Time for the second draft

To write a whole novel is an achievement in itself, so pat on the back for me. But that’s not the half of it. While I was on holiday I read the whole thing, from start to finish, for the first time since penning “The End” a few weeks back.

And I’m happy with the overall idea, but it still needs a whole lotta work, so here comes second draft time. A couple of buddies, one a fellow writer, have read it through too and now’s the time to cobble together all that feedback and get cracking on making is super duper. I also have a bonus reader whose feedback is coming shortly.

While it’s very easy to pick up on the old typos and sentences that don’t make sense – and there are a few of those – it’s harder to see the bigger picture. What I do know is that I need to do more showing rather than telling, add sub-character motivations – why are they in the book? – add more “rapist wit” and make my main character Ronnie a bit more likeable. At the moment I think she’s perhaps a tad unemotional and a bit arrogant. She’s no push over but it does need to hurt a bit more when guys kick her to the kerb.

And I also need to decide which city to set it in, am torn between two, as well as bring more of Ronnie’s background into the foreground. I also need to decide whether to spell a character’s name Millie or Milly. Sooo many inconsistencies to sweep up.

Oh, if you haven’t guessed I’m writing chick lit. I’ve read a lot of this genre over he last couple of months – all in the name of research, crime is more my bag – and my aim is to be a bit different. I’m not sure if I’ve quite succeeded in that in the first draft but the second will be better.

Every chick lit book I’ve read, without exception, has finished with a happy, loved up ending when the girl gets her guy. And you can usually tell which guy that’ll be from the first chapter. Predicatble, snore, snore. There’s no happy ending in my book. That’s not to say it’s a miserable ending either but I’ll say no more about it.

Also, upon my research, I haven’t found a book that really makes me laugh. Bridget Jones had me rocking in my seat and the only other book that made me chuckle because of the author’s blunt observation of world is 50 Ways To Find a Lover by Lucy Ann Holmes. So I want to make my readers (if I ever have the pleasure of getting any, it’s a way off yet) laugh out loud. Now, I’m no comedienne so this will need work on my part but you can’t beat a good belly-rumbling laugh, the kind that makes your ribs sore, and that’s what I want to achieve.

Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me, eh? Second draft here I come…

The end?

On Friday I had the great pleasure of writing “The End” after penning, or rather typing, almost 80,00 words of my first novel. I can’t tell you how pleasing it was to write those two words. I’ve written a whole book!

But it isn’t really the end, that much I do know. This is really just the beginning. While writing the book was in fact easier than trying to print it off on both sides of A4 paper and in order – an intelligence test I almost failed – I know there is plenty more hard work to come.

My friend and I will be reading my book while holidaying in Spain – with a critical eye – and another writing buddy has it on her bedside table while I’m away. Once I’ve collected enough feedback it will be onto draft number two and no doubt some radical changes, there’s a lot of work to be done. For example, I’m pretty sure my main character – her name is Ronnie – is aged 27 at the start of the book and after only a year has her 29th birthday. Now that’s just not possible.

Despite knowing I have a long way to go before my book’s ready to send out to agents, I am semi-fulfilled in the knowledge I’ve written a whole novel and that, having printed it out, finally, I can hold it in my hands with pride. It’s a good feeling.

The aim is to get my second draft and then a third and final draft done by October and then start pitching. Fingers crossed someone will take the bait.

What do David Cameron, Cherie Blair and a writers’ retreat in the Cotswolds have in common? Me!

Okay peoples, it’s been a manic week or so. So, should you care, here’s where I’m at:

Writers’ retreat

Me and three writer buddies spent the Bank Holiday weekend holed up in a cute cottage in the Cotswolds, a friendly mouse included, so we could crack on with our books. We’re all writing novels (two of them are on their second, the show offs) and genres include urban teenage fiction, sci-fi for teens, chick lit and literary fiction with an element of erotica. All good stuff. We critiqued each others’ work over a pub lunch, swapped ideas and spent much of the weekend glued to our laptops, save for lunches in the sunshine and a walk to the local pub. Brilliant. Feel totally inspired and motivated to get the first draft of my book finished by the end of June. And then a chosen few can read it. Writing a book tends to play havoc with my sleeping patterns so just to warn everyone, I am likely to be very tired from now until July.

David Cameron

I’d not long got back from my writers’ retreat on the Bank Holiday Monday and made the mistake of checking my work email. Actually, it’s a good job I did ‘cos I ended up going into the office at 7pm to fiddle with some stuff. Why? ‘Cos Tory Leader David Cameron came into work on Tuesday morning to deliver a keynote speech – not only a great honour to host the potential new Prime Minister but also a chance to showcase The Open University’s use of social media, in particular the website I co-edit, Platform. It was a manic but fulfillng day and you can read all about it here or check out my student blog here.

Cherie Blair

I barely know what day of the week it is, thanks to the Bank Holiday which has thrown me out of sync. But on Friday I will be heading to London, no, not to buy Heat magazine, but to interview Cherie Blair, AKA Cherie Booth QC. This means I will have done the Blair double as I interviewed el Tonio back in 2001 when he was Prime Minister and delivering a speech in the Shropshire town of Newport, where I was chief reporter. All good stuff.

Other stuff

Other stuff to note is that my gruelling fitness campaign has been forced to take a back seat because life has gotten in the way. This will get back on track after the weekend and my attempt to run the Race for Life on Saturday – please sponsor me!

A literary boost

Okay, so I went to a literary masterclass at the London Book Fair on Saturday with two of my writer buddies, and it’s possibly given me the kick I needed to get on and spend some quality time with the laptop. And get my damn book finished, the first draft anyway.

The panel consisted of publishing gods Bill Swainson and Simon Trewin and authors Lola Jaye, Gareth Sibson and Kate Mosse, who each handed out their own shreds of  invaluable advice. It was mostly a question and answers session really but I was a little uncomfortable by some of the things pouring out of wannabe authors’ mouths. For example:

• I’ve written a book for a niche market. Should I approach a large or small publisher. Which niche market? Give the guys a clue.
• How many books do you have to sell to break even? How many grains of sand are there on a beach?

And, when we were specifically instructed to keep questions succinct and to the point so we could get more out of the two-hour session…

• I’d just like to take the time to thank the panel for giving up their time on a Saturday morning to help us. Just ask your damn question..
• I’ve had many manuscripts sent back without being read, is this bumble bumble bumble, manuscripts over the years, normal practice, bumble bumble, is that always the case? I repeat, just ask the damn question.

And then when there’s time for one final question a woman waves her hand vigourously in front of me..

• Erm, well, basically i’d like to ask the same question as the man before me (buy phrased differently). Give me strength.

Apart from the dogy questions it was nice to see what my fellow writers looked like. What does a writer/potential author wear, we asked ourselves as we headed to the Earls Court Conference Centre. Pretty much anything goes, it seems. Interesting to note was that the large majority of the 500-strong audience was female and most were over 50.

Anyway, what did I take away from this session? Here are the best bits summarised:

• Passion and enthusiasm for your writing are key
• Always remain optimistic but not unrealistic
• It takes time, be prepared to put in the elbow grease
• Do your research
• Writing for five minutes a day is better than not writing at all. The more you write the better you’ll get so don’t put it off if you think you don’t have time
• Just because you read one genre doesn’t mean you can write that genre. Stick with what you write best, don’t force it
• Keep submission letters short
• Learn from your rejection letters

Common sense stuff really, don’t you think? Anyway, I found it useful and inspiring and the boozy lunch we had in South Kensington afterwards was perfect for literary brainstorming with my writer buddies, one of whom has already bagged herself an agent. Lucky cow. And out literary convos have possibly conjured up an ending to my book. Hoorah!

So, action points from Saturday’s sesh are:

• Dedicate more time to writing, even if it’s in short bursts
• Find somewhere cool and comfy to go and write, too many distractions at home
• Organise a writers’ retreat for me and three girl pals in an isolated cottage somewhere pretty
• Order more books to read for inspiration and research
• Research potential agents interested in my genre of writing – contemporary women’s literature, AKA chick lit

Where’s my mojo?

I think I’ve lost my writing mojo, has anyone seen it? I’ve really lost momentum on this novel I’m meant to be knocking out and can’t see the wood for the trees.

My aim is to produce a first draft by the summer so I can spend time in the sun editing, re-editing and getting friends to proof read the flaming thing. So, I’ve been avoiding going  back and tweaking, concentrating on getting the story written. But over the weekend I started to read some of it, from the beginning, and my heart sank. It was a bit pants.

I’ve made quite a few changes to it now and feel a bit better but the enjoyment I get from writing is starting to slowly seep away and the pressure is starting to smother me.

Add to that the fact I’m quite behind – and a bit bored of – my writing course, I feel like giving up. I won’t, of course, ‘cos I ain’t no quitter, and I am determined to put all this material I’ve gleaned over the years to good use, namely a £ multi-million book deal. Yeah, right.

Anyhoo, on Saturday I will be attending a literary masterclass in the big smoke and I’m hoping this will re-inspire me to write my socks off. I’m 33,000 words in now and there’s a lot more to be done. A brainstorming session with a couple of mates on Monday didn’t help much either, save for coming up with a sexy golfing character called Woody. Hmmm.

I always find London inspiring anyway, in a smoggy kinda way. I think it would strangle me if I were to live there but regular trips make me realise there’s a whole world of opportunity out there.

That said, and I digress a little here, my night out in Holborn on Saturday did little to inspire me, more rob me of my faculties and ability to stand up straight. Actually, that could have been the copious amounts of wine I consumed, but needless to say Sunday was spent in regret… and mostly in the toilet. I woke up at 10am on my mate’s sofa, still wearing last night’s going out clothes and I didn’t take them off until 6pm on Sunday when I finally felt well enough to stand up straight and have a shower. Eurgh.

So, back to the writing… a trip to the London Book Fair event, and the end of my writing course in early May, should spur me on a bit. While my course is teaching me new things about writing it’s also suffocating my creative juices and I’m in desperate need of rehydration. There’s only so much juice to go round and I want to save it for my book. I also want to pass my my final assignment but that might have to be a skin of the teeth job.

Wish me luck people…

The “write” career move?

Happy Monday folks! Apologies, I feel I’ve been neglecting this blog a little of late and posting pretty crappy content, but I’ve had my reasons. Apart from writing at work (it’s what I’m paid to do so I kinda have no choice there) I’ve been investing my spare time in writing…writing a book. Eek.

I’ve wanted to write a book for yonks, in fact I’ve started but not finished on many occasions. When I was clearing out files on my old PC over Christmas I came across something I’d started writing five years ago. I read it, having little memory of what it was all about and I thought: “You know, Robyn, this ain’t half bad.”

Writing is difficult and re-reading your own stuff over and over tends to mean you can’t see the wood for the trees. So skimming my own prose five whole years after writing it made me realise I can write and, actually, it was pretty funny stuff.

So, this year I enrolled on a Start Writing Course with The Open University to spur me on. In fact, what I write best isn’t actually fiction as such, more like real life stories and experiences gelled together, so this course will hopefully encourage me to focus on characterisation, plot and feed me some good writing tips.

Us journos write fact, fact, fact so it’s a bit hard to jump into fiction and knock out an award winning novel just like that. My friend Rhubarb Ruby has done just that though; I’m proud and jealous of her at the same time as her book is sitting in the laps of no less than three agents as we speak. Nice one.

So, I am 25,000 words into the first draft of my booksy and have another 50,000 to go I reckon. I’m not gonna tell you more than that, the rest’s a secret. Who knows if the finished product will even get read by anyone other that my journo/media mates but I have to at least give it a try.

So watch this space folks, will this be the next “write” move on my career ladder? Here’s hoping!