Melissa Lawrence

Last week, I was having one of my regular chats with my "contact" in the children's book department at my local branch of Waterstones. I was really pleased when he told me that he had started writing again and had just entered a short story competition. I was even more pleased when he said it was partly due to my encouragement. I have always tried to encourage people to write if they show even the slightest desire to do so, although I usually qualify it now by saying "Don't give up the day job"! I have also been extremely grateful to the many writers who have encouraged me and there is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have achieved as much as I have without their support and advice. One of the first writers who really encouraged me was the novelist Jean Chapman. She was my first writing tutor at the Leicester Adult Education College when I started taking classes in creative writing. (I've always said it could just as easily have b...

I was really pleased to get a phone call from Take A Break magazine last Friday saying that they want to use a piece I sent in on their letters page in the next couple of weeks. The item was originally intended for their "Magic Moments" slot but that has apparently been discontinued. (A shame as it paid £150 for about 250 words which even with my lack of mathematical prowess seems like a good deal.) Anyway, the piece was about a rock and roll concert that myself and some other teachers put on to entertain our pupils during the lunch hour when I was teaching back in the late 1980s. It involved, in my case, dressing up like Suzi Quatro in black leather and playing the bass guitar. (If you want to see what I looked like, you'll have to buy the magazine!) I've always felt it was a good "story" as the whole event was a bit like Beatlemania, with forged tickets, one pupil falling through a skylight and breaking his ankle and...

I was listening to the Test Match last Saturday when I should have been writing (see previous post!) and the guest on "View from the Boundary" was the bestselling novelist Sebastian Faulks ( http://www.sebastianfaulks.com/ ) I must confess to never having read any of his novels although I did once own a copy of "Birdsong". I always enjoy listening to successful writers talking about writing though, so I tuned in. I was surprised to hear that Sebastian made up his mind he wanted to be a writer when he was only 14. At that age, I'm pretty sure I didn't have any concept of there being such a job as a "writer" even though I was a prolific reader. Sebastian also had some useful advice for aspiring authors. His tips were: 1. Write about what you don't know rather than what you do as it will stretch you more. 2. Write about what you're interested in and passionate about. (Good advice, especially for novelists, as it's a long haul if you...

The other week it was the snooker, now it's the cricket and the French Open tennis. I'm talking about the things that distract me from getting down to writing. Although I love "having written", it is the actual writing bit that can be a problem. I often wonder if this is exclusive to writers (or other "creatives" as I have exactly the same problem with my craftwork) or do plumbers, electricians, nurses and shopkeepers find it difficult to get down to work? Once I've actually started, it's usually fine and the problem then is not wanting to stop. Here are my top five tips for not getting distracted from starting to write. Let me know if you have any favourite ones that work for you. 1. Aim to start work within 90 minutes of getting out of bed. 2. Avoid working anywhere near a room that has a television and a comfy chair. 3. Don't check emails until you have done at least an hour's writing. 4. Keep the phone out of the work area u...