Into the Void - an anthology

 

It has always surprised me how different an experience seems once you've done it. Beforehand there may be trepidation or eager anticipation, all sorts of expectations and projections that probably have nothing to do with the 'event' itself.

 

Possibly, the only experiences I've gone into calmly - and positively - are speaking events. On those occasions I either have notes with enough space for me to get 'out of the way' when inspiration strikes, or else I am confident in my subject matter and trusting of my audience to the point where I don’t use notes.

 

I recently completed a crime mystery, the third in a series. Buoyed up by that final rush to the creative finishing line I thought I'd cross another leviathan off my list - a short story collection.

 

To share a masterclass in procrastination, I won the cover design for a planned anthology back in 2014, from https://www.goonwrite.com.

 

There were three reasons for putting off the endeavour:

1. I didn't think I had enough stories.

2. I wasn't convinced that those I had were good enough.

3. I thought it would be a lot of work.

 

When I went back through my folders and my trusty spreadsheet I found plenty of stories. Many of them had been published elsewhere in other anthologies and on websites. Reading those stories again, I recognised that the quality was patchy is some of them but each story was a memory in ink and an attempt to bring an idea to life. Sometimes I had written to order for a competition. Other stories fell from the sky on to the page, like a gift from the Gods. Some were, frankly, hard work. One or two did not make the final list.

 

It was a lot of work. It took ages to edit and proofread each story (with some very minor rewrites). Choosing an order was an exquisite torture as well, trying to balance story length, genres, titles even, over the whole book. And now it's done, I have what I believe is the best version of each of them (at time of writing!). They exist as a collection now, so there is no reason to rework them. I’ve set them free and that has set me free to work on something else.

 

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FTT8X2B4

 

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTT8X2B4

What if there were no wrong answers?

 

“People are like dice. We throw ourselves in the direction of our own choosing.” 

- Jean-Paul Sartre

 

I had a thought experiment recently. Not as paradigm shifting as any of Einstein’s but, well, food for thought – for me. I imagined myself teaching a class of children for a lesson and deciding that we’d do something a bit different, something that might change their understanding of their potential or the nature of reality. You know, the small stuff.

 

The ‘experiment within the experiment’ was for each child to throw a pair of dice together and I’d write the outcomes beside their names on a blackboard.

 

Of course, there was a range of outcomes from double six to double one and various permutations in between. I imagined that the boy who rolled a double six considered himself the winner (he was a boy in my imagination) and a girl who rolled a two-and-a-one (again, it’s what I saw) felt disappointed.

 

I then explained to them that any outcomes – assuming a balanced pair of dice and similar throwing techniques (i.e. no cheating) – had an equal probability of occurring. Any significance in a particular score was in the eye of the beholder, unless rules had been agreed beforehand (which wasn’t the case). We then, as a class, tried to work out (sometimes elaborate) rules whereby each pair of dice scores could be declared the winner.

 

For example, a double one would win lowest score; a two and a one would win ‘lowest dice throw combinations where one die score is twice that of the other’. The skill lay in coming up with a meaningful – for them – rule that celebrated their random dice throws.

 

In my imagination each of the children found, or were helped to find, a rule whereby they were the winner/s.

 

How does this relate to creativity, writing or the freelancing business?

 

Good question.

 

Often, especially when it comes to creativity, we do something first and then decide if it was successful afterwards without identifying measures beforehand. Usually it’s based more on whether we like the outcome than any other benchmark.

 

But we decide. And success or failure, however we define them, happens because of the confluence of a lot of factors: timing, who sees it and the extent of their influence, luck, who or what else we’re competing with, etc.

 

Attitude is a huge factor as well because it may influence how we interpret our experience. In my thought experiment I imagined each of those children feeling like a winner and recognising, perhaps fleetingly, that they can all be winners when they see outcomes in a way that means something positive to them.

 

What about the world and objective success?

 

What’s our yardstick? If we’re not starving, being bombed or having our freedom of speech curtailed, that feels like a win. If we have a roof over our heads and the opportunity to be creative or run a business, that feels like a win to me.

 

Yes, the cynics will sneer, but what about hard currency from our professions – in pounds, dollars, and euros. (Okay, for LinkedIn as well, crypto too.) You’d need to bring in other factors like education, your product or service, your target audience, and your understanding of – and position in – the marketplace. Plus budget, your network, your ability to sell, and whether you have a convincing story.

 

But it all starts from somewhere and I believe it’s not the roll of the dice so much as the decision to roll those dice and what you make of the outcomes.*

 

 

* For clarity, not every business will be financially sustainable, nor every work of art appreciated and suitably rewarded. I get that. If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something about it or do something else.

Guest spot - Cathy Shuter - Talking To Children About Death And Dying

Many writers touch on ‘big themes’ in their fiction – life, death, loss, etc. – but it’s another thing entirely to write about them without characters to hide behind. Cathy Shuter has done just that with her latest book: 100 Free Ways To Happier Days! 'Talking To Children About Death And Dying.' I caught up with her in cyberspace to talk about her work.

Hi Cathy, thanks for joining me. I can see from your Amazon page that your latest book is part of a wider series. What prompted you to write specifically about death and dying for children?

I work with children and young people in my role as a Wellbeing Caseworker. Quite a number of them have experienced relatives and friends being very ill and dying. They find that their parents and carers avoid talking to them about what is happening and this often leads to them feeling anxious and afraid. 

Talking to parents and carers revealed that many know they really should talk to their children when their loved ones are seriously ill but they don’t know how to bring the subject up. They want to shield their children from being upset.

I thought that a book offering tips on how to tackle this subject would be useful. 

Did you approach writing this book in a similar way to your previous works?

Yes. My books offer 100 free or very inexpensive tips that people can use to help them tackle a variety of issues. Other themes my books have covered include: coping with anxiety, how to approach Menopause, how to feel happier working in schools, and how to deal with transition to college from school. 

Each book is designed to be quick and easy to read. People can try the tips that appeal to them and skip the ones that don’t. 

Were there any particular challenges in creating this book?

One challenge was making the tips relevant to all ages and stages of development. Children develop at different rates so I wanted to ensure that the tips would be helpful to all ages. 

What are your goals for 100 Free Ways To Happier Days! 'Talking To Children About Death And Dying'?

When I wrote the book, I wanted my writing to be accessible, quick to read and the ideas easy to apply. My goal has been to create a book that is helpful to as many parents and carers as possible. I have produced it as cheaply as I can so that cost is not a barrier. 

Were there any influences or defining experiences that made you want to become a writer?

I love reading personal development books and have learnt a lot from them so I wanted to share what I have learnt with others. I have an informal writing style that can appeal to people that don’t usually read personal development books. 

What have been your highs and lows in independent publishing?

For me, publishing my own books is thrilling. I love that a book can be created just from ideas that pop into my head. The thoughts and ideas get translated into sentences that I type using my laptop and the book is drafted. If someone buys my book it gets printed and sent out. My thoughts have become a thing!

The lows are connected with marketing. I am not very good at selling myself! 

Reading your Amazon page I get a sense of a spiritual core or impetus to your work. Could you shed any light on that?

Yes, I would consider myself to be a spiritual person. I believe we are all connected and on this planet to learn from and help one another. My books are based around that core belief. 

You’ve written two books that have a connection to Autism Spectrum Disorder. What would you most like people to understand about ASD?

I would like people to understand that no two people with ASD are the same. Each individual has their own unique challenges but they also have their own unique gifts to share with the world. 

How important is a connection to Nature for you as a person and as a writer?

I find being in Nature very grounding. When I walk the dogs in a wood, I feel incredibly peaceful. I like wild places such as The New Forest. I believe that we all benefit from visiting wild places. 

Many of my books touch upon the importance of using our senses, living in the moment and surrounding ourselves with Nature as often as possible. 

What book are you working on at the moment?

I am working on another ‘100 Free Ways To Happier Days’ type book. This one is intended to help children and young people to feel safe and benefit from being online.

Where can we find out more about you and your writing? 

My Trusty Life Coaching Facebook page features my writing and has some Facebook Live videos that talk about them:

https://www.facebook.com/Trusty-Life-Coaching-614780095261862/

I also have a page called ‘Reading And Writing About Life’ that features all things book related:

https://www.facebook.com/readingandwritingaboutlife/

I have a blog that includes my Cloud Thoughts Blog. This has links to all my writing to date:

http://my-cloud-thoughts.blogspot.com/

All my books can be found here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cathy-Shuter/e/B071D3PZBK  

What books and authors have inspired you?

The first personal development book I read inspired me so much. It was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I find Sonia Choquette’s books inspiring too. The Book Of Joy by the 14^thDalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu stopped me in my tracks. It is simply beautiful. 

Authors & Books - Anne Lamott and bird by bird

Many writers know the tyranny of the blank page - and not just at the start of a piece of writing. It's a strange and magical trick to conjure up something seemingly from nothing, and then believe (that's one of the most important parts) in its reality so much that you stick with it and eventually it will become real to other people too. Small wonder then that writers are always on the hunt for inspiration, both in terms of ideas for writing and ideas about writing. 

Every writer worth their salt knows of Stephen King's book On Writing, but recently a poet, Penny Shutt, introduced me to Anne Lamott's bird by bird: Instructions on Writing and Life. 

You can - and will! - find oodles of reviews online. Permit me to sum up what I feel are Anne's key messages in a few bite-sized pieces:
1. Write what's true for you. Bleed it on the page if necessary.
2. Writing is not an entirely cerebral process. It involves sweat, angst, effort and those master tricksters: joy and sorrow.
3. Writing won't give you whatever you feel life has denied you. Its purpose is to give you a means of discovering what's true for you, finding it both within and out there in what passes for 'the real world', and then making magic with it on the page. 

What seduced me about this book was the very material that some critics loathed.* All that 'life' and 'God' and 'emotional' stuff that are both universal themes and also intimately personal ones for the author. If you don't like her truth? Tough. That's the point. We can only write our own words our way and then see where they take us. Anne Lamott is both an author and a teacher / lecturer, and both come through the text. She may have earned the right to tell it her way, but that right is bestowed by all of us upon ourselves.

She writes about death and loss and elation and jealousy and all that good stuff that makes us truly human. (Show me a giraffe who's jealous of another one and I'll concede the point.)

It's a book about the process of stringing together words and not only what brings you to the writing desk in the first place, but also how what happens next can affect you.

Here's a link for bird by bird.

* When we start out as writers it can be tempting to look ahead to the validation of publication bidding war, or all those approaches from the film industry. However, writing isn't a substitute for life and nor is it a passport to a different self. That may happen, over time, if we work at our craft, and even then my personal opinion is that our potential is capped by a number of things that are less malleable to our will than we are comfortable with. (Life experience, character, time, education, class, opportunity, connections - yes, for most of us that is a major factor, etc.) But...writing and reading will give depth to our lives and deepen our understanding of the world around us and the people who inhabit it. When every stranger is a possible character or inspiration, how could it be otherwise?

If you are a writer who's stuck, who maybe feels robbed of their dues, or who wonders what the heck they'll do if their latest book gets no further than a hard drive, bird by bird may be the book to seduce you with writing all over again.

"It's never about the thing that it's about."

You'd think that being a writer is all about two things:

1. Writing stuff.
2. Getting that written stuff published or at least read.

However, there's much more to it than that and I'll warn you in advance that I may get arty and soulful. To begin with, it's a helluva thing to even consider calling yourself a writer, never mind actually telling other people about it. Because, when it really comes down to it, every piece of writing contains a little bit of you in it - your memories, your perspective, your experience of the people around you, your hopes and also your fears.

It can feel like an indulgence to spend quality time away from loved ones and friends, especially when you're using that time to wrestle with people and situations that you've created in your head. Reading also takes on another dimension. What used to be a leisure activity now becomes a vital part of your craft. You still read for enjoyment, but you also look closely at style, plot, characterisation and all the other elements that already give you sleepless nights.

Or try this one on for size: A writer is an artist.
You write fiction? Congrats - you're an artist.

There's also a deeper, inner level to this writing journey. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way is a brilliant resource (among others) for getting into the soul of writing. I believe there is a part of every writer that is secretly - and sometimes overtly, on the page - grappling with the big issues - life, death, justice, purpose, love, freedom, etc. 

Sometimes we not only express who we are on the page, we also explore who we wish we were. Read between the lines and it's as powerful as therapy and as real as it gets.

So, here's the thing: when someone tell's you they've written something, or that they're working on something, treat them with kindness. When you give feedback, make it constructive - it's fine to say you didn't like it, as long as you say why. Feedback on what you enjoyed - and why - is also welcomed. However, tell the truth.

Some writers will not get the recognition they deserve. For some, the only feedback they'll receive is the snipy kind on ebook sites or forums. But wherever writers are on that endless and invisible ladder of literary success (often in the eyes of other people) they stay true to their writing. Well, you wouldn't expect anything less from a writer, would you?

Guest spot - Sarah Painter - The Language of Spells

Writers can be a little like children, who only stick with the kids that enjoy the same games. Only, in our case, we writers can suffer from genre-phobia. 

Silly really, because the writing process is the same (inspiration, torture and progress, in that order) and the elements of good writing are the same (captivating plot, engaging characters, authentic dialogue, etc.). 

It can be really invigorating to meet writers of other genres to see what inspires them to put pen to paper, and where it has taken them. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Sarah Painter, who has kindly agreed to answer some questions

The Language of Spells can be described as Magical Romantic Fiction - what drew you to write this kind of book?

I was in a total writing slump. I'd just finished a masters in creative writing at St Andrews and had spent the previous year trying to change my natural writing voice into something more literary. Plus, I'd parted company with my agent (amicably) which I knew was the right move, but it felt very scary. I wanted to cheer myself up so I thought I'd try writing the kind of book that I enjoyed reading when I was in need of comfort - warm romantic comedy. The magic just crept in; very subtly at first, but then it grew...

Did you do any research into beliefs and superstitions?

I love books that mix magic with the everyday world, and have always read widely in folklore, myths and legends, so I already had a fair basis of knowledge. I did research herbalism and checked which plants would actually be available in Gwen's garden in Wiltshire.

When did you realise you were writing a series, and what additional challenges does that bring?

Um. I didn't, actually, but was absolutely thrilled when my publisher asked if I'd write a follow up to the book. After years of rejection, hearing an editor say 'we love these characters and this world and we'd like more' was amazing.

Which writers have inspired you, and continue to inspire you?

So many! I'm inspired by the work ethic and tenacity of all my writer friends. Back before I wrote my first book I was inspired by Stephen King's On Writing to just get on with it, and I'm inspired every time I read a book that I love.

Tell us about your current book and its protagonist.

It’s a contemporary story of family and romance, with added magic. Here’s the blurb:

Gwen Harper left Pendleford thirteen years ago and hasn’t looked back. Until an inheritance throws her into the mystical world she thought she’d escaped. Confronted with her great-aunt’s legacy Gwen must finally face up to her past.

The magic she has long tried to suppress is back with a vengeance but gift or burden, for Gwen, it always spells trouble. She has to stay – she has nowhere else to go – but how can she find her place in the town that drove her out after branding her a witch…?

Where can we buy it?

Thank you for asking! It's available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com. I believe it is also going to be available for Kobo and Nook, but it's not listed on those sites, yet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Language-of-Spells-ebook/dp/B00CWL2C2E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369825397&sr=8-1

What question did you hope to be asked?

Would I like a drink? Tea. No, wine…Tea, then wine.

What question were you glad never came up, and why?

How long it takes me to write a first draft (I’m slow and it makes me anxious to think about it!).

And finally, as an aside*...I've written a transatlantic comedy drama, Scars & Stripes, which has been described as 'bloke lit' or 'lad lit', and has some romance in it, after a fashion. In your experience, are there many male romantic fiction authors out there?

Great title! Yes, I think there are plenty of male romantic comedy authors (although they are often branded differently to their female counterparts). Mike Gayle, Nick Hornby, Mil Millington, and Matt Dunn spring to mind.

Thank you so much for hosting me, Derek!

My giveaway (to win a Nook e-reader) ends tonight

http://sarah-painter.com/2013/05/23/win-a-nook-ereader/

And I will be appearing on Chick Lit Reviews tomorrow 

http://chicklitreviewsandnews.com/

My website:

www.sarah-painter.com

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/SarahRPainter

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/sarahpainterbooks

* 'Aside' being a byword for, "Please help me with my research."

Mondays with Monika - 1

As you may recall, a trainee clinical psychologist, exploring the therapeutic benefits of creative writing, interviewed me. The experience got me thinking about some themes I return to in my fiction, such as loss, separation and change, and the ways in which fiction comes to be as authentic as non-fiction.

But what about non-fiction that tells the truth - warts and all? How far can or ought we go in our quest to connect with the reader?

I'd like to introduce my friend, Monika. We 'met' at San Diego based A Word with You Press, although I'm at least 50% certain that neither of us has visited the HQ.

What makes Monika's blog special is its combination of honesty, engaging writing and ability to connect with you emotionally.

It's my great pleasure to bring Monika into the limelight.

Let's start with what might seem a steep dropping off point. 

Your mother died recently and you chose to write about it in detail - not just how you were feeling, but also what was going on around you. Was it a conscious decision to commit it to the page and has that helped you in the grieving process? 

Regarding writing about my mother's death: it was both a conscious decision and a reflexive action. Writing a blog is like having a conversation with yourself that you allow other people to overhear. I have occasionally kept a journal, but I just couldn't get motivated to write anything that no one else was going to read. But I really enjoy talking to myself, and I find that I can be a very clever self-conversationalist if I think that someone else might be listening. And that's the whole value of therapy right there--just knowing, or at least hoping, that someone is listening. I mean, besides myself. (Maybe blogging could be called "tautological therapy" - a self-referencing and self-reinforcing loop with restorative powers.)

Writing is also a good way to separate the strands of thought that get so tangled inside my head. My head is like a big knitting basket, with a bunch of crazy-knotted balls of yarn inside. Writing allows me to take out one ball of yarn at a time, examine it, and untangle it. And the delightful part about writing is that, as you're untangling your yarn-thoughts, you find strings that connect to other balls of yarn in unexpected ways. Although sometimes that's exhausting, because you're like, "Damn! I thought I was DONE untangling this ball of yarn!"

And then writing is also a way of recording what's happening to me, so that I can remember it more clearly. I don't mean that I go back and read my blog entries from two years ago, because I generally don't. I mean that the act of writing helps to cement an event in my mind more clearly. It's like this: I write down a shopping list, go to the store, and realize I've left my list in the car. But I still get everything I came for because the act of writing things down has made me remember them. It's the way my mind works--some people have to hear things spoken to remember them, and some people have to write things to remember them. Some people think in images, some people think in words. My thoughts are almost completely in words; my inner images and feelings are always accompanied by descriptive language.

Another benefit of writing-as-therapy--a therapeutic aspect that many people overlook--is the act of producing something, and the corresponding feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when you are done. You made art! You told a story! You didn't just sit around and stew about what's bothering you; you put a bunch of words together and you made something beautiful, something real, something that exists OUTSIDE of your head, something independent and separate from you. It's part of you, and it came from you, but it's also not-you. It now also belongs to whoever reads it, and it takes on a life of its own that you have little or no control over. You made a baby. And the best thing about this baby is that you don't have to change its poopy diapers or pay to send it to college.

More from Monika next Monday - if you've enjoyed what you read here, you won't be disappointed.

Going for...atomic number 79

'On me 'ead, son.'

Like an estimated 1 billion people worldwide (and mindful of apparent restrictions on words that can be used for the next few days), I watched the opening ceremony of the quadrennial 'global sporting event' with a mixture of high expectation, positivity and awe. Danny Boyle, Tracey Seaward and the entire team pulled off a truly magnificent spectacle that drew on the achievement and mythos of Great Britain to showcase a vision of where we've come from and who we are.

Some will have loved it while some couldn't wait to take to Twitter with their outrage, cynicism and general thumb-nosery. Who is right? I guess that all depends on what you think the ceremony is about and how important it is for you to see your own perspective portrayed to the world.

As I watched the nations of the world parading around the stadium it made me think about how diverse we are as a species and how many flags I wouldn't have recognised. It also made me think about the practice writing.

How so? It started with the ideas of preparation, personal sacrifice, dedication and striving to achieve. But there's also another side to it that chimes with the spirit of Olympism (fret ye not, that one isn't on the list and I heard one of the BBC team say it yesterday so it's probably a real word).

Not every country will make it to the podium. Not every competitor will achieve greatness and recognition outside their own small circle. However, each competition represents the culmination of a whole range of factors that started with the intention to compete.

So much of writing now seems to be tied up with atomic number 79. Heaven fore fend that we should only aspire to 47 or 29. I've said it many times before now - we're not all going to the prom. We will not all get a three-book six-figure deal. Some of us may have to be satisfied with a three-book sales sheet. But the opening ceremony reminds us that we can compete on our own terms, by being the writers that we are and doing our best work (and editing and PR and all that other good stuff).

I salute those sportspeople and writers who manage to bring home glory and world recognition for their achievement. They have and will continue to inspire us. I also salute those sportspeople and writers who turn up to give of their best and show their talent to the world, even if the world at large never hears of them again. There is no shame in being outclassed by someone who is better than you. And nothing more honourable than daring to compete in the first place.

One more thing - found in a notebook

I suppose you're wondering why this note has been left for you on the mantelpiece. Don't worry, all will become clear by the time you get to the end. First off, I've left you. I can't say I'm leaving you, as that has been happening, by degrees, ever since you had that affair at work. Oh, I know we went to counselling and both worked on our issues. I know we said we'd both try harder. But all my soul searching has led me to one irrefutable conclusion: I can't be with you any more. That doesn't mean that I don't care about your well-being. Fifteen years of what was once a happy marriage can't all be undone, even by your infidelity. I want you to be happy, but I want me to be happier more than that.

You're probably wondering what did it, whether there was something you said or did that finally pushed me over the precipice? Well, it wasn't the second affair - the one you thought I didn't know about, with one of your sales reps, even though the scent of her perfume on you after those conferences used to make me want to retch. But, for the sake of everything we'd worked for, I tried to get beyond it. 

No, my light bulb moment, when I got wise to the fact that it was always going to be like this from now on, was when you suggested we didn't need to go see someone anymore and air our dirty laundry in front of a stranger. Because, you see, I kept on seeing him. And, over time, I started to see a pattern, going all the way back to my first boyfriend - the one I told you about when you accused me of being insecure. You were right - I did have a problem after all. And now I've decided to fix it.

It's important that you don't misunderstand me when I say that I don't want you to come and find me. I know exactly what I'm doing, perhaps for the first time in a very long while. We'll need to sort out all the details - house, savings and so on - but my new solicitor will be in touch with you after the weekend.

I know this must come as a shock to you. You were probably expecting to return home with a suitcase of washing and some improbable tales about sales projections and what Mr Latimer said in the bar. The only thing is, I've seen the photos of the two of you cosying up together - you and Joanne, I think her name is? I also know that she's married, for the time being anyway.

Do some thinking over the weekend about what you want to do with the house. I don't mind if you want to buy me out; otherwise we can sell it. And please don't ring my mobile. If you do I'll just change the number. One more thing, don't forget to put the rubbish out Sunday night. Take care and all the best for the future.

Be Still - found in a notebook

'Be still and know that I am God.'

How many times had Carrie heard pastor Gellard say that in class? Yeah, she knew God - saw him winking at her between the lines of her Student Bible. But did he know her? Did his all-seeing eye witness the pile of dishes left by her mum and friends, along with the beer cans and pizza boxes left out on the counter? And hey, if he did know then why didn't he do something about it, huh? If she could see that mum needed taking care of, how could he be so blinkered? She thought about it all. Yeah, a blinkered God - that about summed it up.

Pastor Gellard looked up, made momentary eye contact and then continued speaking. Sometimes, Carrie wondered if the class were just for the Pastor's benefit. I mean, it wasn't as if she learned anything, not really. That same droning voice, week after week. I mean, come on, it wasn't exactly jubilation at the word of the Lord. She tilted her head forward to stifle a chuckle. Where was the joy?

The droning had stopped, or at least it had changed pitch a little. Now he was talking about Outreach. Hell, that wasn't even a proper word. Hell. She took a breath. Pastor Gellard had a fondness for hell - talking about it, that was.

"So, the Outreach Programme is looking for volunteers. You'll get extra school credits and it would mean being away from home for one week's initial training. If anyone is interested, please let me know."

Carrie's hand shot up, as if she were signalling to God. 'Look, here I am. I've been still, and I know you. I'm showing you, right now, where I am, so you can get to know me.'

Adrift - found in a notebook

"You'll love it," she said. "It's where you find your soul."

Find the bottom of my stomach, more like. "But what about the snow? Surely a boat can't sail..." I realised I was sounding like an idiot halfway through my plea bargain.

She smiled. The sea won't freeze, and anyway, it's going to rain later - it'll wash away your sins!

I put the phone down, stepped over a pile of unfinished work - the curse of the time-afflicted picture framer - and fetched out my coat from the closet.

Fifteen minites later, the car beeped outside. My stomach leapt. It was getting in practice for a command performance. The car was my gallows walk. When we arrived, I nearly kissed the snow-covered ground as I hear the words: dry dock.

When I'd finished dancing my jig - on the inside - I heard her voice waxing lyrical about the majesty of the sea and the power of the waves. Me, I gazed around silently, curious about her hidden world, but happy to remain at the edge of it. There were other sailors there, or boat people - whatever they called themselves; and a couple from France, judging by the accent. But Frankie, when I saw her hand touch the side of The Aspiration, her face lit up and I knew I'd seen a hidden side of her as well. Internet dating had been the starting point, but now it was something other. We lived in the same locale, yet never met except when she called me. That was the arrangement and it suited us both, for a time. It suited me no longer. The more I pushed, the more she retreated, and the more curious I became. I began to construct elaborate fantasies about her; I even wondered if Frankie was her real name or if the boat were hers at all. Or if I were hers at all...

What he said... aka thanks for that

While there is no magic formula, there are certain recurring themes in the 'How I Made It' stories of successful writers. They all had absolute faith. They all wrote with almost religious zeal and they all refused to take 'No' for an answer from life. Most drew upon their own personal experiences and few seem to have had a carefully controlled game plan. Many wrote several novels before getting their big break. Some hit paydirt on the first time out. Many have journalism as a training ground. All love words and felt compelled to tell their stories.

Use what you have. Get what you need. Tell your stories your way and learn your craft as a writer. That will make you more fulfilled, irrespective of whether it gets you published.

The problem with identifying paths and models of excellence is that we are also looking at the matter retrospectively - recognising someone who has achieved something and then asking how they did it. The assumption is not only that those positive behaviours and strategies can be replicated, but also that replicating them will, of itself, lead to some similarly quantifiable success.

Other problems arise in the process of quantification. If we look back at our own lives and achievements, the road to our goal is both hard to chart as a linear journey and excludes the elements of chance, timing and connections.

Add to that the lack of objectivity - for example, how do we even know when something can be considered a success at all - and it becomes apparent that definition of terms, factors and common perceptions is key. Perhaps all we can safely say is that some behaviour - discipline, goal setting, and an attitude of positive expectation about one's inner resources - is that these all make our success (chance, timing and connections - or the lack of them - notwithstanding) more likely. But a two-in-a-million chance is still more likely than a one-in-a-million chance, even though it is - to all intents and purposes - infinitesimally small.