December 2009 Archives

Happy New Year

By Karen Ball on December 31, 2009 5:11 PM | No Comments

To my little band of faithful readers, thank you so much for coming back to read the tentative entries from a nervous new blogger that have been posted here in 2009. I don't know how this year has been for you, but it's been an extremely stressful one for me. Thank goodness I had you to talk to!

In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely time as we celebrate out with the old and in with the new. Ian and I are in Stockholm for New Year's Eve. It's absolutely freezing and absolutely gorgeous. The above photo was taken last night as the snow fell around us.

I decided to drag my hard copy manuscript out with me. Note to all editors and writers: don't attempt to edit a manuscript using a roller pen on an aeroplane. The cabin pressure plays havoc with your pen ... and your hands.

Love and best wishes to all. Wishing you health and happiness and an utter lack of blue hands.

Sharing Nicely

By Karen Ball on December 28, 2009 6:02 PM | No Comments

UK publishers are notorious for shutting their doors on Christmas Eve and keeping them shut until the New Year. But for as many Christmases as I can remember, I've always written. Not this year. I tried, but hosting Christmas 2009 meant that something had to give and that was the writing. Somewhere in my kitchen (don't ask me how it ended up in the kitchen) is a hard copy of my manuscript, with two magic words on the last page: The End. As I'd promised my agent I would, I finished a third draft before Christmas. All I had to do was print it off, read through, correct and deliver. Then I found out that my family was descending a day earlier than I'd thought. There was so much to do and the clear day that I'd allocated for my last writing task went up in smoke. So I emailed Jenny and let her know that she'd see the manuscript in the New Year. Drat.

Christmas Day was a flurry of joyous activity with champagne corks popping, a fire burning in the hearth, family all around, a turkey in the oven... No, it wasn't in the oven. It was in the fridge. I'd written out a careful cooking schedule. The only thing I'd forgotten to add was the turkey. We ate a late late lunch, but everyone was very entertained and understanding. After Jenga, Strictly Come Dancing, coffee, wine, coffee ... I collapsed in bed. Waking up the next morning, I discovered that my sister had been ill all night with a bug. As she crept into my bed for comfort and a cuddle I heard my own stomach growl. Waving the family off, I smiled bravely then crawled back into my pyjamas, knowing that I'd caught the same bug. It still hasn't totally disappeared and holiday plans still have events to be played out, so I can only hope to feel better sooner rather than later. Oh rest, where art thou?

Somewhere between now and 4 January, I need to sit down with my manuscript. This break may have been for the best. I'll be able to read with a dispassionate eye, having been forced not to think about the plot for six whole days, at least. Reaching the end of a draft is such a feverish time, it's probably good that Christmas got in the way. I found it odd to think about all the other writers, agents, publishers, editors, bloggers who, for a few days, weren't thinking about work at all. The publishing machine was on hold. It will rev up again soon ... and who knows what 2010 will hold?

My favourite moment this Christmas was making peppermint creams on Christmas Eve morning with my sister. We haven't done something like that together since we were children. We presented them to my other sister when she arrived on Christmas Day as a special treat especially for her, but with instructions to share nicely. She did.

Crashing Christmas

By Karen Ball on December 19, 2009 8:49 AM | No Comments

The best laid plans... What happened? Christmas seems to have suddenly crashed into my life. My six precious writing days are already being eaten away in the chaos of trying to clear my desk and prepare for the festivities.

This week has been a whirlwind of work (scrambling to deliver manuscripts before the break) and socialising (scrambling into dresses whipped back from the dry cleaners). On Tuesday evening I caught the train to Herne Hill for a get-together with London members of the Scattered Authors Society. The extremely kind Jennie Walters hosted the evening and I met some great people. Over sausages and mince pies we chatted about websites - the modern author's obsession. Agents - every author's obsession. And even viral marketing. I'm still not entirely clear what viral marketing is, but it sounds impressive. I must say a special hello to Lynne Benton, who has been so kind to me since I joined the SAS. Hello, Lynne!

Later in the week, I went to Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons (pictured above) courtesy of my employer, Working Partners, for our work Christmas do. It was a gorgeous day. Very cold, the sky very blue. As we started our meal the snow arrived outside those mullioned windows and it couldn't have been more perfect. Thank you, WP.

Last night I finally had a night in and made saltdough decorations for the Christmas tree, following this guide. This was lots of fun, but hmmm.... I'm no Martha Stewart. They look nothing like the decorations in the instructions' pictures. I also remembered I can't draw or doodle to save my life. I ended up putting the initial of each Christmas Day guest on some of the clumsy, wobbly, flaky items in the hope that will be enough to make people grin when they arrive on the day.

But where's the writing gone? Today will have to be devoted to a final editorial task, one last manuscript whipped off to the writer. Then I can finally breath, switch off the remote access to the office and turn to my own work. At last. Just as soon as I've bought all the presents...

I am going to write as much as I can, as determinedly as I can before Christmas Eve announces that there's No Time Left. My agent and I have already agreed that I'm not to deliver a rushed third draft before Christmas, so if I need to take more of the break to finesse, I shan't worry too much.

I'm approaching the end of a frenetic year. It's been exciting and challenging and I've learnt a lot. I've definitely made loads of new friends and feel much more connected with my writing world than I did previously. I have this lovely blog and an agent who is just my cup of tea. But next year I intend to be more forgiving on myself, to have space in my life for relaxing. I need more head room because in 2010 I'll want to start thinking about a new novel. I already have a strong single image in my head; I just need to find the story that goes with it. Exciting times.

Before I go, a knitting update. Here's all the knitting I've been doing and am still doing in the run-up to Christmas. I'm fairly (!) confident my family don't read this blog, so I don't think I'm spoiling any surprises. Can you spot the hidden skull and cross bones?

What will you be doing in 2010?

Nearly Here

By Karen Ball on December 12, 2009 11:22 AM | 2 Comments

Another gorgeous day! The sky was clear blue, the air crisp. I set out this morning, wrapped up in my North Face jacket, my camouflage bag slung across my body and a backpack. I looked as though I was off to a TA event. But lugging this laptop around is no joke and I have been forced to abandon my nice handbags for the practical. (Thank goodness for Christmas and the opportunity to ask for a netbook present. Watch this space.)

When I arrived in the bar it was almost empty so I whipped out my camera and took the above photo, with no danger of disturbing other industrious writers. Isn't this a lovely space to work in? I also snapped this very quiet foyer in the Festival Hall:

When I went back down for a mid-afternoon latte, it looked like this:

There was some kind of Baby Disco going on. I'd never seen so many prams or toddlers. Crazy!

The writing is going well. A new chapter to put more meat on the bones of a character's story. Scrolling backwards and forwards and the definite feel that, yes ... things are coming together. The end is in sight, but that doesn't mean I can relax. The ending is going to be almost completely rewritten. Almost? Okay, completely rewritten.

On Wednesday I do my last day's work in the office and then I have a clear six days of writing before I have to officially throw in the towel and Do Christmas. Christmas is happening at my house this year, which means cooking for eight on Christmas Day, plus all the pre-cooking and baking, buying presents, stocking up on food, organising everyone, making beds, laying out towels. I have a vague hope of painting the bathroom before guests arrive, but that's probably a pipe dream. I hope to be more successful with my pre-Christmas knitting as I am frantically making presents. Those bamboo knitting needles are going to be click clack-ing away right up until the last minute! And in between all of this is the writing and the ever present deadline for a third draft. No problem.

I attended my writers' group on Tuesday evening. Not only are these sessions great for the feedback on writing, but also to share experiences and talk with people who are going through the same process, compare notes, offer and receive advice. As an added bonus, we spotted Sarah Waters, author of Fingersmith, being photographed and interviewed not far from our table. (For anyone who's interested, she's teeny-tiny.)

On Thursday I met up with a writer friend before dropping her off outside Bloomsbury's offices in Soho Square for their Christmas party. (Hello to anyone who attended! You lucky people.) I enjoyed watching faces I recognised walking into the party, and felt a bit like a child pressing her nose up against the shop window. How I ached to gatecrash! I waved my friend off and wandered into Oxford Street for a spot of shopping. Oh well, perhaps one day...

I hope you are all enjoying your own pre-Christmas writing, and managing to juggle every other aspect of your busy lives. If you want to take time out to read an excellent new blog, let me direct you towards Katherine Langrish's Seven Miles of Steel Thistles. Katherine is a children's fantasy author who is staggeringly intelligent and informed. Her second only entry on this new blog is a really lovely account of a school and teacher who allowed her to enjoy that most treasured past time: being read out to. You're never too old to be read out to. I wonder if I can persuade my boyfriend...? Go on, Ian! You know I deserve it.

Finally, can any of you remember my blog post in August that included a photo of spotty trees on the South Bank? This is what they look like now...

It's nearly here! Christmas, I mean.

Not So Much

By Karen Ball on December 9, 2009 7:10 AM | No Comments

Take a look at today's blog entry at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure. It's about the dubious joys of thinking up book titles and talking to people about what you're writing. You may know the blogger...

Word Count Woes

By Karen Ball on December 5, 2009 3:14 PM | 1 Comment

Not a bad day's work: 3000 new words and a revised chapter. But with cuts on top, my draft has only increased by ... 56 words. Deep breath and note to self: must not, must not judge progress on a third draft by the number of words! It doesn't matter. Does it...?

As you can probably tell, the work is making me feel a little anxious today. To clear my head, I popped out to the library at lunchtime to pick up my reserved copy of 'High Fashion Sewing Secrets from the World's Best Designers'. Woah! Do you know how excited this book makes me feel? I've really got back into using my local library this year; the Internet makes it very easy to order books in. Plus, one of the librarians is a mate of a mate so my visits give us chance to catch up.

I also stopped by local shops, checking out the Christmas trees for sale and the organic shop selling Essex honey. Don't the greengrocer's clementines make you feel festive? We also have a gorgeously eccentric collectors' market near us. I spotted a dressmaker's dummy (ooh, I was tempted!), a taxi top light (eh? why?), photos of Barry Manilow and these... Do you recognise them? They're called 'records'. Vinyl. EPs. Ring any bells?

Earlier in the week, I attended the Orchard Books Christmas Party at The Roof Terrace on Shaftesbury Avenue. Sadly, not as an author but in my capacity as Working Partners editor. It was a great opportunity to say hello to fellow SAS members and other friendly faces.

Next week I have my writers' group and will be blogging for An Awfully Big Blog Adventure. In the meantime, I must take heart and keep writing. Word counts don't matter, do they? Not at a third draft. Do they? Arghhh. Let me know if you have any ideas for managing writer panic.

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