"The only way to be sure you never get published is to give up. Don't give up."
- Cara Lockwood

Archive for September 2012

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Inspiration


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This weeks topic for the PracticeMakesProse collab is: Inspiration



I was reading through an old creative writing textbook of mine and it listed some ways to be able to find inspiration for what stories to write.
I'm sure you've all heard the instruction to "write what you know" and doing this really does make things a lot easier.  So what is it that you know?  The textbook suggests that you write down a list of things you know and that are of interest to you.
My list went something like this:
  1. drawing
  2. writing
  3. photography
  4. working in a small town restaurant
  5. bike riding
  6. vacationing in the mountains
  7. being in a long relationship
  8. going to a community college
I had more on my list but I think you get the idea.
It then says to jot down some ideas for each thing on your list that could be a possible story idea.  Here's an example they used: 
Experience: Vacations in Mexico 
Fiction: affluent tourists' daughter meets a village child; sport-fishing off the Baja coast

Another example from the text book was that "People are ideas".  It says to observe people.  Take a notebook and write down details.
Here's an example they used:
Individual: restless 11 year old boy skipping stones into a duck pond on a hot summer day.  He's barefoot, wearing only shorts, but the pond is posted against wading or swimming.
Fiction: boy challenges an older, tougher boy to a stone skipping contest; boy takes potshot at a duck and accidentally injures it.

Inspiration is every where we just need to be in tune with the world around us.  Always carry a notebook and pen with you every where you go because you never know when inspiration will hit.  Write down every idea even if at the time it doesn't seem to spark an idea for a story.  It may turn out to be something you can use later on.
Every where I go I carry what I like to call "My Everything Notebook".  I call it that because I use it to write down or sketch anything and everything that comes to mind, including my inspirations.  

Here are some of my examples of where I have found inspiration:
One night my dad and I had gone out to eat at the waffle house and behind us was a table of teenagers. They were talking about going to a midnight showing of a movie that night and discussing what costumes they were going to wear.  This sparked an idea and I wrote it down in my everything notebook: a group of teenagers going to a midnight showing, dressing up, a lot of the story would be preparing and getting to the movie, maybe something happens and they don't arrive until it's over...
After seeing a stuffed animal in the mall I had an idea spark for a children's picture book, and another idea for a story came when I was sitting in the audience watching my cousin do her dance recital.  I've gotten ideas from pictures I've come across, phrases I've read, people I've met...The possibility for inspiration is endless.

The idea from my current noveling project was sparked after I did an interview with my grandmother.  One of the questions I asked her was "Did you have a childhood sweetheart?" She told me about a boy that she had grown up with whom she had been very close with.  He had gone away on some type of work assignment and never wrote to her while he was gone.  When he got back she was married to my grandfather and he was very hurt because he had wanted to marry her.  She said they had never talked about marriage before and she had not known he felt this way.
So this was the spark that gave me the idea for my current story which you can find out more about by looking into some of my past posts and also by clicking on the "My Project" tab above.  More info, including some character interviews and an excerpt, will be coming in November.


If you'd like to take part in this collab then head on over to PracticeMakesProse's channel to find out more info!

Happy writing and keep a look out for blog entries pertaining to National Novel Writing Month starting in October!  They'll be all about prepping for the event! So excited for the event to start!

<3 Andrea


*Textbook references from Institute of Children's Literature "Beyond the Basics" course

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My Writing Style


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This weeks topic for the PracticeMakesProse collab challenge is: Our writing styles.

Every writer has their own unique way of writing, a way of writing they are drawn to and that is comfortable for them.  As writers we are also constantly changing, improving, and defining our styles so if you are not sure exactly what your style is yet do not worry; you will be able to identify it the more you write and ponder over what and how you write. 

Writing styles first consist of what genre we tend to write in the most.  The genre that I usually write in the most, as I touched on in my post from last week, is that I love to write young adult romance.  I do occasionally like to write stories for very young readers which do not have romance in them (like children's picture books) but for the majority of my writing I write Young Adult romances.  
Another aspect of our writing style is what point of view we tend to write in.  Of course your style may be that you like to try a different type of viewpoint in each story you write.  My style tends to be first person point of view though.  I have occasionally done third person but I tend to like first person better depending on the story.  Some times it is more effective to write in third person because then you can get different view points and you are not as limited with your writing as you would be in first person.  
A third aspect of a writing style is how the author chooses to layout their stories.  I don't think I really have a set preference for this style yet.  My current project that I'm working on (which you can read more about in previous posts or by clicking on the "My projects" tab above) is set up by chapters and scenes within those chapters.
The next part of writing style is, where do you usually get your inspirations.  For my inspiration I tend to get them from all over.  I am always trying to listen and pay attention for something that may spark an idea though I do end up getting most of my ideas from personal feelings or experiences.  My inspiration that came from my 2010 Nanowrimo novel, "Losing Henry" was some what inspired by a relationship that I was in at the time, all the time I was with him I felt as though I were losing him.  My current project was roughly inspired by stories that my grandmother used to tell me about her teen years and how she met my grandfather.
Lastly is your method of writing...Do you like to write by hand, computer, dictate to someone else or a tape recorder, smoke signals?  My method of writing is definitely by typing on the computer.  I can type much faster than I can write and so I can more easily get my thoughts and feelings out.  When I was younger, before I had a computer or learned how to type, I wrote with pen and paper but now I really feel that I can write so much better with a computer.

I hope you all enjoyed learning a bit more about my writing style.  If you'd like to take part in this collaboration please head on over to PracticeMakesProse and check out the collaboration channel!

Thanks for reading,
<3 Andrea

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The Outsiders-Book Review


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Author: S.E. Hinton
Publisher: Viking a member of Penguin Group, USA inc.
Number of Pages: 188
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
Genre or Subject: Young Adult Literature

How I discovered or acquired this book:
I first came across this book in Eighth grade.  It was a required reading in my English class.  Before reading this book I had been interested in writing and after hearing that the author had been a teenager herself when she had written this, I was even more motivated to become a writer.  In fact I wanted to be one right then.  So this book was one that inspired me to be a writer.
Recently I have decided to go back through the books I read in my youth, that had an impact on me, and read them again.  I checked out the book at my local library.

Check out author’s other books?
I’m not sure if I will or not..

Rate on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being exceptional):

Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 8
Plot development: 9
Characters: 8
Enjoyability: 8
Insightfulness: 9
Ease of reading: 10

Recommend this book? To whom?
Even though this book is meant for teenagers I think it may be something that adults would enjoy as well.  So I guess I would recommend it for teenagers as well as adults.

Notes and opinions:

The story is told from the point of view of a fourteen year old boy, named Ponyboy Curtis.  It is about two social classes of teenagers, the greasers and the Socs (or Socials) and is told from the point of view of the greasers.
As I remember what I thought of this book as a young teenager, I remember loving it very much.  I also remember loving the way in which it is was written.  Looking at it now, I think it is still a pretty good story that gives a look into the lives of these teenagers.  It was a wonderful and easy read and I enjoyed being about to hear what Ponyboy was thinking and how he felt about the circumstances he was in.  The story really does feel like it was written by a teenager and I think that is wonderful, especially for the type of story that it is.
I will always remember this as the book that inspired me to be a writer.  I love being able to get into the minds of the characters and be able to tell the story I feel that they need to tell.



If any of you have read this book I would love to hear what you thought of it.  Were you required to read it as a teenager? Are you reading it in school now?  Let me know your thoughts.

<3 Andrea



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Childhood Favorites (Books)


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I have recently been thinking about some of my favorite novels that I have read in the past, the novels that I just couldn't put down and that I have never forgotten about.  Well I have decided that I want to go back through these books and read them again.

Here is the list of books:


    • "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton
      • This was a required reading in my eighth grade class and is one that inspired me to be a writer
    • "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
      • This book was recommended to me by a friend when I was in High School.  
    • "Love, Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
      • I just recently found out that there was a sequel to "Stargirl" and so this is now on my reading list as well.
    • "How Do I Love Thee" by Lurlene Mcdaniel
      • I came across this book, which has three stories in one, when I was browsing books in my local library.  I sat down and read all three of them right then and I remember absolutely loving them.  I came back to the library and read these stories again.  For some reason I love reading tragic romance stories.
    • "Angel of Mercy" by Lurlene Mcdaniel
      • Another of her books that I came across while browsing in the library.  I remember I could not put this book down.  It was sad but so good.
    • "Angel of Hope" by Lurlene Mcdaniel
      • This is a sequel to "Angel of Mercy" and I have not read this one but since I liked the first one I have added this to my reading list.
    • "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
      • This was a required reading in one of my grade school English classes and I remember that I really loved this book.
    • "Wait Till Helen Comes" by Mary Downing Hahn
      • This book was read to my class by my fourth grade teacher and I remember that I loved it so much that I checked it out from the library and read it again after my teacher was finished.  I don't remember much about it and I'm surprised I liked it since I'm not too fond of ghost stories but we'll see if I like it again.  Plus I don't think it's too bad since it was written for young children.
    • "The Enchanted Forrest Chronicles" by Patricia C. Wrede
      • This is a series of four books and these books are what inspired me to start writing fantasy.

As I read these books I will be doing posts with reviews of them.  If you have read any of these books I would love to hear your thoughts on them.  Also I'd love to hear what your favorite childhood novels or books were! Please leave a comment letting me know.

Happy reading,
<3 Andrea

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Why I write


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"Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write." - Rainer Maria Rilke



Three YouTube users, TracyMichelle210, OneMoreSouthernBelle, and ImprintedHeart8, have come together to create a Collab channel called PracticeMakesProse.  On this channel they each will be sharing different tips and tricks for writing and they will also be sharing things about themselves as writers.  Each week they will be following a different task and they have invited others to join in with them.  I will be joining in with the tasks each week here on my blog.  I would encourage everyone to go and check them out and join in as well.  They always have a lot of great tips and inspiration and they are all wonderful ladies!

The Task for this week is to talk about why you write and also what genres you like to write in.


Ever since I can remember I have loved to make up stories.  I would make them up in my head or make them up using my toys as characters.  Most of my childhood years after school was spent at my babysitter's house.  Her children and my brother and I would spend hours outside playing and I would take them on fun adventures with my stories as we acted out the stories, some of these stories they still talk about.  
When I learned to write I loved to write down different stories and always enjoyed writing assignments given by my teachers! What I wrote wasn't very good but it was a start.  And though I loved to write, as I went on in school English class became one of my hardest and most hated classes until Eighth grade.  I went from getting Ds and Fs in class to getting As and I have my wonderful teacher to thank for that.  She helped me to love English and writing. After our assignment to read "The Outsiders" by S.E Hinton, I decided I wanted to be a writer.  Before this I had never actually thought of myself as a writer or considered being a writer.  I was just doing something I loved and that came naturally to me.  After that I did a lot of research and studying into what it took to be a successful writer and I wrote longer stories and even tried out poetry.  
I am a very quiet and shy person and writing is how I express myself.  It is also how I deal with hard situations, I write my feelings out.  I have been writing in journals since I was Nine.

The genres I enjoy writing in are YA adult romance as my number one.  I also like to write fantasy so a lot of the stories I've written have been YA adult Fantasy romances :D but writing romance has been something I've enjoyed since I was quite young.

I hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and why I write!

Update: I have now finished my first rough draft of my outline for my current novel project and will be going back through it and adding in more detail and fixing it as need be.  I will also be going through my character ref sheets and go into depth more about each of my characters.  I am also going to try and define my settings some more.  I also now have a working title.  I'm still not sure about it and it may change later on but for right now it is "Never Planned on You"

Good luck in all your writing endeavors!  Please feel free to follow my blog for more updates, writing tips, book reviews and more!  Also feel free to comment on any of my posts I love hearing from all of you!

<3 Andrea 


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Outlining Your Novel


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Writing a novel... what a big task huh?!  Well this can be made a bit easier with the outlining process.

In his book "Writing the Blockbuster Novel", Albert Zuckerman writes, "No sane person would think of setting out to construct a skyscraper or even a one-family home without a detailed set of plans.  A big novel must have literary equivalents of beams and joists strong enough to sustain it excitingly from beginning to end, and it also must contain myriad interlocking parts fully as complex as those in any building type.  Yet there are authors who commence a novel without first working up an outline."
He goes on to write, "Every mega-book with which I've been involved was planned and re-planned and planned again, much the way architectural drawings are continually revised.  Some major authors must first write the full text for a number of scenes as a way of getting to know their characters before they put together their outlines, while others can start cold with a first-draft synopsis."

Writing a novel can be a very large task and so can editing rough drafts.  I believe that having a clear outline of your novel before hand can significantly help you later on in the editing process.
Your novel's outline will be your game plan.  When you sit down to write your novel you will know exactly what you want to write.
Now in the past I have never been one to enjoy planning out my writings.  Even in school when we were required to have an outline of our written papers before starting the actual writing, I would write first and then make the outline.  I've done National Novel Writing Month seven times and last Nanowrimo was the first time I even attempted to outline.  
Looking back on my rough draft novels that I have written without an outline, I see how disorganized they are, all the plot holes, and I think it would take me years of editing to try and get the stories to work.  While they were fun to write for the event, they would not be fun to edit.  I most likely would have to completely start over with the stories.
As I get more serious about my writing, I realize how important Outlining is to me.

As I have mentioned in previous blog entries, I am in the process of planning out a novel right now.  It is a story that I had started my senior year in high school as an assignment for my creative writing class.  It was originally a novella and after I graduated I decided I wanted to expand the idea into a novel.  So I wrote bits and pieces of it and went back to it a few times through out the years.  I always told myself that one day I'd finished it and one day I would get it published.  Well that one day will never come unless I actually do some work.  So that is what I am doing now.

After skimming through an old college English book of mine and reading a few pages out of Albert Zuckerman's book in the chapter entitled "The Outline Process" I have come up with a way that I am going to try outlining my novel.
It first starts with a rough outline just to get all of my ideas out of my head and into something orderly.  Then I will go back and add in more detail, change things that may need to be changed, and so on.
My outline template goes a little something like this:

I. Chapter Title
A. Scene (# of scene): Where the scene takes place
1. First thing that happens in this scene
2. Second thing 
3. And so on (I think you get the idea)


Here is an example from my Novel's Outline:


  1. Chapter One
    1. Scene 1: Brightman Beach Amusement Park 1944 in a small fictitious town on the coast of Virginia
      1. Millie Jacobs is behind a stage with the other members of the band that she is in.  She is tuning her guitar as they all get ready for a gig they are about to play
      2. Charlie Higgins comes to the back of the stage to find her and asks if it is okay if he steals her away for a bit.
      3. Daniel Burke tells him not to be too long with Millie because they go on in a half hour.

As I go back through my Novel's outline for the second draft I will add in more detail about my characters as they are introduced.

Character Sketches

Also it is important to have a separate character sketch for every character in your novel (even minor ones).  You will also want to have a scene sketch for all of your scenes as well.

Here is a character sketch worksheet that I use. I got this from the YWP workbook, put out by the Office of Letters and Light, which can be found here: http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/workbooks

Role in Story:
Gender:
Age:
Birthdate:
Height:
Weight:
Eye color:
Physical appearance: 
Strange or unique physical attributes: 
Favorite clothing style/outfit:
Where does he or she live? What is it like there? 
Defining gestures/movements (i.e., curling his or her lip when he or she speaks, always keeping his or her eyes on the ground, etc.):
Things about his or her appearance he or she would most like to change:
Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone, etc.): 
Pet Peeves:
Fondest Memory: 
Special Skills/abilities:
Insecurities:
Quirks/ eccentricities:
Temperament: 
Negative Traits:
Things that upset him/her: 
Things that embarrass him/her: 
This character is highly opinionated about:  
Any phobias?  
Things that maker him/her happy:
Family (describe): 
Deepest, darkest secret:
Reason he/she kept this secret for so long:
Other people’s opinions of this character (what do they like? what do they dislike?):
Favorite types of music:
Favorite books: 
Favorite foods:  
Political views:
Religion/philosophy of life:  
Physical health:
Dream vacation:
Description of his/her house:
Description of his/her bedroom:
Any pets?:
Best thing that has ever happened to him/her:
Worst thing that has ever happened to him/her:
Superstitions:
Three words to describe this character: 
If a song played ever time this character walked into the room what song would it be?:


For secondary Characters (Can be added to the above list):


Relationship to the protagonist: 
Favorite thing about the protagonist:
Similarities to protagonist:
Differences from protagonist:
What does he/she want more than anything else?
What setbacks will block him/her from getting what he/she wants?


A Setting Sketch (from Scrivener):


Role in story:
Related Characters:
Season:
Unique Features:
Description:
Sights:
Sounds:
Smells:



However you choose to do your outlining, I do suggest that you give outlining a go especially if you are new to writing.  It will make things so much easier when it comes to actually writing and then editing your novel for publication.

All the best in your writing endeavors!  Feel free to follow my blog and also comment if you have any thoughts or tips on outlining a novel or other types of writing.  Also if you want to share any of your thoughts on planning versus not planning please feel free.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time,
<3 Andrea

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Cover Re-Reveal: Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story


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This is a Cover Re-Reveal and review for the book "Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story" by Alison Davis.  This is my first time doing a cover review like this so please bear with me.



Synopsis:


Whispers on the Wind : Ari’s Story, is a Young Adult fiction novel, set against the stunning backdrop of a fictional English coastal town, deals with new environments, finding your place, falling in love, and the fascination we all have with where we came from and the history surrounding us.
Hidden letters from 1812, the British Regency, tell the story of Alexander Ventus, member of a very rich and influential local family. Besotted with a local women, Elizabeth, who is deemed beneath him, he is forced into a marriage with another woman. Distraught she throws herself from a cliff. Followed years later by Alexander, burdened by his guilt.
Arianna takes a job at the local library where she begins to fall in love and become embraced in the community. Arianna does her best to uncover their stories, only to discover that history is repeating itself, every male descendant of Alexander has died on that cliff top and now a new set of letters have appeared with the same seal and the same warning signs.
Haunted by the echoes of the past, Arianna finds love, sees death and saves one man from repeating his ancestor’s mistakes after she takes it upon herself to catch him when he falls.


Excerpt:


I stood in the cavern and looked about with a candle. I’d only been down in the hidden grotto a few times and hadn’t ever ventured beyond the first pillar. Even now I still didn’t go any further than that. There was no need; so many hidden treasures were right by the steps. I set the candle in the closest corner as always, and within its range I scanned the treasures. There were tiny figurines carved from wood set in some of the alcoves. They become mere silhouettes right on the edge of the pool of light cast by the flickering flame. Some small tin toy cars from the 1950‘s were stationed into traffic queues, with a fire engine parked up by the pillar and a small police officer with his hand held up to the nonexistent drivers. There were more relics in the ‘garden’ above, some magazines from the 1970’s rotting in a corner, next to the bench. Even older relics were scattered about too, hair ribbons, earrings and even a photograph of a wedding from the early 1900’s. On the back of it someone had penned a note.

My darling husband,
You were mine for one short hour before you were taken to the battlefields.
I waited. I wrote to you. For so long I waited to hear from you, a note, or a letter. Then I
waited for a telegram. For the news you were not returning to me. Then I just waited.
My family moved away. I stayed and waited for news. But it never came. Without you the world is grey, my heart is still, and day blurs into night. I feel as if I am Lot’s wife -with all the tears I have cried I shall surely turn to salt.
You never returned to me my love and so I shall come searching for you

The handwriting had deteriorated gradually throughout the note and the ink was smudged, tears had stained the words. I had placed it on a ledge of a rocky alcove last time I was down in the cavern to stop the damp ruining it too much; but now I reached out and slipped the picture into my bag as the candle light began to dim and the flame died.



My review of the cover:

I really love the picture that was chosen for the cover because it really has a lot of meaning as to what the book is about.  I also like the choice of font because it is an elegant handwritten font and that really ties in well with the theme of the letters that are a large part of the book.
The only thing I am not sure about is the placement of the text.  I think it may have looked better if "Ari's Story" was not on top of the face but I'm not quite sure about that.  Also I have taken, for my design major, classes on designing book covers and the use of typography and some thing I learned in class was the importance of hierarchy, meaning what is the most important thing that you want your reader to see first.  On the cover the words "Ari's Story" is the most dominant in the hierarchy which was a little confusing since the main title is "Whispers on the Wind" but I may have misunderstood that and "Ari's Story" is supposed to be the main title.  In any case I do think that the cover is well made and really sticks with what the story is about.
I have read the story and would highly recommend it!  It was a book that I could not put down!

About the Author:


Alison has been writing from an early age, stories, poems, novels, prose. After a 3 year sabbatical from writing she returned to her passion to write Whispers on the Wind: Ari's story.
Her first novel, Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story, was published in August 2012 on Lulu.com.
Hanging from the Family Tree: Tobias' Story, a companion/sequel to Whispers on the Wind, will follow soon.


Author Interview:



Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I wish I did, everyone I speak to has a great story; they met an author at school or they could write before they could talk. I just read a lot (for 'a lot' read 'obsessively'). I think mostly, I kept writing because I had stories I wanted to tell, and only I could tell them.

Do you have a specific writing style?
I don't know. I think I definitely tend to stick to 1st person most of the time, as I like being able to put the reader in the character's shoes- make them feel what the character does and see what the character sees. There is probably more than a little bit of me wanting to get more involved in the story too. 

Why did you choose to title your book "Whispers on the Wind"?
When I was writing the novel I wrote under the title 'The Lost Letters' or variations thereof, I changed it when I wrote the end scene and I wanted to encapsulate the journey Ari, the main character, goes through with each letter she finds like a whisper of a story you half hear.

What inspired you to write "Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story"?
I just realised after 3 years of not writing, that writing, even when you are not at your best or you are far from home, can make you feel better; it gives you a voice and I had a story that needed telling. That and I figured no one would ever read it!

When you began writing the rough draft of "Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story" did you know that you wanted to eventually get it published?
*laughs* No, I knew my partner would read it and possibly a friend or two. Mostly I wrote it for myself and for family, so that I would have something I had created that I could give to them. If I knew I would go on to publish I would have included a lot less of my song lyrics. Although if anyone wants to have a go at writing music to them contact me on YouTube :P


I know that you have written this story from the point of view of another character.  Are you planning to publish that story as well?
As soon as I decided to edit Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story, I decided 'in for a penny in for a pound'. Not publishing Hanging for the Family Tree: Tobias' Story, would be like only publishing half the story, even though it runs on a tandem timeline.


What was the editing process like for you?  What is some advice you would give other writers who are looking to edit their writing for publication?
For me the editing process was great, luckily I had a great editor and it was a lot of fun, we laughed at least half the time! 
As far as advice goes. 
Firstly, make at least 3 major edits after your initial look-through's, catch all the typos and grammar you can and have someone beta read it to make sure. 
Secondly, accept that your book will not suit everyone, people will dislike a character or disagree with a motive. 
Finally, know that no book is ever finished! Ever! I am a firm believer that an author is never done with a manuscript; we could edit and re-write until we think it is done and on the last read through discover at least five things we want to change. Only then it would never be read. The final edit is just what is the best version of that novel right then.

Are the experiences in the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Well I am only 5'2" so I can certainly identify with the moments where Ari is frustrated by her height. Although I have never fallen in love with my boss, nor have I found hidden love letters! Although if I had a boss like Ben... *laughs* 
The beach party is based off a few parties from my teenage years and since and look out for the redecorating scene, that one's based off real life.

What books have most influenced your life and your writing?
Well there are almost too many to choose from. I've read JRR Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy 6 times, once a year from age 11 to 17. Those books inspired me to try different narrative styles and genres, although the most lasting impression is the use of elegant, simple description. 
Apart from that I draw on a number of books and authors to help inspire my writing although my golden rule is NEVER read something similar to what you are writing. Far too easy to lose your plot in the book's and risk changing your story on a whim. 

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
A hundred things including giving Phil a bigger role. I'm Team Phil. 
Haha, no I think I'd probably leave it the same because if I changed it I'd only find a hundred other things to change it in and I'm pretty happy with how it came out.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find dialogue can be quite challenging as you have to get the characters voice just right, they need to have tone and a consistency- that is a fine balance; especially considering how things you need saying may be something you would never say out loud.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?
The hardest part was finishing the book and walking away for a while. It took 11 days to write the first draft. When I was done I sat back and thought, I don't want this to be over. The second hardest was writing the cliff scene. 

Did you learn anything from writing your book and if so what was it?
That writing a novel is a very rewarding experience, it's also very addictive. I also learnt that when I speed type I drop 'the' quite a lot *laughs* It was like reading a northern version of the book. Even now my editor firmly believes that Phil is from Yorkshire.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological and logistical) in bringing this story to life?
Research- Definitely the clothing for the periods, a lot of period details were researched and verified and check and double checked. 
Literary-  I'm dyslexic so grammar was my biggest challenge although surprisingly not a lot of grammar editing was necessary, just checking and making the writing uniform. 
Psychologically - While writing the novel it was fun, the biggest challenge was loss of sleep as I was writing best late at night. I think it was because I had only told a few people so I had no pressure on me. 
Logistically- The filming of the trailers was a lot of fun and it was just the logistics that ere stressful, juggling locations, costume, script and keeping the filmmaker, actors and sound guy in the loop. Plus the guy who composed and played the music for trailers 1 and 3 lives in Canada so I just descried the scenes to him as we were still filming and he wrote from that. It was stressful at times, I needed to do so much and get so much organised, the cover, the blurb, the publishing site profile, manuscript, press releases, review copies & meetings. But it was so rewarding at the same time. 

Do you have any advice you would like to share with other writers?
Keep a pen and paper on you, a camera and a sense of humour. Write about what you know. Weave passion into your writing and your writing will be powerful.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?  
Thank you for your support, the encouragement I've received has been amazing and I hope you enjoy the book. If you have any questions about it (even after reading this comprehensive list) then feel free to visit my Q&A page and I'll do my best to answer them.


Important Links and where you can go to buy the book:

Lulu.com
Goodreads Q&A
Goodreads Book
Goodreads Author
Preview Video
Spotlight

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The End of Camp Nanowrimo August


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Hi everyone!

This blog post was supposed to go up yesterday, August thirty-first, because that was the last day of the month and the last day of Camp Nano but I was out of town and didn't have any internet.


The last task for Camp Nanowrimo was set by OneMoreSouthernBelle:

The task: Talk about what you have gained from the Nanowrimo experience, what you’ve enjoyed, your highlights and what you would say to people who are considering doing a nanowrimo event


My Response: In july I spent a lot of time thinking about this novel and planning it out.  I didn't plan it out completely but I did give it a lot of thought.  When August started I was not feeling a lot of motivation to write even though I had so much motivation in July to plan so I started getting behind on my word count.  I had decided to do a YouTube search for Nanowrimo Vlogs because I had been considering doing my own vlog so I wanted to see how others did them since I had never done one before.  When doing the search I came across a video of TracyMichelle210's and I really loved her video and I heard her say that she was going to be doing videos throughout August so I subscribed to her and then through her I found OneMoreSouthernBelle, who she was doing her collab with.
Their videos were very inspiring and I found a lot of great tips and inspiration that helped me to get caught back up on my word count.  I think that if it had not been for them I probably would have quit Nanowrimo this month and I am so glad that I chose not to quit.
I have learned a lot about myself as a writer this month.  I may not be doing anything with the novel I've written this month but writing it has helped me to see that I would really like to try and make writing a career.  I have been so passionate and in love with story telling even before I knew how to write.  It has always been something I've loved so much and for so long I have been putting it off and tossing around with the idea of doing it professionally but now I have decided that I will take it seriously.
I have a story that I started about eight years ago when I was a senior in high school and I have gone back a few times since then but I've been putting that off too.  It is a story I have always loved and I want to get it written.

I something in a book called "Writing the Block Buster Novel" by Albert Zuckerman that said, "Most people who set out to write a novel never finish it.  At first you're kept going by the novelty (pardon the pun) of the process: inventing characters and drama right out of your head.  But when you have fifty or a hundred pages written, you realize that you're going to have to do this for another six months or a year to finish it.  You think of all the movies you'll miss, all the evenings in the pub with your friends, all the TV shows you won't see, all the jobs around the house that won't get done-- and for what? For a novel that in all probability no one will ever want to read.  At this point most people give up.  A few, however, say, 'The heck with it, maybe nobody will ever want to read it, but I've started it and I'm going to finish it.' " 
A lot of times I've told myself, I'm probably not a very good writer, there are so many other writers out there that are so much better than me, maybe no one will want to read my book, maybe it's not a good idea...and maybe it is true that no one will want to read my book but I will never know unless I try and if for any other reason I want to write this story because I really feel like it should be written and it can be a learning experience for myself and to show myself that I can accomplish something like this.  It is really hard to even get a rough draft out and that is why I'm so thankful for Nanowrimo.  It may be hard also to edit but I know it will be worth it.
OneMoreSouthernBelle has been an inspiration to me because she had a story that she wrote that she loves and she worked hard to get it edited and get it to where she could publish it and it is a wonderful story.  I want to be able to do that too.  So thank you so much Ali for being such an inspiration to me.

I really enjoyed taking part in the collab and I have learned so much about myself from being able to think about each task that Tracy and Ali set.  So I'm very thankful that they allowed me to be apart of the collab with them.

Advice that I would give to others thinking about doing Nanowrimo is, to definitely give it a try.  Even if you do not make it to 50,000 just trying it can really be a great experience and allow you to meet other writers from all over the world who have the same experiences as you.  If you are passionate about writing and you really want to sit down and get yourself to write out a draft of a novel then Nanowrimo will be a great experience for you because when you sit down to write that draft you are not alone.  There are so many other people around to support you.  Have fun, believe in yourself and know that you can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it.


Even though this is the end of this Nanowrimo event I will still be posting more blog entries about writing, reading, planning out a novel (because that is what I am going to be working on these next two months until November).  In October I will start posting some tips on how to prepare for Nanowrimo and also a post on how to decide whether you should be a planner or a pantser and what that means exactly.

So stick around and I hope you have enjoyed my blog and that you will continue to enjoy it.

<3 Andrea


PS.  I wanted to share some pics of where I was today.  My dad has a cabin out in the woods and I often go up there to hang out and during the summer he and I ride our bikes down to the river for swimming and grilling.

Our cabin
It is over a miles ride down to the river so we load our bikes up with everything we need including: two water cushions, a cooler with hot dogs, hamburgers, ketchup, buns, mustard, a throw away grill, a canteen, change of clothes, towels, and other little things :D


It was such a nice day that I relaxed at the end of the dock

We jumped from the dock and went swimming.  When the tide got low we found a board at the bottom with rusty nails sticking out of it.  Glad we didn't jump on it! Never jump off a dock unless you know what's at the bottom!


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