Thursday, February 09, 2006

Starting Afresh

Hello and welcome to my new blog

For Christmas, a very special friend gave me a notebook. As it came from her (Waves to Anna) it was never going to be any ordinary sort of notebook – no – in fact it is, like her, very special too. It is a spectacular notebook – quite, quite beautiful. (again, like the giver). It is the perfect size to fit in a handbag (90x40mm if you want specifics) and it has a wonderful cover that is decorated with stylised cats in blue and gold on a gold and bronze background.

You can see this notebook here -

http://www.laurelburch.com/Journals/Felines.html

My notebook is the first design – Mediterranean Cats and as you can see, it’s quite stunning. Which gives me a problem.

I love cats – Anna, who gave me this notebook knows that - I also love notebooks (I suspect she knows that too) I am always looking for the perfect notebook to carry with me in which to jot down the fly-by thoughts and inspirations that zip into my head at odd moments in the day and very often zip right out again if I’m not careful. These sort of inspirations – an explanation for exactly why a hero did this or why a heroine asked that – the perfect line that takes a scene from point A to point Z without any hesitation or forcing . . . All writers should always have a notebook with them at all times. But a working notebook is a very different thing from a special notebook.

My working notebooks are quite simply a Mess. They are so much of a Mess that the word really does need a capital M. When I’m struck by inspiration, I don’t pause to think very hard, I rush for pen and paper and I scribble hard and fast. I write down snatches of words as they come to me, disjointed sentences, words abbreviated, dialogue put in the wrong order, Anything and everything in order just to get the idea, the mood, the feel of it all recorded before it escapes me again. For that I need a rough, scribbly, messy sort of notebook, Not a glorious, spectacular notebook.

The Mediterranean Cats notebook begs me to record something special. And it asks to be written in in at least a neat hand. I haven’t had a neat hand - for writing anyway – in my life. I can be pretty spectacularly neat with embroidery, but that’s a very different skill. My appalling scrawl of handwriting is why I will always be eternally grateful to the inventors of computers and programmes like Word with their endless variety of fonts and the ability to make even my messy thoughts and words and scribble look brilliantly neat and legible.

Which is at least what I can do here. I can make this Blog neat and readable – my computer will do that for me. But then there’s this other thing – I want to try and make it interesting as well. Which is why, at the start of this, I was thinking of Anna’s notebook and the verbal paralysis it induced in me.

Here I am with a brand new blog, a pristine, clear, clean page – and I have to post something. Something I hope others will want to read. Something that I hope will bring you back again and again to read more. So the result is the same – I’ve been wondering and thinking and trying to decide what to say.

So perhaps some of you can help? If you’ve followed me over from the blog I had on eHarlequin then thank you and welcome back. When I wrote that blog I had a purpose – I was supposed to write about the trilogy (The Alcolar Family) that was a being published in the months I wrote the blog. So I had a reason to write and a topic to start me off on. Now I have a wide open space, words to find, posts to create – and I want to do more than just advertise my books.

So does anyone have anything they want to suggest? Topics you’d like me to discuss? Questions you want me to answer? I don’t know how often I’ll get back to post but when I do, I’d like to cover some of the topics you as readers want to know about.
So any suggestions are welcome – and at least just asking about them has got me over the fear of the pristine posting space. I’ve overcome the verbal paralysis and I’m launched . . . This blog is now open for business

If only I could decide what I want to use that spectacular Mediterranean Cats notebook for . . .

14 comments:

Michelle Styles said...

Hooray and welcome to the land of blogging!!!

I used to be that way about a notebook my mother gave me -- a Moleskine, the same sort Bruce Chatwin, the travel writer used. Then my mother said she'd rather have it used and maybe lost than sitting empty, shoved in a drawer. Notebooks are made to be used, even if they become a Mess. At least then it is a a Mess with a great cover.

It is also on this basis I use my Mont Blanc pen that my dh gave me as a special gift several years ago.

Looking forward to hearing whatever you decide to post about.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Blogland, Kate!! (And am I the first or have you just not approved everyone's comments, yet?)

Your e-Harl blog was excellent and I was going to nag you next weekend to do your own blog.

Doing a happy springer spaniel dance...

Kate Allan said...

Welcome to blogland! :)

Anonymous said...

What do you do when you reach the stage of having ten notebooks, all seeming to reflect the deranged mind of a cafe-dweller writer who starts poems in dark corners and then never finishes any? I read once that this is the habit of a flaneur - like gerard de nerval, who walked around Paris with a lobster on a lead. This forced people to behave in ways he could write about. In other words, my notebook is purposeful mess. I'd be upset if it made sense. Anyone else deranged?

Anonymous said...

Ah, MESSY notebooks. Thank you, Michelle and the BM: now I know what you mean! My pile of cheapy reporters' notebooks that contain jottings of ideas for stories, talks, journo interviews (i.e. me as journo), half a shopping list, odd notes from the library about ancient newspapers to look up on the microfiche, drawings by the children, and illegible 'important messages'. (I'm not admitting how many I have, but my DH has dumped them in a BIG box and said I have to keep my new office tidy!)

Anna Louise Lucia said...

We're all deranged, BM. ;-)

YAY Kate! Great to see you with your 'own' blog!

I'd love to hear you blog about your cats, and about wrestling with recalcitrant heroes!

And I'm so chuffed you like the notebook! I'm glowing with pride from all those complimentary references.

Thank you. :-)

Unknown said...

I can see you!! Welcome to the world of the Blog! I completely understand about the intimidation of the perfect notebook or blank blog... but then again I am with the Babe Magnet (blows kisses and says hello in a sexy voice) we are all deranged... hey that is the reason I hang out with you lot!!

Love you darling Kate! So glad we have even more ways to be deranged together (and with those special people that understand us)

Anonymous said...

Hi, Kate! Love the new home! May you have many, many happy blogging days here!

~Holly--a true fan of the Alocars...and their author!

Anonymous said...

Many congrats on your new Blog, Kate! And I promised I'll make every effort to get it all hooked up from your site ASAP. Hopefully later today... :)

Kate Walker said...

Wow! So many responses - thank you all for your welcome to Blogland! I

Michelle - yes, notebooks and pens - no matter how beautiful - are made to be used. And my notebook will be. I promise.


Kate - you were nearly the first, love. But as Michelle held my hand as I set up the blog, she was just waiting to get in there . . Thank you for your compliment on the other blog - I hope this one will be as interesting

Another Kate - You were quick to find out about this. Thank you for your welcome

Ah - the Babe Magnet . . .who doesn't need to ask if anyone else is deranged - he should know! He lives with me! But I love the idea of purposeful mess - now if I could just persuade you that purposeful mess is the state my office is in at the moment . . .


Blueberri - I'm so glad you followed me over from eHarlequin. I've no doubt I'll talk about my heroes - generally through gritted teeth when I'm writing about them and they won't co-operate! ;-)


Autor avoiding . . .Don't think I don't know who you are, Ms Hardy! And if I didn't then the mention of a new office gave you away. But I don't think authors really should have tidy offices - see that comment about purposeful mess from the BM!

Anna - you keep glowing - any compliments were definitely meant. And yes, we're all deranged - that's why we all get on so well. I've no doubt the cats will come into this blog with almost as much regularity as the heroes.

sadhbh (one day I'll learn to spell your name without double-checking where the h's go)I'm so glad you found your way here too. And yes, that notebook has to be used - scribbles or not - it's a waste of a wonderful gift if it isn't.


Biddy - hello sexy voice!Love you too - and I love being deranged with you. Oh - and Dylan sends his love.

Holly - the lovely Hall - great to 'see' you here. Hugs from one of your fans too,

Wendy - I hoped you'd drop by. And no rush on the connecting links. I know you'll sort it all out for me as you always do. Thanks for all the work you put in on keeping my web site up to date

Thank you to everyone for visiting on my first blogging day - I hope you'll come back often

Kate

Kate said...

Hi Kate! I just linked over from Kate Hardy's blog. I would love to hear about what you are working on now and the general 'day in the life' stuff!
Cheers, Katie

Kate Walker said...

Hi Katie!

Am I right in thinking that you're the Kate from Scotland who used to review my books ? If so, you're doubly welcome.

I envy you being in NZ right now - I loved my visit there and it was way too short

>>I would love to hear about what you are working on now and the general 'day in the life' stuff!

- I can do that. I'm heading for a deadline so look out for 'what I'm working on now'


Kate

Anonymous said...

Well, the blog is nice, but where am I? I expected to see a great big picture of ME -- Sid! And what do I get? Cats on notebooks, for mercy's sake! Use the blinking notebook to write CAT STORIES, Missus. And get up a picture of ME! And those other cats, too -- except Dyl.

Kate Walker said...

My Dear SirSidney

You are so right.And I will of course put the matter right post haste

love and earrubs

Kate

 

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