So being a shopoholic I did what I always do when starting a new project ... shopped. I went to Amazon and bought a veritable cornucopia of writers goodies. The Writers and Artists Yearbook 2011,of course, an encyclopedia of magical creatures to help me with my new book and the examinable component on my A363 OU Advanced Creative Writing course and, my favourite purchase, The Writer and Artist Yearbook Guide to Getting Published by Harry Bingham.
This book, alongside From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake, has to be, in my opinion, the most useful book a writer with a serious eye to being published can own; covering everything from making sure your manuscript is ready to telling you the truth about the publishing industry and how it really is. While it does make quite depressing reading in some respects it is already ensuring I'm prepared for the roller coaster to come and approaching my ambition realistically.
All well and good but I don't have a manuscript yet! Don't worry I'm already obsessing over my characters and plotline. That said I have been a little distracted by the opportunity afforded by the GQ Norman Mailer Award 2011 which has a very, very juicy prize on offer for the winner. For those of you who are interested in creative life writing you might enjoy checking out the terms and conditions and rules of this remarkable competition.
