I Found My Writers

Posted on February 11, 2018 by Gloria

Yes, it’s quite a solitary thing. Writing. No-one to bounce ideas off except yourself. It’s hard work trying to discuss your WIP with someone who has absolutely no interest in what you’re talking about. They pretend they’re listening but the glazed faraway look gives the game away.

This is the main reason why I want to join a writer’s group. To talk about words with people who are interested and to get feedback on my writing. I know of a group that meets just a five-minute walk from where I live but not at a time or day that suits me. Well, I’ve finally found a group that meets on an evening that I’m free. At long last!

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Tasheenga & Glo Will Revisit The Sex Scene at a Later Date!

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Gloria

I can’t take all the credit for writing 50,000 words in a month. It took discipline, perseverance, dedication and the ability to say no to unnecessary social outings. (Unnecessary?) Gloria has all those things and is very capable of exercising these wonderful talents when she puts her mind to it. Me – not really! She shoves me into a box when she means business and I’ll tell you, it’s suffocating. However, she needs me for this novel.

Between the two of us, we’ve been scribbling notes here and there, writing half chapters in notebooks and we thought it was well on until we signed up for NaNoWriMo2017. That’s when we realised two things;

We weren’t as well on as we thought because when we gathered up our notes and bits of chapters, we had about 1,000 words! 49,000 to go just to win NaNo and about another 40,000 after that. Luckily it was all in the head – very mixed up but there nonetheless.
We are both in conflict with this novel. I want more laughing moments in it and Glo wants all this heartbreak and pain and revenge…… shocking depressing!

Even though taking part in NaNo was exciting and fulfilling, there were a few times when the word count wasn’t as we hoped and the winner’s badge seemed like it was at the end of a rainbow.

At one point Glo looked like she was the oldest character in the book. Maud aged 88. Going around with wild fuzzy hair, the grey strands getting longer each day as they struggled to rid themselves of the clinging stains of Clariol Nice’n Easy. Each evening she sat huddled at the fire wrapped in the Galway shawl. When the laptop wasn’t on her lap, it was a book called “Are The Irish Different?” (Yes Glo, they sure are, which is why I pretend I’m from India)

During week 3 she let me out of my box to help with a sarcastic scene, and I immediately dragged her kicking and screaming into the shower. (I don’t lie.) If someone had called to the house unexpectedly, seriously, authorities may have got involved.

In Brief

Two sisters, Rose and Nancy, are abandoned at a young age by their cruel mother shortly after their father dies. Their aunt takes them in and although she’s very strict, she looks after them as best she can. Their childhood affects both of them differently as the years pass by. As young adults, they experience love, pain, disappointment and regrets.

They have a friend called Kathleen, who I invented – me, Tasheenga – because she’s a bit of a laugh. And there’s a couple of other characters who might not stay. We’ll see how they get on!

Then there’s Nancy. Now she’s not as fortunate as Rose and her memories of her mother are not happy ones. Nancy has issues and low self-esteem and life is a dark sad place for her. I get to choose what decisions she makes! Although I haven’t decided on her fate just yet.

Conflict

In the middle of writing one particular scene, I insisted that Rose and Benny were mad to have…..you know….. ‘it’. They wanted to do ‘it’ there and then. Well, Glo nearly had a heart attack and almost went to mass to apologise for contemplating such a thing. She growled at me saying it was a bit early on a Sunday morning to be thinking about things like that. A quick text to Mohotma & Saphirra for advice; Saphirra said ‘A kiss and a cuddle will do them rightly‘ and Mohotma said ‘Let them at it.‘

I think part of the problem is that the story is set in rural Ireland in the early 1950s and you just didn’t discuss such things. There was plenty of it going on because boy they had big families back in those days. And with Glo wearing that hairy shawl around the house and drinking Guinness instead of wine, she’s getting too much into character. (Eye roll)

I suggested we put the scene to one side and the amateurs that we are, we’ll do a bit of research on how to write a ~~sex~~ love scene delicately and tastefully. Although I’ve got a feeling that I’ll be put back into the box when we revisit that particular chapter!

My Two Apostles

It was very exciting watching the word count rise as the days went on, keeping Mohotma Coatalay and Saphirra up to date with screenshots of our progress. With still a day and a half left, we validated our 50,000+ words and got the winner’s badge and certificate. Aw….the video at the end! Emotional!

At last, Glo and I have the first draft more or less completed. Yes, there’s so much more work to be done, revision, re-writes (stuff we don’t know about yet) but we are optimistic.

Mohotma Coatalay and Saphirra are happy to put up with my hangry episodes but just wait until they experience one of my writing frustration tantrums! If they still like me by the time I write ‘The End’ on the last page, then I’ll know that they’re my forever friends!

The Other Side of Me!

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Gloria

Seriously, I cannot believe this is happening! I couldn’t sleep last night for fear of my little blog being abandoned. Fear that I, Tasheenga will get pushed deep down into the depths of the psyche. Hidden away from the world, like a sea creature lurking in the bottom of the ocean. Told to shut up and stay out of the way! “Hide away Tasheenga and don’t embarrass me.”

She says I’m a bad influence you know!

That Hurts!

Gloria, the one over on We Are Holistic. Yes, her that has the fancy blog, the one with all the serious stuff on it about health and taking care of yourself! There’ll be no listening to her now! She just made the longlist for the 2017 V by Very Blog Awards! Oh yeah, I like the way poor Tasheenga here didn’t even get a mention.

She’ll be stuck over there now 24-7 keeping it all in order. Writing more ‘serious’ stuff. She’ll get all of Stephano’s attention too! If I try to give her any help, she’ll push me aside and tell me to shut up! Oh yeah, the usual scenario! She only wants me when she gets bored and when she wants to have a laugh with all those other bloggers from Big Up Your Blog.

She’s so annoying you know! She pushes me off the laptop when she has something better to write on her blog! As if mine isn’t just as important! She thinks she’s more superior than me you know. Foolish woman! I’m the personality and I was here first! She’s a blow-in!! I was doing just fine until she came into my life – somewhere in my twenties!

What is it with people as they get older? They push the likes of me away from society and pretend we don’t exist. Going around all worried about everything. My hair this, my face that, my body, my clothes…….Instead of letting the real person shine! Then as they approach their fifties……Yoo Hoo!! They begin to unleash the best part of themselves again! Bring it on baby!

Gloria has no idea what’s on my bucket list! Hee Hee!

So there ya have it! I have no idea when this will all fizzle out! She might qualify for the next round – and maybe she won’t. How will I cope until then? I’ll be sooooo bored. How can I convince her to let me help? There’s no talking to her when she’s in one of these moods. God….she’s so boring sometimes!!

My Perfect New Neighbour!

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Gloria

Where I was brought up, everyone knew everyone. The neighbours called to each other regularly. All the kids played together and spent time in each other’s houses. We knew our next door neighbours almost as much as we knew ourselves. When we went to town, it took forever because we had to stop and chat to everyone we met.

Of course, the downside to living in a town like this was that everyone knew everyone else’s business! Some people knew things about us that we didn’t even know ourselves! I think those people had a condition called ‘Boredom Syndrome’ or it may have been ‘Exaggeration Syndrome’. Then there’s another called ‘Nosey Cow Syndrome’.

Times have changed in that wee town over the years. Many of its inhabitants are total strangers to each other. Of course, many are still friendly and communicative but not to the same degree as it used to be.

Where I live now, it’s quite different. It’s a much bigger town with a bigger population. I’ve made a few friends through school and work. One or two I meet for coffee now and then and go walking with. This is how I like it. At 50 years of age, I’m choosy about who I befriend. I like to suss people out before I commit to a serious friendship with them. I have many acquaintances but only a handful of very good friends.

I don’t know my close neighbours where I live now. It’s quiet and friendly and nobody seems to have a desire to invade my privacy. Call me odd if you want, but I like to be left alone. I don’t appreciate unannounced callers. I’m always busy you see.

I hate to be disturbed when I’m writing, blogging, doing yoga, and cooking. After that, I’m chatting with Stephano and entertaining Little Miss Seven. Or asleep!

Don’t get me wrong folks. I do Like people…honestly, I do!

I often see the woman who lives a few doors away. I haven’t actually met her yet but I think she’s odd like me. Keeps herself to herself.

Both houses each side of ours are empty. One is for sale and the one to our left is soon to be occupied. I was a proper nosey neighbour yesterday. People were coming and going all day. I was trying to figure out who the new occupants will be and what they’ll be like. It was easy to spy because my desk is right beside the window – so that I get my RDA of vitamin D.

Will it be the young couple? That would be nice. Maybe they have children who will befriend my wee girl. Or they might be very noisy!! They might have a baby who will cry during the night and keep me awake! They might have loud raving parties at the weekends. Maybe they play the drums like the neighbours in our last house. Oh Gosh No!!

Will it be the woman who went in there at 2 pm? She looked well at home, sitting in her car in the driveway. Not a care in the world chewing away, on what I think was a chocolate bar – the ones that are meant for sharing! Is she moving in? She looks a bit nosey. She might be the type that likes to sit gossiping over tea and cake – for hours. Or she might be the type that likes an occasional Friday evening glass of wine and a friendly chat with her new neighbour. Me! I wonder…..

That middle aged man who was there twice and then again this morning. I wonder does he work for the builder? Haven’t seen him before though. What kind of neighbour would he be? Might be very helpful. Looks like he knows a thing or two about life. Oh….maybe he’s good at DIY and he could do loads of little jobs for me.

Oh crikey…he might be a writer. A REAL one! He definitely looks like one. Speedy on his feet. Straight back, looking ahead like he’s on a mission. Scruffy jeans and blue shirt. Small rimmed glasses and unruly hair – Stephen King-ish. That would be brilliant. We could be buddies.

On the other hand, he kinda looks like one of Stephen King’s crazy villains. Nightmare neighbour!! He might be a peeping Tom either. Eww….no!

Oh well, I’ll just have to accept whoever it is. We can’t really choose our neighbours, can we? I just hope it’s someone who’s friendly, quiet, my age, has one child aged six, wants to join a writing group, likes to go chéile dancing, likes to go for walks (on my terms), enjoys the occasional glass of wine and Guinness, listens to André Rieu, understands good ole Irish banter & sarcasm, and knows how to boil the kettle properly. Am I asking much?