What's In Your Bag?

I've always wanted to do one of these posts, inspired by the flickr group 'what's in your bag?'.
This briefcase style bag is from Zara.  It's big enough to fit my laptop but unlike my other laptop bags it doesn't clash with all my outfits.  So here's what is in it today:
My trusty MacBook - the best investment I ever made.  My arty friends always went on about how great they are and they were right.
My glasses case - I wear contacts a lot but also bring my glasses everywhere.  I am very short-sighted.
A Notebook - every writer should carry a notebook.  I'm not a fan of the 'if the idea is good enough you'll remember it later' point of view.  I always write them down.  Ideas have come to me in the weirdest places so I even have a mini one that fits in my smallest handbag.
Make-up - I am extremely pale so during the day I keep to the basics. I usually just wear concealer, tinted moisturizer, mascara and eyeliner.
Pens - You can never have enough pens! Paperchase have really cute ones.
Wallet - a very worn one from Primark.  I really need a new one.  In the photo compartment I have a piece of straw.  We have this tradition where we put a bit of straw from the church crib at Christmas in our wallet and it's meant to keep you in money for the whole year.  I think it's a lovely idea.
iPhone - Life is so much easier since I got this!
Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween weekend.
P.S. During the week Rachel from 'wastemylifepretending' did Ten Questions with me for her blog. Check it out if you like!

First Draft Fun

I am currently writing the first draft of my second book.  It has a working title of 18 Kisses and I am having such fun with it.  I love creating characters and writing big chunks of chapters in one go.  First drafts are my favourite.  Rewrites bring the book to the next level, but the first draft of a book is always magical.  At this stage of the writing process I get completely absorbed in the story and love seeing the characters take shape.  At the moment my wall is covered with clippings from magazines and fashion blogs.  If I see a picture of a person that resembles one of my characters, I stick it one my wall.  Or if I see an outfit that one of my characters might wear, or just something random that inspires me, I stick that on my wall too.  
I also have a scrapbook where I put pictures and make little notes.  I started doing this after attending a writing workshop where Sarah Webb was giving a talk.  She showed us her notebooks full of pictures and clippings.  I thought they were a great idea, and I am always looking for an excuse to buy more stationary!  When I started to incorporate a visual element into my story planning and note taking I found that my writing really took off.
Does anybody else keep a scrapbook?  

Up

I went to see Up last night.  It is definitely one of my favourite movies of 2009.  It made me cry.  It made me laugh out loud.  It made me want to go on an adventure!  It is original and cute and charming and everyone should see it.  The central character is Carl Fredrickson, an ageing man who is struggling to deal with the loss of his wife.  He's cranky on the surface, but lovable underneath.  A former balloon salesman, he ties thousands of balloons to his roof, planning to float away to Paradise Falls in South America on an adventure that he and his wife had always planned but never gotten around to.  He drifts upwards into the sky and is very surprised to find a young Wilderness Explorer named Russell clinging to his porch....

I know I say I *love* a lot of movies, but I seriously loved this one.  Highly recommended.  But bring the Kleenex!   

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Treasured Books

For one reason or another, these books have all made it into my treasured pile.  I have other favourite books, but these particular copies are very special.

Wuthering Heights - I studied this in school, read it about ten times, and still love it.  My favourite character was Heathcliff.  It reminds me of how much I enjoyed English class.  I wasn't very fond of secondary school but I did love English.

The Diary of Anne Frank - I first read this when I was ten years old.  I read right up to page 332 in a matter of days, but for months I refused to read the last diary entry.  I didn't want there to be no more entries left, because that would mean having to accept what happened to Anne afterwards.  I finally did though, and cried.  

Matilda (and my other Roald Dahl books) - The first books that I loved.  Matilda is my favourite.  I really do believe that if it hadn't been for Roald Dahl, I wouldn't have been very interested in books as a kid.  For me, he sparked a life-long love of literature. 

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - I have a very treasured first edition.  I remember hearing about it on the radio and thought it sounded like my kind of book.  I didn't want to get too excited though, because so few books actually live up to their hype, but Artemis Fowl totally blew me away.  I raved about it to everyone I knew for weeks.

The Complete Plays of Oscar Wilde - Wilde's plays are just as fun to read as they are to watch.  I read The Importance of Being Earnest in my first year of college and literally laughed out in the library.  

Girl with a Pearl Earring - One of the most beautiful books I have ever read.  I usually get frustrated with slow moving narratives, but this was just utterly captivating.  Griet is definitely on my list of favourite ever characters.  

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - I couldn't believe my luck when my Grandad found this old collection in a bunch of books given to him by a friend.  It is in really good condition and has all of Shakespeare's plays and poems.  

The Complete Novels of Jane Austen - I bought this for 5 euro in the Oxfam Bookshop in Dublin and had a lovely conversation with the lady who worked there about Jane's novels and the various film adaptations.

Let's hope there will be many more to add to the pile.  

Must-have for Teenage Fiction Authors

For writers of Teenage Fiction, the Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is a vital read.  I am late to the party because for the last few years I have been buying the traditional Writers' and Artists' Yearbook rather than the children's version.   For some reason I thought the children's one would mainly focus on picture books and books for the under 12's.  How wrong I was!  It actually contains several really great articles devoted solely to the subject of writing for teens.  

These include: 

Writing for teenagers - Meg Rosoff

Writing thrillers for teenagers - Sophie McKenzie

Teenage fiction - Gillie Russell 

There is also a great article by Yvonne Hooker (former senior editor at Puffin Books) entitled What does an Editor do?  It really opened my eyes to the role of the editor.  They don't just edit, they are basically a book's 'champion' from acquisition right up to publication.  

The Yearbook also has some useful tips on setting up a website and writing for teen magazines. 

Cuteness Overload

Let me introduce you to our dog Biggie.  He is a Samoyed and is almost one year old.  He is super affectionate and I can't help but smile when I see him.  He was only a little thing when we got him....

......but now he's almost as big as me:

I love him!

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Kreativ Blogger Award

I was delighted to get this award from crime writer Sam Blake at bloodredink.com.

She has a super blog and has just signed with the Curtis Brown agency in London, so expect great things from her in the future.  

This award states that i have to list 7 things that I like.  Here they are:

1. The people who read my blog.  I like you a lot.  Please keep coming back!

2. Gossip Girl - on season 3 now.  It's so good.   

3. Buying books.  I like this a little too much, as some of you already know.  You can't beat wandering around Hodges Figgis on a Sunday morning.  Heaven.  

4. Starbucks Raspberry Blackberry Frappucinos.  I'm guessing they stop doing them in winter?!  I don't know how I'll survive.

5. Paramore's new Album, Brand New Eyes.  Can't wait to see them live.  

6.Winter fashion - dresses and tights and boots and coats. Much prefer them to summer clothes.    

7. Twitter - at first I didn't see the appeal, but now i love it.  I find so many great writing links.

I pass this award onto Kristi at How Did U Get There. I love her blog and always look forward to her next post.  Kristi's blog comprises of humorous interviews with ordinary people who have taken interesting or unusual paths in life.  She has a particularly hilarious interview with a fictional writer seeking an agent/publisher, which all us writers can identify with!

Rock Around the Block

Some writers get it all the time, some writer's seldom do, some even think it's a myth.  Writer's Block has plagued me from time to time, and it decided to pay me a little visit recently.  In the past I have taken a break and gone and done something inspirational to try and get rid of it, but this time I had an impending deadline so I could not budge from my desk.

The solution?  I blasted some mood-boosting music from my little laptop speakers anytime i felt like I was headed for a slump.  

Here is my Rewriting Playlist.  (Extremely varied in style and with absolutely no consistency!) 

Radio Protector - 65 Days of Static

An epic instrumental tune.  For those of you who like to write to music without lyrics, 65 Days of Static are great.  

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

For some reason it always gets me in the writing mood.  Twilight fans will recognise this from the baseball scene in the movie.   

Livin' in the Future - Bruce Springsteen

Bit of an obscure track from the Magic Album.  It gives off a great care-free vibe.  

Golden Gloves - The Mighty Stef

This had me dancing in my office chair and gave me a much needed boost of energy.

Juicy - The Notorious BIG

Ever since I saw Notorious (the movie about Biggie's life), I've loved this song.  It's all good! 

Coming Home - John Legend

This song always reminds me of Obama being elected, as I was listening to this album while I was writing and keeping an eye on the election results last year.  It still gives me the great positive feeling I had that day.  

The Climb - Miley Cyrus

This proved very apt.  The rewriting process did seem like one big giant climb, but this reminded me to enjoy the journey.