I Want To Be A Skilled and Great Writer!

Lately I've been organising my somewhat chaotic bookshelves, and seeing what novels I want to read. I used to read a lot of novels when I was younger (in High School), and when I spent over an hour each way travelling to and from work. It was either that or fall asleep on the bus! But since then, I haven't read much of anything. I've joined the site Goodreads.com, you can find me as Sketching Girl here. I set myself a challenge to read 12 novels this year, and so far I've managed two, including a graphic novel.

I started reading one and found I didn't like it, the style of writing I didn't care for, the lack of description and not being able to picture what was happening put me off. I have read amazing books like A.C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy, and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. They have amazing descriptions I can picture vividly, and main characters I can believe in, and thoroughly love learning more about.

But reading a book I really don't care for, and I believe has inferior writing quality, has really shown me what I don't want my writing to be. I don't want to get a book published only to be ashamed of it. I would hate for that to happen. So although in the future I want to be a successful and published author, I want to earn that right properly. I want to write and practice my craft until I consider it really good. I want to be proud of what I submit to publishers/agents. Please don't let me produce rubbish! Thank you to the poor author (who I shall not name) for giving me the spurt of inspiration to write more and to hone my skills. I don't just want to be a published writer, I want to be a GREAT AND SKILLED WRITER!

Researching A Novel...

I am currently researching my novel, (hence my apologies for not posting as much on here). The novel I am planning and putting together at the moment has a working title of: "Ghosts Of Time" - it's a science-fiction fantasy story about various people from different eras of time brought together to save the world from a hidden threat travelling through time. As there is a lot of travelling to different eras in time, and my characters all coming from different eras in time, I am finding this novel needs the most research. I am currently researching the Victorian era, an era I love also as I love dolls house miniatures, I find myself more familiar than I would normally be with the fixtures and fittings in a Victorian home.

Funnily enough, the more research I do, the more questions I seem to find I want answers to. Although I am finding out more about my characters, and there personal backgrounds, I also wonder what else I can do with them, and what other skills I can give them. I know the Victorians were very interested in the Occult and did seances and things, and I wonder if I can make my Victorian Lady character a witch? I know that prior to the Victorian period witches were hunted and burned at the stake, but that Queen Victoria got rid of the laws on witchcraft, so that they were no longer hunted and burned at the stake. Does this mean that witches were more accepted and more open? Or did they still feel the need to be in hiding? How open were Victorians about witchcraft, and did they consider seances to be a part of witchcraft, or just an interest in the occult and the afterlife?

Research does fascinate me and you can learn more to add to your stories, and more questions always seem to arise out of more research. For me, research is exciting and fun. I love discovering new things and picturing my world and my characters more clearly, and finding exciting new things I can add and adapt to my story!

But how much Research should you do? And at what point should you stop researching and concentrate on your story? I can easily get lost in research and planning and never start writing my story! Still, I'm having fun at the moment! Off to research some more now...

Drabble Day "Memory"

Here is this week's Drabble Day challenge, Aheila picked 'Memory' for us to do this time! I actually found this one quite difficult, and hope this didn't turn out too badly in the end. Please let me know what you think!

"Throwing the pen down in frustration, Emma rose from her desk and stomped over to the window. Arms folded across her chest, she stared at the dark streets below, almost feeling the weight of the dark clouds sinking into her already stooping shoulders. Her vision blurring with anger. When she could hold them back no longer, she squeezed her eyes shut caging her tears as they defiantly stung the backs of her eyes, as if they too felt the anguish raging in her heart. Turning back to the photo frame slammed face-down on her desk, she poured all her spite and malice at it through those piercing eyes."