I’ve Seen the Sun

Hello Lovelies,

In last week’s post, Sunshine on a Cloudy Day, I promised that there was sunshine to be found in every day, sometimes though we had to look a little harder to find it. Well over this last week, I have seen glimpses of the sun and it wasn’t as hard to find as I thought it would be.

After writing last week’s post my nephew was born that night and let me tell you he is definitely a ray of sunshine in this world! I was also able to get back into writing something besides literature reviews and essays. I didn’t get a huge amount of writing done but it still felt so good to be able to write again. It was like meeting up with a good friend, no matter how much time has passed since you last spoke, you still knew what they were thinking and feeling. It was wonderful to be able to begin making those changes I have been wanting to make to Lonely Hearts and begin to reinstate the element of surprise, something that has been weighing on my mind over the last month or so.

Image created using WordItOut.com

This past week I have also gotten a few more followers on Twitter, WordPress and a couple of likes on FB too!

While there have still been quite a few clouds hanging around, I’m determined to focus on the positive and on seeing the sunshine in each and every day.

Finally, as I had hoped, I have a small excerpt from Lonely Hearts to share with you all, remember it is still only the first draft so be kind.

Don’t forget to see the sun in each and every day, not matter how many clouds are hanging around. Let me know on Twitter @WriterWithin_KK, on Facebook or by commenting on this post, what has your sunshine been this week?

Enjoy,

KK

I recognised an attempt to change the topic when I saw one, but he was right, I did need to rest and I was too worn out to question him. Tomorrow, after some sleep, I would find out what he was hiding from me. For the moment though, I felt exhausted, József was here to watch over me and as I looked up at Thomas I saw the weariness in his eyes. No matter how much I longed for him to stay and keep my darkness at bay, I knew I needed to let him rest as well as myself,

“Will you be here with me when the police come for my statement?” I asked, knowing that I would need the support of the both of the strong men in my life to get through it.

Thomas finally looked into my eyes, his emerald coloured eyes looking deep into mine, “Of course I will be here, I will always be here when you need me. In case you haven’t noticed, I find it impossible to stay away from you, even if I know I should.”

“Then don’t.”

© Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within, (2013-2015). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Hello Lovelies,

My recent posts have been largely full of unorganised incoherent ramblings, poorly written and probably poorly edited as well and I am sorry for that, but I’m not going to delete them. The posts over the last few weeks have reflected what is going in my mind lately- many disorganised, confused and sometimes incoherent thoughts.

I have finally finished another semester of uni though and hopefully that will help me to get my focus back and get on with my writing, as I am now sadly two months behind my self-imposed word-count quota.

In my state of disorganised thoughts, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on writing, on life and whatever else pops into my mind.

I came across this quote, it’s one I have read before but one that got me thinking a little more clearly about my writing again:

“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.” – Meg Cabot

I began writing Lonely Hearts, because as Thomas and Rose’s story began to play out in my mind, I came to realise it was something I actually wanted to read for myself. As I told a couple of close friends and family about Thomas and Rose’s story, it was one that they marvelled at the way it sounded like an actual synopsis of published book and they actually wanted to read it as well. Thomas and Rose’s story is still one that I would like to read and I am determined to finish writing the first draft this year. With uni semester not returning until the end of July, I’m hoping to get my head back in the game and get into writing again.

I’ve also been reflecting a lot about things in general lately, not just about writing. You know when you have one of those days when nothing seems to go right and you can’t wait for the next day to begin? Well I’ve been having a few of those lately and yesterday when trying to think of a topic for today’s blog post, I wrote down a few thoughts.

This is what I came up with:

As the sun set on another day, I wondered what tomorrow would bring. The more I pondered over this thought, the more I was inclined to just take it as it comes.The good, the bad and the in between, to take in life one moment at a time.

I told myself though, no matter what tomorrow or the next day brings, I would find something good in each of the days. Whether it be some time to write or do something little for myself or the unconditional love from my children. There is something positive in every day, some days the positive is obvious other days you have to look a little bit harder to find sunshine on a cloudy day, but it’s there, trust me.

Photo courtesy Flickr CC user -Lets Go Out Bournemouth and Poole

So, my aim for this week is to get my head back in the game and get some writing done, hopefully I’ll have a little something to share with you all in next week’s post. Another aim is to find the positive in each and every day. I wonder, what today’s sunshine will be… So far I can think of a few things and it’s still only morning!

To finish off here’s a song that always makes me feel good and was the inspiration for the title of this week’s post.

Video courtesy of YouTube, standard YouTube license applies, copyright belongs to original artists, writer etc

Enjoy,

KK

© Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within, (2013-2015). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

The Element of Surprise

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”
― Robert Frost

Hello Lovelies,

Sorry I am a day late with this week’s post, but unfortunately it’s been a rollercoaster of a semester and an assessment task that was due had to take priority yesterday.

As you can see by the title of today’s post and by the quote at the top, I am going to talk about the importance of using the element of surprise when writing fiction.

I spoke a few weeks ago about realising a mistake I made in Thomas and Rose’s story (in case you missed it check it out by clicking here). I realised that I had given away too much of the story, too early on eliminated the suspense and surprise that the plot needed in order to develop at an engaging pace. Now sometimes, as the writer, you already know the little surprises coming up in the plot and when drafting you let them go a little too soon. This is when you have to rush back and edit, making sure you keep that element of surprise and suspense up your sleeve (like I am intending to do now I have submitted that nasty literature review!) Other times you are simply writing it as it comes to you and even though you are the writer, one of the plot twists even takes you by surprise.

So far through writing Thomas and Rose’s story I’ve laughed and cried, I’ve been shocked and surprised and sometimes I’ve been downright furious and angry, particularly with one of my more villainous characters. I’ve had moments when I would be writing away and suddenly I would realise where the story was heading. In that moment I feel the shock and surprise that I only hope my readers will feel too.

Without the element of surprise the plot runs the risk of becoming predictable and boring, definitely not something that will keep an audience. Be ruthless in your writing, be ruthless,shock and surprise your readers but try not to be predictable.

So now I’m off to do some rearranging of Thomas and Rose’s story, trying to keep the element of surprise, if I don’t get distracted by Game of Thrones, that is!

Wish me luck!

-KK

© Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within, (2013-2015). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Great Mothers in Fiction

Hello Lovelies,

With today being mother’s day, in today’s post I am going to discuss seven of my favourite mothers in fiction. Why seven you ask? That’s because seven is my favourite number (and that’s also how many happened to be on my initial list).

So in no particular order, here are seven of my favourite mothers in fiction:

1. Catelyn Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin)- I am a new fan of GoT and I admit that I have not read the actual books yet. However when I began making this brief list of some of my favourite mothers in fiction there was no way that Catelyn Stark could not be on such a list.
Catelyn is the matriarch of the sStark family of Winterfell. She is strong and fiercely protective of her children, even Jon Snow whether she admits it to herself or not.
When Bran fell/was pushed from the tower, she sat by his side day and night as any mother would. A woman of great faith she prays to the Gods to protect and watch over her children, she would kill for them and she would die for them.
Catelyn Stark is a force to be reckoned with and if you’re smart you’ll never do wrong by her children as long as she is around.

2. Marmee (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)- Marmee is another woman of great strength. She is mother and father to her girls while her husband is away fighting in the civil war.
Marmee loves and cares for her daughters when they are sick or hurt and stands up for them against horrible teachers.
She is warm and compassionate, caring not only for her own family but also for others who are less fortunate and in difficult times.
She guides her daughters on the unsteady road from being children to becoming young ladies and she loves each of her girls for who they are, even Josephine and her tomboy ways.
A woman of strength, compassion and love she is definitely one of my most favourite fictional mothers.

3. Caroline Ingalls (Little House Series by Laura Ingalls-Wilder)- raising three young girls (and later more children) would not be an easy task in today’s world, let alone in the time of Caroline Ingalls.
Once a school teacher, Caroline Ingalls is a loving and compassionate woman who aims to raise her girls with good values, a good education and a sense of compassion for those less fortunate. She, like all mothers at some point, has perhaps made some mistakes, but her love for her children, whether biological children or not, is strong and unwavering.

4. Miss Honey (Matilda by Roald Dahl)- Now I know that Miss Honey is not actually a biological mother, but there is no doubting her mothering qualities and the way she cares for Matilda. Miss Honey is kind-hearted, nurturing and warm. Her love for Matilda goes beyond that of teacher and student, she sees herself in Matilda and her struggle with a family that doesn’t understand or support her. In a way she is a mother figure to all of her students as she shows each of them love and kindness and nurturing them not only through their learning but also emotionally. In the end though, Matilda does end up living with Miss Honey and they both get their happily ever after like mother and daughter.

5. Grandma (The Witches by Roald Dahl)- Grandmothers are mothers too and when considering this I couldn’t write this post without mentioning Grandma in Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Another woman of strength, she fights and cares for her grandson, even after he is a mouse. Devising plans and fighting witches, this woman is not to be messed with. She seems like a kind, gentle elderly grandmother but don’t be mistaking her for vulnerable or weak because she is anything but!

6. Molly Weasley (Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling)- No list of great mothers in fiction would be complete without mentioning Molly Weasley. Strong, compassionate, protective and she has a wand and knows how to use it! Whether she knitting jumpers for Ron, making a scarf for Harry, who’s like her son or fighting off death eaters, Molly Weasley is one of those great mothers in fiction, one that you strive to be like, minus the wand.

7. Kanga (Winnie the Pooh by E.B White)- The last mother in fiction I’d like to mention today is Kanga from Winnie the Pooh. I know she’s not a human mother, but she’s a mother all the same, not only to her baby, Roo, but to all the characters living in the Hundred Acre Wood. Kanga is kind, warm and caring and knows how to build a person’s self-esteem and make them feel good about themself. She knows just what to say when you’re feeling down and when words aren’t quite what’s needed, she’s there with a hug.

So there you have it, seven of my favourite mothers in fiction. This is not a definitive list and there are hundreds of great fictional mothers in literature that haven’t been mentioned today. Let me know in the comments or on twitter or Facebook who would be on your list.

Remember, being a mother is not simply giving birth to a child and bring them into the world, it’s so much more than that. Some of the best mothers may not have ever given birth to a child, but that doesn’t make them any less of a mother.

So happy mother’s day to all of the mothers, grandmothers, mother-figures and also to the dads doing the job if both mother and father! You’re all important in the life of a child and are celebrated on this day.

Enjoy,

KK

 

© Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within, (2013-2015). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Oops, I Did it Again!

Hello Lovelies,

Well, what can I say?

It’s not my fault!

I didn’t mean to, honestly.

I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear!

If I had of known I would have done something about it…. maybe.

No matter what the excuse, it seems that I have left yet another uni assignment until the last minute, however this time it was completely unintentional and not my usual procrastination that has caused this.

You see, with everything that has been going on lately, I feel as though I have been living in a crazy world of my own. In this world I thought that the assignment in question was due on the 20th of May, when in actual fact it’s due on the 8th.

So, it seems this has been a month of very little writing unfortunately. The most frustrating thing is though, I’ve finally figured out what I was doing wrong with Thomas and Rose’s story (see last week’s post) and I have endless things I want to add to their it.

I’ve written before about when I started my masters degree, I was feeling a little lost at the time thought it was the right thing to do to extend myself. Now though more than ever, I feel as though it is the main thing holding me back from what I really need, no, what I really want to do -which is to write.

Even though I feel this way, I am so close to the finish line with this degree that I simply cannot bring myself to quit now, otherwise all of that hard work and hours of reading academic articles and research was all for nothing.

So, I have two assignments left this semester (which I now have the correct due dates for) and then I can hopefully get a sh**load of writing done before my FINAL semester. It’s so close I can almost taste the finish line, but not quite.

Now if I ever have this bright idea for further post-graduate studies, make sure you give me a good slap, unless it’s a writing course.

So, sorry about the short post again lovelies, but as you can see I’ve got a deadline and this time it’s not a self-imposed one that I can bend a little.

Now I’m off to research some issues in relating to wellbeing and inclusive education in schooling in order to write a 2,300 word literature review, then a 1,000 word response to a peer’s literature review by Friday.

Wish me luck!

-KK

© Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within, (2013-2015). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovacs and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.