Tag Archives: novel

Standing out from the Crowd: Perfectionism and Determination Essential

29 Apr
shoe polish see thru outfit

Image by x-ray delta one via Flickr

One thing I picked up from the Festival of York is that perfectionism and determination are two essential qualities for a writer to have in order to become a published author.

Perfectionism is crucial, because unless you’ve got a great story which is well written, you’re not going to stand out amongst the thousands of other people submitting and pitching to agents and publishers.

And then, once you’ve spent the long hours crafting your story, honing the plot, making your characters unique and raising the dramatic tension through to a fulfilling reveal, you’ve got to have determination.

Because once you start sending out your work to agents the odds are you’ll get turned down.  Not necessarily because your work isn’t good.  Just because agents are looking for something that really speaks to them, as individuals.  And it stands to reason that you’re unlikely to find the right person straight off.

So determination is vital to see you through sending off the submissions, coping with the rejection slips, and remaining positive about your work.  Because so many published authors I’ve heard speak say it took them up to ten years or eight books before they got a deal.

So as I edit my second draft, I’m as critical of each chapter as I can – practicing my perfectionism.  I’m up to chapter 36 of 40 now, and the revisions seem to come a little easier.  Perhaps it’s because I can see the completed second draft is in my reach, or maybe it’s because I’ve become more used to the editing process.  Either way, it has to be a good thing. Because polishing my story into a manuscript I’m proud of will be the best way to keep me determined once I start submitting it.

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , ,

Who’ll win the fight: eBooks vs. paper-books

13 Apr
Amazon Kindle eBook Reader

Okay, so I admit it, I’ve got an Amazon Kindle.

Yes, yes.  I know.  eBooks might kill the paper book forever.  But do you really think they will?

About eighteen months ago, as soon as they were available in the UK, I bought my Kindle.  It’s light and shiny and sleek and new.  And I love it.

But (and here’s the thing) I still love paper books.

Admittedly, the first six months or so after buying the Kindle I only bought eBooks.  I love the easy travel aspect of an eBook reader, the way I can carry a tonne of books around in one small gadget, and that it has it’s own little light for when I’m reading in bed.

But you know what?  The little light can attach just as well to a paperback!

And now, eighteen months later, I find that I don’t only buy eBooks any more.  No, I buy eBooks and paper-books.  And sometimes, if I really love the story, I’ll buy a book in both formats. In fact, I think I buy double the amount of book I did before!

So to answer the question:  Who’ll win the fight?

My (rather sitting on the fence) answer is I’m not exactly sure. I’ve got a foot in each camp.  And whilst I love my Kindle, I also wouldn’t want to go without paper-books.  And so, based on my own experience, I’m not sure it is a question of one or other.  Perhaps they can co-exist comfortably together.

But, aside from the eBooks vs paper-books issue, the important thing is that people are reading books in some format.

Because, for me, as long as I’m reading; I’m happy!

 

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Ideas Sanctuary

11 Apr
Moleskine notebook and diaries.

Image via Wikipedia

Where do story ideas live?

Well, in my head, obviously.  But also, more importantly, in my notebook.

I love my notebook.  I’ve gone through loads since I started writing, and my current one is a large, red Moleskine with plain pages (I can’t work with lined pages, don’t know why – just can’t!).

It’s an essential piece of my writing kit. In fact, if I accidentally leave it behind I get rather tense.  Being parted induces awful separation anxiety.

But why?  you ask.

Simple.  It’s because I know that if I can’t capture the glimpse of a story, a character, that fleeting line of dialogue or the twinkle of a story that just happens to point into my mind at the most unexpected time, it will be forgotten.  It could have been the most wonderful idea, the nugget that will spark my greatest story yet, but if the phone rings, or I go to the meeting, or finish my drive to work first, it’ll be gone.

So I carry my trusty notebook with me – always.  Yes, really.  Even in the gym, at the stables, and on my desk at work.   That way, when the muse appears, I’m always ready.

My notebook is my idea sanctuary.  Once in there, they recline, relaxing with a cocktail until the next moment of inspiration takes hold and I discover a little more about that story.  It could be about my WIP, about my next story, or ideas for the one after.  But my notebook ensures no idea is forgotten.  It’s the perfect writers’ companion!

Do you have a notebook? If not, I’d certainly recommend it.

And if you do, what’s yours like?

 

 

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Reflections from York FoW part 2: Books, Books, Glorious Books!

7 Apr

One of the fabulous (and unexpected) perks of the York FoW were the tremendous goody bags that each festival goer was given.

These weren’t your usual “pen, notepad and handful of leaflets” goody bags.  No, these sparkly wonders were much more goody-filled.

Along with current copies of industry magazines including The Bookseller and Writing Magazine, there were several books.  Yes, really – actual books!

Those attending the Gala Dinner got even more books – a pair of books greeted us as our ‘favour’ at each place setting.  It was a book lovers heaven.

So, what with the goody bag books, the Gala Dinner books, and the three books I bought from the Festival Bookshop, I came away with eleven new books.  And a much heavier suitcase!

The eleven books I’ve added to my reading list are:

1. Debi Alper’s Trading Tatiana (Orion).  I bought this  because I adored her first book.

2. Toby Frost’s Space Captain Smith (Myrmidon). I bought this because I heard the author read an excerpt and it was totally laugh-out-loud hilarious.

3. Nicola Morgan‘s Wasted (Walker).  I bought this because I’ve heard brilliant stuff about it, and I love the author’s blog.

4. Stephen King‘s Different Seasons (Hodder)

5. Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell (Choc Lit)

6. I have waited, and you have come by Martine McDonagh (MyriaEditions)

7. Florence & Giles by John Harding (blue door)

8. The Juggler by Sebastian Beaumont (Myrmidon)

9. The Blood Lance by Craig Smith (Myrmidon)

10. Once, Two Islands by Dawn Garisch (Myrmidon)

11. The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (Harper)

They’re a good mix of genres, and I’m looking forward to exploring new books by some of my favorite authors, as well as books by authors I’ve not yet read.

I can’t wait!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Reflections from York FoW part 1: How many storylines can you fit in a Story?

4 Apr
Screenshot of intertitle from Life on Mars © A...

Image via Wikipedia

York Festival of Writing, organised by the fabulous Writers Workshop (www.writersworkshop.co.uk) has been and gone for another year.  It was an amazing weekend full of inspiring sessions and workshops and a tremendous buzz – the like of which you can only get when you put 300 or so authors, agents, publishers and writers-aspiring-to-publication in one place.

So now, a week later, I’m ready to put my reflections on the three wonderful days into words.  In this post I’m reflecting on the first workshop I attended, the Screenwriting Masterclass with Ashley Pharaoh, creator of Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, and other ground-breaking shows.

Firstly it was a fantastic session, delivered in a wonderfully down to earth way by someone who obviously has a huge amount of passion for his craft.

There were a few lightbulb moments for me in this session:

Conflict: if conflict is inherent in the story set-up it makes for tension from the start

Scene design: start as late and leave as early as you can from the scene – it cuts out the boring bits!

How many storylines can you fit in a story? As a novelist I feel pretty chuffed if I’ve got four running through the story.  But when we looked in detail at the first six minutes of an episode of Life on Mars, by the sixth minute we found there were seven, yes that’s right, SEVEN storylines in play.  Pretty cool stuff!

I left the session inspired to put into practice the things I’d learned in my own writing.

Screenwriting looks and sounds really interesting too.  Maybe I’ll have a go at that once I’ve finished my novel!

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Cut the Waffle: polishing my pitch

19 Mar

 

Filming!

So the Festival of Writing at York is nearly here – Yippee!  This time next week I’ll be at the gala dinner, schmoozing with all the other writerly types.

 

But before I go, I still need to polish up my pitch for the agent sessions. And it’s nearly ready.

As I practiced in front of the mirror – making sure I could remember the words without too many pauses – I remembered a filming session I took part in last summer.  It was for a training film, and I had to deliver about ten lines to camera whilst walking along a pathway.

Sounds easy?  Was it heck! Believe me, as a total rookie at talking to camera (not to mention having the director, camera person and sound person watching me!) it was so much harder than the professionals make it look.

Firstly I had to remember words.  That was fine, until I had to say it to the camera.  At that point I either talked too fast or walked too slowly.  Or, just when I’d nearly got to the end of my lines, I’d forget a line.  So it would be straight back to the beginning to try again.  I think it took eleven takes in the end!

But the thing that I learnt from the whole experience – which was actually pretty exciting, even if rather nerve-racking – was that the script had to be ‘tight’.  The words had to be pared down to the minimum.  And that when we’d got the sentences polished down to the minimum, uncomplicated, straight-forward lines we could, then the piece had the maximum impact.

And so, as I’ve been polishing up my pitch, which is now only two sentences long, I remembered the three words that my colleague said in reflection of our whole filming experience:

Waffle is Bad!

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Climbing the Rocky Slope of Enlightenment: my writing journey

17 Mar

Whilst working away at the day job a colleague showed me a chart called the Gartner Hype Cycle.  It’s a chart that plots the experience of users as they learn new technologies, but I immediately saw parallels to my experiences as an aspiring author.

My journey as a writer started with the idea that I’d like to use my endlessly overactive imagination to write an actual story.  I’ve always thought up stories – as a child I made up stories about a dragon called Percy and a herd of talking horses, as a teen it was stories about boys (of course!) and then, once I started work, I let that side of myself drift.

Until two years ago.  I got the inspiration for a story and I decided to do something about it.  This was my ‘trigger’ moment.

So, having decided to embrace my inner storyteller, I enrolled on a Creative Writing course.  And it was wonderful, I’d found this amazing new thing, and I loved it.

And that was how things were for a while.  And as I discovered more about this writing lark, the more I wanted to write.  The curve of my journey accelerated upwards as I discovered the magical world of voice and genre and plot and point of view.  I lapped up every scrap of knowledge I could.  I practiced and practiced, and I sought feedback from fellow students and my tutor.

Eighteen months later my course had ended.  I’d got a Diploma in Creative Writing, a boxful of confidence and a truckload of ambition.  I had decided.  I wanted to become a published author [this was me reaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations].

Anyway, I’d got an idea for a novel, so I started trying to plot it out.  But my idea was too big for my apprentice level of story.  The plot seemed scattered and my characters to unruly and headstrong.  I became confused, unconfident in my ability, and disillusioned.  I’d hit the Trough of Disillusionment.  Hard.  And it hurt!

So, determined not to give up, I enlisted some help and got some expert advice from the fabulous Writers Workshop (www.writersworkshop.co.uk).  I discovered just how much I’d yet to learn.  But I was learning again.  And it was super fun.

So where am I now?

Well, I structured my storyline and developed my characters last summer, and now I’ve got my first draft in the bag and am working on a second draft.  And I’m learning as I go.  Every bit of feedback, every page that I revise, is part of my learning journey. And, step-by-step, I’m climbing up the rocky Slope of Enlightenment.

And I’ve decided.  Rather than despair at my novice-ness, I’m treating my experiences as my apprenticeship in writing.  Afterall, in any profession it takes many years to hone your craft.  Why should writing be any different?

Because learning takes time.

And I’m determined to enjoy every step of the journey. Because I bet that the view from the top is breathtaking.

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Jonathan Franzen’s Rule Number 7

15 Mar

Jonathan Franzen’s 10 Rules of Writing.

I came across this list post by blogger ’101 Books’.  Jonathan Franzen’s rules really got me thinking, especially Rule Number 7: You see more sitting still than chasing after.

In this super-busy 24/7 world, there never seems to be enough time to fit everything in.  I find I’m always doing one thing whilst thinking about the next, and it’s rare to have the time to sit and be still a moment.  But when I thought about this rule, I realized it is totally true for me.  I like to write first thing in the morning, before the distractions of the day drain the creativity from me and my focus becomes scattered.

In those quiet hours, alone at my writing desk, I can emerse myself in my writing in a way I can’t seem to do once the sun has come up and the bustle of the day is in play.  I saviour those hours of writing.  They let me see more than all my chasing in the day ever does.

Tags: , , , ,

The Story Detective: unravelling the mystery within

14 Mar
Old postcards and a magnifying glass.

Image via Wikipedia

Now that my WIP is at the editing phase, I’m finding that my mind is turning to my next novel.

It’s not a conscious thing.  After all, I know that my attention really needs to be focused on revising my first draft into a better second draft.  But even so, I find that whenever I’m doing something fairly boring – driving to work, running on the treadmill, or even taking a bath – sneaky peaks of a new story leap into my mind.

And these glimpses of a new idea intrigue me.  It’s one of the things I love about writing; all the puzzling out who these new characters are, what do they want, why do they want it, and how will they try to get it.

The flashes of story tumble around in my mind, teasing me with their secrets, revealing a little and daring me to discover the rest.

And it’s so exciting, spying on these characters and finding out what makes them tick.   Uncovering the strands of the story, working out the relationships and the stakes, and discovering the twists and turns of the plot.

This is my favorite part of the writing process - the intrigue and the thrill of unravelling the mystery.  It makes me feel a bit like a detective, a story detective, piecing together the story within.

I know it will take a while to get the whole mystery figured out.  And I am so going to enjoy it.

What’s your favorite part of the process?

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Catapulting out of my Comfort Zone (towards Second Draft Bliss)

2 Mar
human cannon

Image by House Bear via Flickr

When I started writing my WIP I set myself a target – to have the first draft completed by the 24th December 2010.  I planned my time, getting up an hour and a half earlier each morning, to ensure I met my goal.  And I did it.  By the 23rd December I’d got my first draft finished.  The feeling was tremendous.  I celebrated with a glass of bubbly, some pizza and a large piece of chocolate – bliss!

But now, over two months later, the wonderful feeling of rapturous joy has well and truly worn off.

After taking a couple of weeks off from my novel, to let it ‘settle’, I began the second draft.  This was mid-January 2011.  I thought (naively) that the hard part was over, that now I’d got a full draft I was nearly finished.

Oh how wrong I was.

It’s taken me until to realise I’ve not been editing at all.  I have been tweaking and procrastinating,  staying rooted inside my ‘happy place’ comfort zone of the first draft, not daring to change much.  [Note to self - that IS NOT editing!]

Anyway, last night, I was reading some excerpts of my WIP to my partner and a friend.  And, as I read, a mortifying wake up call of reality hit me – my WIP is not as ‘ready’ as I thought it was.

In that moment I discovered that there’s something about reading your work out loud that exposes the prose in a way that reading it in your head doesn’t.  There’s nowhere to hide for a start!  Reading aloud shows up any clunky sentences or clumsy metaphors, it highlights unnatural dialogue, and points out any awkward language. And although my ‘audience’ were very kind in their feedback, I know that I can do better.

But, in order to do better I’m going to have to push myself out of my first draft comfort zone, and into a more fluid and dynamic second draft.  I need to make sure every single word in my novel has ‘earned its place’ and eliminate flow-stopping prose that jolts the reader out of the story.

So, now I’ve recognised the work I need to do, my next five steps are:

  1. Set myself a goal.  For some a self imposed deadline might be a nightmare but, for me, I find I actually work better if I’ve got a target.
  2. Acknowledge that this will take a bit of time, but that my book will be much better as a result.
  3. Stop beating myself up about the fact that my first draft isn’t perfect (I wrote it in three months, there’s bound to be some dodgy prose in there!)
  4. Quit moaning about how I ‘hate editing’, and get on with it.  Sometimes you really do have to ‘Just Do It’!
  5. Report daily progress:  use the WIP page to chart my editing progress.

That sounds like a plan I can follow!  So, with a smile on my face, and a red editing pen in my hand, I’m ready to catapult out of my comfort zone and towards my goal of second draft bliss …

 

 

Related Articles

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 53 other followers