Oops, I'm doing it again...

A few months ago, I was more than half way through writing a historical romance set in 1880s France, which I must say I was rather happy with, when I started getting ideas for another, entirely different, story. I was naive and arrogant enough to think I could successfully carry on writing both at the same time even if they had vastly different storylines, settings, periods and sets of characters. I really believed I could bring both to completion. It didn’t work, of course. After a couple of weeks, I completely abandoned the first novel but managed to complete the other. The first story has now been ‘in storage’ for so long I lost the thread, the relationship with the characters and the inclination to finish it. I still believe in it though and keep promising myself that I will. One day.

I have since started a contemporary romance set in Scotland with what I believed were strong, likeable characters, a good plot and enough twists and turns to keep me interested (!). It was going quite well, or so I thought, when out of the blue it happened again. Images and characters from another place and another time started to haunt me. Lines of dialogues popped into my mind all the time. When I woke up one morning with the perfect title for the new story, I knew I just had to start writing.

Only this time, I really don’t want to give up the first story because I know that if I leave it too long, I will lose my connection with it too and it will never get finished.

So what should I do? Is it possible to write two different novels at the same time? How do you do it? Write a little of each every day or on alternate days or weeks? How do I keep everything fresh, exciting and alive in my head? Any suggestions gratefully received.

The joys and pains of self-editing

Last week-end, I started self-editing the first draft of the historical romance I completed at Christmas 'The Lion's Embrace'. I can't actually believe I managed to leave it alone for so long. I have spent the last three days 'travelling' between Algiers and Tamanrasset, oblivious to anything and anybody around me.

So what are the joys of self-editing?

First and foremost, it is falling in love with my hero all over again. I know this might sound strange (and probably a little silly). After all, I practically lived with the man for five months - the time it took to complete the first draft. How can I have forgotten about him after a few weeks only?
Then there is the pleasure of reading a description, a piece of dialogue, a phrase even, which I actually find quite good! Being French and writing in English, I often agonise about chosing the right words, avoiding grammatical mistakes or just writing something which 'sounds' English and which a real English person would say. So when I come across a nicely turned out sentence, I feel very happy indeed.
Another joy of self-editing is 'pruning' the text. I find cutting out unecessary words immensely satisfying: adverbs, 'but' 'and', 'suddenly', 'that', dialogue tags, repetitions, punctuation. I have a tendency to use adverbs, they seem to sneak into the text without my noticing. Same thing for exclamation marks!!! and these little things here ...

Now for the pains.

The biggest one of course is to realise that an aspect of the plot doesn't quite work, or that a sub-plot has taken over the main storyline.

Another is to see the hero or heroin act out of character or develop a completely new flaw or quality half way through the story.

I am guilty of all these. Hopefully I will manage to eradicate some of my mistakes and improve the story. 

Here is a bit of news.

My soon to be publisher, Muse it Up Publishing, is holding a competition. There are books to be won!
To enter and have fun, click on the link!
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92&Itemid=82

Broken New Year's Resolutions... already!

I was so determined to get it right this time but I have already broken a few of my resolutions for the New Year and we’re only two weeks into 2012.

My first resolution to be broken, despite my best intentions, was to blog once a week. As always I am full of admiration for of you who manage to write, research and edit your novels, as well as carry on with your ‘day job’ and look after your family, and still find time to write meaningful, entertaining and well researched blog entries. And I am not even mentioning facebook or twitter!  

The second resolution I’ve already thrown out of the window was to be more of a ‘plotter’ and less of a ‘pantser’. To take more time to develop my characters, research background details, settings and storyline and to plan ahead instead of rushing through a story and making it up as I go along. I started a new story a few weeks ago (which sprung into my mind when I spotted a bright pink car at a traffic light whilst driving my son to his rugby practice) and I am steaming ahead as if I had to get it finished and hand it in by the end of the month. The problem is that the plot seems to change on a daily basis, which is becoming exhausting! Even if I don't think I could ever plot a story from beginning to end before even starting writing, I need to remind myself to pause, take the time to think and plan more. 

The last broken New Year’s resolution has got nothing to do with writing and everything to do with not eating chocolate and cakes!

At least I’ve managed to keep to one of my resolutions, which was to be more patient. At the end of December I finished the first draft of my second historical romance – ‘The Lion’s Embrace’ – and resolved to leave it ‘rest’ for a few weeks before tackling the rewriting and editing process. Well, it’s been two weeks and I haven’t gone back to it yet. 

Happy New Year!



Happy News! 'Angel Heart' is to be published.

I am delighted, over the moon, jumping with joy... all of these and more! 'Angel Heart' is to be published by Canadian e-publisher Muse It Up Publishing in September 2012 as part of their mainstream romance line. 

What a wonderful Christmas present...

I'm now looking forward to working with the editors, a completely new experience for me since 'Angel Heart' is my first novel. I really don't know what to expect and I'm a little nervous but very excited too.

Joyeux Noel!

Don't you just...?

Don’t you just love it when...

Ideas seem to spring into your mind from nowhere and problems in the plot or the characterisation get solved without you having to work hard at it?

You find a great song or a piece of music which helps you bring characters or feelings to life?This becomes the only music you listen to when writing your story (and who cares if everybody at home moan and complain that they are really bored with it?)

You can see your characters as clearly as if they were standing in front of you? They have the power to make you happy or sad (yes, really!). You even talk about your hero or heroin as if they were real people, friends ask you for the latest news and you don’t even notice that they are joking. 

Your characters start talking to one another and all you have to do is jot down what they are saying? They take a life of their own and force you into a completely new direction.

Breathless, blushing and feeling rather pleased with yourself, you put the last touches to what is surely the best, the ‘hottest’ love scene of the story? You never knew you had it in you to be so inventive.

Don’t you just hate it when...

You read your manuscript for the hundredth time after a few weeks or months and you find embarrassing errors or clumsy sentences or things you now wish you'd never written? This is particularly bad if you have already sent it to a publisher or an agent, because a few weeks or months ago it seemed so perfect you just couldn’t wait a minute longer to share it with the world!

You saved some fantastic new work on a stick or on the hard drive of your computer and you forget in which file you saved it in and you spend hours trying to find it? And when you finally find it, it wasn’t so great after all.

You re-read the ‘hot’ scene which you were so proud of when you typed it up last night and think, ‘Oh my God, did I really write that? What will my boss, neighbour, my children’s teacher or the butcher take me for?’ (That’s if they ever read the story, of course).

A great new novel has just come out featuring a plot, setting or character you KNOW you had thought of FIRST, that you had practically invented and believed to be unique. How dare the author have the same ideas as you (and get her / his book published when you are still languishing in the aspiring writer's world)?

However...

This lovely picture of a rose made me think of ‘Mon amie la rose’ (My friend the rose), a beautiful but very sad song Françoise Hardy sang in the 1960s. Here are the words with the  (English translation below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQGNpRnFNgM

Mon amie la rose

My friend the rose, a beautiful song Françoise Hardy used to sing in the 1960s.

On est bien peu de chose

Et mon amie la rose

Me l'a dit ce matin

A l'aurore je suis née

Baptisée de rosée

Je me suis épanouie

Heureuse et amoureuse

Aux rayons du soleil

Me suis fermée la nuit

Me suis réveillée vieille

Pourtant j'étais très belle

Oui j'étais la plus belle

Des fleurs de ton jardin

On est bien peu de chose

Et mon amie la rose

Me l'a dit ce matin

Vois le dieu qui m'a faite

Me fait courber la tête

Et je sens que je tombe

Et je sens que je tombe

Mon cœur est presque nu

J'ai le pied dans la tombe

Déjà je ne suis plus

Tu m'admirais hier

Et je serai poussière

Pour toujours demain.

On est bien peu de chose

Et mon amie la rose

Est morte ce matin

La lune cette nuit

A veillé mon amie

Moi en rêve j'ai vu

Eblouissante et nue

Son âme qui dansait

Bien au-delà des nues

Et qui me souriait

Crois celui qui peut croire

Moi, j'ai besoin d'espoir

Sinon je ne suis rien

Ou bien si peu de chose

C'est mon amie la rose

Qui l'a dit hier matin

And now for the English translation...

We are truly insignificant
And that's what my friend the rose
Told me this morning
I was born at dawn
Baptised in dew
I blossomed
In the rays of the sun
Happy and in love
I closed my petals at night
And when I awoke I was old.

Yet I had been beautiful
Yes, I was the most beautiful
Of all the flowers in your garden

See, the God that made me
Now makes me bow my head
And I feel I'm falling
And I feel I'm falling
My heart is almost bare
A foot in the grave
Already, I am nothing
Only yesterday you admired me
And I shall be dust
Forever, tomorrow

We are truly nothing
And my friend the rose
Died this morning

Last night the moon
Kept vigil over my friend
And in a dream I saw
Her soul, dancing
Dazzling and naked,
Above the heavens,
Smiling on me.
Let those who can, believe,
But I need Hope
Or else I am nothing.

Hope, determination and happiness...

After much writing, re-writing and agonising, I have entered Chapter One of my new historical romance 'The Lion's Embrace' in the the New Voices competition. Here is a short overview of the plot.

Algiers 1845 - Harriet Montague desperately needs Lucas Saintclair to help her rescue her father, an archaeologist who has been captured by Tuaregs in the Sahara. Determined, brave and unconventional, Harriet may be unlike any woman Saintclair has encountered before but there’s no way he will risk her life, and his, to take her to Tamanarasset. That is until she makes him an offer he can’t refuse.

The competition closes on 10th October. There are already 400 entries... Chances are slim, almost non-existent, and yet I thrive on the hope that may be, just may be something good will come out of it.... Why do I do this and put myself through this? Am I mad, or deluded like some people very close to me believe? Yes, I am probably both.  But most of all, I love my story, my characters and the setting of the Hoggar mountains in Southern Algeria just makes me dream...  And most days, it's enough to make me very, very happy!

Take a look at the entries (not just mine!) at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/
'The Lion's Embrace' is a historical romance.

 

An (aspiring) writer's guilt

I feel guilty because …

I didn’t write enough today and went for a walk with the kids.

I spent most of yesterday on the computer typing away, ignoring the children or pretending to listen to their stories, and making a great fuss about their drawings or papier maché sculptures without really looking at them.

Sometimes I don't really listen to people. I smile, but my head is full of others stuff, you know, important things like 'Should she have her tantrum now? Should he kiss her now or later? And what about that treasure map hidden in the palace?'

I spent too long looking at my favourite fashion websites instead of getting that chapter written.

I fudged some of the research in my story, because it was easier that way. If the journey takes a few days less than it should, if that particular event happened a few years later, surely it won't matter too much. Will it?

I haven’t talked to my friends in a long time. They must think I’d rather live in a fantasy of my own making than in the real world.

I went mad and bought far too many books in that great second hand bookshop in Southport on Monday, but it's all for research, of course.

I spent hours looking at maps, studying fascinating but totally irrelevant treatises and copying beautiful old poems. All of which I don’t think I’ll ever use.

I was so taken by a twist in my plot that I forgot all about the pork steaks under the grill and we all had to eat really tough meat tonight. So tough my little girl lost another of her milk teeth. That makes four teeth in two weeks.

Because I …

Any more guilt?