My Writing Process

So, I totally suck. I was meant to post this last week, but it entirely slipped my mind. I was tagged by the awesome Michelle Wallace at Writer In Transit. So here I am, posting it anyway ... a week later. I can't really do it properly, either, 'cause I couldn't find people to tag. But I will name the three people I tried to tag, okay? :P

1. What am I working on/writing? Right now I am working on editing my SQUEAKY novel. It's a detective story, but all the characters are animals. Unlike any other edit I've ever done, this one is really a struggle because I am making sure I'm pretty much 100% happy with each chapter before moving on to the next. This is proving to be quite a tedious experience, but I think it will make things easier in the long run.

2. How does my work/writing differ from others in its genre? To be honest, I'm not really familiar with other stories in this genre. Probably because I've never been able to actually pin down which genre it actually is. I know that's meant to be a cardinal sin - not reading within the genre you're writing in - but honestly, the story gripped me and so I wrote it. I have considered the book to be middle grade, but it does have some extreme violence in it. So that has always thrown me. Anyway ... if you have any suggestions for at-times-violent detective stories involving animal characters, let me know. :P

3. Why do I write what I do? The thing is, I write in many genres. So I write a lot of contemporary, a bit of fantasy/sci-fi, and then things like SQUEAKY. And I guess the reason I write so many genres is that I love so many genres, and I am happy to go wherever the next flash of inspiration takes me. I kind of love not knowing what is coming next in this great writing adventure.

4. How does my writing process work? Ummm, I tend to be able to write very quickly. It's the editing part that bogs me down. But I type very fast (last time I tested myself, I clocked in at 125 wpm), and never worry about what I'm actually writing, as long as I'm still having fun with it. I don't really get writer's block. One might say that I do suffer from editor's block. ha. But writer's block is a foreign concept to me. So I definitely thrive during NaNoWriMo and other WriMo events.

Anyway, that's it for my contribution to this blog hop.

And the people I would have tagged if I could were:

• Cheyanne Young
• Madeline Jane
• omg ... I can't remember who else I asked! :(

UBUNTU bloghop ~ Nelson Mandela and his fellows

Hi everyone. Today I'm taking part in Michelle Wallace's UBUNTU Blog Hop - a celebration of Michelle's 3 years blogging, and also of the African concept of Ubuntu:

"In Africa, there is a concept known as UBUNTU – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievement of others." – Nelson Mandela.

In the time since I signed up for this blog hop, I went and saw the movie MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. For that reason I feel it's quite fitting that we started off this hop off with a quote from the great man himself.

To tell the truth, I'm largely ignorant of South African history, so I really can't vouch for the accuracy or authenticity of the film I saw. But I can say that I thought it was a great film, and a worthy tribute to the amazing Nelson Mandela.

One thing that occurred to me while watching the film was that Mandela didn't do the amazing things he did all on his own. First off, he wasn't jailed on his own. Secondly, he left behind a whole bunch of people who fought on without him.

Don't get me wrong - Mandela was an inspirational, awe-inspiring man, an unforgettable role model even before he went to jail. But when he was first incarcerated, it might've been easier for those he left behind to just give up the fight. Obviously their lives wouldn't have been easy by any means if they had, but surely to them the idea of going on without Mandela there with them must have felt pretty damn terrifying.

But those people, including Winnie Mandela herself, didn't give up. They continued to fight for their freedom and basic rights, and for that reason I think they were pretty amazing human beings as well.

Thanks Michelle for introducing me to Ubuntu, and furthering my cultural education. :)