to my song: I am an honored child.
I am Olwen, daughter of the Earth Mother, Child of the Raven."

From "Dragons in the Sky: A Celtic Tale."