No pacts with the devil allowed....

ahh - school holidays. Suffice to say we're in the midst of one and we love the local DVD rental place and EVERYONE in Auckland was at St Lukes shopping mall yesterday. Had dinner out with the Wellington branch of the SO family clan last night for eldest's birthday at GPK in Ponsonby. We were informed on arrival to get our order in quickly before a party of 50 were expected, including the All Blacks. Cue an undercurrent of excitement. We were seated en route to the loos and can report that some of those boys are better looking in real life, some are the size of small mountains and some seem to have a bladder weakness - go figure. We were too wimpy (or just respectful perhaps of their privacy) to ask for autographs but it was fun to stare.

One of the commentors on Nicola Morgan's blog post, 'There are no rules for writing, just results' suggested that trying to tease out the 'hows' can mess with the process. If we think too much about how we go about writing we get caught in the nuts and bolts and lose the freedom and effectiveness of just doing it - kind of like getting the yipps if you are a golfer (think Ian Baker Finch). I have wondered about this myself as I have gone about the business of trying to understand how I do what I do to be able to share it with workshop groups and other audiences. Generally I have found it useful for my novel writing although there are still many instances where it is just intuitive and I can't remember the names for things from grammar class at school . Picture books are murkier. The overall structure and defining characteristics are easy to outline but the story itself is the result of magic and I really cannot explain it any better than that. When it is right, you just know. Hardest of all for me are short stories. I do not know how these work and how they are short stories rather than some other form/genre. I only know sometimes I can write one very well and I have had some success with these. In an upcoming pair of books to be published by Scholastic NZ, Pick 'n' Mix Volumes 1 & 2 due November 2010 and February 2011 respectively I have three short stories. I will post the cover up when I have the first volume in my hot little hands. I have had a number of other short stories published, a good proportion of these twice by different publishers. But I don't think I can tell you how I do it. For me, I think they are picture book ideas that were too big and long and didn't need pictures. But the important ingredient is still the magic of that story idea and there are no rules that will help you get those. You just need to work on your own magic - but no pacts with the devil now, eh?

Have a very merry christmas and a cool yule...

Arrived back from hot Oz at 12.05am Christmas Eve after a 10 day holiday with the family. It was a blast and the best christmas present I could have had. We spent time in Surfers, shopping and theme parking at Movie World and Wet n' Wild (the Tornado is the best ride ever - this is the one that looks like a giant funnel and is loads of fun), the only down sides at Wet n'Wild being the sole searing pavement and queues which are inevitable in good weather. We hopped down to Byron Bay in NSW for a day trip but it was windy and my eldest got stung by a nasty old jellyfish, the discomfort of which I would not wish on anyone (except maybe fictional enemies). After Surfers we trundled up to the Sunshine Coast where we've never been before, to stay at a restful resorty place at Twin Waters. The main feature was a huge salt water lagoon with free-to-use kayaks and hobie cats which we made full use of. Watching dry bobs (as opposed to wet bobs - heh) try to sail was excellent entertainment. The North Shore Beach adjacent to the resort was stunning and made up for our Byron Bay experience. I got trashed by the huge waves and had a Tara Reid moment much to my family's amusement and they will be dining out on the tale for some time. Giving the whole pre-christmas stress/panic/intensity at home a miss was a very good idea and I thoroughly recommend it, although I did have to cook up my famous truffle mixture at 2am on the 24th so it would have time to set before rolling and dipping in chocolate before the big Szymanik Family Christmas which we traditionally celebrate on the afternoon/evening of Christmas Eve. Feeling a little sleep deprived now but so far Christmas day has been very cruisy. The 6 egg pav is crisping up beautifully in the oven as I type and then I will be getting back to reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which so far lives up to its reputation. And I'm off to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie at Gold Class tomorrow for my birthday - squeeee.

I wrote maybe 50 words at most on my YA while I was away. And I have to say right now I am very happy to be having a break from work.

Avoiding that enormous pile of...dirty laundry

Just back from vacationing with the family and I'm happy to say there is no better way to avoid that enormous pile of dirty laundry than by blogging. We got to catch up with my SO's family while we were away, visit a bunch of friends and take a nostalgia trip to the suburb my husband grew up in. Eastbourne in Wellington is little changed from all those years ago. Its character and charm have been preserved and I felt a little jealous of my SO's idyllic childhood by the sea and the fact that he does not have to rely completely on his memory to relive some of his childhood exploits.

In personal book news - while I was delighted in 2008 to have two books come out (The Were-Nana and Jack the Viking, just in case, by some remote chance, you couldn't recall what they were) and found the teaching and author visit experience very positive and rewarding I had more than a few disappointments during the year and felt like I'd made little progress with my writing career. However one of my disappointments has happily turned out to be untrue. Scholastic Australia have indeed taken my picture book The Were-Nana. I came across this by accident when a google alert (yay google alerts!) advised a library in Queensland had ordered three copies. Following this info on the internet I subsequently discovered my book available on the Scholastic Australia website (Now if only the NZ public lending right for books extended to Australian libraries!). I'm thrilled that one of my books has officially crossed the Tasman. I know sometimes this kind of progress takes time and I must exercise my patience until it is as big and strong and strapping as Arnold Schwarzenegger. I can also report my SO and his able assistant - spy son - reconnoitered in a number of book shops on our travels and in all but one instance at least one if not both 2008 books were carried. I plan to cherish every little step in the right direction this year. And I hope to avoid any clompy great footfalls backwards - may they be a thing of the past.

On days like this I believe in summer...

Wow, the sun is out with a vengeance today - not even one solitary little puff of white to be seen in that fabulous blue dome above. It was almost too hot for the little white flea hotel on our walk this morning at 9.30. On days like this I believe in summer. It is one of my three most favourite seasons. I think after the last few months I need a mini holiday, my brain and body feel a bit weary. Of course a spot of tropical cruising would be the best, but then there's the whole what would I pay for it with? Maybe I'll just try lots of movies, reading and lying around instead. I'll give it a test drive and see if it does the trick!

I want to start wearing my christmas earrings and get the festive feeling too but November is just too early. Of course once December comes I'll be fretting about the christmas shopping. When Justine Larbalestier's new book 'How to Ditch Your Fairy' came out she did a few blog posts on what kind of fairy's her blog readers had and the ones they would like to have. I would like to have a gift-shopping-savant fairy - one that automatically knew what the ideal affordable gift was for any recipient. The one I seem to have is the ability-to-think-like-a-child-and-so-find-where-they-put-lost-objects fairy. Hmm, not as useful except on christmas day itself. Ah well. Best go and dig out the tinselly earrings in preparation.

Life would be easier if...

It has been the school holidays and therefore difficult to get to the computer. Not because i'm busy entertaining the children. They are old enough now to entertain themselves and actually prefer not to have me involved in their social activities. No, its because I have to take a number and wait in line to use the thing. And as if that wasn't bad enough, for the last two days the internet has been a bit 'ethereal'. Truly it has come and gone, like a selfish teenager, indifferent to my begging and moody about what it would and wouldn't do for me. I hate these technological advances that suck you in until you are a complete slave to them and then they just toy with you and tease you and only work when they feel like it leaving you high, dry and frustrated. And i've been cutting down on wine and chocolate so i'm extra crabby over the whole thing.

However I did get enough time on the computer on thursday to complete my funding application to Creative New Zealand, closing date July 25. I have to say, as I posted it off yesterday, that I felt like I was whistling in the wind. My chances are probably no better then if I bought a lotto ticket, but at least I have my ticket.

I found the funding guide very difficult to interpret and even when i've asked for advice from applicants, previous judges (or whatever they call the people who make the decisions on the applications) and staff within the organisation its a little like I was asking for a state secret from the CIA. Answers were as vague as the guide. I appreciate some of the reasoning that may be behind this vagueness - the guide must be applicable for many different art forms and an even greater variety of possible projects. Judging panels will be different from year to year and the measurement of any art form is so subjective. I guess if you've been a successful applicant you a) may not want to share the formula for your winning entry or b) not even know what part of your application won them over. But I never felt confident, as I prepared my application, that I truly understood exactly what they wanted from me and I would be very surprised if I am successful. I have applied before and at least I felt like this application was an improvement on the previous one. I am hoping I can get feedback when i find out the result in October.