ken armstrong |

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
The perfect day to highlight some great writing going on in the Emerald Isle

I was more than a little chuffed to be asked by Ken Armstrong take the baton of ‘The Blogging Tour’ from him and pass it forward. There are a few of these pass-it-on blog thingummies (yes that is the technical term) and this one is where writers with blogs, write a bit about themselves and the work they are doing.

I remember the first time Ken slapped my wrist on Twitter. I was so delighted that he responded to my tweet – didn’t really care that he was admonishing me. 🙂 Actually it was good advice he was giving me. It was early days for me on Twitter and he taught me well.

His blog is one of my faves and has been since I found it more than 3 years. I think I like it cos it’s real. There’s the odd bold word but not just for the sake of it. He shares some very honest and emotional stories and memories. Ken is funny and sincere. He takes no nonsense and if as a writer you don’t learn something from him… well I’ll eat my hat.
His blog is called Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff Go have a look whenever you can.
(PS I don’t know about you but I think he has a Simon Cowell thing going on – but don’t tell him I said that or I’ll be in big trouble… 😀 )

So who have I got for you…?

Carolann Copland is the founder of Carousel Creates; a picturesque writers’ centre in the Dublin Mountains, offering writing experiences to writers of all ages and lifestyles. A primary school teacher, writing between Dublin and the South of Spain in her spare time; Carolann is happiest when she is sharing her passion for writing.
Her novel Summer Triangle is published by Emu Ink and her second novel Dominoes will be published in October 2014.
Carolann’s Website
Carolann’s blog
Twitter @CarouselCreates

Katie Keeley has been writing a lot longer than I have. I remember as a kid she used to show me stories that she had written about all sorts of wonderful lands and characters. (She’s my niece btw, I didn’t just follow her around… 🙂 ) She’s 24 and when she’s not busy writing children’s stories she works in a crèche full time. She also reads, A LOT of fantasy and fairy-tale books which she credits her vivid imagination to. As well as having a passion for writing she also has a passion for photography and can get snap happy quite a bit.
Katie’s blog
Twitter @katie_cait

Stacey Covell is a writer of literary fiction, flash fiction, poetry and the occasional blog post. She likes to ask questions and explore. What if we tilted our perspectives and looked at the world from that view? What would things be like/look like then? Living in Ireland for the past 10 years, she is simultaneously a writer, wife, mother & cross cultural mentor.
Stacey’s Website
Stacey’s Facebook Page
Twitter: @staceycovell7

And then there’s me…

1) What am I working on?
I’ve so many things on the burner – my problem is getting stuck back into things as I’ve had a difficult couple of months.
I’ve got a first 50k draft of a novel that I worked on during NaNoWriMo last November. I have a second novel rolling around my head. Really need to get that down on paper.

But the major project for 2014 is to get another collection of short stories together to publish before the end of the year.
The Long and The Short of it… Volume 2 🙂
You can find info about Volume 1 here.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Wow what a question?!
I don’t know really. I’ve always said that my stories are very ‘normal’. No Jack Bauer cliffhangers – no bodice ripping love scenes. I just write ordinary stories about ordinary people. I try to give a happy ending or even an aspiration towards a happy ending. A chance for tomorrow to be a bit easier than yesterday.

I’m sure that’s not unique tho…

3) Why do I write what I do?
I can only write what I know. The stuff I write has to be believable – by me first. I believe in hope and second chances. I believe that restoration is possible and forgiveness changes things. So I write that stuff – hopefully to inspire or even just encourage readers that things can change for the better.

4) How does my writing process work?
Carolann, who I mentioned above, introduced me to Free Writing. It’s probably the most powerful part of my writing process. It is certainly the most productive.

I try to free write regularly and just write what ever is in my head. Almost every time I come back and there is something I can use. One time I had NO ideas and as I wanted to keep writing I just wrote a shopping list. That made me think of someone finding someone else’s shopping list and what would happen if they bought the stuff on it.
That was the beginning of ‘Corned Beef Sandwiches on Brown Bread’, a story that went into The Long & The Short of it and turned out to be very popular.

When it comes to edits and rewrites – that is another thing. I’m not good at 3rd and 4th revisions. I get bored easily. When it comes to editing novel length stuff I know that’s gonna be a problem.

* * * * * * * * * *

So there you have it. Please do pop over to see what Ken, Carolann, Katie and Stacey are up to won’t you?.

This is one of the last posts here on Fictitious Amo as the all new website will be launching soon. Very excited to get that up and running. It will probably be sometime this week.
I’ll let you know where to find me and I hope you’ll join me there 🙂 x

Today’s post is by good Twitter bud. Ken Armstrong has had writing produced for radio, theatre, and film. He’s also had some short stories published. His blog is probably my favourite of all blogs. He has been a great encouragement as I’ve made my journey towards becoming a writer.
If I had a bucket list, having a coffee (or a beer, I’m not fussy) with him would be on it.
I just love his take on the benefits of moments of solitude at Christmas.

Over to Ken…

Insular by Ken Armstrong

Thinking, as I do, about why I like Christmas, I tend to come up with the same answers that most people do. You know the ones, I won’t harp on about them.

Perhaps one reason that I like Christmas is a little out of the ordinary, I’m not sure. It’s best described in the title of the post. ‘Insular’.

Christmas insulates me from the real world for a short time and I love it for that reason. The type of work I do just… stops until the New Year and my world closes in upon itself to become almost entirely about family and rest and bad TV and good books.

Through the year, the world and I are in pretty close contact pretty much all of the time. The insulating quality of this mid-winter holiday is a welcome break from all of that. Apart from some family and friend gatherings in the early moments of the holiday, it’s a quiet reclusive time and it’s enormous good fun.

One of my favourite memories of this type of Christmas insulation is quite a recent one – I would guess seven or eight years ago. The boys had got a Nintendo Gamecube for Christmas and it was a big hit. I was unimpressed with the games Santa had brought so I did some research and went out and bought ‘Legend of Zelda, The Wind Waker’ – for the boys, of course. Then I sat up all night playing it.

And this is my memory – 3.30am, fire dying in the grate, lights low, couch pulled up close to the television, large box of Roses to hand, playing the game. My wife and boys tucked up safe and warm in bed and my only two concerns in the world a) How to swing that little adventurer boy across the hold of the pirate ship and b) whether to have an orange or a strawberry crème next.

It probably reveals more about me than I normally do in writing but the insular moment I experienced that night remains very special to me.

It may seem odd or even a bit psychopathic to cite a memory such as this as a favourite. Where are the family moments, the revelry, the companionship? I have those too. But this one has a special place.

Happy Christmas to you all.

I wish you an insular moment to treasure.

Find out about Ken Armstrong and his writing
on his blog Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff
or follow him on Twitter @kenarmstrong1

photo credit: LollyKnit via photopin cc