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Saturday 22 February 2014

FREE this weekend!

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned, the sun is out! Clear blue skies here - a rarity for sure.


To celebrate the joyous occasion (well, perhaps it was coincidence - but hey) I am offering my collection of short stories "Love Potion" for FREE this weekend.

Find it HERE

I would love it if you downloaded it (of course) and would love it even more if anyone felt like reviewing it! 

All support gratefully received :)

Have a fabulous weekend all! 

Tuesday 11 February 2014

No more procrastination

This is it folks! I have the gear...



I WILL fill that cork board.

It's very exciting to be beginning 'The Novel' by actually putting words onto paper - rather than have them whizzing around in my head. I read with interest this morning a great blog post by Carol Hedges, you can read it here, which spurred me on to the next stage! So, thank you Carol, you have helped me get to 'sketching.' 

And sketch I have done. I have quite detailed sketching, as this is how I roll. But it has enabled me to begin to 'live' the characters lives a bit today and make them more three dimensional.  I also have an opening scene and although I have a feeling this may need to change at a later date, I feel more positive having made a start.

If I'm honest, I only have a vague idea of an ending, which is bothering me a bit. I have read many, many different viewpoints on this, some saying you must know the ending. However, I know my story  is a complicated one, and I think that as I write and get further into the process, the ending will become evident. I hope!

There is research to be done. But for now I think that if I begin that, it will take me away from my current progress. I am pretty sure I can get a fair way without in-depth research as yet because I can use my own knowledge for a chunk of it. 

So, no excuses now. Are there?


Sunday 2 February 2014

My New Writing Place

I have been doing a lot of 'messing about' in my house, moving stuff around, then moving it back, dragging the table from room to room, re-piling my books and magazines from one corner to the other. That sort of thing. 

Just where is the best place to sit and write for hours and hours? I had been in the kitchen/diner, but found I was getting way too cold with inactivity and the radiator in there just didn't quite cut it.

So, in to the lounge - sat on top of the radiator. However, this is also right in front of the window, and although that is good for those 'I'm lost' moments where I can gaze longingly outside for inspiration - the neighbours were beginning to give me funny looks.






During the many moves, I had also been thinking about how I work. I read with interest Wendy's blog about using Scrivener - I had downloaded a trial a while ago, so thought I should give it another look. 


But, no. I think I am more of a physical writer. I like the snippets from newspapers, articles and magazines. I enjoy cutting things out and moving them around on the table (or floor) and filing things away in folders. I have come to the conclusion that using software would take away the fun for me. 


So, off I went to purchase cork board, pins, string and index cards. Yes. That felt better. Now I have a blank cork board positioned above the table (well, apart from the working title of my novel). I can still see the window and peek outside, I am near the radiator, but the neighbours can no longer see me. Perfect.

Now all I have to do is use the cork board. I am envisaging being a bit like Ryan Hardy from The Following - his boards are fab - I only have the one at the moment! 

That will do for starters. Here is my new place...
Now, to fill that cork board! :)