charles barrow's writing

February is nearly done and dusted, and it's been a busy month for me. I have been doing a lot of editing, re-writing of At Day's End, Book 3 and I'm pleased with the way that's going but my self imposed deadline is looming and I'm getting a bit panicky under the collar. Is it possible to get panicky under the collar? If so, I am. But my February mind has also been full of other distractions, inspiring stuff that has been sparking my imagination; the song Human by Rag 'n' Bone Man for one. I was in a cafe with a friend and this began playing on a music show on the TV in the corner of the room and our conversation just stopped. We just stopped talking to listen. It's so rare that a piece of music, a voice can do that for me nowadays but this song had that ability. It's been playing on repeat at home ever since. Amazing. A book title caught my eye; The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. What a great title. I believe it's a crim

You know when you know what a word means but are sometimes at a loss to explain it? Well that was the case with 'Epilogue' and I today. The online dictionary I just checked says that it's the concluding part added to a literary work, but it also says that it's a speech delivered by one of the actors after the conclusion of a play. Now, those seem to be slightly different things; a conclusion in a novel, but another piece after the conclusion of a play. Perhaps it's possible that it is both. Either way, I've been considering an epilogue for John Mann - At Day's End. Now obviously if I include one it would have to serve a solid purpose like finish the story, add depth or colour, or look to a new beginning. I actually visualised an epilogue right back at the beginning of the writing of this story but then lost enthusiasm for the idea. And then recently I went out on a day trip and saw a telegraph pole with some coding carved into it (see picture below) and

A cold winter walk through a grey London park was hugely brightened by this unexpected sight. A flash of emerald green, a visitor who stayed to make a home here, and very welcome too. Photo is the author's own.

Last week British author Brian Conaghan won the Costa Children’s Book Award for his third novel The Bombs That Brought Us Together. His first two novels remain unpublished (as yet). Brian has received over 200 rejections from agents and publishers but remained focussed on his goal which was simply to get a book published.  He describes himself as tenacious and stubborn, he says he kept writing because he felt he was probably getting better at it. That is already sounding like a major understatement. His book is now in the running to win the Costa Book of the Year award which will be awarded on January 31st. I wish him luck, and tip my hat to his talents and his tenacity.

So, 2017, what delights does she have in store? After the ‘couldn’t make it up’ events of last year I wouldn’t even hazard a guess. But I’m feeling quite relaxed about things. Throughout last year I felt pretty stressed about my writing - It’s taking too long, it should have been finished months ago, it’s a rubbish story and I’ve even written the rubbish badly - but I’ve decided on a calmer approach to my writing as a way forward. I’m going to take my time and do a thorough job, what’s the sense in rushing things and making mistakes? I want to find the fun again, I want to enjoy the process rather than resent it or be enslaved by it. So that’s my one and only resolution this year, relax and enjoy.