Life

It’s Been Too Long…

~ Maxine Sinclair ~ Leave a comment

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I’m still here!  I’ve been busy with life in general and, of course, writing. I left you where I had finished ‘Daisy’ and was awaiting publishers’ replies. Whilst waiting I have continued to write and my latest novel, ‘A Beautiful Life’, is now sixty thousand words in. I will return to ‘Daisy’, as indeed I’ll return to Dixbury at some point; I enjoy having future goals and irons in fires.

Writing is a great journey, but I have to say that some days I feel like giving up and it’s only the desire to be a better writer that keeps me going. And I don’t mean in a comparative way. When the great ballet dancer, Baryshnikov, was asked if he wanted to be better than other dancers, he replied,

“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.”

I like that. That is exactly how I feel in both my writing and my dancing. I think it’s perfect to not enter into competition, but rather to just try to be a better writer/dancer (fill in the blank) than yourself.

Happy sunny days 🙂

 

Summer House Writing.

~ Maxine Sinclair ~ Leave a comment

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Who doesn’t love coasting down a hill on a bicycle on a warm day; wind in your hair, legs out to the sides, squealing, ‘weeeeeeeeeeee.’? It’s one of those ‘great to be a alive’ feelings. (And goodness knows we need them.) It’s uplifting!  Well, this is how I’m feeling as I finish the first draft of Return To Dixbury. It’s satisfying tying up the character’s storylines, finding the conclusions, and at the same time, setting the scene for what will be the final instalment of the trilogy. It’s all very satisfying.

I’m the sort of gal who always want to coast down that hill for longer, and it seems it’s the same with this book – it’s too much fun to finish!  But finish I must, and when I do, I will be moving on to my next project which will be exploring avenues for transforming Dixbury Does Talent into a screenplay. It’s always felt like a film, play or television series, and so it’s time to start working on that journey. Exciting times!

P.S. I love this little summer house where I write and it also happens to double as the home to my bicycle. Just had the thought that when I finish the final words I’m going to get on my trusted power bike and go find that hill. ‘Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!’

And For Something Different

~ Maxine Sinclair ~ Leave a comment

 

 

I’m still hard at work on Return To Dixbury but a particular paragraph has frazzled my brain – I cannot get it to make sense. On times like these I need to step away, make a cuppa, go for a stroll, take a bath (if only I had one – how was chucking out the bath a good idea?) or write something totally unrelated, like a blog.

Whilst waiting for the final touches to be made to Dixbury Does Talent I really enjoyed writing a collection of flash fiction stories. It was such a different experience to writing a novel.  These are short, sharp, snappy stories (A* for alliteration) and I made them into a little book entitled Snapshots.

If, like me, you’re feeling the need for a bit of time out, please put your feet up (or take a bath if you have one – you lucky devil) and enjoy a little story.

 

Acceptance Speech

“Hey! Wow! How about that? Jeez, I cannot believe it!”

I’m elated, sweating profusely in my tux, before the glitterati of the movie making business.

“When we started work on ‘The Sanctuary’,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “We had no idea it would touch so many people. I wanna thank you all from the bottom of my heart for embracing this movie.”

Applause ripples.

“This award isn’t just about me, there’s always a team behind any great movie and I have people to thank. Firstly, the producers, John P Wiseman and Carol Giffen, Mary J for her direction, the Arts Gang, Slitch, my beautiful co-star, Sarah Cozens, Dick Wallis, Miranda Stow, Carly G and most of all, Pete Carmichael, for his outstanding writing and for creating this amazing character for me. Thanks Pete, I love ya.”

I look to him and salute whilst the audience clap again.

“I’d like to finish off by thanking my nearest and dearest for supporting me. To my children, Nick and Annie, I love you, and to my wife, Chandra, I have no words for you, as you didn’t support me at all – in fact you nagged, bitched and whined the whole way through the process of me making this movie.”

People shift in their seats, looking around nervously, unsure whether to laugh.

“In fact, Chandra, I’m taking this baby home…” I say, holding up my statuette. “…And I’ll see you in my lawyers office real soon.   Goodnight folks, have a great evening!”