Update on my Writing Life...

I've said before that I am a writer. I stopped writing about it on my blog because I started my own website and decided to blog about writing on there. This blog became my personal blog... hence my last post talking about my cats!

The thing is, writing is my life. I might have kids and be a teacher and make jewellery, but everything that is ME is bound up in my writing. When it's going well, I'm a pleasure to live with; sunny, happy and content. When it's going badly, I'm more like a storm cloud; dark, gloomy and liable to spark thunder and lightning at any moment.

Recently, I've not been doing a great deal of writing. I'm currently trying my hardest to find a teaching job for September and the search is getting harder. I have to use the time that I would be using to write, to fill out application forms and search through the jobs that are available.

When I can't stand the PC anymore, I go off and make things - jewellery mostly, although I did branch out into knitting. It changes my view of life and I can relax a little.

Anyway, a quick update on what has been going on...

My Flash Story Showcase Contest (FSS Contest for short) has taken off. In the first month I had four entries. In the second, I had six. This month, I have had the prompt up for two days and I have six entries already!

This is an exciting, worrying and entertaining - I get to read some superb stories and decide who has written the best one. Last month I couldn't decide who was the winner, so I put them both up - go take a look!

http://mandyeward.weebly.com/flash-story-showcase.html

If you are interested in entering this month the prompt is here - http://mandyeward.weebly.com/fss-contest-prompt.html

The Contest Guidelines are here - http://mandyeward.weebly.com/fss-contest-guidelines.html

I'd be glad to see you!

I'm currently a Guest Blogger on Richard W. Scott's Blog - Uphill Writing. I decided to do a series of pieces on the writing rules that successful writers use.

My first three pieces.. it's up at the moment - http://uphillwriting.org/2010/05/09/inspired-by-writers-pt-1/ if you are interested in reading my ramblings...of course you are - you wouldn't be reading this if you weren't!

Ahem... back to the point.

My first three pieces looked at Terry Brooks and David & Leigh Edding's rules to produce a good story / novel. I was then asked to expand on Terry Brook's rules, so I am doing that at the moment... funny how blogging for yourself gets in the way of writing anything for anyone else!

I tried my hand at Erotica Stories and failed miserably, but confirmed something to myself that was incredibly important to me - my path in writing lies through the gently rolling hills of the Young Adult / Fantasy / SF genres. Even my Horror writing is soft enough for YA, so that is the direction that I will be going in.

I suppose I have to now decide what pen name to use, Kira Morgana or A.E. Churchyard. I suppose I could use my real name, but I want to try and keep my Writing Career separate from my Teaching Career.

So I suppose what I am really thinking about at the moment is who am I? I'm a Teacher when I am in a School, a Mother and partner most of the rest of the time. The small amount of time I have left for myself, I have to squeeze writing, jewellery making, exercising and relaxing into...

*shrugs*

Just call me "Superwoman."

Visiting Family, Starting School and other things

I have just had my mum down for the week. It was lovely having her down the road at the Caravan Site. My kids haven't seen her since Kiah was very small so they enjoyed meeting her again and bonding with my brother.

We went out to Cardiff on two days, took in the tourist sites (we've lived here for 5 years and still haven't seen them all!) from the bus tour, visited the National Museum of Wales and walked our feet off generally!

Aaron went back to school on Thursday and Kiah started school on Friday. She dove in without a backward glance, cuddle or otherwise. She has been ready for school since Easter but I'm now wondering if the school are actually ready for her!

I am now officially out of work. My contract finished on the 31st August and I now have to find a new teaching job. If you see all the adverts advertising for people to go into teaching, you could be forgiven for thinking that there are tonnes of jobs out there. Unfortunately as a specialist teacher (I teach Design and Technology) there are so few jobs around it isn't funny.

Especially as I have to look in a specific place - the South West. Daniel works in Bridgwater, Somerset and we want to be able to move closer. The problem is that EVERYONE wants to work in the South West - Somerset, Devon, Cornwall etc - so the few jobs that come up for my specialism are hotly contested.

Ah well, something will come along eventually and in the meantime, I'll just keep on writing!