Mslexia | Sandra Jensen

My last three post as guest blogger on Mslexia as a guest blogger, with a short excerpt:

Freefalling into Editing “For me, editing is a tortuous process. Sometimes inspiration pays a visit and I can suddenly see how to fix the logjam of awkward sentences and eye-ball rolling plot, but mostly it’s a two-step forward, one step back lurch into the unknown.

I far prefer writing the first draft. Probably because I “Freefall” first drafts….”

On Not Being a Sick Person “One of the things I’m supposed to be blogging about here is being a writer with a chronic illness. I sit here, in bed, as it happens, feeling quite blank about the subject. My illness has never featured in any of my fiction, which might seem a bit odd since it has been a central feature of my life for nearly 20 years. Perhaps it’s like living in Ireland: I’m sure I’ll write about it when I’m no longer living here (the plan is to move to the UK in 2013).

Will l ever not have a chronic illness?”

Another Novel Challenge “Once again I wanted to avoid blogging about my progress on my novel. It’s going in such fits and starts and I’ve complained every inch (word?) of the way.

Then I read the quote from the recent Mslexia interview with Diana Athill:

“I have never understood how many writers moan and groan about how awful writing is. Absolute nonsense.”

I’ve Thoroughly enjoyed my time at Mslexia and feel I’ve only just got warmed up! For my first 3 posts, go here.

I have been enjoying my stint at Mslexia as a guest blogger. I’m there until the end of January so please come and visit! Here are my first three blogs with a short excerpt:

Into Thin Air “The nice blurb that Mslexia gave me regarding my guest blog says: ‘she’s on the home straight with her debut novel, and will be blogging for us about how she’s getting on…’ The home straight. To me it feels like I’m battling the final ascent of Mount Everest. Each morning I poke my head out of the tent and see the white sheet of snow and return, heavy with despair, to huddle in my sleeping bag. Some days I manage to lug myself up a few more feet, but other days I tumble back down, ending up lower on the slope than when I started….”

I’m (not) just the writer…. “The last two weeks on The Novel have been like munching on rusted bolts. I didn’t feel this would be very inspiring to write about, let alone read. So let me tell you about another of my displacement activities: I’ve just come back from Norwich, where I gave a reading for the launch of the Unthology No. 3, the third short story anthology released by Unthank Books, an independent Norwich-based publisher.”

Munching Bolts “I’ve been catching up on my Saturday Guardians and have just read the late David Foster Wallace’s piece on the agony and ecstasy of writing. It’s taken the wind out of my sails as this is the subject I planned to write about today (well, the agony part), but of course David Foster Wallace has managed not only to cover the full gamut of emotions involved but has made me re-experience them in Technicolor. All except for the ‘fun’ he assures us is possible.”