Ever since I started writing I have wondered this. What makes a writer and in particular a good writer? Is it someone who knows how to dot the 'i's and cross the 't's, puts commas and full stops (periods to anyone in America) in the right place? Who can put words in the correct grammatical order? Or is it someone who can tell a good story with wit and humour, make totally unlikeable characters loveable, or unbelieveable scenes seem real?

Since offering my editing services I have come across all sorts. Most have a reasonable grasp of how things should be done and my main task is to spot the odd typo and flaws in the plot line. I think my special talent is spotting continuity errors, you know the sort of thing, problems solved before they have actually occurred, getting married in May when the proposal didn't happen until July (not that I have ever come across that, but it explains what I mean. Of course, it could happen in a time travel story!)

But what about someone who can tell a really good story, verbally, but has no concept of how to write it down? Can such a person be moulded into a good writer? I do hope so as I've recently come across one such writer. He dictated a story over the phone and it was wonderful. 'But my grammar's rubbish,' he confessed. His grammar sounded fine to me. Grammar in this case being the way the words are presented, in the right order. It doesn't matter whether he knows what the words are called, even I struggle once we get past the basics of noun, verb, adjective and a few others. His grammar was fine. His punctuation, however, is non-existent. 

It is a sad indictment on the schooling in this country, that some people can still go through life without knowing even the basics of how to write something. OK, it was probably a few years ago that this guy went to school, maybe things are better now. Maybe he went to a bad school. Maybe he just wasn't interested back then. But it is such a waste.

I am hoping something will come of this encounter. The stories this guy has to tell are too good to miss.

Has anyone else come across this situation? What did you do?
Suggestions welcome   

All on my own this weekend as my husband is off to Italy to watch the Rugby, Italy v Wales. Seeing as how I spent four weeks in Tenerife in on my own in January I can't really complain. 
So what will I do? All the editing I haven't done this week. Not sure where the days have gone but it's already Thursday night and I feel like I haven't done anything.

I will do some piano practise which is long overdue.

If the sun shines I will do some gardening. Last year's dead stuff hasn't been pulled up yet.

That is what I say I will do. Probably won't get a thing done though!

Well, here I go again with yet another blog! I started a personal one on blogspot, called Kristen-the-writer, but that has become the place where I put my thoughts about what is happening in the world rather than what is happening in MY writing world.

So I thought I would try again. This time JUST for writing thoughts.

And my thoughts at the moment are pretty low. My friend accuses me of being a glass half empty person. Well, at the moment I feel more like 'glass reached the dregs' person.  It's probably because the sun isn't shining and the wind is cold, but it's also because sales are down these last couple of months.

I know it is not just me, which helps. I'm probably living in the wrong part of the world, writing the wrong type of books but I can't move and I can only write what comes into my head. And seeing as no one really looks at most of my blog posts I'll have a good whinge here.