Novel Kicks Writing Room: Edit, Edit, Edit
For today’s exercise, I wanted to look at editing.
Rewrite the following passage. Write up to 500 words. Try making it less passive, adding more emotion and details.
How did you find it?
*****
Mark goes into the flat and he sat down.
It had not changed much since he’d left a year ago.
He listened to Beth, getting the tea ready in the kitchen, She didn’t know what he was going to say to her.
She carried the tray in and handed him a mug. His favourite mug.
by 
Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Confession
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.
Today’s prompt: Confession.
Your character is living in a country that, to the outside world is perfect. The truth is that the government is oppressing its citizens.
This character has lived in this country all their lives. Age, sex and life situation is your choice.
Your story begins when your character commits a serious crime.
Law enforcement is trying to get a confession and your character has been given a piece of paper and pencil.
by Book Review: The Flower Arranger from JJ Ellis
Agora Books, 26th September 2019
Today’s blog tour features the debut novel, The Flower Arranger from JJ Ellis.
And now he knew what was wrong with the arrangement. It was the Ma… the negative space… There was only one thing beautiful enough to fill it and — finally — she was with him. Ready, if not willing, to play her role.
Holly Blain wants to cover real news. The entertainment beat — pop stars and teen trends — was not why she moved to Tokyo. When she meets Inspector Tetsu Tanaka, head of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police’s Gaikoku-jin unit, it might just be her big break.
Tanaka isn’t so sure. Always one to do things by the book, he’s hesitant about bringing this headstrong reporter into his carefully controlled investigation.
But young women keep disappearing and Tanaka is given no choice. He and Blain must trust each other if they are to stop a tormented killer from bringing his twisted plan to its shocking conclusion.
Filled with twists and turns, this unforgettable thriller is JJ Ellis’ first novel.
Holly Blain is quite new to Tokyo and wants to make her mark as a crime reporter. Covering the entertainment wasn’t exactly what she envisioned when she thought about her reporting ambitions.
She is delighted when she is introduced to Inspector Tetsu Tanaka from Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police’s Gaikoku-Jin unit. He could be her way to gain the scoop to further her career.
Tanaka isn’t so sure about Holly and keeps her at arm’s length.
Wow…. just wow.
The Flower Arranger is the debut novel from JJ Ellis but it won’t be the last I read from this author.
Told from the point of view of Tanaka, Holly and the killer, this book pulled me in from the moment I picked it up. I found it compelling and quite frankly unputdownable.
I had what I call itchy book fingers when I was forced to put it down. I just wanted to pick it up and continue reading.
The setting is so vivid. I have never visited Japan but I could see myself walking the streets with the characters. I felt totally emerged.
Tanaka is a strong and believable character. He’s an honourable policeman and wants to do his due diligence. He is one for the rules and his reaction to Holly was an interesting one. His relationship with her has a fascinating arc to it and I certainly want to see these two together in another novel.
Holly was more of an enigma to me. Not a lot is given away about where she’s come from and what has happened before she reached Tokyo. This is a book in itself I think and one that I would also read. There is certainly more to Holly than we see here. She and Tanaka are total opposites but they work.
It took me a few pages to get my head around who everyone was. Not a bad thing, just me.
by Upcoming Novel Releases
Chatto & Windus, Sept ’19
Autumn is on its way (even though the weather can’t quite make up its mind.)
What this does mean is a great list of fantastic novel releases and here is my first list of the books I am looking forward to reading.
The first book on my list has already come out but it is one I am incredibly excited about. It’s one I’ve been waiting years for… The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
Ever since I read the Handmaid’s Tale when I was sixteen, I have been wanting to know what happened next. The TV show has been great for that but there is something for me about a novel straight from the original author that makes it extra special. I am also interested to read it having had the perspective from the TV show and the continued development of the characters from that. I have heard such good things about this book.
Released on 10th September, The Testaments picks up fifteen years after the end of the first book, Gilead maintains its power but there are signs that it’s beginning to crumble from within. Three women’s lives converge with explosive results.
HarperCollins, Sept ’19
The second novel in the list is another book I have been waiting so long for and that is Postscript by Cecelia Ahern. I have been fortunate enough to get an advanced copy and I am planning on reviewing soon.
I adored PS I Love You and so the sequel had a lot to live up to. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work. The first one had such a unique plot. How was the story going to carry on?
I won’t say too much now about my thoughts at this stage but a summary of the plot is that Postscript starts seven years after the end of PS I Love You and six years after Gerry’s last letter.
A group contacts Holly. They call themselves the PS I Love You club and they are asking her for help. She begins a relationship with the group and is soon finding herself drawn back to the feelings she thought she had left behind.
It has been released today (19th September) so is available to read now.
A Patchwork Family: Taking Chances by Cathy Bramley is part three in a four-part serial and is due to be released on 3rd October.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Freewriting with Prompts
It’s another freewriting exercise today.
If you have something in mind already, then fantastic.
Write up to a 1000 words.
If you’re stuck as to where to start, there are five prompts below to hopefully inspire a story. You could always combine a couple if you like.
1. Write a letter to September.
2. Your character wakes up discovering that they are back at school.
3. You are stuck in a locked room alone with the person you despise the most.
4. You are confronted by the person you’ve been saying horrible things about online and they know it’s you.
by Book Club
