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Showing posts from June, 2015

Ta Ta For Now

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It's Monday. I'm just back from a weekend away with my family and after the lovely distraction that those few days have been, I've picked up my determined hat and rammed it firmly onto my head. Ouch! Over the next few weeks (right through to the end of July), I won't be posting anything on this blog. I may add the occasional link of interest to my Facebook page , but that's all. For the rest of June and throughout July, my main focus (never mind the ironing and feeding my children - pah!) will be to complete the rewrite of my novel. So until the month of August rolls by, au revoir, toodle oo, have a great time and wish me luck.

Tuesday Choice Words

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One of the things that interests me in writing a novel is breaking it down into its structure - beginning, middle, end, inciting events, resolutions, and so on. A well-formed structure can make all the difference, carving a path for the reader to follow. Janice Hardy discusses The Act One Problem on her website, Fiction University, "the  bridge between the beginning of the novel and the middle". Have a look.

Counting Words

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After a surge in my writing/editing during Camp NaNoWriMo in April , my non writing life took control in May. Add to this the fact that I couldn't get my head around a new scene that I needed to write and my wordage ground to a halt . After throwing ideas around for that evasive scene for a couple of weeks, I finally managed to get it down on paper this week - phew. I also came to the conclusion that my writing output suffers when I don't have a plan in hand, a regular target. I've therefore returned to an old friend. I've talked about the Pacemaker website before. Using your own choices of regularity of writing and wordcount etc, Pacemaker creates a writing plan for you. My writing plan looks like this: Target wordcount: 25,000 (I've already written around that amount. Another 25k should finish my novel). Start date: Today. Finish date: 17th July (I want to complete this before my children break for the summer and take over my sanity). I've chosen

Tuesday Choice Words

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I like to blog. It gives me a  chance to connect with readers and other writers, discuss my writing progress and swap ideas about what works (and sometimes doesn't work) for me as a writer. I'm definitely a supporter of blogging.What about you? On the Indie Plot Twist website, Danielle Hanna discusses The Benefits of Blogging for Novelists . Have a look.

Photo Inspiration for June

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It's summer in the UK and with it, fun fairs begin to crop up in the most unexpected places. In case, you didn't know, this is a Helter Skelter. You run up the stairs in the tower and slide down the outside on a sack or mat. What do you think about this image? Does it bring back warm childhood memories, or perhaps thoughts of your children? Look a little closer. Stepping  through the open yellow door takes you into darkness. Who waits at the top? Where is this, with it's forest surround? Joyous childhood ride or scary trap for the unsuspecting? What does this inspire you to write?

Tuesday Choice Words

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What kind of beginnings do you like to your novels? Action? Mystery? Description? K M Weiland gives her opinion on what makes a good start to a story in her article,  Why Avalanches, Wolves, and Lightning Storms Aren’t a Good Way to Begin Your Book . Have a look.

In a Quandary over James

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I have a decision to make in the re-write of my novel. Having added two new characters, James and his younger brother, Michael (Glitch), I have to decide whether to kill James off. If I do kill him off, then it would mean that Hartley would take Michael under his wing and his roof. There is certainly a role for Michael to play in this story and rest of the trilogy too. If I don't kill James off, then there is no way that he would abandon his brother (James is 17, Michael is 10). They're street kids who have survived without adults for a long time. Could James and Michael still have a purpose in the trilogy if they weren't so close at hand? Knowing who attacks James (and kidnaps Michael), I can see a purpose to his death. It would be a method of showing what the villain's magical power is but with a healer in our party of friends, surely he could be saved. My son (also 10) says it would be too sad to kill James. I'm still undecided. Hm. I think I need more