WRITING - GETTING STARTED

Set yourself a writing project. I remember as a child standing in a library. I was in awe at all the books lining the shelves. I always had the greatest respect and admiration for authors. Writers have this gift where they are able to entwine thousands of words together to create a story which transports the reader into another world. The reader becomes a part of this other world where they are able to see and feel what the characters see and feel. A book that is able to mesmerise and take the reader away from their real world, to me is magical. I stood there in that library all those years ago and I knew that day what I wanted to accomplish in my life. I wanted to have my books up on those shelves.

If you’re up for it your very first writing project can very well be your novel, or you can opt to take one step at a time. Prepare yourself. A writing course would be a good starting point for you to learn the basics, from grammar to story structure. Subscribing to writer’s newsletters and journals will give insight into what is happening in the writer’s world. You will be provided with information on writing tips, competitions and markets. Read writer’s blogs and visit writer’s forums. You can learn from other writers. Reading about how published writers go about the business of writing is a huge stepping stone along your journey. It’s interesting reading the processes of other writers. Process is something you experience, it is something you learn. Part of these processes will be something you use as you nurture your own writing process - eventually you will have your own process. When you feel you are prepared to venture out and create your own piece of writing decide on your writing project:

LETTERS TO MAGAZINES
Deciding on your first writing project can be as simple as a letter to a magazine. For me knowing that the editor wanted to publish what I wrote gave me some confidence. Getting paid for it was a bonus. Sometimes the magazines may ask about your opinion or experiences on a particular topic, you could submit a letter about something humorous or thought provoking or you could simply write in to let them know what you like about their magazine.

ARTICLES
Think of something you are particularly good at, or have some knowledge about and write about it. It could be anything from gardening or cooking tips, family budgets, travelling hot spots, to how you overcame a hurdle in life or beat an illness.

POETRY

Poetry comes in many forms; from three line haikus, to rhyming to free verse. Poets are finding an audience for their work by places which provide a venue for their readings; pubs, libraries, writers groups etc. There are also competitions, literary journals and other writers’ magazines which accept submissions of poetry. Use your imagination and create music with your words!

SHORT STORIES

What sort of story do you enjoy reading? Focus on creating your very own short story. You be in the driver’s seat and take the reader on a journey. It takes practise to create a concise piece of writing with a beginning, middle and end. A story with conflict and resolution that has to be achieved in a certain number of words is challenging, but it is fun too.

WRITING FOR CHILDREN

Once you have decided which age group to write for read as many children’s books as you can. The range is varied; from children’s picture books to young adults. Summon your inner child and let your imagination do the rest.

NOVEL

Writing a novel is a huge challenge, but a rewarding one. Here you have your main story and main character intertwined with stories inside your stories that bring the characters together. What genre are you particularly passionate about? This would be a good starting point for you. 

So, no matter what your writing project is, don’t think about it, JUST DO IT!

CHAPTER LENGTHS

Recently I was asked;  How long is a chapter? For me, a chapter is as long as it needs to be. I work out what I am trying to say without any word limit in mind. I think it's important that the chapter is not a means to increasing your word count - a dead spot, it has to move the story along in an entertaining way where perhaps the reader is learning more about the characters - who they are and the conflicts that need to be resolved, something is revealed, or information supplied which links in with an incident that happens later on in the story. I believe it is important too to end your chapter with the reader keen to turn that page in eagerness to read your next chapter. 

What do you think?

CHARACTERS

My muse, bless his little heart, is still in generous mode as I power through my novel. I am really enjoying meeting the characters who are bringing together a story I am having so much fun writing. There are those characters, which I will take credit for, who are a bits and pieces of people I have come across in my life and yes bits of me in there too. And then there are the characters who are appearing, out of nowhere it seems, but who have the knack of taking my story in exciting directions and opening doors I hadn't considered. The muse? Perhaps. Instinct? Maybe. Wherever they come from I'm running with it. These characters are inspiring me and I've stopped asking those kind of questions and am going on with the business (and enjoyment) of writing it. (Mine is not to question why, mine is just to write, write, write!)
Where do your characters come from?

Keep writing....

NOVEL NOTES

My muse is my best friend at the moment. I've been really pleased how much progress I'm making on my new novel. I typed like a demon today and have reached 20,000 words. Recently I was questioning my drafting process. I write everything in my notepad and then I type it out. I wondered if I was making twice the work for myself, but today as I typed my hand written notes I noticed I was able to expand on these same notes and fill in all those missing pieces - everything just seemed to fall into place. Although I do have a laptop, so no excuse of where I can type, I find it comforting the old fashioned way - pen and paper.

I always find it interesting learning about how other writers go about their process of writing. I wonder if there ever has been a writer that writes from the beginning all the way to the end? When I started this novel I intended to start at Chapter One and let it unfold from there. Chapter by chapter. Sounds good in theory. But it doesn't seem to work that way, well not for me anyway. Already I've drafted a few chapters that will appear towards the end of the novel. After all these years I accept that the chapters in between haven't presented themselves yet, because whatever I need to hear or see or even realise hasn't happened yet.

Writing is a beautiful thing. It keeps my head in a good place and it gives me a sense of who I am. That is important to me. I woke up early this morning and I had a full writing day. The satisfaction I feel right now is priceless. My day flew by and in this moment I feel content just being me, a writer.

Keep writing....

NOVEL WRITING

I have been inspired by recent short story acceptances, preparations for the cover art of my first novel Dream Keeper and a desire from an agent for me to send the rest of my second novel manuscript! (She had read the first few chapters and wants to read more!) The confidence all this has given me is having a truly positive effect on my writing. Over the weekend, not sure how it happened, this scene jumped into my head. I knew it wasn't a short story. I scribbled down notes like a demon and there it was the seeds to my third novel was planted. I am going to tackle my new novel one chapter at a time and as soon as a new character appears I will create a character outline. If my thoughts wander ahead I have allocated lots of space at the back of my note book to jot things down (whether it is for another chapter, character or scene further along) - this way nothing will be forgotten and there will be no regrets. Every day I have promised myself to write at the very least five hundred words of this novel.

Why am I posting this? Because I need this in writing - it will help keep me focused and motivated. It will also remind me of the goal I have set for myself and the feelings of confidence I am enjoying right now. Well, that is the plan! Will keep you posted.

Keep writing....

SHORT STORIES - TWIST IN THE TALE

A productive day for me! I finished the final draft of a twist in the tale short story. This got me thinking about twists and how I go about writing them. The challenge of the twist is to create the illusion and provide the diversion – that’s what makes the reader assume.

I begin by knowing what my twist will be and then draft everything leading up to the twist. Think of it as writing a story backwards. This is how I go about doing the twist:

Think of an ending then work out how you are going to reach that ending. Imply the view you wish your reader to assume. Have some fun by guiding the reader up that proverbial garden path – let them assume without deceiving them. You need to plant things which will fit in to the real outcome of your story without being too obvious. Weave in just enough hints to make the outcome plausible. You know your ending, so be clever here and use incidents/descriptions/emotions that would also relate to an idea entirely different to your ending. Even the title of your story can get readers assuming.

The twist in the tale is not about concealing the truth from the reader, it’s about slight hints, subtle signposts or clues that will end with your twist AND tie in with the ‘misconception’ you are building.

Do not reveal essential clues too early. Leave that until later on in your story; the last paragraph or even the final sentence.

Here some ideas you might like to use to get you twisting:

The main character appears to be young but turns out be old.

The hero turns out to be the villain or vice versa.
Mother assumes teenage son up to no good but quite the opposite.
Elderly mother overhears conversation about ‘being put away’ but turns out to be an inanimate object they are talking about.
The main character appears to be on a doomed flight but is really stuck in a Ferris wheel.
The main character appears to be on holiday, lying on the beach, but is actually in a sandpit.

Twist stories do take some planning and plotting. They are a challenge. But with some persistence and smart thinking a successful twist story is a joy to write, a pleasure to read and the publishers love them!

Keep writing ….

FRIENDLY BLOGGER AWARD

Thank you to Rosemary Gemmell for this award. One of the special things for me that has come out of blogging are the wonderful friends I have made, and it meant a lot to me to be considered a 'friendly blogger'. There are so many bloggers I have come across that I would also like to pass this award onto. I've included those who haven't (as far as I know) received this award and are deserving of it. Here is a short list of bloggers, because if I were to post a link to all the friendly bloggers I know, this post would be never-ending:

Patsy Collins, Sarah Duncan, Womagwriter, Janice Horton, Gail Crane and Suzanne Jones .