Thursday, August 13, 2009

Call yourself a writer?

Inspired by this blog post, here's a few ramblings about writing...



Which words do you use too much in your writing?

Cripes, I have no idea. I guess my biggest fault is that I find it hard to write formal stuff these days. Thanks to the introduction of blogging and the old citizen journalism I find it much easier to inject my own personality into my writing. Serious interviews don’t interest me that much these days and I find it hard to not to be a bit of a joker when I write. I do abbreviate words quite a lot, like kinda and gonna, and I guess this may be a tad irritating. What am I trying to be, like a 14-year-old? Like totally? For real? Whatever!

Which words do you consider overused in stuff you read?

I don’t think it’s which words, it’s how many words. There’s a lot of over-writing out there and a lot of folk think good writing is flowery, wordy and intense. It isn’t. Good writing, for me anyway, gets to the point using as few words as possible and is written in a way which engages the reader and makes them visualise what they’re reading about. Why say dwelling when you mean house, facility when you mean toilet or receptacle when you mean a glass? Keep it simple and your writing will be accessible to everyone.

What’s your favourite piece of writing by you?

I’m way too over critical to be able to name one. I much prefer reading my stuff after a few years have passed, when it’s a totally fresh read because I’ve forgotten all about it. Re-reading this blog post, for example, and I’ll think it’s pants. As a writer I’m not sure you can ever be 100 per cent happy with what you’ve written, I guess it’s how others perceive it. A few months ago I took a trip back to the Newport Advertiser, where I was chief reporter aged 20, and I skimmed some of the back editions which was great fun and reminded me that hey, perhaps I could write after all. It wasn’t bad stuff, even if I do say so myself. Worst case scenario, I guess some of my published work would make very good bog roll (apart from the online stuff, of course).

Regrets, do you have any? Is there anything you wish you hadn’t written?

It's better to regret something you have done, rather than something you haven't - I live and I'll die by that statement. As for writing, I probably wish I hadn’t written the headline “Man found hanged” on a story about a man who actually gassed himself in his garage - he didn't hang himself at all.  I don’t know what I was thinking but I read the reporter’s story, picked up on the suicide and out came that headline, which fit perfectly into whatever column inches I’d left for it. It was a front page story and, amazingly, no one picked up on it. Not the reporters who proofed the page, not my editor, not the printers, and not one of the paper’s 30,000 readers. Amazing! I was somewhat let off the hook by the fact that in that same week my editor wrote the headline “Grass cunting” when she should have written “grass cutting”. It was a dull two par-filler made less dull by the headline typo, and so all attention was taken away from my suicide headline and focused on the very rude word that had found it’s way into our paper – and later FHM magazine.

How has your writing made a difference? What do you consider your most important piece of writing?

I really doubt that my writing has made a difference to anyone, to be honest. I got into journalism because I wanted to write, not because I wanted to help people, (selfish, but true) although I’ve had a fair few boxes of chocolates and thank you letters along the way, so some folk must have been pleased with what I've bashed out. When I was assistant editor on the North Shropshire Chronicle we picked up an award for Campaigning Newspaper of the Year for our Sink or Swim Campaign – to save a local swimming pool from closure. It’s small town news really, but was a big issue for the locals, and thanks to out campaign putting pressure on local government, the pool stayed open. That was pretty heart-warming and we got a fair few pats on the back for that.

Name three favourite words

By. Robyn. Slingsby. (my fourth word would be exclusive)

And three words you’re not so keen on

By. Staff. Reporter.

Do you have a writing mentor, role model or inspiration?

I tend to be inspired by places, rather than people, especially places where there are no distractions like household chores, ringing phones and people to talk to. I'm inspired by scenery, beautiful places, buzzing places and even simple places like coffee shops where I can people watch. As for mentor, my former editor John Butterworth played a huge role in pushing my career on, handing me challenge after challenge and new job title after new job title each time I got bored. And that happened a lot. If he hadn't encouraged me I doubt I'd have had the confidence or the skills to be  series editor at 26.

What’s your writing ambition?

To have my first novel published. I’m currently working on the second draft of my first novel, pure unadulterated chick lit. It’s a tough slog and there’s plenty of work to be done yet but if I can bag myself an agent and get the damn thing published I’ll be a very happy girly. Journalism is easier – it’s reporting the facts (for the most part, at least) but writing fiction is a different ball game and one that’s challenging me along the way.

Plug alert! List any work you would like to tell people about?

Well, er… keep an eye out for my novel which may be published in the next five years, and even then only if I’m very, very lucky. In the meantime, most of my work is published on the website I work for – Platform.

Tag alert

Here are some fellow journos who may wish to blog in a similar manner...


Tracy Buchanan

Jane Matthews

Lorna Rutter