P or P?

 So I haven’t been writing much here. Neglect- that is what it is. I admit that. But I have been writing. Like proper writing. 2k words a day, five days a week writing, which is record-breaking for me.

 I've been in the doldrums for an excruciatingly long time; starting things, then going off them; having ideas, squeeing about them for days, then waking up on the fifth day and not even remembering what it was about.  “Writing 100k words demands a bit more investment and belief than that,” I tell myself and move onto another idea. Nothing gets a chance to blossom, I get frustrated, put pressure on myself, contrive a new idea slightly inspired by whatever I happen to be reading at the time, desperately squee about it, then forget it and the cycle continues.

 So last October I’d had enough. Something needed to be done. I forced myself to pick three ideas and work on them for a week each, and then at the beginning of week four I just had to start writing on one of them. And right up to the Sunday night I thought it was going to be the Uni-based NA story, but when my fingers hit the keys on the Monday morning it was the Chicklit story that came out.  I was mooost surprised, I don't mind telling you. But off I went, and working to a basis of 1k words a day, (or rather 5k a week, however I could get that done.) Which I did, and by Christmas I had the first 50k words of a story. It had been a painfree experience, because I had known the direction of the story in my head. Then I hit the middle and floundered. Christmas became an excuse, but into January, I still hadn't picked it up.

 A rejection came in on my YA story "Strong characters, great voice, crystal clear scenes, weak plot." Ah yes. Plot. That old chestnut. I think in my heart of hearts I knew that there needed to be more plot, but was hoping that the other stuff would cloak it. Seems agents are rather more savvy than that.

  I had to get this plotting malarky sorted. Cue purchase of a couple of books, including Blake Snyder's Save the cat, which was clear, simple and helpful. Go buy it if you don’t’ have it. I finally did what I thought I could do in my head; I got the pin board out, bought the index cards and started working on the plot of the story. The biggest revelation for me was that though I thought I had a story with lots of fun/interesting scenes, when I stuck them up on the board that first time, I saw immediately that there weren’t actually that many, and that there were huge gaps in the board. I had been trying to run across a net, when I needed something more tightly woven.

 I appreciate that there are writers who plan and then there are writers that fly by the seat of their pants. If I have learnt anything then it is that I am no Pantser. (Is it Pantster? Whatever. I am not it.) I don't need to know every detail, but I need to have a clear route.

 Now I know where my story is going, I know what scenes still need writing. I can sit at the computer every day, set a 45 min timer and belt the words out. I've doubled the daily word count without any pain, and I am enjoying it all again. Come the Sunlounger meet-up this month, I'll be able to say that I have finished my first rough draft on a full length Chicklit novel and more to the point I know what I am doing going forward. Hurrah.


What about you? Plotter or Pantster?

Cover and comp!

The new front cover for Sunlounger 2 was just revealed, so I thought I would share it with you here.

Ta-dahhhhhhh!
 

Publication date is June 21st. 

 My story this year is set in Skagen which is the most northern town in Denmark. You can read more about it over on the Sunlounger Website.

And in the same vein as last year, there is a competition. I'm not sure how many slots are up for grabs this time, but I can say that Holly Martin who won last year, has had a stormer of a year with her recent full length novel The Guestbook reaching #5 in the Kindle charts. 

The details:

SUNLOUNGER 2 SHORT STORY COMPETITION!

Would you like to see your story published alongside some of the hottest names in women's fiction?

(Check out the list of authors here www.va-va-vacation.com/authors-by-name)

WORD COUNT: Between 1,000 and 3,000 words

DEADLINE: May 7th 2014

SETTING: Somewhere summery outside the UK

EMAIL: sunloungerstories@gmail.com for full entry details


If you have a Chicklit story in you, have a go. Honestly, being part of the Sunlounger adventure has been a hoot, partly as I've got to be part of a published book, but also because all the writers I have met through it have been so lovely. 

Do it, do it, do it!

*Drumroll Please* My Spring 14 TBR Pile

Just the one pile this time, and it feels small, but it is one that I am really looking forward to.
Without further ado then;

They are;
 A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire (NA)
Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry (YA)
This Song Will Save Your Life  by Leila Sales (YA)
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (YA)
Just A Girl Standing In Front Of A Boy by Lucy-Anne Holmes (Women's Fiction)
It Felt like A Kiss by Sarra Manning (Women's Fiction)
Kissing the Rain by Kevin Brooks (YA)
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (Yeah, so actually not sure...)
Surrender the Pink by Carrie Fisher (Women's Fiction)

 

On the ipad are
The Guestbook by Holly Martin (Women's Fiction)
How to get a (Love) Life by Rosie Blake (Women's Fiction)

(Full disclosure: I know both of these two writers from the Sunlounger anthology)



I know there is only one guy in there. Sorry , guys. Couldn't be helped.
But there are some very current books in there, (courtesy of some fab Christmas gifts from My Lovely CP - I am The Spolit,) which, in my efforts to do some bookshelf house-keeping, I have felt have been lacking in recent piles, although admittedly Carrie Fisher's book is no spring chicken...

 I'll let you know how it's gone in June!

What are you reading this season?

Winter '13 Gut Reactions

 If you recall the Winter TBR pile looked different, in that it was in fact two piles. 
Like so;

I also read
The Art of Letting Go (The Uni Files: Year One) by Anna Bloom
Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey








Star of the List goes to;

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This was recommended to me right back in May, (Alexa and Fairview, thank you) and I loved it. The phrasing was brilliant, as was the amazingly huge arc that supported the book like an arching spine, of the excruciatingly delicate growth of a relationship. I will admit there was a point where I thought that the end was going to make me howl, not with tears but frustration, but it didn’t let me down in the end.

Starter for Ten. I felt David Nicholls was funny when I read One Day. This is funnier, but maybe mostly to people who were at a UK uni in the Nineties. He does great lines, sets his narrator up for ridicule beautifully, and lines up one joke after the other with a deftness of touch that is

breathtaking and relentless. Strangely I haven’t liked how he ended either book, but the journey getting there has almost made up for that. If you write humor for adults, then I can only recommend his writing as a shining example as how it is done.

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. A heartbreaking 1st person account of dementia and a murder at same time. This was sent to me as an arc, so got a shoo-in. Clearly the writer has had experience of a loved one with dementia, but the way she wove it into the structure of the book was  excellent.

The Art of Letting Go by Anna Bloom was one of those books that I had on my ipad, without quite remembering how or when. But it was a very pleasant surprise. NA set in a UK university. It was young, fresh and sexy without being too grinding. And it is only the first of three, with two short stories out there already to tide you over between release dates.







And the other thoughts:

 Remember that second pile, where I was going to take a literary trip through Venice? Yeah, it was a bit of a damp squib. 

• One, though the plot was fine in premise the execution was poor. Time/travel limitations were broken depending on what the plot required, blowing all credibility.
•  Another book seemed like a huge saga that had been stripped down to a standard length story. It was almost as if the writer had embarked on it, and halfway though felt that they had bitten off far more than they could chew, but contractually had to dish up a book and this is what they managed.
• Three of the books I gave up. Three! Like half. Simply down to the writing or the style.
• One I pushed myself all the way through and wished I hadn’t bothered. It was enormous and while the premise was intriguing, it played out as far too tenuous and unbelievable. And my, it needed a sound thrashing by an editor....

At the very least though I did manage to shift 6 books off my book case which was one of my goals. Hurrah!
 Would I take a trip like this again? Not for the foreseeable. I think I'll go with theme or form again over location.

Anyone read anything good or lame in the last three months?

Murder most useful

So, I have been away. Well, away from here, that is. You didn't notice? Huh. 
Anyways, I have been blatantly neglecting the blog, but in my defense I have been doing words.

Back in October, I was asked by the delightful Belinda Jones to write a story for the second Sunlounger anthology, which is due out this summer.  More to the point, this was a request, not an invite to take part in the competition again.  Obviously there was a fair amount of Happy Dancing around here, which I managed to string out for quite some time, before I realized that having a deadline meant I also had to stump up the goods.

 I had a ropey first draft before Christmas, which mulled until this new year, when it took a brutal beating and slashing, before being cast under the meticulous eye of my Lovely Critique Partner who was vicious but fair. The words "annoyingly wishy-washy" about one segment made me wince but  also made me pull my socks up. That is what good crit partners are for: to dole out The Truth.

  So finally, after a lot of tinkering, re-tinkering and faffing, and killing a darling at the very end, I delivered it to Belinda. I have to say it gave me a sense of relief, as my brain had been filled with it forever, along with that nag of a deadline looming. But there was also a sense of nerves, as what if she didn't like it? Last year I would never have known any different if she simply hadn't picked mine. But I guess that is the case with anyone who writes and sends their work out to anyone else. You always risk them not liking it, be it a short story or novel, or whether it's going to an agent, publisher, or the reader. Luckily, I know now that Belinda is happy with it. Hurrah. Cue Happy Relieved Dance which is altogether more slouchy.

Essentially, writing this Sunlounger story has been a timely reminder of how I write and what my process is. It’s also shown how my attitude to my words has changed over time, where once I would have defended them stubbornly to a point of weeping before making a change, I can now take the comments, try the alternative ideas, and kill those darlings without even a pout. (OK, maybe a small one, a mini-pout...)

So that's where I've been - Killing and Happy Dancing.


What have you been up to?

Eeeeek!

A Very Happy (and yes, I know, six days late) New Year!

 I jotted down my 2014 writing aims down on the 1st and then ran away screaming, as there seemed to be so many. Way too many.

 I want to ramp up my output this year, but I also want to increase the quality. In essence, I'm hoping to up my game in general.  Here's hoping that it isn't just January bravado, because with my list I am going to need more than that.

 Anyone else write their aims down this year? Anyone else quaking in their boots?

Oh. Just me? Right...

Fa la la la lah, la la la laaah.. Again

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

 Wishing you a lovely festive season.

 

Yeah, so I know it isn't the most festive pic, but I have limited resources at the moment, and my boys are minion mad, so  enjoy The Happy!