Chasing Ghosts - a new novel by guest Madalyn Morgan ...

Today I'm welcoming author Madalyn Morgan to Carol's Corner to continue the celebrations for the recent launch of her post WW2 novel Chasing Ghosts.

Madalyn Morgan

 Madalyn was an actress for more than thirty years working in Repertory theatre, the West End, film and television, Madalyn now writes and presents radio.

She's a proud Indie Author and has successfully published six novels. Foxden Acres, Applause, China Blue, and The 9:45 To Bletchley are set in WW2 and tell the wartime stories of Bess, Margot, Claire, and Ena Dudley. Foxden Hotel and Chasing Ghosts are post-war - 1949 and 1950.

Over to Madalyn...

Thank you for inviting me to chat about my novels on your fabulous blog, Carol.

Q. For anyone who hasn't yet discovered your books, please tell us a little about your Dudley Sisters Saga and how your new release Chasing Ghosts is connected.

A. There are four Dudley sisters and five books in the saga. Foxden Acres, Applause, China Blue, and The 9:45 To Bletchley tell the stories, the lives and loves, of each sister during WW2. The fifth book, Foxden Hotel, begins on New Year’s Eve 1948 (ten years after Foxden Acres) at the Grand opening of Bess and her husband’s hotel. 

In many ways, Foxden Hotel is a sequel to Foxden Acres. It was supposed to bring the sisters together to end the saga in the way Foxden Acres introduced them and began it. As Bess Dudley’s story unfolds in Foxden Acres her sister Margot (Applause) gets married and goes to live in London. Claire (China Blue) joins the WAAF. And Ena (The 9:45 To Bletchley) starts work in a local engineering factory. In Foxden Acres the sisters’ characters and personalities develop. In their own stories, they grow and mature.

 Chasing Ghosts is a sequel to the third book, China Blue. In 1949 after receiving treatment for shell shock in Canada, Claire's husband disappears. Has he left her for the woman he talks about in his sleep? Or is he on the run from accusations of wartime treachery? Claire goes to France in search of the truth, aided by old friends from the Resistance.

New release...

Q.  Chasing Ghosts is post WW2; did the research give you any surprises?

A. Yes, it did, Carol. In 1949, many food products were still rationed in the UK (especially imported food, and what the government called luxury food, like chocolate) in France too. But rationing ended in Canada in the summer of 1947. The government took dairy products off the ration list first and, because Canada is such a big country with a good climate for farming, they grew their own oats, wheat, barley, every kind of vegetable, and they bred cattle. Once the government stopped sending food overseas, the Canadians lived much better.

Another surprise was air travel. I flew to America in 1961, which I thought was early for passenger flights, but it wasn’t. Flying became popular as early as 1949. And what was even more surprising was the food on passenger aeroplanes. On Atlantic flights (probably other long distance flights too, but it was Trans-Canada Airlines and Canadian Pacific that I researched), the food was excellent. The seats were comfortable and there was plenty of legroom, which led the American and Canadian airlines to advertise with the slogan, The luxury of flying.

Q. There's been a surge of interest for anything vintage, especially 1930's- 1950's. Do you think it's helped your books get noticed?

A. Yes, without a doubt. From 2012 to 2017 there was great interest in pre and post-WW2 novels. There were major WW2 anniversaries between 2009 and 2015 - and thank goodness there were. We must never forget the young men and women who were killed and injured in WW1 and WW2. 

Carol. I know this time of year is very popular for towns and places holding 1940's days. They have old military vehicles and people dress up in the uniforms and clothes of the time, and there's often singers and dancers performing the music of the time, along with stalls and displays.

Q. For any reader who might be interested in discovering more about the time period your books are set in, from your extensive research, what's the best place to start?

A. Talk to your Grandmother. I’m not joking. Elderly people have a wealth of knowledge and a lifetime of memories - and they are eager to talk and pass on their experiences. 

There are good websites too. For my books it’s The War Museum, the Army, Navy, and Airforce websites. Google, Letters WW2. You will read letters written by ordinary people that give a fantastic insight into what life was like in the war. They give a real understanding of how people lived. You’ll meet a multitude of different characters, understand their feelings and emotions, as well as learn about ordinary life at that time. 

Q. Now Chasing Ghosts is released, have you started on another book and what hints can you give us about it?

A. Yes, I have. I usually take a couple of months off in the summer to work on the house and garden, which get neglected when I’m writing. But this year, while I was proofreading Chasing Ghosts, the opening of a spy thriller came to me. It was the middle of the night, but the characters were so real and the action so strong that I had to get up and write it down. When I had finished I'd written the opening 800 words of book seven. The working title is She’s Alive. I was so excited the following day that I wanted to carry on writing, but it wasn’t possible. I just hope the plot, and more of the story, comes to me when I have time to commit to writing it.

Here’s a hint. With the cold war around the corner, there is more to come from Ena and her husband Henry, who both work for MI5.

May I share the lovely surprise I had today?

Carol: Of course. We all like lovely surprises.

Chasing Ghosts is the Historical Fiction Cover Winner June 2018

“This month there is a bit of a theme going on and this cover triggered it! What a clever cover this is – perfectly fits its genre. Even the title caught my eye. The use of a sepia image and the red text is just perfect. The good news is that this is only one book in a 6 book series. Congratulations to Madalyn!”

Thank you for visiting Madalyn and answering my questions.

If you'd like to find out more about all of the Dudley Sisters novels or buy them, then you'll find them waiting for you when you follow this link. 

More to read...

You'll be able to catch-up with Madalyn on social media too...

Madalyn Morgan's Blog: https://madalynmorgan.wordpress.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActScribblerDJ

Authors Earnings & Contracts in the News...

Authors earnings have been in the news this week with the initial results of the 2017 ALCS Authors Earnings Survey.

There's more detail to come in the autumn when the details will be revealed in more depth, but meanwhile you can read how the news and ALCS have reacted.

Richard Combes, Head of Rights and Licensing at the ALCS on the Bookseller.com website.

In the Guardian Philip Pullman is quoted "The word exploitation comes to mind..."


Meanwhile The All Party Parliamentary Group for Writers has launched an enquiry on author's earnings (UK) "and seeks to identify what environment writers need to enable them to flourish in the future".

The deadline for written evidence is 5 pm on the 2nd August.

I will be submitting written evidence.


As to contracts, the latest news is that Woman's Weekly magazine now want all rights- including a moral rights waver and the pay-cut.

This will severely damage the earning potential of writers who have already seen markets closed, submission lists restricted, and contract changes eating into rights.

For those who may not know, these fiction writers rely on being able to reuse their stories in overseas markets, and as part of a self-published collection of short stories, and then most importantly qualifying for ALCS (Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society).

It's an ongoing situation so keep an eye on the Womagwriter's Blog for more news. You can find out what's been happening so far here and also here.

If you're on Twitter and see a tweet with the hashtag #WomagWritersNeedRights please give it a retweet...

Saving the pennies...

image from Pixabay.com

The Writer's Seesaw...

It's been a bit of a seesaw week so far.

I've made progress on the novel; rewritten another chapter today (as the noisier family members were out enjoying an event some distance away) and reviewing the changes on the next chapter for this week coming...

Sadly I had the bad news on my existing published writing a couple of days ago.

My short story, 'The Wishful Spirit', currently on the Alfie Dog Fiction download site will no longer be available after July 20th.

Leaving port
soon...

So if you want to read it you'll need to buy a copy before then...

It's also likely that the One Word Anthology that both I and Serena have stories in will also go, but I'm waiting for definite confirmation of that.

Of course it does mean those stories are available for re-use at some time in the future. But for the moment I'm concentrating on the work in progress and not allowing these downs to distract me.

Trying to do a little tidying up I had a shredding session yesterday, and of course the container quickly filled up and needed emptying.

No problem, there's a bin bag half full of shredded paperwork, I'll use that and it will be full ready for going to the recycling centre.

Sadly the paper had other ideas and stopped half way out of the container on the way into the bag, so of course when I checked, the non-bagged contents made a break for it and spread far and wide...

A few
escapees...

Next time I'll call someone to hold the bag for me, or better yet I'll hold the bag and they can tip!

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...

Write a Love Story - Competition Opportunity...

Love has been very high profile this weekend with the marriage of the Queen's grandson Prince Harry to Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle yesterday (19th).

The (now) Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked so happy. The sun was shining on their wedding, bathing everyone in Windsor with the feeling of goodwill and happiness- and probably a large portion of those watching the events on their television or computer too.

If you're into romance writing, here's an opportunity to be published by Trapeze, an imprint of Orion Books. There's prize money and mentoring for the winner- if everything completes...

Don't forget to check their answers to some important questions on the FAQ page. It does clarify who can enter.

Romance...

Dating site eharmony are running the competition with Trapeze books to find, as they put it, "the next great love story".

The competition opened on the 16th May and the closing date is the 30th July.

You "submit the first 5,000 words of a love story, along with a synopsis and short biography to lovestories@orionbooks.co.uk" - it will need to be a full-length novel.

Before you rush into entering there's an important line in the terms and condition, so some research is needed.

"The entries will be judged on the quality of the writing and storytelling, how well it fits the Criteria, and the potential based on the synopsis for a full length novel that would fit with books published under the Trapeze imprint." (From competition details.)

The criteria is the 500 word synopsis and the first 5,000 words of the novel (they're calling this the 'proposal').

Trapeze was launched autumn 2016 to publish commercial fiction and non-fiction. The Orion Publishing Group say " Trapeze’s fiction list will publish books by standout voices in the crime, psychological suspense and women’s fiction areas." (From About Orion.)

You can find out the full details of the prize on the eharmony page.

The winner will be chosen from a shortlist of six proposals.

But, do read and understand the terms and conditions of the competition.

Good luck if you enter...


image from Pixabay.com

Meeting C.J Tudor - author of The Chalk Man...

It was my Wednesday evening out at the Writers' Club last night (that was the 9th, if
you' re reading this at the weekend).

The guest speaker was author C.J Tudor, whose debut novel 'The Chalk Man' was published this January in hardback; there will be a paperback later this year.

C.J Tudor author of
The Chalk Man

As Caroline is a local author the club was already connected on Twitter, so that made arranging the talk much easier for me; being able to suggest what we'd be interested in hearing about and adapting to her way of working.

Caroline began with reading the prologue of her book and there was a definite ooh at the end...

We heard about her journey to publication with the "little notes of hope"- the comments she received from agents she'd submitted her earlier books to; but it was clear that the process can be long and the path not always smooth just getting an agent.

The insights into the actual publishing process (once The Chalk Man manuscript was accepted- after an auction) was something many writers don't usually hear about.

Anyone who ever wondered why it takes so long for a book to be published- about 2 years- would have understood why, after Caroline explained the process she and her book went through. Editing and more editing featured heavily.

But it did also give some useful insights that self-publishers can learn from.

Creating a buzz using social media and the value of book bloggers, especially with debuts.

The value in getting pre-orders and the concentrated effort needed the first two weeks the book comes out.

All writers are aware of book covers, so it was surprising to hear why the cover of The Chalk Man had to be changed for the US market; they had an orange cover.

It seems they don't like black covers...

Caroline's talk was entertaining, and interesting. She is a pantser as a writer and her talk was that way too, but it worked well.

If you get an opportunity to see her at an event you won't be disappointed. And the same goes for the book...

As it says...

A Vintage Break...

That title sums up my weekend.

Sunday I attended Lou Lou's Vintage Fair held at the Albert Hall (no not that one in London);this one is in Nottingham City Centre next to the Playhouse (the smaller of the two theatres in the city).

Going Vintage...

I was looking for a few 1920's pieces for inspiration  on one of my future projects.

Now I love brooches. I have a few inexpensive costume jewellery brooches that my mum wore on her dresses or coat when I was a child, but rarely wear myself.

Possibly that's why I started a board on Pinterest just for Brooches - old and new,

I took it as a good sign for the story, that in my first ten minutes at the fair I got a lovely Art Deco brooch and a postcard of the poster for the New Pullman Express, The Southern Belle, which travelled from London to Brighton in the early 20th Century- this was one of my initial research areas for the idea.

It's unsettling to see clothes and household items that were so familiar when I was growing up, but equally disturbing when the clothes from the 1970's were now considered vintage- though perhaps it's not so bad if you call them retro instead!

There was a wonderful selection of cakes on sale to go with tea in proper cups- no plastic there...

I found a few items of 1920's clothes on one of the rails, a black coat with a high velvet collar, and a couple of dressing gowns with beautiful red/plum silk linings. Even though they were aged (and on a coat hanger) they still exuded that suggestion of elegance. Sadly they had to stay on the rail...

It was a fun and relaxing few hours and has certainly reignited my interest in collecting brooches.

From a research point of view vintage fairs are especially useful for 1930's-1950's household items, clothing and jewellery.

(Etsy seems to be another useful place to look.)

Also there will be true aficionados attending; they dress up with the clothing, hairstyles and jewellery of their chosen decade.

When I stopped for coffee and cake I shared a table with two ladies, one dressed 1940's and the other 1950's. I felt quite overdressed in jeans and a jacket!

Have you been to a vintage fair or similar event and did you enjoy it?


image from Pixabay

In the Chair...

In the chair does sound a bit sinister, but it's not- thankfully.

It was the writers' club's AGM last night and the post of Chairman was up for election, so I went from Vice-Chairman to Chairman...

I've done the job before so it's not as scary as the first time I was elected to the role in 2012 for three years.

Another member of the club who is in the spotlight this week is talented short story writer Keith Havers.

Keith blogs over at Dream it, then do it, and you'll find a link to read the Writer of the Week spot over on the website of  People's Friend magazine; Keith is the writer this week.

In the distant past it was quite common for male writers to adopt a female pseudonym for the women's weekly magazine market, but Keith didn't follow the trend- and it made no difference to his acceptances.

Right I'm off to tackle my to do list so I can get back to draft 2...



image from Pixabay

Updating the Blog for April...

Yes, not only is there redecorating going on at home, but on the blog too.

This month I'm going to be having a spring clean of the blog: remove elements, or change their position; a new smaller header photo to start with.

The advantage with updating a blog or website is that you don't get paint splashes in your hair or bits of wallpaper left over...

Decorating & making
changes...

You may have noticed that my blog is now delivered over a secure https encrypted service. It's taken Blogger a while to bring in the https options for those blog owners who have applied their own domain name.

Those who had the regular blogspot in the address bar already had this service, but domain name holders have had to wait until now.

It should make no difference otherwise.

For those in the UK enjoy the remainder of the Easter Bank Holiday.

And a big thank you to all those people who still have to go into work to provide essential services across Easter...



image from Pixabay

Podcasts - Share Your Favourites...

I know podcasts are very popular, and I have listened to a few writing-related ones, but I never seem to have the time to listen to them regularly, so I know I'm missing out on a lot of interesting and useful information.

I was catching up on a couple this afternoon...

So often now I hear podcasts mentioned on radio programmes, and elsewhere, that I thought they were younger than they actually are.

So many,
so little time...

Apparently the first podcast was created back in 2003. There was an interesting interview (in the Guardian from 2016) with Christopher Lydon; who along with software developer and Harvard colleague Dave Winer produced the first podcast.

If you want to create podcasts there's lots of information on the web. Here's some handy expert tips via Wired magazine.

Just as there are thousands of blogs about a wide variety of topics, there's just as many podcasts available, and of course finding the good ones can be difficult, so here's where you can help spread the word.

Concentrating just on podcasts that are about writing or writing related, I'd like your personal recommendations for those we should all be listening to-no self-promotion! 

If there are enough suggestions I may create a page on the blog for your recommendations, so please use the comments form at the bottom of this post to share details of your favourites, and a little bit about what it is that keeps you going back.

Even if you don't have a podcast to suggest you're still welcome to comment.

To start us off, here's my recommendation; the AskALLi podcasts from the Alliance of Independent Authors. They have four different shows so there's something for varying skill levels.

So over to you; who should we be listening to?


image from Pixabay.com

Writers and Data Protection...

Many places in the UK have had another fall of snow; not as heavy as it was at the start of March, but still snow, very cold and windy.

I'm at my desk in the warm, thankfully.

Data, it's everywhere: mailing lists, buying from online stores, and subscribing to newsletters.

Coming soon...

On the 25th May 2018 new data protection laws apply, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) apply to EU countries. These replace existing UK Data Protection laws...

The Society of Authors were aware these new regulations could effect authors (and writing related organisations) but all the information seemed to be geared to businesses.

A couple of days ago the latest SoA Supporters Newsletter arrived, and it included an update. and a link to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to read the guidance.

The link small organisations section is useful.

You need to look at the information for how it applies to your individual circumstances. If you have any doubts get appropriate legal advice.

Lots of authors have mailing lists, and some may sell their books themselves; writers' groups have membership details, so these data regulations may apply.

The ICO have lots of pdf links within their pages, and you will need to take a little time to find which bits you need to read.

If you look at the Guide to GDPR you'll find links to basic sections. And yes, you'll find useful links within links.

If you're using a mailing list service such as MailChimp, or similar, you aren't going to have the personal data of those who sign up to your mailing list*, but if you're doing your own mailing list and have the details then you need to know what rules apply to you, and how to store data correctly.

So if you also run a small business outside of your writing life, that needs looking into as well to ensure you're complying.

As consumers it's likely we'll all be receiving emails from businesses we might have shopped with online to confirm we still want them to send us information, receive newsletters and such. I know I've received half a dozen in the past couple of months, and likely even more will be getting in touch before the 25th May if their existing permissions need updating...

The ICO will be continuing to expand the information, so more may be added before May.

(* see this MailChimp article as there may be circumstances where you need to take action.)




Image from Pixabay.

Still Not Enough Hours...

My plan (this year) to use my diary better to keep a track of deadlines, as well as meetings/appointments, has shown me I'm very busy two weeks of every month, and have one week clear and another partially filled.

March is probably the exception as I'm doing my reading role for the writers' club's national competition which takes up some of those free days...

Despite all that I've resumed draft 2 of the work in progress.

Making progress
at last...

As I revealed on Facebook- apologies writer friends who already know this- I'm trying a slightly different method for the rewriting and additions in this draft.

When I started writing my first (abandoned) novel I kept my chapters separate, so each chapter was in its own document. I was using a Brother Word Processor with floppy disks then- that's how long ago it was!

Then a few years ago someone suggested it was better to keep novel chapters all in one document.

Actually I did find that really helpful for the first draft. I made progress through my chapter outlines better, so repeated the process with another longer story that was blocking (the next one in the queue).

When I started the 2nd draft (yet again) I wasn't totally happy. There seemed to be so much that I needed to correct: a major plot point; missing scenes, and secondary characters that had arrived later in the 1st draft but also needed to appear earlier, while some of these extras had missing motives too. It was overwhelming me.

So rather than give up I decided to try each chapter as a separate document, allowing me to concentrate on what I needed to do in each one as I work through.

It surprised me how everything suddenly seemed manageable just by focusing on a smaller piece of the whole- which was the total opposite to writing my 1st draft.

Late last year I was seriously thinking maybe I was only okay at producing the ideas and writing the first draft, but the past weeks I've learnt my characters will not allow me to abandon them or their story.

Confidence is just about restored...

Snow and More Snow but Inspiration Too...

It's rather cold and snowy in my part of Nottingham.

Where's that come from?

Where does the road start?

Usually we escape or just get a light fall that melts the moment it stops, but yesterday evening it started snowing and didn't stop; today hasn't been much better as the cold wind keeps blowing the snow everywhere...

Sadly the bad weather meant the writers' club had to cancel the regular meeting yesterday evening (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Friday) I'm not going to attempt the journey to Leicester for the RNA chapter.

I always take pictures of the snow (when we do get it) as it can be very useful to refer back to when I'm writing a story set in winter. It can help with description and recalling the thoughts and maybe memories that go with the moment- at least that's how it works for me!

Not sure how helpful these pictures will be this time!

Wednesday evenings (when I'm not at the writers' club) I'm usually on Twitter for #writingchat between 8-9 pm (GMT), so for a few minutes before and after the session I catch up on the tweets and images. There were quite a few snow pictures of course.

That was when I had one of those YES moments, when I saw a particular image, an empty snow strewn street in Stamford.

The best way to describe it is a sensation, as if an invisible pebble has dropped inside me somewhere and the resulting ripples are the possibilities. I've learnt that for me it's a visual trigger and somewhere in my subconscious cogs are turning. It won't necessarily be used straight away, but could be months or even years to come, but it will be used.

Some of those moments will immediately create a scene which will be the starting point for a story to develop from, others find their way in later as with my current WIP.

I was researching the history of Goose Fair in the local studies library for a story project- it was a long time ago and my writing has improved a lot since then- and I came across a book of newspaper cuttings and there was a recollection of an unusual weather event. I noted it down, although I lost the piece of paper with the details on, the event stayed in my memory.

Very many years later one snowy winter travelling up the motorway a local news report mentioned a rider who had been thrown off their horse and injured, of course the horse had gone back to its stable, and the rider located, but sadly it had not ended well.

These two separate events though years apart clicked and the synergy produced an image. (It's actually part of the back story of my WIP but I only discovered that much later.)

You can still read that very early story from the Goose Fair research- I did say I've learnt a lot about writing since then, didn't I?

Sadly the ' and " " symbols have turned to little squares, as it was loaded onto the site in 2003, and clearly doesn't format well with modern systems. You have been warned, it's here.

Hope wherever you are the bad weather hasn't given you too many problems. Stay safe...

Competitions and Romance Writing...

I'm catching up and getting back into a routine- slowly.

Last week was very busy, as I was 50% of a talk given at Nottingham Writers' Club (on Valentines Day) about Competitions:Do's and Don'ts, along with the club's magazine co-editor Jill Walmsley.

Ready to talk about
entering
competitions

While Jill covered the technical side of getting a competition entry ready, I did the "business" side as Jill described it.

The where to find competitions handout with bullet points filled an A4 page ; also rights ( I substituted the term, 'earning potential') in terms and conditions/rules, so they could see how specific terms were worded and what it could mean (in some cases) for reusing their entry elsewhere; free entry versus pay to enter was definitely a thorny issue.

All the topics created lively discussion...

*   *   *

Three days later, it was Saturday afternoon writing Romance with local author Clare Harvey. Her books are WW2 Drama.

Clare Harvey & her
 books...

There was a mix of discussion, writing prompts and reading extracts from Clare's books for each topic.

I found the 'first scene' writing exercise really useful, and it's given me a few possible new openings for my WIP. I've not been totally happy with it as it stands, but it wasn't totally hopeless, I just needed a slightly different starting point, bringing my hero into the scene much sooner.

Getting characters together was a bit of a struggle. It's definitely easier in a contemporary novel, but writing with an historical setting you need to work harder to manipulate the possibilities against the the social behaviour of the time and situation.

Writing sex scenes are about more than part A slots into part B... We all agreed using the 5 senses was important, but between us all we came up with enough to fill the flip-pad.

What everyone came
up with...

Clare had read out a couple of extracts from books by other writers to show how different sex scenes could be and the impression each gives...

There was a phrase used in the sex scene in Clare's book, The Night Raid, that only a couple of the writers attending had ever heard of before.

It was "don't go all the way to Blackpool!"  (One of those bits of research that the writer discovered along the way...)

All the writing prompts for the afternoon were simple, but effective, just keep the pen moving for 5 minutes, write and don't stop to think.

I will try that again, perhaps with a short story.

It was a fun afternoon, and I know I wasn't the only one who went away inspired and with a buzzing brain.

If you ever get the opportunity to go along to an event with Clare, you will enjoy it...

Writing Sequentially... Until the Gaps

I'm pleased to say my characters have returned and I'm ready to resume rewriting the current work in progress.

In previous years I've had scene ideas but they've never been more than a few glimpses of action and dialogue, so I've noted them down for later use, then added them when I get to that stage.

Now I write sequentially (and have done for some years) so it's a bit disconcerting to have a scene I feel I need to write out, even though I'm not quite sure where it goes- yet.

Originally it started out as a passing thought late last year. It would give my (1802) hero and heroine an opportunity to meet socially, and that was where the idea stopped.

X months later with the return of my characters after a long break, numerous possibilities of how it can help and advance the story have occurred.

So unusually, I'm going with the write the scene down and save it for later method.

Writing sequentially has always allowed me to keep the story moving in a natural progression. Also my characters develop as the story goes along, so by the end they have changed in some way.

Perhaps it's just that I'm working out the gaps in this second draft, that were missing in the first.

Filling in those gaps in the story...

There were a couple of points where I knew I needed a scene, but didn't know what the exact content was- as in the new idea. Another early scene I know who's in it and where it takes place, but not the tone of the conversation...

I don't think I'll ever be able to write a story using out of order sections and then fit them together. My mind doesn't seem to work that way.

But I do know that I'm learning how I write a longer story; then hopefully the next one will be swifter to complete.


Are you an in sequence or out of order writer?

Getting Back to Normal- Almost There...

My aim is to get back to work at some point this week.

It's been three weeks of mess, shifting things around and no quiet.

During the second week my Internet router died, and then my keyboard- fortunately I had a spare that came with my computer- and yes a third thing happened but I can't remember what it was!

It was wonderful to get a couple of nights in a local hotel as there was no heating or water while the house was re-plumbed (new boiler, new radiators and new pipework). It was a cold mid-January weekend and we had snow!

Sunday morning snow...

The electrics side was officially completed Tuesday just gone.

I spent Wednesday trying to adjust to the lack of disruption- along with the worry about the continuing silence from my characters...

With everything going on their disappearance hadn't bothered me too much, but when Wednesday morning came round and they were all still missing... it was just blackness on the periphery of my mind where they usually lurk.

 It was very scary. But thankfully just as I was settling to sleep that night, my current pair of characters returned with a revealing scene...

The house is still disorganised as we've been stripping old wallpaper off (and some of it was very willing to be removed) while there's nothing obstructing the walls. But of course it does mean redecorating. I'm pushing for paste the wall wallpaper...

Drying plaster on my
 office wall...

      So this week it's dust my office (again) and return         everything to where it was, or was going to be located.

Most of my framed pictures are still in storage, but I do still have my coaching print to look at...

 Sadly my office wallpaper will be remaining in pieces for a   while. But I don't mind as it doesn't stop me from writing.

I've planned a new routine to try and make the most of my time this year, and hit a new word count.

How's your new year gone so far?

Lights and Pipes...

Lights and Pipes sounds like it should be a non-fiction book title, but actually that's what it's been this past week.

The much talked about rewiring and re-plumbing has begun and by early next week should be on the tidy up stage.

This week it's all the downstairs plug sockets and those that are being added to my office wall- about 18 inches from my right arm!

As all the light pendents were going to be replaced I asked the Electrician what sort of light fitting could work for my recently diagnosed eye condition, as my office is quite dim in the winter months, but good if it's a sunny day as I face the window.

I did have to use a desk lamp just for one night - this was the scene above my head that evening- hence the shadow...

Awaiting the new
light fitting...

It was actually quite safe, as the bit sticking out was only one end of a long piece of flexible plastic that was wedged between joists under the floor upstairs.

The next day my new light fitting was connected up to the new wiring that was put in. It looks brilliant, and my eyes don't tire as easily as they were doing with the one light...

My new lighting...

Yesterday the new pipes for the plumbing were measured up, cut and positioned ready for connecting up later this week-that's when the boiler and radiators get changed for modern and energy efficient versions.



Meanwhile the floorboard upstairs are getting a good work-out (up, down, up, down...) and they will eventually disappear back under carpet.

The underworld...

Although there's a lot of tidying up to do and reorganisation before we start unpacking the storage unit, I'm nearer getting back to a regular writing routine than I was, and I'm eager to get back to start again...

Services for Writers...The Quick Crit...

I hope the New Year has been kind to you all so far.

Today I’m welcoming writer Linda Lewis to the blog. Linda is a very successful womag (woman’s magazines) writer, and she’s now branching out to give the benefit of her experience to others.

Welcome to Carol’s Corner, Linda.

For any readers who are unfamiliar with your numerous successes with the women’s magazine (womag) market, please tell us a little about yourself and your writing?

I live in Exeter, sharing my house with a lodger and some fish.

I sold my first story to Take A Break in 1998. Since then I have sold about 600 stories to a variety of magazines. It’s been my main source of income since 2003.
I switched to fiction after the death of my husband in 1997. I found I was quite good at it so I stuck with it. Before then, I had various ‘proper’ jobs and wrote, mostly non-fiction, in my spare time.

 You’ve recently co-launched a new website Vanda ‘N’ Linda’s Write Space, so how did this collaboration come about?

Vanda lives in Cornwall. We met when I won one of her short story competitions with the theme of a modern day fairy tale (my story was an updated version of Snow White, told in epistolary form). She called to say I’d won, we got chatting, and that was that.
Our partnership came to an end when I moved away, but now I am back in Devon, it made sense to start working together again. Vanda prefers the admin side to judging or giving feedback and critiques, while I love the judging process and find giving feedback, so we are a very good fit.

What will writers discover when they visit the Write Space?

As well as advertising our books and running prize competitions (some free to enter, others not) the website offers tips, advice, courses and feedback. We wanted to offer an affordable service, delivered by people who knew their trade.

I was a tutor for the Writers Bureau for a while and really enjoyed it. I have also run workshops and courses for organisations including Swanwick Writers Summer School and NAWG.

Now that I don’t go away so often, I wanted to continue teaching people. Vanda already offered courses so adding my own made sense.
The first course went live a few weeks ago and is about writing stories with twist endings which is one of my specialities.

If there are any areas people would like to see covered in courses, if they get in touch, I’ll  see what we can do.

Among the writing services you offer there’s a quick crit of short stories that have been rejected by the womags*; what will the writer gain from using this?

The website offers a general feedback service for writers of fiction. Prices vary according to word count, but the quick crit idea was mine.

Whenever I judge competitions, I hate it when a story misses out on a prize due to simple or basic errors and I can’t tell the writer what was wrong or how to fix it.

Apart from The People’s Friend who go out of their way to help writers by offering feedback, it’s rare for short story writers to find out why their story wasn’t accepted. The £5 quick crit tries to fill that gap.

Sometimes the author DOES know what’s wrong. A fiction editor may have told them that the plot was thin, or the characterisation wasn’t strong enough. I have a knack of being able to read other people’s stories and see how they can be improved.

If I can, I will suggest different endings or extra plot strands, in short, anything that might help the writer improve their chances of making a sale.

Stories can also be rejected when there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. For example, it might simply be that all the Christmas slots have been filled; that kind of thing. Again, it helps to know that it’s not the fault of the story - it’s just bad luck.

Too many writers get ONE rejection and give up with a story. Our attitude to rejection affects our success. Rejections, and I must have had thousands, still hurt me, but I get over it.  I have another look at the story, Can I change it? Maybe I can lengthen or shorten it and send it elsewhere? And if I’m lucky enough to get feedback, I will almost always rewrite and re-sub.

When there were a lot more magazines taking fiction, I could send a story out five or six times before I gave up with it. Even then I might reuse the basic idea.

* I have been fortunate enough to have a one off trial of Linda's quick crit service and it's good value. Linda identified the main issues with my rejected short story- sent to Woman's Weekly a couple of years ago- and suggested possible routes I could consider when I rewrite. And I will rewrite it and submit it again.

Thank you for answering my questions Linda. I'm sure the website and quick crit service will be a success...

You can find Linda's books on the website, and via Amazon where you can discover them on her author page.

If you're interested in any of the competitions, books or the new critique service then pop along to www.vnlwritespace.com

If you're on Twitter you can follow Linda @writingiseasy

Happy New Year to You All...

Today has been moving furniture out of my office area and putting temporary storage in place. It's certainly given me a bit more space, and will be easier to move things for the electrical work in the next few weeks.

I've just got to reconnect my printer now...

As it's the last day of 2017, my flexible plans for the coming year are made and all that's left is to reveal my final word count for the current year.

For 2016: 34,621.
For 2017: 36,444.

Considering the circumstances of the last few months it's not too bad.

So my target for 2018 is to aim for 50,000 words.

All that's left is to wish you all a Happy New Year...

Celebrations!

Merry Christmas One and All...

Goodness, where have the days gone.

(image courtesy
of Dennis Apple)

I'm still not sorted as there's presents still to wrap, and sadly a few friends won't be getting their cards until after Christmas- not enough hours to get everything done this year.

 We're almost done in the sorting and boxing department- fortunate as the Electrician starts work in 2 weeks!

Christmas Eve I'll be cooking and preparing as much as possible, so I don't have to get up early to put the turkey in the oven on Christmas Day...

Merry Christmas to all...

To all my friends and readers, I wish you a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas...

Christmas image from Pixabay.