Sunday 26 January 2014

Don't Stop....




Sometimes writing is the hardest thing in the world. You can have this fantastic idea gnawing away inside you; yet you STILL will do anything to avoid it. Believe me, I'm great at this. I have in the past:

* sorted my out washing
* Googled the whereabouts of previous Big Brother contestants (yes I am that sad...)
* spent 30 mins trying to think of an interesting Facebook/Twitter update
* re-arranged my bookcase into height order

just to avoid writing.

I don't know why we do this. I think it's just that feeling of self-doubt that eats away at you, making you believe that three hours would be better spent wasted on Digital Spy than typing up the lame words you might otherwise write.

But of course all of this is rubbish. You can write. You MUST write. You have to shut the stupid voices away. Tips to help you focus include:

* Using a computer without Internet access, or using an app that switches off Facebook so that you're not tempted to spend hours testing which Simpson/Hunger Games/Eastenders character you should be.
*Rewarding yourself with an hours' productive work (I find cake useful)
* Or setting yourself a target of 500 words a day. It doesn't matter if you have to edit it down later, just get those words down.
* Working to music. I like working in silence, but some people find it more motivational to type to classical or certain pop music.
* Get someone to strap you to your seat and only release you when you've met your target.

Ok - the last one might be a bit extreme...

The end is in sight. In the near future you could have have a gleaming, brilliant book to shout to the world about. No-one will ever know if its trapped between your ears.

I have to go now. Blogging is distracting me.....;o)
 

Saturday 11 January 2014

The Wonder of Rejections....





I have soooooo many rejections. I've kept them. I'm proud of them. They form part of my journey and even though they bloody hurt at the time, each one made me that bit more determined. Rejections drove me further. I was going to be accepted....one day!

I was rejected for my first three books. One I decided to self publish (The Blog of Maisy Malone) and the other two I decided to file away for a bit. My forth, Seven Days, was my eventual success.

But yesterday, about a year after I'd started submitting my novel to agents, I received another rejection. I'd totally forgotten this one was still outstanding. Although it was nice to read this email and know it no longer mattered, the rejection itself still smarted a bit - because lets face it, we all want to be loved. The message itself was simple:

Many thanks for contacting us about your work. Unfortunately we didn't think this was right for the areas on which we focus.

Thank you for thinking of us and we wish you all the best in finding representation elsewhere.
 
And I guess this reminded me of a important lesson in publishing - although I secured an agent and a publishing contract in the end, I was bloody lucky.
 
One mans meat is another mans poison.
 
 You will be rejected. This is normal. This is good if you can use the disappointment to drive you forward. So my advice today is to keep trying.
 
 
And if you get despondent, eat cake - it worked for me.



Saturday 4 January 2014

Happy New (Writing) Year!




So it's 2014! Yay!

To be honest, I'm not a great lover of January, as it tends to mean long, dark (wet) days when I haven't got much money and I feel like I've actually turned into a giant Quality Street.  However, it usually is a good time to write. I find it easier to knuckle down with the wind howling outside, mugs of hot tea beside me and no temptation to 'just pop outside' to do something else (unless I want to be swept up in a force-ten gale). Seriously, the massive tree outside looks like it will sweep me up into an embrace at any second.

I don't usually succumb to resolutions, but this year I have a few simple ones to keep me going:

1) Finish the edits on book one
2) Really get going with my ideas for book 2 and have confidence that I can write the notoriously difficult second book
3) Keep my blog updated with my journey/experiences
4) Keep reading!

Hopefully I can stick to them!

I hope to be back soon.....As long as that tree hasn't got me!

E xx