Coming Up on Tuesday- My Guest Takes the Next Step...

As I've had a very heavy day with computer updates, I'm a little late in sharing some very exciting news.

This week both posts will be courtesy of my guest, blogger Patsy Collins.

Patsy is a wonderful writer with numerous short stories (and collections) to her credit, and a number of novels, including her most recent, (it features a hunky fireman) Firestarter.

It was Patsy who encouraged me to finish and send off my cake-related short story to one of the women's magazines- more about that in the summer.

Patsy Collins

Patsy is also my writing buddy, and the purple-loving writer behind the very useful womagwriter's blog.

On Tuesday, Patsy will be discussing the advantages/disadvantages of taking your self-published work beyond the kindle e-book and into print, using Createspace.

Then on Thursday, you can discover more about the actual process, with useful tips and links to help you take that next step.

You'll still have to do all the work, but Patsy's experience may help you decide whether it's for you...

And to top it all off there's an offer you won't be able to resist.

So pop back on Tuesday to find out more...

Windows 10 - The Not-So Scary Bits...

Now I've been able to add a few programs to my new desktop I'm feeling much more in control.

After advice from writer friends who are familiar with Windows 10, I downloaded Office 2007 from the disc I bought for my previous computer- it still had a use available. So I've not had to move to Office 365 with it's subscription system (monthly or annual).

I'm not keen on the new browser, Edge (the IE replacement), so I quickly downloaded Chrome, and added a few programs that make life easier.

Having used Windows 10 for a few days now, I'm getting used to how it's set out. Plus having to look to find out what updates have been added in the background.

Progress!

My main gripe is that they've hidden so many useful items. I've found it's actually quicker to get to what I want by using the search bar on the bottom toolbar next to the Windows symbol that opens a cross between a start bar (like Windows 7) and a block of tiles (as in Windows 8).

Yes, it gives a tidy appearance, but I don't want or need to waste time looking for the program/app I need.

Maybe my amplified annoyance is another left-handed (and the way my mind works) thing...

If something isn't working as it should, then most means of resolution will be found somewhere in the settings; just choose the relevant category and look through the options.

Apparently, if you have anti-virus protection and it runs out, Windows Defender automatically takes over, so you're not open to nasties getting onto your machine.

It hasn't been as difficult to adjust to the move from Windows 7 to 10;but I could have happily lived with version 7 forever.

The major downside is that you need a Microsoft account, so if you want to add a family member so they can use the computer with their own password, you need to add their Hotmail, Outlook, X-Box or other Microsoft related email address, and they then receive an invitation in their inbox; once they accept their account will appear on the opening page screen.

If a family member doesn't have a relevant account they have to create one, then follow the process for an invite.

There's a wide selection of apps in the store, some are pre-installed, Microsoft People- it utilises your email address book. :(

Personally, if my old computer hadn't bust irretrievably I would have carried on with Windows 7.

If you've thought about the free upgrade to Windows 10, but are still happy with Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, then don't rush. Friends who have upgraded seem split between those who have been trouble-free, and those who have had a number of issues.

The most important thing now is that I can get on with my writing without further delays...



image courtesy of aechan & www.freedigitalphotos.net

Back at Last - The Computer Saga...

Apologies for the lack of new posts, but the computer began slowing down at the weekend and then Wednesday morning it finally stopped working.

I've had numerous crashes, and the blue screen of death has appeared half a dozen times since last month (when I first mentioned it), but by Sunday it kept looping whenever I logged off, so the only way to shut down was turn it off at the tower. :(

Knowing it was going I had been looking around, but with so much choice online it's difficult to comprehend how it will look actually on my desk. I had specific requirements for capacity, but the position of the USB ports and the DVD drive was essential- I hated the vertical DVD drives!

I've done the basic set-up, and am now creating the recovery memory stick- it takes some time...

Of course before I could remove the old tower I had to clear everything off my desk (actually it's an old scarred dining table) and the area of the floor beside it.

So out with the hoover and the extendable attachment to the hose, so the dust-webs could be sucked up, and the floor cleaned. Once that was done I was able to move the table back and access the office book shelves.

There's still a lot to do before I'll be totally satisfied.

I don't have Office at the moment, which I really do miss. as much as Windows 7.. :(

Anyway, I'm back and aiming for my first post-Windows 10 blog post on Sunday.

So keep your fingers crossed I survive it all... :D

Novel Competitions and the Oddest Book Title...

The oddest book title was announced last week and the Winner was 'Too Naked for the Nazis'. It was nominated by the author himself, Alan Stafford, so it clearly was a good publicity move.

Though the subject of the book is quite ordinary in fact- a vaudevillian trio, Wilson, Keppel & Betty-  that anyone born early in the 20th century would have heard of, and perhaps seen black & white film of them performing.

You can find out the percentage each book achieved in the Bookseller article link above.

*   *   *

Unpublished novelists have two opportunities to get a publishing deal courtesy of two high profile competitions.

There's the recent Richard &Judy competition, and earlier this week the news about the competition being run between the Daily Mail and Penguin Random House.

They both offer a cash advance, an agent, and publication of the winning manuscript.

Find out more about the Daily Mail/PRH competition via this article.

(EDITED TO ADD: this is the URL they have given for the full terms & conditions and it displays a pdf: www.dailymail.co.uk/novelcomp )

Note you can't have had a novel published before-even self-published (so that will exclude lots of writers to start with); you can't currently be represented by a literary agent, and you must be over 16 years old, resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland.

The Richard & Judy 'Search for a Bestseller 2016' is supported by WH Smith, and the publishing deal is with Bonnier Zaffre.

Generally the terms are similar to the Daily Mail one, but the R&J competition terms specify that the partial novel hasn't been previously submitted to an agent, publisher, or entered into previous R&J competitions, or "released into the public domain in any format"- so bloggers beware.

So those will probably take quite a few entries out.

Sadly it does mean they're going to have to wade through entries from people who think writing a novel is easy.

They will find hidden talent in the end, but it's sad that they are excluding so many talented writers because they have self-published.

If you qualify and enter, then well done and I hope your entry is successful.

Guest Posting Today...

The computer is still struggling on and my search for a replacement has begun.

Fortunately it's kept running meanwhile, so I can tell you about my guest slot over on writing buddy Patsy Collins' blog, Words about writing and writing about words.

Last year I was tasked with finding a good judge for the 2016 Nottingham Writers' Club national short story competition, and I approached Patsy about the possibility.

I'm glad to say she accepted, and it was this that led to our discussion about writers' groups, and my guest post today.

So I do hope you'll pop over, leave a comment and share what you feel is good about writers' groups.

Nursing the Computer Along...

After a couple of stable days I'm getting the occasional issues again.

Nothing major, more annoying than anything. So I've made sure that all my photos and documents are backed up so I don't lose anything if it should suddenly conk out.

I just realised that I have a lot of bookmarked websites that it will be useful to save too, as I lost a few useful saved sites when my previous computer finally went...

So this week I will be researching what's available to replace my desktop.

Which to choose?

I'm also going into a busy spell for the next six weeks.

While everything is still working I intend to get back to the chapter two rewrite, having taken a break to get a couple of short stories out and on the way- and to get to know a minor character that needs to appear at chapter two or early on in chapter three.

I have a stack of competition entries to read for the writers' club national competition - I'm one of five readers; and while the Chairman is away I'm in charge too, so there's lots to do before the AGM next month.

There will be an online item later in the week too, but more about that on Thursday.

Any recommendations on the best computer brands? And what's your experience of Windows 10?







Image courtesy of Ventrilock & www.freedigitalphotos.net

Computer Gremlins...

It's been a busy few months and apart from getting the short story finished and sent off, I've not had time to make any progress on the Nottinghamshire story- though I have been doing needed bits of research (highlighted when I read the first chapter of draft 1 through).

Sometimes I can't imagine ever finishing it, but I know that's not true, it will get done.

Unlike the first draft I haven't found it as easy to do a bit, then stop, then do a bit more. That's the hard part at the moment, finding how to work with the second draft.

There has been other writing/editing going on though.

A factual piece that I wrote last month that required a final edit was rewritten with a different slant, and will appear this month.

There's an entry for the writers' club quarterly prose that needs finishing off. I started it twice and wasn't happy so put it aside. Then last week everything clicked together and I started again. It's working much better this time...

Sadly my desktop PC is showing early signs of future failure, and I'll need to replace it this year. I like Windows 7, but will have to move up to Windows 10 when I do change. :(

So I've been tidying up the programs, taking off those that are no longer needed, and avoiding putting the PC under any potential stress.

Glad to say it seems to be helping.

So if I suddenly stop posting you'll know what's happened... :D









Image courtesy of Stuart Miles & freedigitalphotos.net

It's the Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title - The Shortlist...

Yes, it's time for the Diagram Prize again- the 38th.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that there was still time to nominate odd book titles from 2015, well the deliberations are over and the shortlist of titles has been announced.

The Bookseller administers the Diagram Prize - you can see the interesting range of book covers for the shortlisted titles here, as well as find out what each book is about (briefly).

Now it's up to the public to vote for their preferred oddest title. You can follow the Bookseller's link to the voting page, select your title and press submit, you don't even have to leave an email address...

I don't feel that this year's selection is as varied as in past years, but at least there are titles to choose from.

There have only been two years when the prize was not awarded, 1987 and 1991. Fortunately there's been a winner every year since 1992, and with the interest and publicity the prize brings each year I don't think a lack of strange book titles will be a problem.

So here's the 2015 shortlist:

• Reading the Liver: The Papyrological Text on Ancient Greek Extispicy.

• Too Naked for Nazis. (The author submitted it himself...)

• Soviet Bus Stops.

• Paper Folding with Children.

• Behind the Binoculars.

• Reading from Behind: A Cultural History of the Anus.

• Transvestite Vampire Biker Nuns from Outer Space: A Consideration of Cult Film.

I have to admit that those last two appealed to me, but having given the titles a couple of days I can see the appeal of 'Paper Folding with Children'. :D

Do look out for any odd book titles that are published in 2016- including self-published- so you can nominate them early next year.

The voting closes 15th March at 23.59, and the winner will be announced later in the month.

Any opinions on this year's selection? 

Newspaper Research...

I'm very pleased I didn't need any newspapers to write my short story- it's now on its way, and after the final editing came out at 1,799 words, so 1,800 as the magazine requires. When I eventually get an answer (around 16 weeks from receipt) I'll let you know if it's a yes or no.

So with that story out of the way I'm free to get back to my longer works in progress.

At the moment I'm checking a few facts- dates of events that cannot be manipulated; such as the date the Treaty of Amiens was actually signed. It's only a background detail but if it was signed later in the year then everything in the story has to be shifted too.

This is where old newspapers come in useful.

Old newspapers are being digitised and added to the British Newspaper Archive each year. It's a partnership between Find My Past and the British Library, their aim is to digitise 40 million newspaper pages "over the next 10 years".

It's possible to search for free, but if you want to access the page and save/print the details there is a charge, but they do have a number of subscription options which is helpful.

Old Newspapers...

The last few days I've been checking for ancestors, and today discovered one of my grandfathers was fined (in December 1940) for "a black-out offence" the previous month - shows how seriously it was taken.

I did eventually discover in the Morning Post when the Treaty of Amiens (between the French and the English) was actually signed- 25th March 1802. Admittedly the article was that date the following year, looking back on events, but another article elsewhere confirmed the date too.

So the 25th of next month it will have been 214 years ago, and we can still read the views expressed at that time...

From 1850 onwards there's a lot more available than 1710-1830's, but those early newspapers and sheets that survived would probably be very delicate anyway.

While the annual subscription seems like a lot of money, when compared with the time and cost of travelling to places to scan through film, or maybe even microfiche in some cases, it doesn't start to look too bad for my needs.

As with any research there's the risk of distractions, so I'm limiting myself to an hour or two in the early or late evening, and I bookmark anything relevant in folders in my account, so I can come back to them again.






image courtesy of Naypong & www.freedigitalphotos.net

Short Story Ready to Go - Almost...

I'm always surprised to discover my editing skills have improved.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have a short story that I wanted to revise to submit to Woman's Weekly.

My dilemma was that the story was too long for the 1,000 words, nor would it work at the shorter length, but it was too short for the 1,800 requirement.

So my revision became a rewrite to add words- about 400 in fact. It isn't a lot but I have to admit I didn't think I could do it without ruining the story.

I didn't quite finish last week, as a final few paragraphs needed to be looked at, even though I didn't think I could squeeze any more out.

But I did!

Actually I read through the whole story yet again, made more adjustments and my word count went up to as much as 1830, and then when I did my final edit it came back down to 1805.

Fixing the problem...

So where am I now with it?

Yesterday I printed the completed manuscript out and the cover sheet, addressed the envelopes and did a last minute read through.

That was when I saw it. No not the dreaded escapee typo, but one short line that didn't read clearly. So I'll sort it out and reprint, and read through again...

But it will be posted Monday. :D






Image courtesy of supakitmod & www.freedigitalphotos.net

Romance: Monthly Masterpiece Competition...

February seems to be bringing lots of competitions, so here's another one you might like.

It is Valentine's Day this coming Sunday, and an ideal time to be writing about love.

So here's an opportunity...

Romance

Just Write.

Submission by 28th February, of a first chapter, "fewer than 4,000 words". Whatever the genre it must contain a romance between characters.

Best of all entries can be from anywhere in the world.

There's a prize too: for the winning entry it will be published on the website, and there's four books as well.

Two runners-up receive a copy of Masterclass: Writing Romantic Fiction.

The winner will be announced the first week of March.

Now like any competition read the terms and conditions, pop to this link or click the link at the bottom of the competition page (see the Just Write link further up).

They're looking for "strong characterisation and originality, close attention to the genre theme, and accomplished writing style."

Next month it will be something different, so if this doesn't suit you, then a future competition may.

The competition is organised by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.






Image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan & www.freedigitalphotos.net

A Few Prize Opportunities...

It was a busy week so I missed writing my Thursday post, so you'll be getting 2 for 1 today. :-)


If you are a young woman writer who writes articles, then you may be interested in the Cassandra Jardine Memorial Prize that was launched in 2013 in memory of the Telegraph journalist, who sadly died from cancer in 2012.

When it was launched in 2013 it opened to women aged between 18 and 25. The prize is seeking "creativity and potential in an original feature article."

If you're interested pop along to the Telegraph's Lifestyle section here, and check the criteria for entry, and what you're aiming for.

You can follow their link to read last year's winning entry.

Closing date: 31st March 2016.

*   *   *

If you read my blog regularly you'll know one of my annual features is the Diagram Prize shortlisted titles.

Odd book titles are suggested by readers, and could make the shortlist...

Well here is your opportunity to suggest an odd book title for consideration. You can either send your recommendations by email or on Twitter using the #DiagramPrize hashtag. Find out who to email or tweet to in this Bookseller article.

The shortlist will be unveiled 26th February, so there isn't long to make your odd title suggestions.

Self-published titles are eligible too.

But remember, the titles "must be unwittingly odd, not deliberately so."

*   *   *

Now, I need to get back to that short story-it's almost finished, a few final tweaks and it will be ready to go out into the world. I'll update you on my progress later in the week... :)

Nothing is Wasted...

Every writer knows the value of carrying a notebook or some device to record those moments we all get when an idea pops into our heads; we see something that attracts our attention, or we overhear a conversation and there's a line or phrase we just have to use in a story.

I've been known to be walking down a road in the city centre, hearing someone on a phone, stopping and then sidling to a discreet position to casually remove a notebook and pen, before madly scribbling down the words that attracted my attention- and listening for more.

Many of these 'moments' disappear into my notebook and don't emerge again until I'm reading through them weeks or months later.

Others stick in my mind, then years later other thoughts immediately bring that long ago note to mind and a story starts to emerge.

Many years ago- before the tram lines were put in Nottingham city centre- I overheard a phone conversation, and put a single line of dialogue in my notebook. It was asking for a story, but none of my ideas worked, so it was stored.

Ideas...

Last week at the informal NWC meeting in the pub, in conversation I mentioned the comment I'd overheard. We all laughed- because it did sound funny- and back it went into my mental filling cabinet.

Then over the weekend I was reading an article by Patsy Collins in last month's Writing Magazine (February 2016 issue) '101 Ways to Inspire Ideas'. I've no idea which one or more of her ideas started it, but two voices began holding a conversation around the words I'd heard all those years ago...

There's a competition I want to try writing it for, with a deadline in March. Whether it is good enough, or finished in time, I don't know, but I have to try... :D






Image courtesy of Ventrilock & www.freedigitalphotos.net.