I sat down to write this week’s blog savouring the feeling of anticipation of a creative spurt.
I hoped to seek joy in the words I would write.
I sat, pencil in hand, staring at the blank page.
I sat poised to write.
I waited……
And I waited……
And I’m still sitting with the feeling of anticipation as I wait for the words to begin to flow….
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Tagged #bloggerlife, #CoralMcCallum, #creativity, #humour, #IndieAuthor, #themeaslyjarofmotivation, #writinglife
Day 6/15 – DOORWAY
My creative journey has opened several doorways. The key doorway was the one into the story. Taking that first step to sit down and write what became the Silver Lake series took me a huge amount of self-confidence and self-discipline. I’m terrified of letting people read what I write but the dream was always to see my name on the cover of a book. Writing and then self-publishing took me through a doorway that led me way beyond my comfort zone but I’ve never looked back.
Day 7/15 – PSEUDONYM
A pseudonym isn’t something I ever considered. Taking the decision to initially set up my blog and them to self-publish my first novel in 2015 was something I was hugely proud of achieving so there was no way I was hiding behind a pseudonym. These were my achievements and I was proud to put my name to them. I still am.
A lot of my writing journey has been about establishing my own self-belief and self-worth. It would feel as though I was cheating if I used another name.
Day 8/15 – SOUNDS
Ocean, beach and sunset spring to mind! They’re feelgood words.
Tour , book, wine and Sale are among my favourite 4 letter words.
On a more serious note, I like the Greek word MERAKI which means to do something with soul, creativity and love. Sounds a bit like writing to me
Day 9/15 – LOCATION
My family would argue that you can find my writing all over the living room! LOL No, seriously, you can find my blogs at Coral McCallum | chasing rainbows and dreams in day to day life There’s also a “shop” tab on there that leads you to the Amazon links for my book babies. My 7 book babies (oh it still feels surreal to say that out loud) can be found worldwide on Amazon if you care to look and are available as both paperbacks or ebooks. Haven’t ventured into the world of hardback books…yet. The rest of my writing can be found in countless notebooks, journals and diaries. Some of those journals may be pulled together into a “something” further down the line. Time will tell….
Day 10/15 – CHAMPION
I have been truly fortunate throughout my creative journey and for the year or so before I self-published my first book baby Stronger Within in 2015 to have a core group of “champions” by my side and behind me, encouraging my every step. These are my “infamous five” and my “cavalry” You know who you are, and I’ll not blow your cover by naming names here.
My readers, blog followers and social media followers are also my champions.
I am wholly appreciative of everyone who supports my journey. Thank you will never be enough.
Some of you may remember the Meet the Writer online challenge from 2023. When I saw Beth Kempton promoting this year’s challenge, I was excited to see what topics came up.
Here’s the first of 3 instalments.
Day 1/15- VIEW
Today is Day One of this year’s Meet The Writer event with 15 daily prompts from Beth Kempton.
View…. when I’m writing indoors this is the view of my desk. Cluttered but cosy. My desk is in the corner of the living room so there’s usually a cat or two for company. In summer I enjoy writing outdoors in the sun but it’s January and it’s cold and damp and dark so no view of that space today
Day 2/15 CATALYST
I can’t remember not writing. As soon as I could write a sentence, I was off and scribbling. I’ve mentioned before that writing has always been a coping mechanism for me. I wrote through high school to escape from persistent bullying. I’ve journaled extensively for the past 3/4 years as my key coping mechanism through first Lockdown then George’s illness. Writing fiction is like oxygen to me. I need to be lost in my book babies. Over the years they have proved to be a therapeutic escape from reality. Long may that continue…
Day 3/15….HANDWRITING
I write everything out longhand. I journal longhand. I write far quicker than I type. Do I like my own handwriting? Yes but a lot of folk struggle to read it. I love a nice pen, preferably with purple ink. I’m a sucker for pens… and notebooks. Yes I have several of those that are “too good to use”
Day 4/15 – RITUAL
Even although I am a complete creature of habit, I don’t really have any rituals associated with my writing. I have routines. Every night before I go to bed, I sit and write my diary entry for the day.
When I am buying notebooks to write future book babies in, I always buy 5 of each. Each novel so far has run to 4/5 notepads and I like them to match.
If my writing isn’t flowing as well as I’d like with my manuscripts, I will occasionally change to writing with a different pen in a different colour of ink to see if that flows better….it usually does.
Day 5/15 – COMPANIONS
My companions while I am writing tend to be feline rather than literary. I am the human slave to four spoiled furry boys. Let’s be honest- the cat has done an awesome job at domestication with their humans
I do write near to my bookshelves so you could argue that all my favourite authors are just over my shoulder.
When I’m writing, the books I tend to dip into most often are usually my own as I search for particular scenes to ensure I maintain continuity.
Over the past ten days or so, I have been attending an online Winter Writing Sanctuary hosted by the beautiful Beth Kempton. This is the second year I have brought the creative new year in within the sanctuary. For me, it’s a nice way to ease into the year ahead’s creative pursuits.
A few days into the course, the daily lesson centred around “building a space”. I thought I would share my short essay response to that lesson with you here-
Oh, where to begin! That’s a question I’ve asked myself many times over the past nine weeks since my husband passed away.
There are so many “spaces” in my life that need to be built or re-modelled. It’s a daunting prospect some days.
The whole dynamic of day-to-day life has shifted forever. Even though I’ve known for over three years that this shift was approaching, it still hit hard, bringing with it a veritable maelstrom of emotions that are still swirling around me.
The “space” that I feel I lost entirely in those early days of grief was my space in the world. I felt as though I didn’t know where I belonged anymore. Wearing this “Blue Peter” badge saying “widow”, I felt as though I had been cast into a void. I’ll be totally honest I still feel that way a lot of the time. I felt that I’d lost my very identity. Watching someone you love die changes a person forever. Who was I now? I’m still figuring that one out.
Friends would message in the first week or two after the funeral to say that they were thinking about the kids and I but were giving me “space” to get my head together. “Space” alone in my head was in fact the last thing that I needed! Left in my own mind, I kept mulling everything over and over, reliving every heartbreaking moment spent in the local hospice. I kept panicking about whether I was being strong enough for my kids. I was worrying about whether they are ok or not. I still am on that one. True they are both adults in their twenties, but their dad was the first person that they had ever lost. I fretted about whether I was really ok. Even on days where I felt more like myself for a few brief hours and felt I had my shit together, I’d panic that I wasn’t being honest with myself. It was in those early days that I really would have appreciated an invite to go for a coffee or a walk, but I accept that everyone else is busy with their lives too. The world keeps turning.
Then there’s the physical “space” around me. The house needs to change to become “my home” rather than “our home”. There are DIY projects that need to be organised that have gone ignored for years while we travelled the journey that was my husband’s illness. I wrote a list…well, three lists- big, medium and small DIY projects. Big projects need a professional. Medium ones need an extra pair of “handy” hands. Small ones I should be able to tackle alone or so the theory goes. Time will tell on that. It’s a lengthy list but in time I’ll get through it. First on the list is my leaking conservatory roof.
I’ll tell you a quick story. In the early days after my husband’s death, the house was transformed into a florist’s shop. The main issue with that was that most of my vases were lining the conservatory windowsills catching drips. The solution – all the bouquets of white flowers were put into those vases then placed back on the windowsill. Voila! Self-watering flowers that in actual fact lasted for weeks.
Other rooms in the house needed attention too. There were belongings to be packed away, thrown away or donated to charity. It was an emotional task … Maybe I’m nesting in a way, but I need to reclaim the physical “space” as my own, while not wiping out all of the past. It’s a delicate balance that needs to be struck.
I’m trying to look at my home for the past twenty years as though it were a new house and I’m just moving in. It’s hard, emotionally hard, but I accept that I need to go through the pain of these changes to heal from the loss.
I need to reclaim my creative “space” and my creative time. Working from home at the day job in the same space that I try to create my book babies in in the evenings is challenging. As time moved on from 2020’s Lockdown but I was still working from home full-time due largely to my husband’s illness, it became harder and harder to separate the two. Now that I’ve had a few weeks away from the day job, I’ve reclaimed the creative “space”. The creative fires are still small embers, but they are gradually burning brighter. I’m on the eve of returning to the day job as I write this, but I am also on the verge of relocating my “day job” space to the upstairs study. That “space” has been dominated by my late husband for the past few years. It was his “bat cave”. I still struggle to spend time in the room, but I know in my heart that I have to move beyond that. I’m slowly, piece by piece, endeavouring to make that “space” my own. The new curtains were a huge step forward. It’ll take time, lots of time, and there’s no rush but I will migrate upstairs for work and reserve my downstairs desk for creative purposes.
It’s a Leap Year. For a while I’ve said:
2023 was the year to be free.
2024 is the year to restore.
2025 will be the year to thrive.
So, the plan, the cunning plan, is to build these new “spaces” both internal and external over the coming year. It will be far from easy, but I will get there one small space at a time. I really don’t have any choice.
Now for the final instalment in my Meet The Writer series that was first shared as part of a 15-day challenge on my author Facebook page back in July. Seems like a lifetime ago now…
#MeetTheWriter Day 11/15…MOVEMENT
Walking…meandering…. gives my mind space to drift off into the storyline. I often puzzle through the roadblocks of my writing as I meander after work. That daily post-work walk also serves to clear the day job out of my head and allow the creative spaces to open up again.
“Dancing” (I use the term loosely as I have very little sense of rhythm) at a gig helps in general. There’s a great sense of freedom in it. I love losing myself in the performance. Watching what is going on up on stage closely is also good research for my book babies, especially watching soundcheck when the chance arises.
#MeetTheWriter Day 12/15…FIRSTS…
Before I answer this one, I’ll give you a little background. I started to write my first novel in May 2013. Later that year I shared an excerpt from it with a close friend who encouraged me to keep chasing the dream. One small problem – I’m terrified of letting people read what I write. That’s a fear that’s still very real today but I’ve got better at dealing with it. My way of attempting to overcome it was to start my blog back on 29 Dec 2013. So to answer the question, this blog post was the first piece of writing I shared publicly https://coralmccallum.co.uk/2013/12/ The journey began right there..
#MeetTheWriter … DAY 13/15…DREAM
There’s two answers to this …humour me for a moment.
If I could turn back time, I would love to go back to my aunt’s house and sit and write out on her sun deck while I listened to the sounds of nature around me.
The current dream (and I will make it happen one day) is not to write at a specific desk but instead is to sit on my favourite beach, listening to the waves crashing in on the shore and just lose myself in the moment with my notebook and pen on my knee.
#MeetTheWriter DAY 14/15….ADVICE…
The best writing advice I have been given to date was given to me by one of my high school English teachers who told me to write about places I love and topics I am passionate about. I think it took me about 30 years to fully understand what he meant by it.
Another creative analogy that has stuck is the one about first drafts being like chucking sand into the sand box. There’s time to build castles later. I heed that one when at the end of an evening’s writing I start to doubt the quality of the words I’ve written.
#MeetTheWriter … Day 15/15… MIRROR
Oh good question to end this 15 days of #MeetTheWriter! I would like my writing to be described as genuine. I write from the heart. I strive to create believable, slightly flawed central characters (no one in this world is perfect) and I do my best to write about characters that people want to get to know. I’ve had several folk say to me that they want to hear the songs my rock stars sing. I’ve had folk sigh because they’ll never get to see Silver Lake or After Life or The RJ Band on stage. If I can evoke those feelings, along with the laughter and the tears, then I’m happy. The greatest compliment I’ve been paid to date came from someone at work. After I wrote Stronger Within they approached me in the staff restaurant and said they’d read my book and quite enjoyed it. They followed that comment up by adding that it had encouraged them to read other books. Job done! If I can make someone pick up a book, then that’s good enough for me.
A new month beckons so time to share the next instalment of my Meet The Writer series. As I mentioned last month, this was first shared as a 15-day challenge on my author Facebook page back in July. The final instalment will be shared next month.
#meetthewriter Day 6/15 – MUSIC….
this question made me smile. Those who know me personally already know the answer. It’s no secret that I love my rock music. My books (so far) all centre around music so listening to music aids the creative process. Alexa is my musical writing buddy! (And my work buddy for during the day job) I’d be here all day trying to name everyone who’s on my playlist! Ok- there’s a fair bit of Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Halestorm, Rival Sons, Dirty Honey, Cardinal Black, Kris Barras…..I could go on and on and on…Read my music blog https://the525toglasgow.wordpress.com/ and you’ll get the gist of it. If I’m writing outdoors, I do however prefer the sounds of nature around me.
#meetthewriter Day 7/15….LIFE….
I love “meandering” – going for a leisurely walk especially after a day logged on at work as it clears the “workday” from the rest of the day. I love to walk along the beach and feel sand under my feet. It grounds me. I also enjoy wandering through woodland. Most mornings I start the day with some yoga and a short yoga meditation combined with some Reiki.
I love reading. My kindle is never far away, and I have a house full of books of all genres.
I’m also a keen amateur photographer. You don’t want to know how many photos are on my phone!
As I mentioned before I love music and I also collect vinyl. I really do need to find a better way to store it….
I love going to gigs as time allows and I review those on my music blog The525to Glasgow.
Something you might not know is that I also run a real-life rock star’s fan page on FB and a sister account on Instagram. That FB page has a following of over 60k…..if only my author page could catch up LOL
Suffice to say…life’s busy.
#meetthewriter Day 8/15.WORDS….
what do I write…. well, my novels (so far) have all been contemporary romance along a rock music theme. Admittedly Riley is a bit different to the others. I try to write “real” believable characters into my book babies.
I blog and if you’ve explored that then you already know it’s an eclectic mix of all sorts. I do tend to have fun with different genres on there especially my Silently Watching serialised vampire fiction that has been running for 9 years now.
I also write poetry. In fact, I was published as a poet before I wrote any of my book babies.
I write music blogs too for my The525toGlasgow blog that chronicle the gigs I attend.
I journal extensively. It’s a great coping mechanism. I also write a diary every night before bed.
I kind of feel I should add that I write my Tesco list every week too! LOL
#MeetTheAuthor Day 9/15… TOOLS….
I’ve mentioned before I write all my first drafts longhand so the weapons of creation of choice are usually pens with brightly coloured ink. Black and blue are too boring! Invariably the ink is purple but, I’ll let you into a wee secret, I always write the first drafts of the Silently Watching stories in green ink.
I’ve written my way through more pens than I care to think of. I’m a sucker for pens so I’ve dozens but for Book Baby 8 I’m using Zebra Fountain Pens in purple ink. Yup- real old school with a nib pen.
I’ve stayed loyal to Pukka notepads for my writing. I started Stronger Within in one and have stuck with them. I buy them in 5’s – all the same colour. I love a good Back To School stationery sale! For my blogs I tend to use slightly fancier notebooks. Normal blog posts get written at the front and gig reviews at the back.
My Continue the Story journal is the exception in a way. I always write in pencil in it.
#MeetTheWriter Day 10/15. TALISMAN…
Today’s question kind of stopped me in my tracks. I am a creature of habit. I am one of those annoying people you could just about set your watch to. I like my things to be about me and to be in their place (even if it could be argued as being cluttered) but the honest answer to this question is …no. Unless you count a glass of water, juice, mug of coffee or glass of wine. Once I get into my “writing head” I’m in those pages and the world about me has been shut out so the surroundings don’t really matter much.
Last month, I shared a 15-day #MeetTheWriter challenge on my author Facebook page. It was a bit like interviewing myself but I thought I would share these insights with my blog community over the next few months in three instalments . So here goes….
#MeetTheWriter D1/15 ….DESK
What is on your desk?
Might be easier to ask what’s not on my desk! I write at a traditional style writing bureau (the day job is done from there too) and space is at a premium. As you can see the desk “top” just has space for my laptop and notebooks. The dookets at the back of the desk are crammed full with a variety of bits n bobs. The small champagne bottle now filled with novelty pens was the champagne from the launch of my debut novel Stronger Within. The small bear to the left sits on corks from various other celebratory bottles. He’s also got a necklace made up of years’ worth of Lindt chocolate bunnies and bears. The pink elephant in front of him came out of a bath bomb my daughter had years ago, if memory serves me right. On top, there’s a collection of knick knacks and soft toys that have gathered there over the years. My camera lurks in the top right hand dooket along with a spare external storage device. Oh, and as for the glass…that’s lemonade. Honest! LOL
It’s a bit of a cluttered space but it’s my space and I love it
#MeetTheWriter Day2/15 TIME….
The evenings, after dinner, are when I sit down to write. Some days I might only have a few snatched minutes and on others several hours. I go with the flow and don’t try to force it. “It’s 7:30pm, I must write for two hours” doesn’t work for me. Some evenings I’ll spend the time revising the words I wrote the night before and I still class that as writing as I’m still building the story. Each week I also find time to write my blog posts. If you’ve checked out the blog, you’ll know these can vary greatly in length!
During the summer months I love to write outdoors in the sunshine. That time might be spent sitting at my rather rickety picnic table or back on the front doorstep where this creative journey first began.
#MeetTheWriter Day3/15 MOTIVATION ….
I’ve pondered this question for a few hours. I can’t imagine not writing. Writing is as big a part of me as breathing. It’s something I’ve always done for as long as I can remember. As a child I was always writing stories and plays. I’ve kept a diary since 1 Jan 1982. I was given my first 5-year diary for Christmas 1981, and I still use a 5-year diary to this day. I journal regularly for the sake of my own sanity. Once you read things in black and white (Ok usually purple and white in my case) those fears/concerns seem less daunting. Writing thoughts and fears down helps take the power out of those words and makes them less scary. It’s a coping mechanism that has stood me in good stead over the years. Creative writing has always been a passion. In the right mood, I can find inspiration in most things for a poem or a piece of flash fiction. This week’s blog post is a classic example – I heard a song called Cinnamon Girl on the radio and my imagination stirred into life. Staying motivated can be easier at some points than at others but I’ve learned over time not to stress if the words decide not to flow easily. My mantra as I’ve mentioned before is “dreams get your started; discipline keeps you going”. I’m a dreamer at heart and there’s always a dream to chase.
#meetthewriter Day 4/15 CHAMPION
When I reflect back to 2013 when I began to write the story that became my debut novel Stronger Within, I never told a living soul what I was attempting to do. I just wrote. Eventually several months down the line I confided in one friend about what I was doing. (No, I’m not naming names) They went on to become one of my Infamous Five who have all championed my efforts at every turn. For different reasons, I am eternally grateful to each of them for believing in me and for ensuring I continue to believe in myself. Through time there have been numerous friends who have encouraged me and helped to spread the word about my book babies. I am indebted to each and every one of them. You know who you are, folks. Couldn’t continue on this creative path without you.
#meetthewriter Day 5/15 INSPIRATION…
Another question I’ve pondered for several hours. There are countless authors I admire and whose words have struck a chord. There are also countless musicians and songwriters who have done the same. Inspiration is all around. The key is having your eyes, ears and imagination open. It might be a casual phrase that sticks with you or a line in a song or even a snippet of conversation overheard in the supermarket. If you’re open to being inspired, inspiration will find you.
Coral McCallum 