Writing Novels
Visual inspiration: My wall of photos
When I started thinking about my second novel, to be set in Bratislava, I knew I wanted to do things differently from the first time, when I set my novel in Japan.
I set off writing about Japan with barely a look back at my diaries, notes and photographs of my time there. I did this [...]
Novel planning and novel non-planning
I had another decent session of in-class writing last week while my lovely students were doing their weekly test - but I had such a small class that there was no need to write on the prowl, I sat down and wrote and wrote instead. The most exciting thing is that what I was writing [...]
15,000 words in 8 hours: I’m an insane writer
This past weekend, I did one of the most stupid things of my writing career. Stupid, but also quite productive. Remember how I had some new ideas and useful feedback for my Japan novel? The insanity all stemmed from this.
It started out calmly on Sunday morning. The sun was shining for the first time in [...]
New ideas and new chapters for my first novel
It’s nearly a month since I lovingly printed my first manuscript to send it out into the world by its little ol’ self. For a couple of weeks I didn’t think about it at all, but confusingly, since I got properly started on my second novel, ideas for changing the first one keep popping into [...]
The first chapter is well underway
Don’t worry, dear Cadbury factory, you won’t be going broke: it appears that I will be allowed to eat chocolate again. My second novel is finally on a bit of a roll.
On Saturday night, in front of a TV show, curiously, because my concentration doesn’t normally work that well there, I got some notes down [...]
Deal with myself: I will write the first chapter this weekend, or I will never eat chocolate again
It was no idle or random thought that led me to subtitle this blog with the tag “a whole lot of procrastination”. Despite my repeated promises to plan my second novel I have made barely any progress. But I know if I don’t get some serious words happening this weekend, the whole procrastination thing is [...]
Getting ready to start novel #2
As I’ve mentioned before, I have quite a collection of novels sitting up in my head. With the first one down in a reasonable form - I do have some changes to make to it, but I want to let it sit just a little longer - it’s time for me to get started on [...]
The great manuscript print-out
As I type this, quite literally, I’m sitting a way back from my desk (finally, I understand the value of the wireless keyboard!) so that I can supervise the printing of my novel’s manuscript. It’s the first time I’ve printed the whole thing at once, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t trust my printer [...]
Novel revision: A procrastinatory update
Yes, procrastinatory is a word, even if my spell-check doesn’t agree. Trust me, I’m an expert on this subject.
Anyway, as you know, I’ve been revising my novel. In fact, my fingers are itching to get typing on my next novel, and I can feel my brain starting to plot it out below the surface. But [...]
The “it really happened” defence
As I’ve been revising my novel, particular situations have been reminding me of all the rules I’ve ever used and heard about writing fiction, and one of these is what I call the “it really happened” defence.
The “it really happened” excuse is the one bad writers (and I guess sometimes some good writers too) use [...]