WIP it up!

Well, the WIP is, indeed, in P! 

At the weekend, I decided that it was hard-going (for me, anyway - I think I have a very low boredom-threshold) and decided to spice it up a bit.  Well, quite a lot, really.

You can read about my decision on my other blog here if you want to, or you can just keep on reading right here!

My ongoing struggle is with concentration.  I don't know whether it's just that I'm already worn out from my day-job before I even start on the writing most days, whether it's hormonal (time of life, sigh!) or something more sinister (yikes!)  I'm actually going to see my doctor tomorrow as it's having an impact on my writing, let alone on my conversation!  Mind you, I'm not alone - I had dinner with a friend last Friday and at one point neither one of us could remember how we had got onto a subject and where it had come from or was meant to be going...  That's ok in a darkened Nando's over a bottle of wine, but not so great when part of your plot has upped and done a runner before you've had a chance to make a note of it!

Anyway, to cut to the chase (I think I can remember where I was going with this...) I have made my WIP a lighter read, something my oscillating mind can cope with - still with a similar story-line, but something I can dip in and out of and still know where it's meant to be heading.

I have a feeling that tomorrow the doc is going to tell me there's nothing she can do or give me, in which case I'll have to find another way of sharpening my mind.

Has anyone got any suggestions for alternative therapies, herbal remedies etc?  I'd be glad to know if you have!

Thanks for reading!

Some Like It Hot...

... And some don't, of course, which is why I have started a separate blog under my pen-name for my slightly friskier writing!

If you have nothing against a bit of erotica, please do follow me here!  If you don't, please don't stop following me as I'll be blogging here too as usual!

Thanks for stopping by - hope to see you on the other side!

The difference... (IWSG)

Yes, I've been feeling different.  I've realised that what people have been saying is true: that it's worth taking time over your novel, thinking about it, taking time out if necessary to get to know your characters and your plot... and that no writing is wasted writing or wasted time.

So, you're probably going - "Well, yes, duh!" - but although I knew it was true I couldn't feel it, didn't feel it was the right way for me.  I was in a constant frenzy of "Must get this done! No time to lose!" and felt like a complete failure when I stalled or, worse, gave up.

I'm 15,000 words into my novel and I know I've got to start again.  I've been writing 3 characters and jumping from one to the other and feel now that I'm losing the momentum and that it's bitty.  Usually, this would have been the point where I felt as though I was never going to succeed and would have been totally down on myself, full of self-loathing and would have abandoned the project. 

HOWEVER,

I DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT AT ALL!

Somehow, my psyche has accepted that it will be a long slog and that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.  I like this story, I like these characters, I have the location clear in my mind and all I have to do is work out the best way to tell the story.  And I will.

So, how are you doing?  Hope I'll find out on the IWSG bloghop.  You can see who's taking part over at Alex's blog here.

Well, not at the moment!

I want to share a secret with you!

I have totally, totally chilled out about writing.  Honest.  Last year I went through a lot of angst about fitting it into my life, lack of self-belief, being stuck in a writing rut etc etc and for the past few months I have really managed to get my head around it.

I had a novel I was afraid to start - but I now realise I couldn't start it because I didn't fully believe in it and didn't completely like my main character.  I took a break from trying and while I was lying in the sun the solution came to me.  The setting is the same, the characters are slightly different and so is the plot.  It needed a tweak, was all.  I'm 6,000+ words in now.  Progress is slow because I've got the 'fuzzy head' that affects women of a certain age (which seems to basically mean anywhere between 40 and 60!) and I have to work harder to pull my thoughts together, but if I do 200, 300, 400 words a day I'm happy.  More than that and I'm dancing!

I stopped trying to write shorts for women's magazines, although I'd had a lot of success initially.  My mind isn't in the right place and I needed to find other outlets.  I've had several stories accepted by Xcite Books and although it's not going to make me a famous millionaire, having stories accepted is as much of a thrill as writing them (ahem!)  Seeing a list of publications containing my stories on Amazon is a pleasure I have to keep on revisiting!  I think that little bit of cheeky success spurred me on to write my novel, actually.

Xcite are offering a free e-book on Kindle between the 8th and 12th September here. Beltane Fire is an historical collection which may or may not contain one of mine.  You'll never know! Ha!  If it's your sort of thing, why not grab a freebie?

My advice to anyone feeling insecure is to try and find a way to chill out about writing.  It's not that easy, but once you find that place in your head that blocks out doubt and desperation and just lets you enjoy it, everything becomes easier.

Enough from me!  I'm off to read your IWSG blogposts!  (This is a blog-hop - find the list here at Alex J Cavanaugh's blog.)

My First Meme!

I know I'm lagging behind everyone else (again probably) but I've been so confused about what a meme is!  My daughter tried to explain it to me, but I still didn't really get it.  I've looked it up on Wikipedia and I'm still not all that much the wiser, ho ho!  Oh well...

Anyway, I think I get the principle of the thing - it's something you pass on that mutates with other's take on it, their experiences, etc.  I think.

Annalisa Crawford's latest blogpost over at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep offers up this meme to anyone who wants to take part and as it's quite a simple one for meme-newbies like me, here we go!

The idea is to find the first instance of the word 'look' in your WIP and post the surrounding paragraph.  I had lots of 'looked's, as my WIP is in the past tense, but I bypassed them and finally found a 'look':

The folded hands wavered and rose.  In spite of her bravado, Anna braced herself, but instead of coming her way they settled over her mum’s face as she sank heavily into the chair opposite.

“I don’t know what to do with you.  I just don’t.”  The hands flopped into her lap to reveal a look of such pathetic helplessness that Anna had to stifle an urge to spring across the room and scratch her eyes out.

“Leave me alone.”  Anna pulled her knees up, uncaring that her trainers were on the much-prized new upholstery.  “That’s what you can do.”

“Anna…” her mum heaved a sigh and wiped what might or might not have been a tear from beneath her right eye.  Anna rolled her eyes and hoped fervently that she wasn’t going to turn on the waterworks.  No matter what, that woman could turn every situation round to make it about herself.  And this was about Anna: Anna who was quite old enough to know when she’d broken the law and could decide perfectly well for herself whether or not to care.

 

I don't want to put anyone on the spot by tagging them - but please consider yourself tagged and take part if you want to!  Leave me a comment and let me know if you're taking part so I can make sure I check it out!

 

 

 

Look away now if it's Not Your Thing!

Not everyone likes erotica - and I'm talking proper erotica, not your 'top of the bestseller list' erotica - but if you do, please check out this collection! 

Xcite Books have just become available for Kindle and Cougar and Kitten will be available as a free download between the 17th and 21st August.  If you've read this far... go on, treat yourself to a titillating freebie! 

THAT BOOK...

Has anyone not read it?  I mean, of course, Fifty Shades of Grey.  I've just come back from Zakynthos where just about everyone on the beach seemed to have a copy - including the Greeks - and I can't believe how many conversations I overheard about it!  I have to say, a LOT of people seemed to be really enjoying it.

I felt compelled to read it - considering it my duty as a writer - and now I feel compelled to give my take on it...

As many others have said, it doesn't need to be 3 books long - there is a lot of waffle and repetition.  I was itching to get out my red pen and give it a good editing!  The hub of the plot, I thought, came along a bit too late and peaked after I'd already lost interest.  The sex... I don't know.  I didn't get turned on by it.  It was very 'samey', with the same terminology used and Ana seemed to be able to come to order... What a lucky girl!

I'm worried that so many women now seem to be in love with 'Mr Grey' as I couldn't really take to him at all, even with the (endless) references to him as a troubled little boy and his unbelievable sexual prowess.  I thought he was frighteningly controlling and I could only wish Ana good luck.  I don't think that marriage will last!

HOWEVER, it probably wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting.  I quite enjoyed the first book and half of the second - and I'm sure I'd have enjoyed the third if I hadn't started to get so sick of the characters.  I managed to like Ana to start with, but I went off her.  She veered between being pathetically wimpy and stupidly head-strong.  I'd also lost interest by then because I was getting bored with the repetitive sex.  I'm a very critical reader as well - I can't deny it - and was also reading it with a slightly envious writer's eye.

If I was E L James, I'd be absolutely thrilled at its success but rather mortified at the un-edited state it went out in.  I am honestly amazed that the professional editors who must have worked on it let so much slip by - words and phrases repeated in the same paragraph and sometimes the same sentence.  Not good!  Also, the cover makes it look a lot more of an intelligent read than it is!

So, basically, reading it is an experience.  I wouldn't describe it as very erotic (unless you never read or write any erotica in which case I'm sure it hits the spot) but I imagine it has distracted and cheered up a lot of readers this summer, which can only be a good thing.

That's just my opinion.  Have you read it?