I have written blogs on this topic before but surprisingly haven't posted any of them on my own website - I'm talking about writer's block, not that I believe in such a thing, so let's call it writer's BLAH!

I have to say it's been a shirty couple of weeks, writing wise...and I am at a loss as to say why. Okay, so I had a leg wax earlier in the week but I haven't been sick, my kids are healthy, the cat loves me...there have been no significant traumas in my life apart from the day-to-day grind of having to wake up (!) and then set about my daily domestic chores, like pulling the kids out of bed, making lunches, cleaning, cooking dinner. Blah!

But big deal. Most of us have to do all that.

So what's the problem?

Every time I sit down to write, I fidget...check emails, Facebook and Twitter at least a dozen times every ten minutes. This week I've taken to writing a to-do list in the hope of getting more organised and focussed. Still no good.

So I read back over some of my previous posts claiming that ‘when I'm feeling lazy or uninspired, I'll go for the easiest option to get my word count up for the day. I'll write new scenes or perhaps research a character.'

That's reasonable advice but at the moment I think all my characters are fools and should all die a slow and painful death.

I've also said that ‘when I‘m writing a first draft I have a daily word count of 2000 words that I try to stick to, five days a week. That way I find the momentum builds and an interesting plot and complex characters develop and I find I get into a rhythm and pace I'm comfortable with.'

Hello! Who wrote that? I did, obviously - but I must have been drunk at the time.

The one mantra I've focussed on before and continue to, is I don't care what I write, just write something!

However, there are some days when the writing doesn't flow, when it feels like you're pulling teeth and that even when you do put pen to paper, it all seems totally banal and pointless.

So this week, I'm granting myself a leave pass. Am taking the family to see Wicked! tonight and tomorrow, I'll celebrate my mum's birthday by taking her to the Art Gallery and having a great lunch in the city.

Once I'm through the BLAH I'll be back again!

It's a huge pleasure this week to have my friend Fleur McDonald, as my guest blogger to tell us a bit about her books and writing process.  Fleur is a full time farmer, mother and writer extraordinaire, living near Esperance in Western Australia.

Welcome Fleur! Your second book, Blue Skies is about to be released. Congratulations. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Thanks for having me here, Lisa! Blue Skies is due out on the 1^st of April. It tells the story of Amanda Greenfield, who is a head strong and stubborn girl, but full of determination to run her family's farm, Kyleena. Her father, battling grief and depression wants to sell Kyleena and get away for the variance of crop yields and stock prices. Amanda finally gets him to think about it, and she begins to think that things are looking up, when she experiences fear, like she never has before. The source behind it, is not only mysterious, but terrifying.

Wow! Sounds intriguing! Red Dust, your first novel is still selling very well. Where did you get your idea for that book? Does anything/anyone in particular inspire you?

The idea for Red Dust, just hit me one day. I had not long begun a writing course and my mentor said that he thought I could write a novel.  I had read Jillaroo by Rachael Treasure and knew that country stories had their place in Australian fiction, but I wasn't sure how I could be any different to Rachael. I knew I loved crime so I started to think about what crime happened in the country... that led to stock stealing, which is really entwined in Australia's history.

That's great. So is that how your writing career began?

Yes. This may sound silly but I just sat at the computer and wrote. I don't have any writing qualifications - I started a writing course, but I never finished it, because I got the Red Dust contract and didn't have time. I decided that I would write a book I wanted to write, so I did!

Any tips regarding common mistakes aspiring writers make?       

Hmm, interesting question. Probably not re-writing and re-reading their work enough. You can't hand anything sub-standard to a publisher.

Definitely good advice. Do you have any advice on how to handle the writing process and how not to get discouraged by rejection?

It's very easy to get distracted by outside influences. Marketing my books is something I try very hard at - I write my blogs, Facebook and Twitter but, at the moment, that's okay, because I have Blue Skies coming out. I'm going to get to a stage, when I start the next book, that I won't have the time to do that as often as I do now. So a single focus, for my writing, is what I need. I tend to only have two hours a week that I know I can write, so I have to make the most of that time.

As for rejection letters... well, when I submitted Red Dust to Louise Thurtell from Allen and Unwin, for the first time, she told me it wasn't what she was looking for. I re-submitted about six months later and got a contract. Just because a publishing house isn't looking for what you write today, they may well be tomorrow or next week. Don't give up, keep going until you get what you want... a publishing contract!

Fleur, it's funny you mention Facebook and Twitter. I'm struggling with both. They can be quite addictive and before you know it, you've spent three hours updating your status and tweeting sweet nothings! Very interesting that you submitted to A & U and then re-submitted six months later. A good tip for budding authors! Tell me what you love about being a writer?

The fact I get a break from my own mundane life! I get to live a life that maybe I wanted to (whether I knew it or not!) I name my characters; they become my (new) babies then friends! I also love that I can come into the office and shut out the world - if it's not raining in real life, I can make it rain in my book, if the stock are hungry in real life, I grow grass in my book! It is a real escapism for me and at times, I need that.

There are certainly many of us who love disappearing into that fantasy world! What do you find the most challenging about being a writer?

For me, it's finding the time. I still work full time on the farm and I have two children (ten and nine). My youngest has a learning disability, so there is a lot of work to put into him. The two hours I get are snatched from my day in Esperance (when I go to do the shopping.) I park myself in our accountants office and write, write, write! It's wonderful!

Fleur, given that you only get two hours a week to write, your output is incredible. You must have a very quick, determined mind, not to mention nimble fingers and extraordinary discipline! What are you working on now?  Future plans?

Well, Purple Roads is well under way, with a forth idea lurking in the background. (That one is tentatively called Silver Fences.) After that we'll have to wait and see, but I guess I'd still like to be writing in ten years time and loving it!

Thanks for dropping by, Fleur. Sounds like you have a very clear direction with your future books and a great theme with titles!

Fleur has very kindly offered to give away three signed copies of Blue Skies to readers (Australian readers only, sorry!). Please leave a comment and you could be a lucky winner. Competition closes Monday March 22^nd.

Also, click on the link to check out Fleur's website and learn more about her books and amazing life on the land. The photos are pretty awesome, too!

Update: March 25  Congratulations to Allison, Amy and Klaire who have each won a copy of Fleur's new book, Blue Skies.

Now that I'm published I could say that Lucy Springer Gets Even and What Kate did Next were easy to write and easy to get published, but I would be lying!

For both books, there were too many drafts to count, many tears and many times I wanted to give up. Writing is a solitary pursuit and when no-one is encouraging you or interested in what you're writing it's easy to feel despondent/suicidal/angry or insulted, depending on your mood.

For years, I'd send manuscripts or partials (three chapters and a synopsis) to publishers and receive generic rejection letters back, along the lines of ‘thanks but no thanks.' I think I've been rejected by every mainstream Australian publisher and several North American ones too.

After each rejection, I'd stomp around the house and tell myself to give up. ‘Why bother?' This was especially true when my children would tell their friends and their friend's parents, I loved my computer more than them. (And that's not true ninety-six percent of the time.)

But after a day or two of feeling sorry for myself, I'd turn on the computer and either rework a manuscript or start something new.

My best rejection letter? The one that started with ‘brilliant first line, but it's all downhill from there.'

But I figure I'm in good company. Here are a few other rejection letter excerpts:

The Diary of Anne Frank: "The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language." Editor of the San Francisco Examiner to Rudyard Kipling.

Classic writer Colette was told in a letter of rejection: "I wouldn't be able to sell 10 copies."

H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds: "An endless nightmare. I do not believe it would "take"...I think the verdict would be 'Oh don't read that horrid book'."

The Spy who Came in from the Cold: by John le Carré. "You're welcome to le Carré - he hasn't got any future."

The Deer Park by Norman Mailer. "This will set publishing back 25 years."

 Stephen King's Carrie:  "We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell."

So, what's the best rejection line you've received from a publisher?