Developing Your Craft
9 Lessons from Hockney
When British writer Graham Dinton went to the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, he discovered some interesting parallels between Hockney's work ethic and that needed to be a successful writer. And he found a whole palette full of inspiration. Dinton says, "It is absolutely, definitely worth the £15 entry fee if you are anywhere near London and I found the whole experience truly inspiring."
So what are the connections with writing novels or being an author?
Dinton reveals, "Here are nine I can see, not in any particular order....
He works hard
I mean seriously hard. Hockney must sketch, draw or paint every day, and he’s 74 and still going strong. The place was full of paintings. On one wall alone, there were 36 paintings all created in 2004. That’s three a month non-stop. I know that when you read the small print about some of his life story, he does have assistant painters, but he still does all the planning and creative work. Suffice to say, he’s a serious artist who is committed to his profession.
Inspiration: Write every day, simple as that. No excuse. Are you a professional or not?
Nightmare Review: Dreamlike Retreat
When I read about the “Nightmare Book Review Competition” hosted by writing.ie last year, I knew I had to enter. The challenge was to pen the worst book review possible, a review that any writer would be horrified to receive. My nightmare review was: “This novel deserves a place in the literary canon, from where it should be propelled with great force into the Irish Sea.” I was delighted when I found out that I had won the competition. Finally, I had discovered a forum that rewarded my ability to make inappropriate sarcastic comments. Not only that, but my prize was a three-night stay at the Anam Cara Writers’ and Artists’ Retreat in West Cork, a place I had wanted to visit for years.
Orna Ross on Creativity in 2012
The festivities are over and the self-improvement season is almost upon us. Best selling author Orna Ross has developed a series designed to lead us into making 2012 our most creative year, ever. Here are her suggestions:
Kick off by taking out your freewriting notebook and answering the following ten questions. After each answer, ask ‘why?’ — and also freewrite your answer to that, always important, question.
1.What would you create if you let yourself run wild?
Grants and Bursaries Available in Ireland
These are a range of the grants and bursaries available in Ireland - we hope that it will be an evolving list so if we've missed one that you know of, do please let us know so that we can add it. As our resident blogger over at Song Book, Derek Flynn's experience shows, if you are serious about your writing, it's well worth applying - it's a cliche, but if you're not in, you can't win!
Grants and Bursaries - A Writer's Experience
In these recessionary times, the first things to be hit are always what are deemed as “the luxuries”. Oftentimes, this can translate as “the Arts”. And while there have been cuts in arts funding by the government, it’s extremely encouraging to see that not only are there still bursaries available, but many arts officers are actively trying to hold onto or increase their bursaries.
I live outside of Waterford city and so I am part of the catchment area of Waterford County Council rather than Waterford City Council. As such, I have been dealing with the Arts Officer for Waterford County Council. And she is a pleasure and an inspiration. Her support of artists of all genres is amazing.
I first applied to her office to take part in a writing Mentorship scheme. This is a new initiative that Waterford & Kilkenny arts offices are spearheading. An aspiring writer who has a work-in-progress is paired with a published writer who then acts as their “mentor”. This can mean everything from reading and critiquing the writer’s work to helping get information about agents, publishers, and so on. To qualify, the writer must send in a sample of his/her work.
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