"She was always sort of muddle-headed..."

"...thinking she'd made appointments when she didn't and things like that. But, gee, I never thought she'd really flip her lid."

I don't want to scare you on a Monday morning, but that was from Hitchcock. To be honest, quotes about being muddle-headed are few and far between.

Great image though!

The Muddle-Headed Wombat with thanks to Ann for suggesting it.

Yes, describe yourself in one word - a task on my writing course. Muddle-headed was what came to my mind instantly. Then I wished I'd said something different or was a more competent liar when we were asked to state that word (well, two, in my case) to the rest of the group..

Meg said she would be disturbed if I used the description 'muddle-headed' in a negative way. Of COURSE I did. I'm British, right.

You see, the thoughts in my mind tumble over each other, barge each other with sharp elbows, trip each other up in the rush to be first out of my mouth or my fingertips. Mop and bucket required to clean up the mess. Not the best thing for a writer...

OR IS IT?

I've always tried to tame my mind. Result: I write stuff that isn't truly me; it allows the unfortunate reader little glimpses of my voice and then - SLAM - the lid goes down on the dustbin. (There I go again. I could at least have described my mind as a bejewelled treasure chest, couldn't I?)

I think Meg's description of the mind as a colander is about right.

I'm writing the British edition as we speak.

In my own sweet muddle-headed way.

I am a blank slate - therefore I can create anything I want

Spiderman said this.

Or was it Tobey Maquire?

Today, I'm planning to be a blank slate - at least until I start listening to Meg Rosoff. I hope that doesn't make my journey up to London problematic...

And what do I want to create on this blank slate?

Me as a transformed writer who has found her voice.

I'm very excited!

Words are the voice of the heart

...Confucius said.

I wish...

Sometimes, most times, if that doesn't sound too cynical, I think words are used as a clever strategy to hide the voice of the heart.

When I'm writing factual website content for educational purposes I'm sure that's a good idea! (Quite often I'm pulled up for my hyperbole...that IS from my heart when describing something I'm passionate about, but not necessarily appropriate.)

But with my creative writing? Now, that's a different matter.

First, find your voice. Not the voice that resides in your larynx but the one in your heart.

When I'm writing, often I'm struggling. The words that get written down must surely reflect that, forced as they are out of my being after a lengthy grapple?

This weekend, I'm attending a course in London, given by Meg Rosoff - she of There is no dog fame. You know, the writer I'd kill to be half as good as (and with poor grammar like that I've a long way to go!)

The course is called 'Finding A Voice.'

My belief is that when I find my voice, people will be able to hear it.

And when people can hear it it will slide through their brains and go straight to their hearts.