Pressing the Pause Button...

I've been taking a break from writing to catch-up on reading for enjoyment and learning, but most of all not putting pressure on myself...

Trying to get my head around character arcs was giving me a headache until we discussed the topic on #writingchat on Twitter last Wednesday.

On the recommendation of several writers, I bought Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody.

I'm working my way through it and it's helping put some sense of proportion on the novel's current state.

Though I've been a little down the last few days, I've assorted writing events coming up this week and next. It's good to go out and meet other writers.

I'm especially looking forward to attending a book launch in Leicester in a fortnight, for Rosemary J Kind's latest novel, Unequal by Birth. Having known her online for many years we've never met- she lives in North Yorkshire, so it will be wonderful to say hello in person and support her launch.

Do you remember me mentioning the #SelfPubCon2019 sessions put together by ALLi

Vine Leaves Press
Notebook...

(Alliance of Independent Authors) last month?

Well, the Vine Leaves Press session about Video Marketing to Sell Your Books, ran a giveaway for their notebooks.

A few weeks ago I was delighted to receive an email telling me I was one of the winners and asking which of the three notebook designs I wanted to receive and my address for delivery.

This is the one I chose (on the right) in the paperback form - they have a hardback version of each design too...

I received it at the weekend. Lovely isn't it?

Now I just need to decide what to write in it...





Notebook image via Amazon

Disappointment & Determination...

It surprised me to receive an email on Friday telling me the reader's report from the New Writers' Scheme was ready to access. I hadn't expected it so soon.

I considered ignoring it until later in the day, once I was home from meeting up with the Nottingham RNA Chapter, but I gave in and had a quick look through.

It was worse than I'd expected.

Wine...

I went out as planned.

Sharing my angst with the chapter members when we met up, I received sympathetic advice and helpful suggestions. Lunch and a glass of wine later, I had a more positive frame of mind.

Following one of the helpful suggestions I received, to print it out and go through the report with different colour highlighters, I could see the positives not just the negatives.

Many of the major points raised in the report I'd known about, but hadn't left enough time to fix before the August deadline- a lesson in time-management for next year's submission.

And the synopsis, let’s not go there...

There were a handful of positives, which gives me hope that with hard work I can improve the manuscript. But it will take time and thought.

Having learnt from this year's submission and report, I will apply that to another first draft I have waiting.

No, I'm not giving up on this story. I knew there was still plenty of work to do on it, along with the additional research points that popped up as I'd worked on the draft. But for now I need a short break away from it.

Getting it right is never easy...






Image: epicantus at pixabay.com

Workshops and New Projects...

It's been a busy month so far and it's only the first week...

Yesterday (Saturday) I was at a workshop at Nottingham Writers' Club. The guest writer was Patsy Collins who was leading us through Characterisation and Dialogue.

Personally I think the latter element is really helped by getting the former element pinned down.

Patsy Collins & a few
of her books...

Something I will definitely be applying to my characters is how do my other characters see my main characters?

It was good to know my creativity was kicking back in again with the writing exercises.

For the first three days after getting my manuscript into the RNA's New Writers' Scheme my brain just went on temporary strike.

I put in a lot of hours in that last week- 15 hours on the Friday into the early hours of Saturday morning alone- as well as having spent a few hours at the walk-in centre on the Tuesday after a bad fall- catching my toe on the door ledge stepping in from the back-garden.

Yes, my mind had been on my manuscript and that approaching deadline rather than what I was actually doing at that moment...

 I damaged the ligaments either side of my right knee and bruised my tibia. Pleased to say nothing was broken. The bruises are now fading and after taking everything slowly I was moving around with care by the end of this past week, so no problem attending the workshop.

The broken tooth is being sorted later this week.

*   *   *

As I knew it would be a few months before I heard anything from the RNA NWS, I decided to make a start on setting up one of my other novels on Scrivener, but which one?

I have a complete first draft of a contemporary or the first five chapters of a 1920's story- the first three chapters and synopsis won the NWC 2018 Mary Street Romance Novel Shield. Admittedly the first draft novel (the synopsis and first three chapters of it) also won the 2016 Mary Street competition.

A 1920'S hat...

I know I have quite a lot of background research I need to do on the 1920's story, but it was calling to me, so I decided to start setting it up on Scrivener first and use the elements I hadn't used on my main manuscript.

I first started using Scrivener back in April when part of my historical was already in Word 2007 and as I was still becoming familiar with how Scrivener worked, I didn't have time to sort out all those helpful little aspects of the programme. It was get the second draft written!

This year I've learnt a great deal about how I write and put my novels together, so I'm now putting the knowledge I've gained into action with my other projects.

My Dorset novel needs looking at again to see what I need to research there too. That's at a similar stage to the 1920's novel, but will need complete rewriting as my voice has changed since it was started.

Priority is still to complete my 1802 Nottinghamshire novel, but I'm not going to waste the time in between...

Do you have more than one project on the go?

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.

Almost There...

One week to go to my final deadline.

Today (Sunday) I've done about seven hours at the keyboard- obviously I did get up to make coffee and eat an occasional snack- okay there was a few pieces of dark chocolate involved. The result was the completion of Chapter 23.

My antagonist gets punched in the nose by my hero- with justifiable cause...

I'm at the stage of tying the various strands together in these last chapters.

I know some of the strands are still vague in the first half (I'll have to sort those out in the next draft) and they'll definitely need a lot of attention. I might have to try working backwards...

The downside of getting my submission in so close to the deadline for the RNA's New Writers' Scheme is I'll have a longer wait for the reader's comments to come back, but it gives me time to develop a couple of future stories.

#writing-romance

My first draft had 17 chapters; by the time the second draft is finished it will be at least 25 chapters and approximately 50,000 words.

 Normal blogging about a variety of subjects, annual book related events and topics will resume as soon as I have my partial submitted- and I decompress.

Almost there...



image: pixabay.com

Cake and Lots of Words...

Two weeks to go and lots still to do.

I've had a couple of days break, rewarding myself for all the words I've achieved by attending the Nottingham RNA Chapter meeting. I was late arriving due to public transport hold-ups and the very heavy rain, but the food was worth waiting for...

Plus I need to sort the next scene out in my brain as there's new snippets as well as the part from the first draft for this upcoming scene.

My week three word was peril...

My hard work
reward...

The scene of peril was written- my heroine was lured to the big house and- sorry you'll have to wait for the book to come out to discover the rest.

Of course she survived, but for a moment there it did actually make me shiver, which should be a good sign, but maybe that's because I could see it in my mind.

I need that effect on the reader too.

This week I'll be trying to put in even more writing time as other demands on my time are put on hold or scaled back.

By next weekend I'll know whether I will have the draft complete or almost completed, so I can get the submission formatted ready for sending in.

I do have an old synopsis for this novel saved so that will need updating but it means some time will be saved.

My word for week two is determination- mine and my hero's...

Three Weeks to Go: Progress Report...

Thursday my second draft went over the 40,000 word mark.

(Admittedly at the start of the year I already had a handful of the early chapters typed up.)

3 weeks to go...

I've still got chapters to go of course, but I have now picked back up the latter chapters of the first draft after writing the new ones in. A few scenes have moved position too and I feel they're now in the right place.

I can see where I'm heading. The fact that the first half of the draft is still missing scenes is another thing entirely...

(The last time I reached the 40,000 words stage was with the first novel I tried writing- in the last century!)

Although I don't use Scrivener to it's full potential (at the moment) it has definitely helped my progress. With Word, I was always conscious of how little I seemed to be producing, but now I get to the end of the chapter and I'm surprised by the word count.

(Changing the font really does help with the writing.)

I print out each chapter as it's finished and then slip them into clear plastic sleeves, they're then held together with a couple of green treasury tags. As the stack has built up it's made the novel feel more real.

My original assumption was that this story would end up around 50,000 words, but that may have been an under estimate. By the time it is finally completed- some time next year- I'm hoping 60,000 words may be nearer.

This week, the big peril scene in Chapter 19...






image from pixabay.com