I've Survived August- Now for September...

It's the last day of the month and as of 4.30 am (BST) this morning, my submission to the RNA's New Writers' Scheme went in.

Now I just have to wait for the eventual email telling me the reader's report is ready. I don't know who the published writer reading it will be, nor whether they're male or female. But whoever gets to read it- thank you.

The part I hadn't expected was how much time checking through the manuscript takes.

When I start the next draft I will be tougher on myself. I know I can do it now, it's about me being better prepared and organised during those busy everyday life events. Even 300-500 words a time soon builds up. I know I still have a lot to work to do in the next draft...

This weekend I relax, catch-up with all those things I didn't have time for- Sanditon on catch-up is first on my list...

Next Saturday (7th September) I'll be attending a half day workshop (I've been involved in organising it) at Nottingham Writers' Club.

Our guest is friend and blogger Patsy Collins The Travelling Writer, with her Effective Characterisation and Dialogue workshop from 1-5 pm.

Patsy Collins is coming to
    Nottingham...

There are still places available, so if you, or anyone you know are within reach of Nottingham and would like to attend, do please pass on the link.

Nottingham's Tram network links the railway station to a nearby tram stop less than 5 minutes walk away from our venue; plus the Victoria bus station and bus routes into the city centre are 5-10 minutes walk...


Then on the 14th I'll be at my desk tuning in to #SelfPubCon2019 it's 24 sessions online over 24 hours. (I won't be sat at my desk for 24 hours though...)

You need to register via ALLi (The Alliance of Independent Authors) you'll find them on Facebook, Twitter and their website. The three-day pass is free- just register with name and email.

I've tuned in to the past two: spring this year and fall of 2018. Both times I've learnt something I could put into action...


Do you have any writing related plans for September?



Image provided by Patsy Collins.

Conference Season

It's hard to believe that a week ago I was in Lancaster at the 2019 Conference of the Romantic Novelists Association.

Apart from the rain while travelling to the venue at Lancaster University (a huge site) the whole weekend was warm and sunny.

The accommodation block I was in overlooked a green area of grass, bushes and trees. In fact it wasn't just bird life that lurked. Waking up early on the Saturday morning it was lovely to look out of the window, just after six a.m, to see not only birds loitering but a couple of rabbits too. Then returning to my block after dinner late Saturday night I saw and heard a hedgehog.

View toward the
motorway...

This year it was quite difficult to choose which sessions I wanted to attend as there were so many great options. So I chose what interested me or would be the most helpful for the stage I'm at now.

After their triumph last year it was good to see Virginia Heath and Liam Living back to help us 'Keep that Sexy Momentum Going'.

I should have been in the get-together for the New Writers Scheme at that time, but I'd enjoyed and learnt so much last year from Virginia and Liam's session that I didn't want to miss this one.

With only an hour available some topics couldn't go into much depth, but with brains buzzing from everything, it was probably enough.

I definitely found the cover design tips from Stuart Bache, helpful. I now know what I need to consider and what to avoid!

But there was lots more.

The Gala Dinner on the Saturday night is an opportunity to dress up if you want to. And of course I did- I don't get many opportunities to do so...

Dressed for dinner...
(thanks to Georgia Hill
for taking the picture)

Finally I got to meet the lovely Rosemary Gemmell after having known her through her blog for some time.

That's the problem with conferences, lots of people  you know but may only see as they rush past in the opposite direction or across the crowded room at lunchtime.

There was lots of walking between the accommodation and the hub where the sessions took place. Lots of stairs to climb- no lift. Rather a considerable amount of alcohol consumed (my lips are sealed) and plenty of water during the day.

The main hub had a device that enabled you to refill your bottle with cold water, while a display told you how many plastic bottles had been avoided.

Every year there's a goody bag (on arrival) and among the contents a paperback or two.

Reading matter...

 I'm glad I brought a backpack with me as I was able to carry my big notebook, jacket and anything else I didn't have room for in my handbag...

As before, I came home buzzing with insights and determined to finish my novel, then start the next one.

I hope to go to next year's conference...

I'm Back!

It's been a long time since I was last able to post to the blog, so apologies for the silence.

As friends on Facebook and Twitter will know, I changed broadband provider and upgraded to fibre, but sadly my 4th June changeover didn't go to plan- basically everything that could go wrong did...

It's only when you don't have broadband you realise how much you depend on it for both major and seemingly inconsequential items. That's when you discover how even those little things are so much easier and quicker with it.

Need to quickly check whether a word was being used around 1800? And did it mean then what it means now? It's so much quicker with a few clicks of the keyboard to check https://www.etymonline.com/ -do have a look at it.

My bookshelf reference library got heavy use...

Fortunately after two weeks offline we were introduced to a little Vodaphone mobile wifi device (I'm not being paid to promote it) when the OH and I were out looking for a replacement tumble-drier (that finally died on us after twenty years, around the same time).

It did mean all the family could access the Internet while we were waiting, but we needed to be careful to keep enough data for the month, just in case the fibre broadband took longer- it did.

Across my various email accounts I deleted nearly 2,000 emails unread, only keeping a few in each account that needed action. I really must cull some of those mailing lists and newsletters.

Eventually the only option was for the new provider to completely start again, which meant we temporarily lost our home phone number for about five days until our supplier reclaimed it. (I had visions of my number ending up somewhere else and the poor recipient being rung up about the writers' club, if they couldn't get our number back.) Fortunately that went okay and the broadband order could then go through.

Last Tuesday- five weeks after we should have originally changed over- we finally had fibre broadband live.

With only a few days before I was off to the RNA Conference in Lancaster I started on all those items that would have been a heavy data drain- still have a few to catch up with.

It certainly makes you realise how much of everyday life now revolves around having a broadband connection...

Next post it's my RNA Conference experience...


Image from Pixabay.com

Learning via an Online Conference...

Haven't we all at some time wanted to go to a major book related event but distance or personal circumstances mean you can't?

Recently the London Book Fair (LBF) took place and it was good to see pictures from writers who were attending.

It also means that the Alliance of Independent Authors will be holding their spring online conference.

This past weekend it was #SelfPubCon2019 and I spent much of Saturday at my computer with my earphones on and my notebook and pen to hand.
(Having previously signed up to the conference (free), but it could be signed up to that day.)

Online learning...

There were links to the various sessions (24 of them) some were panels recorded live at the LBF earlier this month, others were audio presentations or with video on YouTube.

You'll find links to the various sessions on the ALLi Facebook page and Twitter account, but they'll only be available publicly for a short time.

There were some valuable insights into marketing, being more productive and especially interesting were the Going Wide sessions- there's value in the global market. Lots of opportunities for the self-published writers.

I spent Sunday morning catching up on the sessions that were released overnight in the UK.

For anyone who is or intends to self-publish it is worth looking at membership of ALLi.

It's on my to do list before I publish my novel.

Meanwhile there's just one more session to catch up on; spreadsheets...author data...

Have you taken part in an online conference before? If you have, what were the high points for you? If you haven't, what discourages you?

My Weekend - Work and Play...

I can now reveal that my fun weekend (mentioned in my last blog post) was at the 2018 Romantic Novelists Conference at Leeds Trinity University from Friday to Sunday #RNAConf18.

In the
Auditorium...

The campus was about 5 miles north-west of Leeds at Horsforth.

This is the first RNA Conference I've been to and I would definitely like to go again next year- it's a different location.

Quite a few of those attending had to come by plane from outside the UK. Planes were a constant presence as Leeds Bradford Airport was a few miles down the road; and at night you could hear them, during the day see them coming into land with flaps open and wheels down...

Yes there was a lot of socialising- I didn't get to bed until midnight both nights. Lots of online and offline groups had get-together's. Lots of kitchen 'parties'; fortunately the kitchens were a good size in the accommodation blocks with plenty of seating.

As you'd expect with so many writers together the noise level was high!

I went to each of the sessions I'd intended to on the Saturday. Self-Editing. How to do it effectively with Alison May was very good. The reassuring thing for me was finding out that what I'm doing now with my wip is right.

Remember 'You're in charge' of your manuscript is a quote worth remembering.

I also got to meet #writingchat friend Susan Jones who is a pocket novelist. Maggie Swinburne of the My Weekly Pockets Novels was doing her session at the same time as the editing one, but I met up with Susan for lunch to find out how it went.

Pocket Novelist
Susan Jones

A copy of Susan's latest release was in every goody bag that all attendees received. Plus Susan was a walking promotional tool with her t-shirt and bags too!












Saturday evening was the Gala Dinner so everyone was dressed up- lots of sparkle.

The table was covered in little shapes: stars, hearts, and wine glasses in a myriad of metallic shades.



As you can imagine it was very warm so many moved outside after dinner into the slightly cooler air.

My
 Gala Dinner
Outfit...

Sunday was another fantastic day.

There was a lot of laughing going on in the auditorium just after 9 am.

Liam Livings and Virginia Heath were holding a session called Sensual love scenes without stuffing the turkey.

Let's just say the names Roger and Fanny will be likely to cause hysterical laughter for some time...

There was a serious side to the session; how to use the senses in love scenes and avoiding awful metaphors- just don't mention red onions in plastic string bags!

One of the
accommodation blocks

Before the carvery Sunday lunch I attended a session by the Word Wenches: Two nations, one language of romance?

The Wenches were Mary Jo Putney (one of my long-term favourite writers), Patricia Rice, Andrea Penrose and the RNA's Nicola Cornick.

It was a very interesting discussion panel, and revealed a number of elements that showed the US and UK romance markets are no longer as wide apart as they once were.

There seems to have been a shift as sweet romances gain popularity. Patricia Rice said that publishers were ' cranking back on sex' in books.

At the end of the session I went over to say hello to Mary Jo Putney to tell her how much I'd enjoyed her books over the years- and I still have them (pre-ebooks), and I got a hug. She's a very witty and a smart lady, so it was wonderful to hear her and get an opportunity to say hello properly.

I learnt something from every session I attended across the weekend; and just having the time to mix with other romance writers and not have to worry about every day activities: like shopping, cooking and endless washing machine marathons, it made such a difference to me, both mentally and physically- no time for extra snacks.

Will I go next year? If I can, I will...

Progress on the Home Front...

The decorating is done (for now) and the new flooring is down in the living room, so I'm slowly working my way through the books that need sorting, dusting and shelving.

They're going back in order- well my personal order...

Meanwhile I've booked to go to the RNA (Romantic Novelists Association) Conference in July, whilst I leave the family at home. I'm really looking forward to spending time learning and socialising with other writers- many I know from online.

My other decision is my aim to launch my current wip sometime in June 2019. I have a year to do it... (Imagine scared face with hair sticking up in spikes!)

The hero and heroine of the next story have been reminding me they've been patiently waiting for me to solve their antagonist issue; I think I know how to solve that problem, but that's for later...

After all the times you've heard about the stuff going on in the background, I thought showing you what the wallpaper looks like, now it's done, was reasonable. :-)

My favourite- the hallway...

Going up the stairs...

I just have to find a suitable light shade for the hall light now...