My Writing Ramblings: Back to the Planning Board
I really want to be a writer. I want to write a novel that I can be proud of. This is what is constantly going through my head at all times. That is when my lack of confidence sweeps in and gives those words a slap and tells it to be quiet (this is the constant battle in my head.) This week, I have been really trying to overcome this huge attack of no confidence and get down to planning my novel, the book I have been trying to write for so long.
There have been a few distractions this week. I have been working nights with the day job which does a very good job at making me feel like a zombie like vampire with permanent jet-lag. Therefore all I want to do is lie in bed snuggled up under the duvet and watch endless episodes of Once Upon a Time and Friends (my current obsessions.) This type of mood does not lend itself to being productive with writing my book.
Aside from my lack of energy due to working 12 hour night shifts, my main problem when writing is the way I disrespect my first draft. I don’t give it a chance and I don’t allow it to be the one thing it needs to be which is to be absolute rubbish and a complete mess.
I recently attended the RNA’s annual conference and attended a session run by the brilliant Julie Cohen. Hearing her speak about how much of a wreck her first draft usually is and how that was fine with her really did make me feel better about my own. It gave me a new perspective on things.
I did not get anything sent in for the RNA’s New Writers Scheme this year (it’s a long story,) so I am doubly determined to not let this be the case next year. The feedback I have received in previous years is that I don’t seem to know my characters well or where my story is going which have been very fair comments.
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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Investigations Writing Prompt
Friday 11th September 2015: Investigations
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: Your character is a private eye and does not look like someone who would be one. They have got themselves into an unforeseen situation. Start with the line, ‘You will never get away with it.’
by My Favourite Books: Three Books I Couldn’t Be Without….
One of the questions I ask many of the authors I interview is ‘if you were only allowed to own three books, which three would you pick?’ I know, it’s a wicked question but it always yields such an interesting answer. Of all the times I have asked this question, I have never had the same selection of books (very rarely do people pick the same books at all.)
It got me thinking which three I would pick. It is so hard to decide on just three and in the end, I just picked three from my list that really meant something specific to me. (although it would have been easy for me to just say all the Harry Potter novels as I love them.)
Which three would you pick?
Ralph’s Party by Lisa Jewell (Penguin, May 1999.)
Meet the residents of 31 Almanac Road …
Ralph and Smith are flatmates and best mates – until, that is, the gorgeous Jemima moves in. And suddenly they’re bickering about a lot more than who drank the last beer. Of course, Jem knows that one of them is the man for her – but is it Ralph or Smith?
Upstairs, Karl and Siobhan have been happily unmarried for fifteen years – until, that is, Cheri moves into the flat above theirs. Cheri’s got her eye on Karl and doesn’t see why she should let a little thing like his girlfriend stand in her way …
Sooner or later its all got to come to a head – and what better place for tears and laughter, break ups and make ups than Ralph’s party?
The first one I thought of when thinking about this question was Ralph’s Party. A friend recommended this novel to me. This was the first of Lisa’s novels I read and it was the beginning of a life long love of her novels. I adore this book. It focuses on the five people living at 31 Almanac Road but the main story is about Ralph and Jem and their blossoming love story. These two characters were perfect in my opinion.
by Book Review: All The Things You Are by Clemency Burton-Hill
All The Things You Are by Clemency Burton Hill.
Headline Review, April 2014.
When New York journalist Natasha Bernstein loses her job and discovers her fiance has been keeping a dark secret, her world collapses. Turning to her family, she takes inspiration from her formidable grandmother Esther, who runs a community centre in downtown Manhattan. As she starts to rebuild her life, Natasha’s friendship with Rafi – the enigmatic architect working on Esther’s centre – restores her sense of wonder at the world and her faith in who she is. But when Rafi and Natasha take a trip to Jerusalem, they are plunged into a story far deeper than their own. Here, questions of family and loyalty mean more than life itself, and they must ask themselves what they are ultimately prepared to fight for. In a divided world, is it history or love that makes us who we are?
Natasha is a successful journalist but her life quickly seems to fall apart when she loses her job after taking a risk on a story. Around the same time, she finds out that her fiancé has been keeping a secret from her. In her time of crisis, she turns to her family, especially her inspirational grandmother, Esther who runs a community centre in downtown Manhattan.
Natasha tries to rebuild her life and so she begins to collaborate with her grandmother by agreeing to write her memoirs. Esther is a survivor of the holocaust. She is a strong and formidable character and I warmed to her straight away – I think because of how she was portrayed. It reminded me a bit of my own Nan and I liked that (although the two women don’t share the same history.) As a result of this, she was probably one of my favourite characters.
by Writing Room: It’s a Secret Writing Prompt
Tuesday 8th September 2015: Don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret….
Today’s prompt:
Your character is known to be a little bit of a gossip. After begging a friend for days to trust him/her with a big secret, your character accidentally tells the secret; blurting it out before he/she can stop themselves. It all starts to go wrong after that….
If you fancy sharing your story, feel free to post it in the comments below.
by Book Club
