NOVEMBER BLOGS
27 November
Apologies for lack of blogs: have been updating my website which I must say is looking good!
I’ve added the front cover and a blurb about my new book, What Kate did Next, which will be in-store late December.
I’ve also added a new writing article: Finding Your Voice in the First Novel, which can also be found in the December issue of RWA’s Heart’s Talk.
Now then, about nanowrimo: I am at 48,000 words. YAY! It’s been a tough slog but I can see the finish line and am looking forward to it! Having said that, I’m not sure what I’ve actually written because I’ve tried really hard not to go back and re-read, edit and delete.
It’s been a huge learning curve for me, forcing myself to write every day. But there has been progress!
Nanowrimo’s been brilliant, frustrating, and tedious at times, especially when I haven’t felt connected to characters or they’ve gone off on a tangent – the characters, not me. I can control myself; I just can’t control my characters.
But am thrilled, (and a little bit exhausted) that I’ve stuck with it.
I do have a confession though. This week I did run away from my real life to totally focus on nanowrimo – thanks, understanding family!
Finally, if you haven’t already, please check out my latest blog at http://www.omigoddess.com.au/family/guilty-pleasures/
And tell me what you think!
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Thursday Nov 5
Lucy news first: Today Lucy Springer Gets Even hits the bookshops in the UK. Yay!
I also got a great review from the UK website, chicklit reviews which I'm thrilled about. Check it out at
http://chicklitreviews.com/2009/11/03/book-review-lucy-springer-gets-even-by-lisa-heidke/
NaNoWriMo: I must have been feeling optimistic, creative or drunk when I signed up for this torture. Day 5 and I've written 9,000 words. Yes, I'm getting the words down but not sure how long I can sustain it. But given that I said I'd do it, I'm not giving up! However, I dare not look at what I've written. Will save that for another time, in the distant future.
Friday October 30
http://www.omigoddess.com.au/family/liar-liar/
Check out my latest blog at Omigoddess! It's all about lying. Thinking about it, I really don't set out to lie. For example, I have very good intentions of writing 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo - and I swear I'm not going to inflate my word count each day, when I'm struggling to achieve my 2,000 a day aim. But...I have no idea what I'm going to write about. Not a clue. Nada! I guess that's the exciting (crazy?) thing about NaNoWriMo, you dive in head first and see where the words lead you.
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Monday October 26
I have signed up for NANOWRIMO!
http://www.nanowrimo.org
What's this, you ask? National Writer's month and it starts November 1. The aim is to write 50,000 in thirty days. Yes, it's a big ask but it's also a great way to kick start you next writing project. Once you sign up (it's free!) everyday throughout November, you can post your escalating word count, view your personal stats, and offer an excerpt of your work-in-progress to friends and fans.
Here's some advice from the team at NaNoWriMo.
1) It's okay to not know what you're doing. Really. You've read a lot of novels, so you're completely up to the challenge of writing one. If you feel more comfortable outlining your story ahead of time, do so. But it's also fine to just wing it. Write every day, and a book-worthy story will appear, even if you're not sure what that story might be right now.
2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it's hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn't. Every book you've ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.
3) Tell everyone you know that you're writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who've had to hear about your novel for the past month. Seriously. Email them now about your awesome new book. The looming specter of personal humiliation is a very reliable muse.
3.5) There will be times you'll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through. Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.
And we're talking the good kind of yodeling here.
So there you have it. Time to start planning. November 1 is only a few short days away!
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Saturday October 24
Check out this interview of Tina Brown chatting with author, Philip Roth. He shares his views on rewriting, sex scenes and getting older. It's a great video...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-21/philip-roth-unbound/?cid=bs:featured3
Friday October 2
Okay, so proofs for Kate are done and dusted and you can read the back cover blurb and have a look at the front cover at www.allenandunwin.com
From the publishers: "Meet Kate Cavendish - housewife and mother of two - as she dips her toes back into the workforce while trying to juggle kids, a work-obsessed husband, lust for her son's soccer coach, and much, much more ..."
So now am off to Bali for two weeks, hoping to check out the inspirational Ubud Writers festival and take in a bit of sun, surf and margareitas as well.
September Posts!
Friday September 25
Have been madly beavering away on proofs for What Kate Did Next. Must admit, after the 50th read, I have no idea! Grammar, spelling and tenses all start to collide. I guess that's why there are professionals at A & U, who go over the final copy as well. So after the dedication and acknowlegements are written, it's off to the printers for dear old Katie! YAY! And then onto the next adventure.
I was recently asked what a typical writing day is like and here's what I said: Generally, I write Monday to Friday during the school term. I don’t get a lot of writing done when the kids are around...they tend to want attention. I can't throw them scraps of food like I do with the animals. After they’ve been packed off to school, I’ll check my emails and float around Facebook. (An addictive time waster! I’ve had to remove solitaire from my computer because I got too distracted.)
After an hour of mucking around (I'm being generous - I can time waste for days on end), I’ll settle down and start writing.
If I’m working on a new manuscript, I try to write between 2,000 -2,500 a day to get the story moving ahead. I try not to think about spelling, tenses and grammar. My main objective is to write the story. Of course that changes once the first draft is written and I’m editing and re-writing.
On a typical day, I try to spend four productive hours at the computer. Often I can achieve it, but sometimes I’ll burn out at three and then catch up on reading or try writing a blog on my website. I am still learning to be disciplined and consistent.
Have just written another blog at
http://www.omigoddess.com.au/family/little-miss-sunshine/ if you care to check it out.
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Wednesday September 9
Okay, so I haven't made much progress with the 40,000 words...it was a big ask, anyway! But what with emails, loops, and Facebook, there's not much time left for anything else, including blogging. Must get more organised. Now, about today's blog! At the RWA conference recently, a group of us got to talking about humour in writing and I thought I'd share a couple of ideas, mistakes and tips. This is a brief summary, but I'm sure you'll get my drift!
What are some of the mistakes that writers make when writing humour?
I’m no expert but I believe humour begins with the writer’s voice. That’s why humour is so different from writer to writer. Your best friend might find Monty Python hilarious while you're into Kath and Kim! There's no right or wrong answer. Humour is subjective, personal.
Because it is so personal, you really have to believe in yourself and trust your instinct. One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is to ignore their own voices and try to imitate writers they admire or find amusing. But we all can't be Jerry Seinfeld. Writing starts with you. Don’t force the humour. If a scene’s not working, write something else, another scene, new dialogue, a different chapter.
Also, don’t lecture. Don't tell the reader something is funny. The reader has to discover this for themselves – and you do this by painting a picture – using all senses of touch, smell, sights and sounds. Use metaphors and similes that bring familiar images into your readers mind, like ‘I’m as happy as a mosquito in a nudist colony’, etc .
Tips?
I'd say, analyse romantic books and movies you love to see what works and what doesn’t. Look at the pacing of these stories and see where the humour comes in, and why. And be wary, if the humour appears forced, it probably is.
Keep it simple. Write about everyday things that people can relate to such as sleeping, eating, kids, teenagers, married life, growing old.
Writing humour usually comes down to word choice and writing structure. It doesn’t have to be overly clever or constructed. Easier said than done, I know. Practice, practice, practice!
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Tuesday September 1
Spring has sprung! And what am I doing? Time wasting.
I have been sitting at my computer for nearly three hours and have achieved nothing. It's atrocious because I know when my kids come barging through the back door at 4pm screaming for food (the fridge and cupboards are always fully stocked but there's always a general accusation bandied about that we have none!) I'll be cranky because I will have wasted the day.
So, in an effort to appear productive I have been trawling friends Facebook pages, adding banal comments and generally hanging around, waiting for other bored people to show themselves.
In preparation for Lucy being released in the UK, I have also been checking out UK chick lit websites and sending off emails in an effort to lift my profile.
(I know...what profile?)
Would you believe I'm also reading articles about blogging? Apparently blogging helps you (I assume they mean ME) feel less isolated and more satisfied with your friendships. Okay! What about this gem? Blogging to a writer is like vocal exercises for a singer...a great way to warm up. I can't get any warmer. It's time to get on with it. I have procrastinated enough.
My aim is to write 40,000 words this September! You've got to have goals!
