NaNoWriMo - how are you doing?

I've never done NaNoWriMo before, mainly because I hate being tied to producing a certain thing at a certain time. That of course changes if there is a call for submissions and I'm aiming for publication. In those circumstances I can write like a demon and have very often been successful because I am pushing at an open door. NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month is a collective activity where a number of people sign up and basically pledge that they will try and complete a novel in a month. It's a very good discipline and one that many successful authors in the distant past have achieved way before NaNoWriMo came into being. Dickens springs to mind as an author who wrote many of his novels as monthly serials. I cannot imagine what it must have been like in an age before word processors to have to come up with writing as sparkling as his on an ongoing basis when you couldn't even revise substantially. Perhaps that is why some of his writing is as fresh today as when it was first written. NaNoWriMo started on 1 November and I am pleased to say that I have already completed over 6000+ words. It's not a huge amount it's true but it's a not too bad start which I hope to improve upon. Most of all I feel that the 6000 words are ones I'm happy with so far and most of all ones I can build upon. I believe the secret to making NaNoWriMo work is to have pre-planned as much as possible. The work in progress I have is my Singapore novel, a crime novel which has been in gestation since this time last year. I blogged about Singapore which I found a fascinating place when I went on holiday there. I'm not a great planner on paper, but bit by bit I have mentally been storing information. Not only that but I have been waiting eagerly for the new D C Thomson Easy Reads which contain a new crime genre. I have managed to read the first one and now have a better idea of what they're after. As a result I now have a feisty kick-arse heroine - a Scotland Yard detective. She has been partnered with a smooth, cool Singapore detective who cut his teeth in the narcotics section. I'm so hoping that when finished, the Editor likes my book. But if not, at least it's been fun writing it. Good luck with your NaNoWriMo manuscripts, let us know how you're doing!

Yay! I've been shortlisted for Festival of Romance Award...

Yes folks, 'The Sanctuary' has been shortlisted in the Best Short Romance category and I can't wait to go to the awards ceremony. I am in very good company as other excellent writers and friends such as Liz Harris (The Road Back AND Evie Undercover), Phillipa Ashley (Miranda's Mount), and Talli Roland (Build A Man) are also nominees. There is to be a glittering awards ceremony - HOORAY, any excuse to buy a new dress and shoes!!!! This will be held at the Festival of Romance Gala Dinner on Friday 16 November. If you haven't already booked for the weekend, do take a look at the website here where you can get details of all the fantast events such as a Romance Readathon and a Meet the Authors for coffee and cake where I will be present (I'm never far from a piece of cake!) I hope to see some of you there! Do let me know if you're coming, it should be a fabulous weekend.

Xanthos and Kalkan, Turkey

I have not posted for a while because I have been on holiday. As usual, I have found that being in a new place has inspired me with ideas for a new novella. I visited Kalkan in Turkey which has its own feral cats which are protected by the government as are the dogs which wander over the town as if they own it.

The coastline here is sublime, crystal blue seas, rocky inlets and more history than you can easily take in in one visit. A particularly beautiful drive takes you along the shoreline from Kas to Kalkan, with Greek islands in the distance, and steep hills covered in pines. The Lycian area of Turkey was once a thriving area of trade and the port at Patara carried silks and spices far afield. Sadly, the ancient port has silted up and there is now marshland where the mouth of the river used to be. Patara still has a superb beach, protected as a turtle nesting site it is devoid of developments, with miles and miles of beautiful pristine sand. Going in late October there was a terrific swell in the sea and waves which made it difficult to swim but I understand most of the time it is calm. The most extraordinary place we visited was Xanthos. It reminded me of a visit I made to Pompeii many years ago before that site was fenced off. You can just wander into Xanthos any time, night or day and out of season you get a real sense of history.

The amphitheatre is almost totally intact with amazing acoustics. A relief on one of the pillars depicts winged female creatures carrying babies and it is assumed that these represent souls being carried off into heaven - I found that a lovely idea, the thought that we would at the end of our lives be akin to what we were at the beginning. Sadly the relief is a copy as we Brits pinched the original which is now in the British Museum.

Xanthos itself (the name means yellow and may refer to crocuses which were in flower when we visited and which provide very fine saffron) has had a troubled history. Regularly raided and sacked there are sad accounts of the men of Xanthos fighting but losing to a Persian invasion. In desperation, gathering together their women, and children they put every one to the torch rather than having them captured and then fought till the last man died. So much drama has inspired me and I shall definitely set a novel in the area and have blogged further about my trip over on thepocketeers.blogspot.com.

The effects of a marvellous review.....

I crawled out of bed this cold, wet, Autumn morning NOT a happy bunny. For today I have to do edits on a story I am finding incredibly difficult. I thought it was going fine, my editor thought not - so I have to make a major plot change and rewrite. That and a couple of rejections lately have made me feel it might not be worth carrying on writing. Then, there was a Google alert. It took me to this, completely unsolicited review of my book The Sanctuary, on the review site Paperbacks and Frosting by Juliette Brandt. "This was an absolutely wonderful story. Everything about it made me feel like I could go out and do something to improve my life. I really enjoy stories like this that make you feel inspired. I wanted to go out and start taking care of animals even though that’s really not something I would have ever seen myself doing before! I felt like I was in Kimberley’s shoes and I could feel how the stress of everything else in her life was weighing down on her. This story was short and I read it in one sitting, but it was definitely worth the read. If you’re looking for something that you can read to escape your own life for a while and something that will make you feel better and more inspired to go out and do the things you want to do, then pick this book up.........I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for something sweet and quick to read. I’d love to read more by this author." That, to an author, is like getting a shot of adrenalin straight to the heart. It is so nice to know that someone has read and enjoyed one of my books and taken the time to tell people. I cannot tell you how it has inspired me to get down and tackle those edits. Juliette's review which you can read in full here, came at just the right time to turn things around for me. I can now go off with a lighter heart knowing that with some hard work and hard editing it will all be worth while!!!! Thank you so much Juliette and all you hard working reviewers out there.

Character Studies for writers - The Great British Bakeoff

Okay, so I admit, I am addicted to the Great British Bake Off. For those of you who haven't succumbed yet, this is a TV programme where 12 home bakers are pitted against each other in a variety of tasks from baking an innovative upside down cake (I liked the one with passionfruit myself) to making the best rum baba. This week the bakers had to construct a gingerbread house but were instructed to come up with something sensational. The winner built a Roman colosseum of over 100 separate biscuit pieces glued together with caramel.

One of the things that makes this programme so compelling for a writer is the character studies.

We have Kathryn whose every emotion is etched on her face and who came up with priceless sayings such as 'doughnut doom' for one of her efforts. Sadly she went out this week with a lamentable gingerbread Buckingham Palace that looked as if it was about to implode. Then there is the gorgeous John, constructor of the Colosseum who in a previous show had been going great guns until he cut his finger and ended up dripping with blood. Wonderfully camp, every girl's best friend, he was saved by accident & emergency consultant Danny. Danny, the best person to have around in a crisis, is quietly competitive, with a fierce ability to concentrate. But with a face that lights up in a girlish grin when her bakes please the judges. A lot of people's money will be on Brendan to win - at 63, the oldest candidate. He has an old school style and a self-assured technical knowledge. What Brendan though sadly doesn't have is flair. To my mind most of his bakes look shop bought, such precision and designs can surely only have been done by a machine. Brendan is like someone who has been programmed, but he's never going to wow anyone with his inventiveness. That brings me to my tip for winner - medical student James. Only 21 he is relaxed, kind to his colleagues (often seen hugging and calming down the slightly hysterical Kathryn) and has flashes of genius. This was nowhere more demonstrated than this week when his poorly planned gingerbread barn looked as if it was going to be a total failure. Suddenly he turned disaster around by giving it a spun sugar cobwebby makeover. Hey presto it became a derelict ghostly structure which the judges said tasted superb. It could have graced any Halloween party with its sweet spookiness. Just as in most good fiction this turning of disaster into triumph is a lesson for all writers and another reason the programme is so compelling. My vote to win is for you James - a hero if ever there was one. If you watch it, who do you think is going to win? If you can't get enough of the programme, here is the link to watch clips from all the series

One easy way to lose weight....

Let's be honest, being an avid reader, or an avid writer can result in a larger behind than one would want! I have lost over a stone and a half at Slimmers World but the closer I get to target the more I need to find new things to keep me from falling off the slimming wagon. Eating out with friends is one of the most difficult challenges - it plays havoc with a low fat diet. But, help is at hand in the form of a mushrooming of frozen yoghurt shops. Frozen yoghurt tastes every bit as lovely as the best ice cream. The best outlet I have found is called SNOG - a fantastically named place for a romantic novelist to hang out. The Covent Garden one pictured here is a stunning, colourful riot of way out furniture and psychedelic decor. But the best thing is that Snog yoghurt prides itself on having only natural ingredients being flavoured with agave nectar which is considerably sweeter than sugar, and more natural than artificial sweeteners. At only 97 calories for 100 grams and only 2 grams of fat this creamy, indulgent, swirly desert in natural, chocolate or green tea flavour is a slimmer's dream. Various toppings such as weeny chocolate hearts or nuts make it as sinful as your non-slimming friends would like, leaving you to go for low cal toppings like fresh strawberries, or my favourite, passion fruit. Next time I want to sit and write, I'll give up my usual coffee shop and go and have a snog! PS the bonus last night was that SNOG have some sort of deal on the go with London Fashion Week and the place was staffed by the most gorgeous young models!

How The Smallest Dog in Britain can help your writing...

I recently saw a report in the paper about Mini, reputedly the smallest puppy in Britain. Pictured sitting on an iphone (you can see her by clicking this link) she isn't much larger than a mouse. I am constantly thinking about writing and what makes a story something we want to read and this tiny dog made me think. Of all the millions of puppies which are born every day, why did this one make national newspapers? Obviously because it is different. I am at present critiquing a manuscript. It is well written, it flows, there are some nice touches of humour, some excellent observation, some well drawn characters. But, it has one major problem and that is that neither the characters nor the plotline is remarkable. These are the sort of people you might have as neighbours and what is happening to them is what could happen to anyone any day. In other words it is too reflective of real life and generally people read to take them away from real life. They are seeking something out of the ordinary. This is such a shame because the writer has real promise. They just need to make their story a bit more like the story of Mini. The reason that Mini the tiny puppy is remarkable is that she is different. If you can make your characters special, different, do extraordinary things, be extraordinary people you will be more likely to reach publication. Last night I watched the excellent British drama, 'Accused' written by the superb Jimmy McGovern, a BAFTA award winning British scriptwriter. Beware if you have recorded it to watch later, because there are spoilers coming up. In last night's episode the person we were most rooting for, a young prisoner who was ill rather than bad ended his life in his cell - a total shock, I didn't see it coming. His suicide had major repercusssions for the prison guard, a woman, who had asked one of her colleagues to keep the boy on suicide watch. The programme had me on the edge of my seat because the characters were remarkable. Faced with difficult situations, they made extraordinary decisions - in the end the prison officer released a new young prisoner in her charge because she finally cracked and believed that the prison, was an unsafe place. One thing you must do however, is make these untoward actions believable. The boy who took his life had lost his mother, become ill and ended up in prison. The prison guard had been betrayed by her colleague and the system. Both characters had motives for acting the way they did. Build your situations and characters carefully so that their actions fit with their personalities and echo their situations. This series involved crime and high drama. But even the gentlest of romances needs to have something out of the ordinary to make it remarkable enough for the reader to keep turning that page. Make it real, but make it remarkable too...