Tag: writing tips

Writing Convincing Characters

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I used to feel extremely daunted by the prospect of character creation. Making up a number of well-rounded individuals with realistic traits that can all be recognised for their differences as the story progresses is no mean feat!

One writing class I took a few years ago enlightened me to what I believe is the key to writing great characters: Conflict.

By conflict, I don’t mean that all your characters have to be rowing constantly, or that the only good books are set in the middle of a warzone. Conflict in a piece of writing can be far more subtle. To equate it to something more relatable, my tutor at the time liked to give examples of food analogies. So, consider the conflict of caramel and salt. They’re both great flavours in their own right, but put them together and it makes for an unexpectedly enhanced taste experience! That’s how you subtly but effectively build a believable bunch of conflicting (and often conflicted) characters.

To delve into this a little deeper, I’m going to discuss a few of the characters from my latest book, The Suffering, so I have to add in a spoiler alert! If you want to read The Suffering but haven’t yet got around to it, you may want to click out now! It’s available at Amazon in both Kindle Unlimited and standard Kindle format, as well as paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other international online retailers including Saxo and Takealot if you are interested in choosing The Suffering as your next read.

Cassie

When I’ve been reading the book’s reviews, I’m amused to hear how some people love Cassie…while others don’t like her at all. Instead of feeling an internal rage for my ‘book child’ and jumping to her defence, this is exactly what I hoped would happen. From one of the first introductory scenes for Cassie, it’s made clear that she is a ‘Marmite’ type of girl, and it’s explained that she finds it particularly difficult to gel with most other women. She’s strong-willed and a little self-absorbed, and is quick to think the worst of others (before they think the worst of her!).

Martin & Tad

I had fun with a brief scene where Cassie’s best friend, Martin, is chastised by Tad. Tad is a dark and brooding type, who is also extremely handsome. Cassie and the other housemates don’t even notice Tad’s looks anymore, but Martin is painfully intimidated by him. As an environmental engineer, Tad takes the plight of the planet seriously, and isn’t impressed that Martin has brought take-away coffee cups into the house. It’s a silly, inconsequential kind of conflict, but I had fun with the contrast between Cassie not giving a damn what Tad thinks and Martin literally withering under his stare!

Pete, Gaia, and Jonah

Pete and Gaia have been dating for years, but Pete has always been jealous of the friendship Gaia has with Jonah. Pete is quiet and contemplative by nature, while Jonah is brash and loud. Jonah’s ability to make Gaia laugh is one of the main problems Pete has with him. The complete juxtaposition of personality types between the two boys was fun to write. As the ghostly oppression in the house builds, the strain on Pete and Gaia’s relationship grows, sending Gaia inevitably into Jonah’s open arms.

An excerpt from The Suffering

I picked these 3 examples because they hit on the main types of conflict you can use in your stories to build tension and create more believable characters as you world build.

  1. The ‘difficult’ character. Although Cassie can be a handful, and will push people away before they get the chance to hurt her, she also has plenty of redeeming character traits that complement her personality type. She’s tough and headstrong, and the other characters know where they stand with her. Her background gives insight into the reasons why she may have had to build a tough exterior. It works well to drop little breadcrumbs throughout the story, letting the reader gradually get to know them as the story progresses, instead of explaining everything in the first few chapters.
  2. The comic relief. These types of brief interactions are pretty easy to work into the narrative, but they can be extremely effective in giving the reader more of a sense of each character and the role they play. Martin is vulnerable here, abashed as he is by Tad. Poor Martin is soon to meet a sticky end in the story, and this scene helps to build sympathy for him. It’s only a couple of lines about a coffee cup, but it helps to establish Tad’s moral standing, Martin’s inhibitions, and Cassie’s indifference.
  3. The romantic conflict. Be it an arguing couple, a love triangle, or an unrequited adoration, romantic conflict can always add a little flair to your character’s worlds. However the situation may end, the tension between the characters can be exciting to explore, and fun for the reader as the story unravels.

Of course, the main conflict in the book comes from the 5 monstrous ghosts attacking each of the students, but that’s not the type of conflict I want to discuss here. There are 2 main definitions of conflict in the dictionary:

1, Noun. A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.

2, Verb. To be incompatible or at a variance; clash.

Oxford Languages

When writing convincing characters in their domestic settings, focus on the second definition. What are some small clashes or conflicts that you can sprinkle into your chapters as you build your characters? And when I say ‘domestic setting’, this is just referring to your characters’ day-to-day lives. Whether that’s trudging to and from school or work, or navigating to a distant planet in a futuristic rocket ship, mundane conflicts can make all the difference.

Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvellous.

Bill Moyers

From Rejection to Publication

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Scrolling back through my old blog posts, I stop at one and check the date. 18th February, 2022. Just over a year ago, now. The post is called “Reigniting the Spark”, and it laments the fact that I have struggled with motivation to write, particularly since finishing The Suffering and entered into the query phase. I’d been submitting queries for months at that point, and was disheartened to say the least.

A snippet from “Reigniting the Spark”

Although I felt bad that I hadn’t been writing anything new, I rationalised that it could be the universe’s way of telling me not to flit from project to project the way I usually did. To really see out the process and focus on getting The Suffering to as many agents and publishers as possible. And, boy, was I trying! As most of you who have gone through the querying phase know, it’s a bleak process. You submit with high hopes, silencing the voice of doubt by convincing yourself that you “have a good feeling about this one!” only for the inevitable rejection to come back a few weeks later.

When Wicked House Publishing opened its doors last year, I was pretty much at the end of my rope with The Suffering. Perhaps it wasn’t as good as I hoped it was. In fact, perhaps it was terrible! A book that nobody would ever want, and—worse—that nobody would ever get to read. I felt as though I must have been completely deluded when I closed my laptop after the final edit and declared with confidence, “I think this is pretty good!”

I remember when I saw the call-out for Wicked House submissions. It was a Sunday, and I was in the middle of a regular bout of burnout that made me stop to consider whether I could be bothered heading to my laptop to make the query attempt. I was feeling quite down-and-out, and more than a little hopeless about the whole thing. But, something made me haul my ass off the couch and spend the afternoon at the kitchen table, preparing my query and making sure my synopsis and opening chapters were as good as they’d ever been. I hit the submit button. By that point, I was way past “I have a good feeling about this one!” and instead prepared myself for rejection.

But it never came. A full manuscript request was sent instead. And, a few months later, an offer of publication.

Now, just over a year from posting a disheartened blog about fighting for motivation, I’m holding The Suffering in my hands. It’s being read around the world, and many of the reviews have been more positive than I could have ever dreamed.

Thank you to my lovely Mum for the champagne in celebration!

It would have been so easy for me to give up on The Suffering after receiving months of rejections. It’s hard, and if you’re experiencing something similar with your manuscript at the moment, I feel for you and send you virtual hugs and strength. Self-belief can only be sustained so long when multiple professionals in the business are telling you they don’t want your book. But here’s the proof that it only takes that one lucky shot. Never stop fighting for it. Haul your ass off the couch and make that submission!

Because one day it will be for the last time. And for all the right reasons.

Why You Should Never Listen to the Doubters

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With a week to go until my debut novel, The Suffering, is unleashed into the world, I wanted to tell you a story from when I was about 19 years old. This was at a time when I was feeling a little lost after a turbulent few years in my life, but I knew one thing and one thing only: I was going to be writer. It was the only thing I wanted to do.

I had no aspirations to be a doctor or a teacher. While my classmates were taking language classes so they could bag their dream roles in the tourism industry, perfecting tints and perms in beauty school, spending weekends at cadets to give themselves the right tools for a career in the army, or volunteering in a local lab while they worked through their science credentials, I was shut up in my room scribbling plots and character profiles.

I was close with my then-boyfriend’s mother, who was into new-age practices and spiritual awareness. One Saturday, she took me on a day out to a spiritual convention in Manchester. The day itself was a lot of fun, strolling from stall to stall. I browsed rows of glistening coloured crystals and listened to the whistle of a wand whizzing around the rim of a metal bowl. I was sprayed with various aromatherapy scents and advised which angel I should try and link to (Sandalphon – I even remember that today, for some reason, not that he and I have ever been in touch of course!)

We closed off the day with a psychic reading from a woman I was assured was “amazing” and “always right”. There was no crystal ball or velvet-covered table scattered with tarot cards. There was just a middle-aged, blonde-haired woman, smiling pleasantly as she took my twenty pounds and asked me to sit down opposite her. The reading was pretty generic, I imagine. Vague talk of a man in a military uniform hanging around, and general observations about my personality type. At the end, she asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I enthusiastically told her my dream: I wanted to be a writer.

“A writer?” she said, looking thoughtful for a moment. “No. I just don’t see that for you”.

I thanked her and went on my way but inside I was crushed. Remember, I was only 19 and very impressionable at that time, so when someone told me they could see into the future, I believed them. I remember going home and sitting in the bath crying my eyes out. My dream was pointless. The only thing I wanted to do with my life was never going to happen for me. It was devastating.

The thing is, I love writing. Even though I didn’t think it was in my stars to be a professional writer, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Yes, it knocked my confidence. Perhaps things would have moved a little faster if it weren’t for that set-back. I do believe that dashing people’s dreams in that way is cruel and irresponsible. I’m more sceptical now, of course, but I believed her wholeheartedly at the time. Perhaps, like some people often say to justify a mis-fired psychic reading, that was what I really needed to hear in order to make it happen for myself. Maybe the stubborn part of my brain needed a battle of wits. An, “oh, you don’t think I can do it? Well, let me prove you wrong!” Who knows?

All I do know is that in exactly 1 week from now, I’ll be a published author. When people shoot down your goal and make you doubt yourself, always remember that the future isn’t already written. You have the chance to make your dreams come true.

No matter what anybody else says.

Are Writing No-Nos Really as Bad as They Say?

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Recently, I was scrolling through an interesting thread on a bookish Facebook page. The OP had asked what tropes or events in a book would cause you to stop reading in frustration. The answers were pretty surprising.

It wasn’t necessarily the answers themselves that interested me, but the response to the answers. For every person naming a certain pet-peeve as a reader, there were multiple responses stating “Oh, I don’t mind that at all, but I really hate it when…”.

As a fairly neurotic writer, I opened the post comments wondering if I should read it at all. I was afraid that the first 5 responses would list 5 of the things that I most definitely used in my upcoming book, The Suffering, and that I would cringe and sweat and quiver inside a little, wondering whether everyone would instantly see me for the big fat writing fraud that my brain insists that I am. But the responses were immediately comforting.

It was great to see the sheer spectrum of loves in comparison to the personal grievances of the reading community, and for just as many readers to reply and state that a particular trope or writing “faux-pas” is something they actively seek in a book, and get pleasure from when they see it.

Because it’s impossible to please everyone. There is not a chance in hell that you can write a book or create a piece of art that everyone will enjoy. Pleasure is unequivocally, beautifully subjective.

Just for fun, here are some of the ‘hated’ tropes or writing mishaps that were listed, followed by some of the rebuttals (although they are in speech marks, they are summarized from the answers given and are not direct quotes):

  • Spelling mistakes or grammatical errors (naturally – we need to make sure there are as few as possible!). But here’s what a few of the readers said: “I find it kind of comforting when there’s a mistake in a book. It shows that the writer is human, too.”
  • Writing a character’s accent within the speech patterns. (And if you’re looking for an example of this, think about all the recent Benoit Blanc memes for reference!) For all those who listed this as a gripe, others said: “I love it when a character has an obvious accent, especially when it’s familiar to the area I’m from. If it’s done well, I can hear it in my head, and I instantly warm to the character.”
  • A main character who vehemently dislikes someone, only for them to end up falling in love a few chapters later. While a lot of readers agreed that this was annoying and unrealistic, there were plenty who disagreed. “This is my favourite kind of tension in a book! The ‘will they/won’t they’ keeps me turning the pages until I get a definitive answer, and I love it when they finally get together. I don’t care how many times I read it, the characters are always different, so it doesn’t matter to me.” While another said, “This is how I met my partner – I hated their guts. It always feels realistic to me. We’re married now!”
  • The baddy becomes the goody or the goody becomes the baddy. While some readers find the switch utterly frustrating, others couldn’t disagree more. “Character development is the best part of reading for me. I put this in the same category. If the character changes dramatically, I can only see it as a good thing.” Another mentioned that they had been a bit of a bully in school and managed to turn it around. Reading a bad character turn good always felt familiar to them, affirming their choice to make the switch all those years ago.
  • Writers going into detail about the food the character is eating. This one surprised me, as I’ve always enjoyed a good food description in a book, and find it really puts me in the scene (Richard Laymon’s hotdog descriptions in Funland and The Midnight Tour, anyone?!). And let’s not forget about Hemingway. This was one of the most divisive topics. You either love it or hate it. But, like all good foods, perhaps moderation is key to this bug-bear. As one reader stated, “If it went on for pages and pages of description then, absolutely. But I like to experience the food along with the character if it’s within reason.”
  • Characters referencing pop-culture such as real-life movies, or using social media apps like TikTok or Instagram. This one intrigued me as some of my characters (students in 2016) actively use social media apps in the story. I felt the same way as many of the people responding to the contrary – “We aren’t living in the 1950s. If it’s a contemporary book about young characters, chances are they spend a lot of time on their phones, so it adds to realistic world-building.”
  • Finally, one of the readers (who was also a writer, I’m assuming!) hated the question itself. Why? Because there is no one-size-fits-all way of writing, and so she found the question frustratingly irrelevant.

I guess my summary here is drawing the same conclusion, but unlike the final reader’s response, I’m glad the question was asked. It reminded me that even if you accidentally (or intentionally) include a reader’s most hated trope or writer mistake in your work, there WILL be another reader who appreciates it.

So the old adage that you should write the book that you always wanted to read really is true. If you like it, chances are there will be many more who feel the same way. And don’t be disheartened if you get bad feedback. Sometimes, the ones who don’t like what you do are the ones who shout loudest, or take the time to voice their opinions. In the background, there may be 10 more people for every 1 of the ones who don’t like it just quietly thinking how much they love what you do. Don’t fixate on that negative opinion because it looms largest.

As with all things, you just have to find your audience.

Resolutions for Writers (And How to Stick to Them!)

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Happy New Year my fellow geeks and ghouls.

This is a strange and exciting start to the new year for me as I’m currently preparing for the launch of The Suffering in February, so my goals and strategies for this year have shifted considerably compared to previous years. To kick off 2023, I wanted to share some of the things that worked for me and helped me to get to this crazy stage.

Plan Your Time

Use an online calendar tool or a good old-fashioned pen-and-paper chart to visibly block in your time and work out how you can squeeze your writing needs into your week. When you’re working a demanding job and have family commitments, this can be pretty daunting at first. But being able to see those small snippets of spare time can really help you to focus on making writing fit into your schedule each week.

  • Start with a list of categories depending on what stage you’re at in your writing process, and what you need to focus on above all else.
  • Break each category down into smaller sections and be realistic about timescales. Do you really need to start worrying about getting beta readers or an editor when you’ve still got half the book to write? Move tasks that can wait until a few months down the line into a separate list that you can revisit later in the year.
  • Make the timetable less daunting and easier to reference at-a-glance by using colours, stickers, or specific fonts to break up each task.

Explore What Works for You

Your writing process is completely unique to you, so the best tips even a bestselling writer could give you may not resonate at all with your style or personality. Don’t try to follow a list of things that work for someone else if they just don’t fit your needs. The best way to understand your own process is to reflect on the times you were most productive. If you’ve just started out, or can’t think of a time when you felt as though you had a good ‘flow’, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I work better when I have a variety of things to do, or do I work best when I focus on one task at a time?
  • Do I work better in a group so that I can bounce ideas off my peers, or am I better working alone until the writing is over?
  • Do I start writing and see where the characters take me, or do I like to plot the entire book before I start?
  • What is more engaging for me: the characters or the plot?

Questions like this can really help you to understand how your brain works, and what makes your writing tick. You may even be surprised by your answers, especially if you’ve been told there is only one way to write in the past.

Work through each question (and add a few more of your own!) and consider how to plan your writing time around your answers. For question one, my answer is changeable depending on what part of the process I’m at. Usually, I love having a number of things on the go in order to keep my excitement levels high and avoid getting stagnant. I check lists of short story sub calls (Authors Publish is a great one!), or pick a random writing exercise to keep up my inspiration levels. But, when I’m nearing the end of a project, or I’m in final edits, there’s no way I can work on anything else but the biggest task at hand. Your answers may be just as changeable, and that’s perfectly fine! Do what works for you at any given time.

For the question about character or plot, you may think, “That’s stupid. They’re both just as important.” And you’re absolutely right. But usually when you begin to write, it’s because you’ve been inspired by one or the other. Perhaps a brilliant character has popped into your mind and you can’t wait to write them down. In doing so, you unlock members of their family and friendship group, followed by their antagonist/s. That might lead you down the path of who the villains were in the past, and why they are the way they are. When you’re on a roll of discovering characters, you might not want to pull away from worldbuilding to plan out a specific plot for them. If you stop and think, “Wait, I need to actually work out what happens in the book, otherwise I’m going nowhere with this,” you may find your inspiration dries up completely. Finish getting out all you need to know about the characters, and then work on the plot. You don’t need to do it all at once. The most important thing is finding a way to work that keeps you interested and inspired to keep going each week.

Be Firm But Fair

This goes for the people around you, but also yourself.

  • If you live in a busy household and there’s no way of getting out to write, try to set a firm boundary around the hours or minutes that you schedule in to work on your writing. If you have young children or carer’s demands, etc, you might need to consider adjusting the time you get up in the morning, or trying to work later into the evening. This isn’t always healthy, so be sure you’re setting acceptable goals that won’t impact your health and wellbeing.
  • Acknowledge that some weeks just don’t work out. Life gets in the way of writing and that’s okay. Instead of beating yourself up and frantically scrabbling to get the time back the next week, simply re-set and start again, sticking to the scheduled plan. This will help you avoid burn-out and keep you motivated throughout the year.
  • Even ten minutes is better than nothing. Don’t obsessively count the minutes at your computer or your wordcount, just show up each week and the rest will follow.
  • An “unproductive” week might be anything but. By this, I mean that the time spent twiddling your thumbs and staring at a blank screen aren’t wasted moments. The ideas will come eventually, and by intentionally making the choice to work on your book, you’re setting the ball in motion for those eureka moments that will strike you when you least expect it.
  • Be extra kind during your writing time. Do you have a favourite coffee or tea? A type of sweet or another snack that you just can’t resist? Make it a part of your writing session. This works especially well if you have to fight to make the time to sit and write when you’re already pulled in a million directions and feeling exhausted from a day working hard at everything else life throws at us. Give yourself something to look forward to, and make it synonymous with your writing time.

In a nutshell, it pays to:

Be organised, be flexible, and be realistic.

Those are the main ways to see results as you start your new year of writing. But, above all, be kind to yourself.

Querying in the ‘Dead Month’

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Making mistakes is all part of the process. In every walk of life. And it’s just been brought to my attention that I started querying The Suffering at the worst possible time. In the world of literary agencies, August is dubbed “The Dead Month”. It’s a month where nothing gets picked up. Where the few foolhardy authors who don’t know about this are likely to immediately hit the deleted pile, where their hopeful submission will be lost in the ether.

I didn’t take this into consideration when I sent my query emails to my first three choices in August, but that’s how the chips have fallen. I was so happy to have finally finished the book, I didn’t even stop to consider whether the time of year might be a factor. Was that stupid? Is this something everyone knows, except me?! I mean, when you’re going through the process of writing a manuscript, there are so many industry secrets and hints to learn, some things get left by the wayside. This just happens to be a potential biggie.

But hey, you never know, perhaps one of the agents I submitted to likes to work in August, when it’s quiet? Perhaps it’s a benefit that every other writer except me knows not to query in August, because there’s bound to have been less competition, right? I’ll keep telling myself that to feel better about it.

Plus, I can console myself that perhaps my top choice agents would have loved my submission…if only I’d sent it during a month when they actively review queries. That if I hear nothing back from them it’s simply that it slipped through the August cracks, and isn’t a reflection on how successful The Suffering might be…

I’m smiling as I write this, because it is so typical of how things work out. And I’m constantly trying to put a positive spin on any negatives in the process and prevent my nagging brain from convincing me that this is a dumb endeavour that will get me nowhere. Because that’s not how we roll around here. We have to keep pushing to make our dream a reality.

When people say, “If you don’t believe in yourself, how will anyone else believe in you?” it makes me cringe inside because my internal monologue is a savage. It berates me on the regular, especially when it comes to writing. When we make these stupid mistakes that add extra fuel to the fire of the internal monster inside us, we have to find a way to shake it off and continue. So I’m laughing about it. I fucked up, potentially, but it’s okay.

There are plenty more submissions to come. And hey, it’s September now, you guys! This month, there’s a good chance someone’s actually gonna read it…

A More Organised Writer…?

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Did you guys make any writing related New Year’s Resolutions? We’re almost a month in to 2020, so how have you been getting on?

This year, I chose to focus on streamlining my writing process with a view to keeping my stress-levels low and my productivity high. So far, it seems to be working. I filled a diary with upcoming submission calls for short stories, and the two that stood out with deadlines at the end of January are almost complete. Having the diary has helped me to focus my attention on where it is needed, instead of constantly having ideas floating around my head without any order!

In between submission calls, I’m looking at working more methodically on my novels and full-length scripts. There are a couple of works that require some editing or plot-development before I can take them any further, so I’m blocking out time in between deadlines to work on those. When I have them mapped into my diary, I can forget all about them in the meantime, which is definitely preventing me from panicking or experiencing plot overload!

In terms of my horror novel, I am still plot mapping at the moment. I’ve drafted a few of the key chapters, but want to make sure I have the full structure worked out before I take it any further. I’ve been working to the Save the Cat plotting method which was developed by Blake Snyder, and found that his structure pretty much fit my basic plot plan for this particular work in progress. Having the template in front of me is helping me to focus my ideas and stick to the most important elements of the story. I was pleased to find that I was on the right track according to Snyders development plan, and so it was surprisingly positive to shift from being a complete pantser to a plotter! I’m going to book a solid week or two off work later in the year to finalise the finished draft. Knowing that I’ll have that time in a few months to worry about the finer details is helping me to take a steadier pace this time around. I am training myself to stop charging through the process, and I have to say I am enjoying the change of tack.

I hope that if you made any writing resolutions that they are working out well for you so far. If you did but haven’t been able to utilise them for whatever reason, I hope it’s given you a helpful insight into what may work for you in the future. If you hate making resolutions and already had a positive writing structure going for you, then long may it continue into 2020! And, finally, if you hate making resolutions but still don’t have a writing schedule that works for you, don’t give up on yourself. It will come in time.

Wishing all my fellow writers a positive and productive year ahead.

Making Time to Write

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It’s early in the new year and I’m right where I need to be. I’m sat at my kitchen table with my laptop open in front of me, notebooks and diary notes strewn around me. I’m in my happy place. It’s a Sunday and I have nothing to do but write.

That’s not to say that the day hasn’t been filled with other essentials. The bathroom and kitchen have been cleaned. There is a wash load turning in the dryer. I watched the final episode of Cheer in bed with a cup of coffee this morning because I just had to know if Navarro won the division championship before I could even think about writing a word. But that’s okay. Those were not wasted hours. Because now I can shake off the day, focus on my words, and breathe.

My plan today is a simple one. Write a blog post (hi there!), write a rough draft for entry into the Tales from the Moonlit Path ‘Love Gone Wrong’ horror short submission, and add to my chapter plan. It is three attainable, satisfying goals, and all three will set me up for the week on a stronger footing than I would be without them. My resolution for 2020 was geared around me maintaining productivity without becoming overwhelmed, and I’ve come to realise in the last two weeks that I am finally able to breathe. Metaphorically – and often literally – I hold my breath while I rush through the motions of being a writer. My brain races through ideas spanning ten chapters, while at the same time considering social media and blog posts, potential short story submissions, and query letters. And then I wonder why I fail to work to the best of my abilities.

January has been a much-needed huff of oxygen to my writing practice. I’m organised. I’m pacing myself. I am allowing myself space to breathe. I trust in my inactivity, just as I trust in my ability to write the damn novel. I just needed a little space to fill my lungs.

And now I’m right where I need to be. Writing.

New Year, New Writing Me…?

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Welcome to a new year, my writing friends. A new decade, to be exact. I already feel as though this will be a year of change. A change in practice. A change of habits. Renewed motivation and drive. I took a couple of months out to re-charge my batteries and shake off the technological burn-out I’d been experiencing. A hectic and challenging few months at my day-job had left me unable to enjoy time at the computer at home, and fighting to summon up the enthusiasm to post cheerful insta pics and remotely positive blog posts.

A break has done me good, I’m happy to report. I have something of a plan going into 2020. I am determined to organise my time and to ensure productivity no longer goes hand-in-hand with burn out. I have identified my problem – I’m an ‘all or nothing’ kind of person. In the past I have had no problem writing thousands of words, zoning out and immersing myself in my imaginary worlds, fingers flying over the keyboard and my brain working overtime to catch up to the images being acted out by the characters in my mind. But then comes the edit. Picking apart the plot holes and rectifying lazy setting descriptions. And then, inevitably, comes the loss of confidence. The spark dries up. The project gets shelved for a shiny new idea and off I go again, hurtling towards exhaustion but ultimately getting no closer to my goal of becoming a novelist.

2020 will be different. I’m determined to get a grip on my writing practice to ensure I move steadily towards my goals. I’ve bought a diary and have entered upcoming short story submission opportunities that I might like to try. This will hopefully allow me to manage my spare time more effectively and give me plenty of opportunities to build my short story portfolio while simultaneously completing my novel. I’ve set time aside in January to carefully plot my chapters and I’m ditching word-count focus until I know exactly what I need to write.

And one final vow going into 2020: To take it easy on myself. As writers we demand so much of ourselves. Of our time. Of our energy. Of our lifestyles and headspace. We aren’t superhuman, at the end of the day. The year has begun with nothing but negativity in the news of the world around us, and it can be disheartening. It’s hard to focus on our goals when the lives we live sometimes feel so perilously out of our control.

So, this year, take a breath. Allow yourself the time you need to be brilliant. Enjoy the small steps that you can take in order to achieve your goals. No matter what is happening around us, our writing is the one thing we do have control over. If you’ve been struggling to motivate yourself, just as I have, think of a plan that will take some of the pressure off your shoulders. Get back to doing what you love. And look after yourselves this year, my writing friends.

Who’s afraid of the big bad edits?

mjmarsauthor

A few weeks ago I received a rejection email with a twist. On this occasion I was fortunate enough to have the editor come back to me with my story marked, suggesting that if I make some changes he would reconsider the submission. I was blown away by this opportunity, as I know how rare it is to get a second chance when it comes to submissions!

I went back to him asking for a latest date that he would expect me to return the altered manuscript, stating that I knew that this was no guarantee that I would make it into the anthology even after the edits, and thanking him for the opportunity to try again. He then wrote back to me thanking me for my response to his suggestions, stating that not all writers take the offer of edits quite so well.

This struck me as crazy! Here was a professional, who whilst considering my story had made edits in track changes, without me paying him a thing, and had offered me a second chance at publication if only I follow his advice. For a story that I wrote for his anthology. Who in their right mind wouldn’t snap his hand off, I wondered?! I mean, I know that your own writing is precious, and that having someone turn around asking for changes is like someone saying your baby would be cute if only it had brown eyes and curly hair. But I know I would have had to have paid a fortune sending it off to an editing company for the same pleasure. And his suggestions were completely valid: There was too much description before the action began. There were too many characters for a short story, and some of them had to go. I did need to ramp up the connection between the two main characters, and – damnit – the ending would be better if the narrator actually made it to safety!!

So I sat down to work through the changes, taking each point and scrutinising how to make the edits successful without losing my voice and my original intentions. Sometimes it’s difficult to take criticism, but thankfully this editor made both positive and negative comments with a considered, encouraging tone. I’ve received other edits by more brutal readers in the past, and this was a cake-walk in terms of bruised ego aftereffects! I was dreading making the edits, because I do hate editing. But this was kind of a fun experience, much to my surprise. I learned more from his suggestions that I ever have from courses or classes. I am grateful to him, and glad I learned a while ago to keep an open mind and listen to the experts (probably the most difficult but most important step in my writing career).

All I can say is, no matter how much it hurts, if someone offers you the chance to make edits to improve your story to their publishing standard, don’t let your pride get in the way. You’ll become a better writer from it. Fast-forward a month and I’ve made it into the publication! I am over the moon about it and can’t wait to see the book published. So, here’s to second chances, and expert advice.