*Warning. I am writing this blog through a mouthful of chocolate. Unfortunately it is still too early to hit the wine.*
The email finally dropped into my inbox just after lunch today, a mere 11 months after submission.
Dear Rosered (it didn't begin)
Thank you for submitting ‘The Scandalous Debutante' for our consideration.
Whilst we appreciate the care and attention that has gone into the preparation of your submission, regrettably we feel that your story and characters are not sufficiently developed for publication in any of our publishing programmes.
Recognise it? I did. It is the exact same letter I got two years ago for my embarrassing first submission. I thought I had improved but turns out I have progressed exactly nowhere. What I found so difficult this time was that this was "the one". Rewrite after rewrite, then taken to last year's York Festival of Writing where I received feedback from a M&B editor good enough to make me float for a week afterwards. She loved the hero! She said I have a voice! I took all her comments and guidance on board and rewrote one last time before submitting it. Directly. Because I got a business card and a request to submit directly. More floating. Then a long, long wait.
Throughout the last year I have managed to use the NV and SYTYCW experiences positively because I had those amazing comments to sustain me. Rejecting my Nano or hastily written NV piece was fine, understandable even, but this one, this one they might take (very secret dream). Or if not I would get the crucial personal "keep trying" rejection (publicly admissible dream). But I got a standard R instead. It wasn't worth feedback.
On the dimly bright side I have worked very hard since I submitted eleven long months ago. The bruising, learning experiences of NV, Nano and SYTYCW. The course. Membership of NWS. A completed (and discarded) novel. Crit partners.
So what next? I have a decision to make. I need to submit something for NWS in three months. Do I
a. Carry on with my RIVA (1st draft started, plotted out) and keep submitting to M&B
b. Carry on with my standard R historical (quarter written) and try marketing it elsewhere.
Obviously there is a c. Both of the above option but not before July. And with time to write so very, very hard-won I just can't waste time on a project with no chance of success.
A writing friend has an inspirational list of successful, bestselling writers who were rejected not just once, or twice or even three times but many times before they made it. They did make it. One day I want to see my name added to that list.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
Audible inspiration
My target of 10,000 words over the weekend was laughably ambitious but I have finally moved onto the hero's POV and the first draft is officially started. I may have trouble getting the story down on paper (actually on screen, I type) but the idea, the characters and the plot are all firmly fixed in my head.
One of the things we covered on the course jessicahartromancewriter.blogspot.com was where to get ideas from. Jessica said hers all came from asking herself the question "what if", watching films, reading books, people watching, catching momentary interactions and weaving stories about them. Now coming up with the stories has never been my problem, since I was tiny I have been "what iffing" and making up stories, wandering round in a day dream, weaving scenes far from my every day life.
My current work in progress was inspired by several different sources. The first is a song "Dakota" by the Stereophonics. I love this song, and despite being neither welsh or gravelly like to think I have made it peculiarly my own on the Wii Sing It. It's a song about looking back, about first love and summer. When I hear it I can smell cut grass, feel a warm summer breeze and momentarily, just for a split second experience that heady, intense yearning of teenage attraction. But the bit that really gets me every time is this verse:
"I wonder if we'll meet again
And talk about life since then
Talk about why did it end
You made me feel like the one
You made me feel like the one
The one"
I want to answer those questions, talk about life since then, talk about why it ended. And so, slowly, the plot to my WIP was born.
One of the things we covered on the course jessicahartromancewriter.blogspot.com was where to get ideas from. Jessica said hers all came from asking herself the question "what if", watching films, reading books, people watching, catching momentary interactions and weaving stories about them. Now coming up with the stories has never been my problem, since I was tiny I have been "what iffing" and making up stories, wandering round in a day dream, weaving scenes far from my every day life.
My current work in progress was inspired by several different sources. The first is a song "Dakota" by the Stereophonics. I love this song, and despite being neither welsh or gravelly like to think I have made it peculiarly my own on the Wii Sing It. It's a song about looking back, about first love and summer. When I hear it I can smell cut grass, feel a warm summer breeze and momentarily, just for a split second experience that heady, intense yearning of teenage attraction. But the bit that really gets me every time is this verse:
"I wonder if we'll meet again
And talk about life since then
Talk about why did it end
You made me feel like the one
You made me feel like the one
The one"
I want to answer those questions, talk about life since then, talk about why it ended. And so, slowly, the plot to my WIP was born.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Just write the damn book
I haven't posted for 6 weeks because I am mortified at a complete lack of progress and am boring even myself with my procrastination...
These are my pathetic excuses:
1. Work - it's not going anywhere so I need to deal with it
2. Family - ditto (thank goodness)
3. Finishing my course (see the lovely www.jessicahartromancewriter.blogspot.com) every week I learnt something new that sent me back to the drawing board
4. Sidetracked by a Valentine's competition on Harlequin (see below for my attempt; it had to be 1000 word beginning of a secret baby Valentine themed book)
5. Freezing feelings of inadequacy from SYTYCW
I have made some decisions though. Three weeks ago we were asked to read out our first page incorporating all the things we had learned and I just couldn't get Write to Love to work. I had decided to start it around chapter 5, where Tabby began to shadow James at work, I took out the book writing theme, turned their son into a younger brother and it STILL didn't flow. I contemplated using my Valentine's entry instead but after all the comments questioning why he invited her in for wine I lost all confidence in that. I must be a complete lush because tbh it didn't even occur to me that that might be odd behaviour - let me know your thoughts.
So I have made a difficult decision, put all that Nano work to one side and started something new...
I have a first page, backstory, motivations, visuals AND a plot but I am still not writing it. The last ten days I have blamed my cold but really I am just frightened, what if I can't do it? Must Write Through The Fear. Wish me luck x
My Valentine's Comp Entry
What was that?The insistent chime sounded again, and with a sigh, Kester Lawrence heaved himself to his feet and marched to the front door.
“Yes?” he demanded as he wrenched the door open, glaring at the unwanted intruder. “I’m not buying, selling or converting so you’re wasting your time.”
He made to shut the door in the young woman’s face, but to his surprise she put out a hand, pushing the door firmly open again.
“I’m not,” she began, then, “I’m sorry, but I really need to speak to you. It’s very important...” Her voice broke on the last word. Good God, was the woman on the verge of tears? A foot followed the hand, edging itself into the hall.
He looked pointedly at the small foot, his gaze travelling slowly up long, denim clad legs, over the green velvet coat wrapped around a slim figure to the pleading face upturned to his. Honey coloured hair pulled back into a messy bun, high cheekbones in a heart shaped face, soft pink lips. “Have we met?” he asked abruptly, something about the shape of that wide, generous mouth, the long lashes framing dark grey eyes tugging at his memory.
“It’s a long story,” she said, looking away from his intense gaze. “Look, I know this is an imposition, but could I come in? I won’t take up too much of your time, I promise.” She shivered as a gust of icy wind moaned down the street and he was suddenly aware of how much the temperature had dropped.
“Five minutes,” he said, moving away from the door, leaving her to follow. He could hear her scampering to keep up with his long stride as he led her down the wide, tiled hall to the dining kitchen that took up the entire back of the house.
“Wine?” he asked, as he opened the fridge and took out the bottle of Chablis; at her nod he poured out two generous glassfuls and handed one over. He leant against the gleaming marble worktop and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “So?”
She took a sip of the wine, then looked up at him, a faint colour staining her cheeks. “This is pretty embarrassing,” she said, “so I am just going to come out with it. We met three years ago, on Valentine’s Day, in the bar at the Savoy and I was wearing...”
“A red dress,” he finished for her. An image flashed through his brain. Tumbling curls framing laughing face. Red silk cut low at the back, flaring out at the waist. Unzipping the dress to reveal creamy curves encased in black lace. A Valentine’s erotic dream. He gulped his wine, hurriedly. “Viola? I would never have recognised you.”
She flinched. “A lot’s happened since.”
He laughed, abruptly. “Nights like that don’t come along too often, but after waking to find you gone I didn’t think I would ever see you again. Yet here you are. What do you want? Money? You will find the tabloids will pay you better, I don't care for blackmail.”
“That's not why I'm here!”
“Did you marry him,” he asked suddenly. “Your fiance?” Not that he cared, but any guy who could stand up a girl like this, on Valentine’s night no less, didn’t deserve the right to come home to her, to hold those luscious curves, kiss that full mouth. His gaze lingered on plump lips, remembering their feel, her heat and passion.
“Hugo? No. Not after what he did, not after what we did.” Her voice was low, those stormy grey eyes dark silver. Ah, so she’s remembering too.
“Well, lovely as it is to see you again I’m sure you haven’t travelled all this way just to celebrate our anniversary,” he said, eyes flicking to the date on the digital clock by the door. “You’re a day early. Or did you want to deliver a Valentine in person? I might even have some champagne.”
She was looking away from him, cheeks a scarlet hue, reminding him of his first glimpse of her, all dressed up and alone at the bar. Her eyes had been lowered in embarrassment as she constantly checked her phone, looking up eagerly every time someone walked into the room, only to droop in disappointment as they walked straight past. Was it chivalry or devilry that prompted him to send over that first glass of champagne? Devilry certainly, when he bought the first bottle, as for the second and the suggestion that they retire to his room...
“I’m sorry that I just left,” she attempted a smile. “I had never done anything like that before. And afterwards, after Hugo and I had broken up, I didn’t know if you would even want to see me again. I mean, you're Kester Lawrence – you could have anyone, and me? I'm nobody.”
“And yet here you are,” he said, his tone casual but his body tense. What had brought this girl to his door after all this time?
She didn’t speak but, fumbling in her bag, produced a photo which she slid over the marble counter towards him. Kester didn’t pick it up, just looked at it as it lay there. A small girl beamed out; high cheekbones in a heart-shaped face proclaimed her relationship with the woman sat opposite him but the deep blue eyes and straight black hair were identical to those he saw in the mirror every day. He looked at her wordlessly.
“She’s two, and maybe I should have told you before,” she stopped suddenly, the stormy eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’m not compatible but they said her father might be. Katy needs a kidney. She needs your kidney.”
These are my pathetic excuses:
1. Work - it's not going anywhere so I need to deal with it
2. Family - ditto (thank goodness)
3. Finishing my course (see the lovely www.jessicahartromancewriter.blogspot.com) every week I learnt something new that sent me back to the drawing board
4. Sidetracked by a Valentine's competition on Harlequin (see below for my attempt; it had to be 1000 word beginning of a secret baby Valentine themed book)
5. Freezing feelings of inadequacy from SYTYCW
I have made some decisions though. Three weeks ago we were asked to read out our first page incorporating all the things we had learned and I just couldn't get Write to Love to work. I had decided to start it around chapter 5, where Tabby began to shadow James at work, I took out the book writing theme, turned their son into a younger brother and it STILL didn't flow. I contemplated using my Valentine's entry instead but after all the comments questioning why he invited her in for wine I lost all confidence in that. I must be a complete lush because tbh it didn't even occur to me that that might be odd behaviour - let me know your thoughts.
So I have made a difficult decision, put all that Nano work to one side and started something new...
I have a first page, backstory, motivations, visuals AND a plot but I am still not writing it. The last ten days I have blamed my cold but really I am just frightened, what if I can't do it? Must Write Through The Fear. Wish me luck x
My Valentine's Comp Entry
What was that?The insistent chime sounded again, and with a sigh, Kester Lawrence heaved himself to his feet and marched to the front door.
“Yes?” he demanded as he wrenched the door open, glaring at the unwanted intruder. “I’m not buying, selling or converting so you’re wasting your time.”
He made to shut the door in the young woman’s face, but to his surprise she put out a hand, pushing the door firmly open again.
“I’m not,” she began, then, “I’m sorry, but I really need to speak to you. It’s very important...” Her voice broke on the last word. Good God, was the woman on the verge of tears? A foot followed the hand, edging itself into the hall.
He looked pointedly at the small foot, his gaze travelling slowly up long, denim clad legs, over the green velvet coat wrapped around a slim figure to the pleading face upturned to his. Honey coloured hair pulled back into a messy bun, high cheekbones in a heart shaped face, soft pink lips. “Have we met?” he asked abruptly, something about the shape of that wide, generous mouth, the long lashes framing dark grey eyes tugging at his memory.
“It’s a long story,” she said, looking away from his intense gaze. “Look, I know this is an imposition, but could I come in? I won’t take up too much of your time, I promise.” She shivered as a gust of icy wind moaned down the street and he was suddenly aware of how much the temperature had dropped.
“Five minutes,” he said, moving away from the door, leaving her to follow. He could hear her scampering to keep up with his long stride as he led her down the wide, tiled hall to the dining kitchen that took up the entire back of the house.
“Wine?” he asked, as he opened the fridge and took out the bottle of Chablis; at her nod he poured out two generous glassfuls and handed one over. He leant against the gleaming marble worktop and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “So?”
She took a sip of the wine, then looked up at him, a faint colour staining her cheeks. “This is pretty embarrassing,” she said, “so I am just going to come out with it. We met three years ago, on Valentine’s Day, in the bar at the Savoy and I was wearing...”
“A red dress,” he finished for her. An image flashed through his brain. Tumbling curls framing laughing face. Red silk cut low at the back, flaring out at the waist. Unzipping the dress to reveal creamy curves encased in black lace. A Valentine’s erotic dream. He gulped his wine, hurriedly. “Viola? I would never have recognised you.”
She flinched. “A lot’s happened since.”
He laughed, abruptly. “Nights like that don’t come along too often, but after waking to find you gone I didn’t think I would ever see you again. Yet here you are. What do you want? Money? You will find the tabloids will pay you better, I don't care for blackmail.”
“That's not why I'm here!”
“Did you marry him,” he asked suddenly. “Your fiance?” Not that he cared, but any guy who could stand up a girl like this, on Valentine’s night no less, didn’t deserve the right to come home to her, to hold those luscious curves, kiss that full mouth. His gaze lingered on plump lips, remembering their feel, her heat and passion.
“Hugo? No. Not after what he did, not after what we did.” Her voice was low, those stormy grey eyes dark silver. Ah, so she’s remembering too.
“Well, lovely as it is to see you again I’m sure you haven’t travelled all this way just to celebrate our anniversary,” he said, eyes flicking to the date on the digital clock by the door. “You’re a day early. Or did you want to deliver a Valentine in person? I might even have some champagne.”
She was looking away from him, cheeks a scarlet hue, reminding him of his first glimpse of her, all dressed up and alone at the bar. Her eyes had been lowered in embarrassment as she constantly checked her phone, looking up eagerly every time someone walked into the room, only to droop in disappointment as they walked straight past. Was it chivalry or devilry that prompted him to send over that first glass of champagne? Devilry certainly, when he bought the first bottle, as for the second and the suggestion that they retire to his room...
“I’m sorry that I just left,” she attempted a smile. “I had never done anything like that before. And afterwards, after Hugo and I had broken up, I didn’t know if you would even want to see me again. I mean, you're Kester Lawrence – you could have anyone, and me? I'm nobody.”
“And yet here you are,” he said, his tone casual but his body tense. What had brought this girl to his door after all this time?
She didn’t speak but, fumbling in her bag, produced a photo which she slid over the marble counter towards him. Kester didn’t pick it up, just looked at it as it lay there. A small girl beamed out; high cheekbones in a heart-shaped face proclaimed her relationship with the woman sat opposite him but the deep blue eyes and straight black hair were identical to those he saw in the mirror every day. He looked at her wordlessly.
“She’s two, and maybe I should have told you before,” she stopped suddenly, the stormy eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’m not compatible but they said her father might be. Katy needs a kidney. She needs your kidney.”
Monday, 7 February 2011
Displacement Activities
I haven't written a word for a week. That isn't entirely true of course, I have composed texts, sent some emails, produced an entire five page strategy at work, taken notes etc etc but I haven't spent as much as one minute on either my Valentine entry or the editing of the book.
Partly because it's been a bit manic. Stephen King wouldn't accept this as an excuse, after all he sits down and works every morning including Christmas and New Year. Jessica Hart wouldn't either; how does your inspiration know where to find you if you have no routine she asks reasonably? Even amidst the craziness I could find time to write. I have chosen not to.
Partly it's the problems with our broadband. OK, I don't need broadband to actually write but without it I can't access the crit group and their valuable advice, I can't research – or timewaste.
Partly it's a lack of confidence. Starting the big rewrite terrifies me; the longer I put it off, the longer I don't have to think about it (except, of course, I am always thinking about it...)
But secretly I have quite enjoyed a few days away from the tyranny of my keyboard. I have been reading, researching, realising the Modern line was never for me, I am far more suited to Cherish/Romance/Riva. Phew, I may still need to man my hero up but no longer do I have to worry about turning him into a swaggering bully. During the last few days I have read and enjoyed a number of M&B from a number of lines, noting the emotional conflict, how the story feeds then resolves it and studying the heroes closely. In my chosen lines the heroes are still generally rich and successful but they have a sense of humour, sensitivity, feelings. The one modern I read had the worst cliché of a hero possible – if I had been reading a paper copy I would have tossed it across the room! Billionaire, natch, womaniser, natch, cruel, insensitive, selfish - natch. Treated her like dirt before seducing her (he is a womaniser in his thirties, she is a teenage virgin), treated her like dirt again until discovering she is pregnant he tries to force her into marriage. She is supposed to be sparky but actually just cries a lot and loves him more the meaner he is. It made me uncomfortable to read it. I want a 21st century hero fit for my 21st century heroine. Now I have to stop procrastinating and go and actually write him.
Partly because it's been a bit manic. Stephen King wouldn't accept this as an excuse, after all he sits down and works every morning including Christmas and New Year. Jessica Hart wouldn't either; how does your inspiration know where to find you if you have no routine she asks reasonably? Even amidst the craziness I could find time to write. I have chosen not to.
Partly it's the problems with our broadband. OK, I don't need broadband to actually write but without it I can't access the crit group and their valuable advice, I can't research – or timewaste.
Partly it's a lack of confidence. Starting the big rewrite terrifies me; the longer I put it off, the longer I don't have to think about it (except, of course, I am always thinking about it...)
But secretly I have quite enjoyed a few days away from the tyranny of my keyboard. I have been reading, researching, realising the Modern line was never for me, I am far more suited to Cherish/Romance/Riva. Phew, I may still need to man my hero up but no longer do I have to worry about turning him into a swaggering bully. During the last few days I have read and enjoyed a number of M&B from a number of lines, noting the emotional conflict, how the story feeds then resolves it and studying the heroes closely. In my chosen lines the heroes are still generally rich and successful but they have a sense of humour, sensitivity, feelings. The one modern I read had the worst cliché of a hero possible – if I had been reading a paper copy I would have tossed it across the room! Billionaire, natch, womaniser, natch, cruel, insensitive, selfish - natch. Treated her like dirt before seducing her (he is a womaniser in his thirties, she is a teenage virgin), treated her like dirt again until discovering she is pregnant he tries to force her into marriage. She is supposed to be sparky but actually just cries a lot and loves him more the meaner he is. It made me uncomfortable to read it. I want a 21st century hero fit for my 21st century heroine. Now I have to stop procrastinating and go and actually write him.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
New shoots
Last week I attended the first week of Jessica Hart's course. Eveything you need to know is here:
jessicahartromancewriter.blogspot.com
She asked three fundamental questions - what do you want to write, why do you want to write and how are you going to do this. The answers to all these questions are, for me, in the posts below and I don't want to rehash old ground, but thinking about it has helped me through yet another difficult week. Flushed with the success of finishing nano I sent the first chapter to Harlequin's So you think you can write (sytycw) competition, not because I thought it was ready but because they promised feedback. TBH I pretty much forgot I'd entered, caught up in the stresses of editing, until the first replies landed in inboxes last week. On the Weds there were straight forward "nos", no feedback, Thurs one writer got some pretty encouraging feedback. I still didn't hear. By Monday the waiting was getting pretty stressful and, I'll admit it, I was starting to hope for some positive news. Well, I got feedback but, once again, it wasn't what I was hoping for.
" Unfortunately your story was not strong enough for us to consider further. We’re looking for heroes who come across as more alpha than Jamie, who isn’t projecting as a truly powerful man. There are some challenges in the dialogue, which at times sounds unnatural. Finally, we do see the premise of a heroine daring the hero to write a romance novel quite a bit, and find it can be a bit too insular – like the author is trying too hard to show how much she loves what she does. Which is nice, of course, but this self-awareness can interfere with the storytelling."
OK, then. Deep breath. I struggled, am struggling, to find the positive in the above. There is no "but/however we did like" nope, they don't like the hero, premise or my dialogue - and, I thought I'd nailed the dialogue!
On the other hand I got feedback where many didn't and I remember M&B's Lucy Gilmour saying how disheartening it was when an editor gives feedback for it to be taken negatively. So I am trying to look at the above positively - I even emailed Lucy to see what her take was on it; I am not expecting a reply but nothing ventured...
Making things even trickier we have had no broadband all week and my phone has been playing up, making checking emails a difficult proposition. Yesterday, fed up with writing, editing, and spending 2 hours trying to get on the internet I spent all my spare time (child's activities and a blissful evening in bed) reading. I read the new Heidi Rice which had been recommended as a great exercise in emotional conflict and steamy scenes (I agree on both accounts) and a book recommended on the course, Stephen King's On Writing. Well, if you haven't read the Stephen King and you have any pretensions to writing AT ALL buy it, read it, absorb it. As I edit I will be looking for passive tenses and adverbs with a gimlet eye.
So, I was ready to give up on Tabby and James, to once again consider Write for Love to be the experiment it was meant to be, to enjoy the achievement of 50,000 words, characters grown and fully realised, a beginning, middle and end duly typed and to start afresh with the lessons learned at the forefront of my mind. And then, I had an idea, a what if, a new take on it, a way to resolve the issues Harlequin raised. Will it work? I don't know, but I'm going to try. First though I am going to read - 2 cherishes and 2 new Rivas have arrived on my Kindle so I can work out where I am aiming this at. Reading is part of my work, sometimes being a wannabe writer is great.
jessicahartromancewriter.blogspot.com
She asked three fundamental questions - what do you want to write, why do you want to write and how are you going to do this. The answers to all these questions are, for me, in the posts below and I don't want to rehash old ground, but thinking about it has helped me through yet another difficult week. Flushed with the success of finishing nano I sent the first chapter to Harlequin's So you think you can write (sytycw) competition, not because I thought it was ready but because they promised feedback. TBH I pretty much forgot I'd entered, caught up in the stresses of editing, until the first replies landed in inboxes last week. On the Weds there were straight forward "nos", no feedback, Thurs one writer got some pretty encouraging feedback. I still didn't hear. By Monday the waiting was getting pretty stressful and, I'll admit it, I was starting to hope for some positive news. Well, I got feedback but, once again, it wasn't what I was hoping for.
" Unfortunately your story was not strong enough for us to consider further. We’re looking for heroes who come across as more alpha than Jamie, who isn’t projecting as a truly powerful man. There are some challenges in the dialogue, which at times sounds unnatural. Finally, we do see the premise of a heroine daring the hero to write a romance novel quite a bit, and find it can be a bit too insular – like the author is trying too hard to show how much she loves what she does. Which is nice, of course, but this self-awareness can interfere with the storytelling."
OK, then. Deep breath. I struggled, am struggling, to find the positive in the above. There is no "but/however we did like" nope, they don't like the hero, premise or my dialogue - and, I thought I'd nailed the dialogue!
On the other hand I got feedback where many didn't and I remember M&B's Lucy Gilmour saying how disheartening it was when an editor gives feedback for it to be taken negatively. So I am trying to look at the above positively - I even emailed Lucy to see what her take was on it; I am not expecting a reply but nothing ventured...
Making things even trickier we have had no broadband all week and my phone has been playing up, making checking emails a difficult proposition. Yesterday, fed up with writing, editing, and spending 2 hours trying to get on the internet I spent all my spare time (child's activities and a blissful evening in bed) reading. I read the new Heidi Rice which had been recommended as a great exercise in emotional conflict and steamy scenes (I agree on both accounts) and a book recommended on the course, Stephen King's On Writing. Well, if you haven't read the Stephen King and you have any pretensions to writing AT ALL buy it, read it, absorb it. As I edit I will be looking for passive tenses and adverbs with a gimlet eye.
So, I was ready to give up on Tabby and James, to once again consider Write for Love to be the experiment it was meant to be, to enjoy the achievement of 50,000 words, characters grown and fully realised, a beginning, middle and end duly typed and to start afresh with the lessons learned at the forefront of my mind. And then, I had an idea, a what if, a new take on it, a way to resolve the issues Harlequin raised. Will it work? I don't know, but I'm going to try. First though I am going to read - 2 cherishes and 2 new Rivas have arrived on my Kindle so I can work out where I am aiming this at. Reading is part of my work, sometimes being a wannabe writer is great.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Doubts and dark clouds
Editing. It ain't easy. You finish the first draft and are filled with such elation - you've done it! Written a whole book! And sure, it's flawed, but nothing a little judicial editing won't fix, right? Right? Erm, wrong.
I am very lucky, I have had some great feedback, thoughtful, measured, intelligent feedback. That's positive. The amount of work required? Not so positive! These chapters don't work, this plot line seems superfluous. Worst of all my hero needs to man up, he is actually annoying readers. So what to do? Rewrite this little book of mine which was only an experiment anyway, grit my teeth and carry on? Or return to the historicals where a man's breeches gives him immediate Alpha points...
I hate to give up, but nor do I want to waste valuable writing time on a book that just might not be worth it.
On the bright side I start the Jessica Hart course on Weds where I hope to find answers to all these doubts and find some light in the dark clouds that have dimmed my confidence.
I just want to say thanks to my lovely readers - you know who you are. Your comments, thoughts and suggestions might be causing me some sleepless nights right now but my writing, plotting and characters will all be stronger for it one day. Honest feedback, the most important tool an aspiring writer can have.
I am very lucky, I have had some great feedback, thoughtful, measured, intelligent feedback. That's positive. The amount of work required? Not so positive! These chapters don't work, this plot line seems superfluous. Worst of all my hero needs to man up, he is actually annoying readers. So what to do? Rewrite this little book of mine which was only an experiment anyway, grit my teeth and carry on? Or return to the historicals where a man's breeches gives him immediate Alpha points...
I hate to give up, but nor do I want to waste valuable writing time on a book that just might not be worth it.
On the bright side I start the Jessica Hart course on Weds where I hope to find answers to all these doubts and find some light in the dark clouds that have dimmed my confidence.
I just want to say thanks to my lovely readers - you know who you are. Your comments, thoughts and suggestions might be causing me some sleepless nights right now but my writing, plotting and characters will all be stronger for it one day. Honest feedback, the most important tool an aspiring writer can have.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Dates and Deadlines
How can a person be simultaneously hardworking and lazy, driven and a procrastinator? Easy if, like me, you are a deadline follower. Give me a project and an end date and I'll get it finished, there may be a few hours wasted on Facebook followed by an all-nighter or two but I'll make it, possibly with an hour or so to spare - although I did once have to take an exam in my pyjamas after leaving the revision a little too late... Leave me to my own devices however and the procrastinator takes over. This may explain why I managed 50,000 words during Nano in Nov but only edited one chapter and wrote a synopsis in December. Yes it was Christmas, but I was off work, yes my other half had a bad case of man-flu leaving me as a single parent for two weeks but I still managed to watch a lot of mediocre TV. I need something definite to work for. Which is where New Years resolutions are so very, very handy. Along with getting fit (!), being more self-confident and cutting down on the wine I have resolved that in 2011 I will edit and submit Write for Love, finish Harland and Loveday and write at least one more book.
Ambitious? a little (especially the getting fit and cutting down on wine)but before being stricken down with man-flu my OH bought the perfect Christmas present for a wannabe romance writer: an 8 week course with bestselling M&B author Jessica Hart starting at the end of the month. Happy 2011!
Ambitious? a little (especially the getting fit and cutting down on wine)but before being stricken down with man-flu my OH bought the perfect Christmas present for a wannabe romance writer: an 8 week course with bestselling M&B author Jessica Hart starting at the end of the month. Happy 2011!
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