It takes a village

So everyone knows it takes a village to raise a child, right? Well it takes a veritable army to write a romance novel :)

There isn't room in the book to thank everyone who offered help, advice and inspiration while I was writing Bound by a Baby Bump, so I'm going to gush Gwyneth Paltrow-style here instead -- you have been warned!

This book coudn't have happened without...

Alexia, for brainstorming, your pep talks and your (painfully!) honest feedback -- it was exactly what I needed, every time
Krista and Iona, for impromptu geography lessons and for introducing me to the Dorset coast
Anna, for all her medical advice on Rachel's pregnancy
Sarah, for insightful notes, as always
Steph, for letting me borrow your 'floor-less' approach to renovating(!)
Carlin, for advising on the pregnancy
All my family, obviously, for putting up with the circuitous conversations, the plot-hole busting, the bringing of carbs, the support and encouragement that comes everyday
The whole team at Mills & Boon, and my fellow Romance writers, for cheerleading, notes, revisions, advice and general fabulosity
And, last but not least, Mike, for all the tea (again).

I owe  HUGE thank you to you all. I couldn't do this job without such amazing support behind me. I love you all lots.

Ellie
x

P.S, DISCLAIMER I'm writing this post with baby brain -- if I've not mentioned you here it's because I'm writing with a mind like a colander, not because I don't love you and value you. I do. A LOT. That's all.

Let it rest

Those of you I've already regaled with my tales of home-made bread will know that I recently invested in a breadmaker. This is quite possibly the best thing I have ever bought (and I have been known to buy rather luscious shoes on occasion).

Simply put, a breadmaker works like this: flour and yeast goes in - bread comes out. Warm, smelling delicious and ready to eat. Now you might be wondering what all this has to do with writing and romance. Good point. I'm getting there, honest. Because here's the catch: as wondrous as the breadmaker undoubtedly is, the magic doesn't happen instantly. Flour to bread takes just about three hours, and if you try and rush the process, the goods just aren't up to scratch.

And this is much like writing a novel (see, told you I'd get there).

I've spent the past few months immersed in my #BeachBum world, trying to mould Rachel and Leo's story out of the myriad ideas, emotions and hunches I'd been scribbling in my notebook. And now that I've woven their lives together into a somewhat coherent narrative, they need a break. 

Like leaving the bread to prove, a stage which if skipped leads to a heavy, unpleasant loaf, I have to leave my characters to rest, to mature without me. And I have to give myself space, time and distance from them, to see their flaws and their strengths, and the many, many repeated words that undoubtedly litter their story. So while the story's out with my fab critique partner and beta readers, I'm not looking at it. It's the longest time that I've spent without these two characters in my life for months, and I have to admit to finding it a little strange. All the time, though, more ideas for them are occurring to me, and other stories, some which I've put on semi-permanent rest, are trying to inveigle their way into my mind, making me look ahead to a time when Rachel and Leo are truly done, and I'm ready to move on.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to that first read back, when I get to re-familiarise  myself with the #BeachBum world, and being able to see with fresh eyes exactly where I need to take their story. Accompanied by tea and a couple of slices of home-made toast, no doubt.

Ellie

xxxx

Beta reader needed and 10% off Crimson Romance

Well, despite various family dramas, I'm pleased to report that #BeachBum is continuing apace. The (scarily rough) first draft is complete, and the (only very rough) second draft is only an epilogue away from being done too.

And that means I need some help! I'm looking for someone, or someones, to read my rough draft and let me know what you think of it -- characters you love, plot points you hate, dialogue that sounds a little ropey (I think it's fair to say the manuscript will have at least two out of the three...). So if you love Mills & Boon Cherish (Harlequin Romance, to those of you across the pond) and want the chance influence the story, then let me know!

I'd also love if any new mums or mums to be would like to beta read, and let me know their thoughts on the pregnancy aspects of the story, as there's only so much I can learn from the NHS website and Netmums!

As it's so sunny out there, we all need a little something to read in the garden or on the beach, so use the code FFSAVE on the new Crimson Romance website, and get an extra 10% off (on top of their 30% off and 6-for-5 offers!) So if you've not read Hiding from Hollywood yet, head to http://www.adamsmediastore.com/crimson-romance!

Some very exciting news...

I'm so excited to be able to share some amazing news...

My first novel, Hiding From Hollywood, will be published by Crimson Romance next year! After years of scribbling away I'm so excited that my story will be out there in the world for people to enjoy.

And I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who's read drafts, provided feedback, brainstormed with me, made cups of tea (and glasses of wine!) and talked about my characters' problems as if they're real people. I really couldn't have written a word (never mind a book!) without such lovely, generous people encouraging me.

I can't wait to start the next step of the process, even though I'm a bit nervous of being on the other side of the editor's red pen, and will keep you all posted with everything that happens between now and publication.

At this time of year, I couldn't post without mentioning NaNoWriMo. I've written before (here and here) about how much I love this November writing frenzy, and have taken part every year since 2009 (Hiding From Hollywood started life as 2011's effort). But with my rewrites and edits for Hollywood due imminently, and other stories on the go, 50000 words is just not realistic this year (or at least not without dropping one of the other balls I'm juggling). But as I can't resist a November challenge, I've decided that I'm going to try and get myself halfway into a new story -- 25k -- by the end of the month. Check back here to see how I get on!

Is anyone planning to take on NaNo for the first time this year? Or if the full 50k just won't fit into your life right now, why not set yourself another November challenge? Write a short story, try a particular poem structure, write a detailed synopsis for your next story, set yourself a daily word target. To me, NaNo isn't just about getting the words on the page, it's about making space in my life for my writing, a month when leaving the ironing in favour of an extra 500 words isn't just allowed, it's positively encouraged. So whatever, and however much, you're writing this November, Good luck, and may your laundry mountain grow ever higher.

Ellie x

Foodie update, and lots of other things

Hello friends!

I have spent the past few weeks and months with my head well and truly buried in my WIP. But now it's away with my wonderful critique partner, I finally have a little time to blog, remind my family what I look like, tidy the house, catch up on the laundry ... Oh the glamour.

So Food Glorious Food - it still doesn't have a proper title - is finished, sort of. It's already been through a couple of drafts, and, thanks to the brilliant feedback of my local writers' group, is hopefully in pretty okay shape. Though I'm sure that my CP is finding lots of stuff for me to work on as I speak!

In other news, remember my Old Friends? Well, just like when the whole story got started, they're hanging around in my head again a lot, refusing to leave me alone. A second draft of their story is definitely on the cards, and soon, but some of their friends seem to be hassling me as well, wanting a book of their own. I'm not sure I'm ready to embark on another historical adventure just yet - especially when I'm still researching and making plans for the first - but like with lots of my writing, I'm not entirely sure I'm the one calling the shots here.

So that's where my writing life is at the moment - a bit all over the place. One manuscript out for review, another awaiting a second draft and more research and a couple of ideas that seem determined to drag my attention away. Oh, and then there's the small matter of writing a POEM (but perhaps I should save that for another time).

I'd really love to hear how everyone else balances different projects at different stages. How do you decide what to work on next? Should I chase down that new idea or stick with research and revisions for the one I've already written?

Ellie
x

How to write a novel: Part three

Well, the best thing about this post is that (in my opinion) the hardest part is done! If you've finished your first draft - hit your word count, got to the end, given your characters their happy ever after, then you get to do my favourite part of the writing process - editing. I'm sure that there are as many ways to edit a novel as there are to write one in the first place, so the usual caveat applies: this isn't the only way to do it, but it is how I do it.

1. Step away from the novel. Yep. Ignore it completely, for at least a day, longer if you can. If you try and edit what you wrote this morning, chances are you'll make the same decisions and mistakes all over again, or be blinkered about where your writing can be improved. A little time and space will give you the perspective you need to do a good edit.
2. But not for too long. I am happy to hold my hands up and admit I've made this mistake. More than once. My 2010 NaNoWriMo novel has been sitting in a folder on my hard drive for nearly two years. It had grown so monstrous in my mind that I couldn't bear to even open the file. Well, this week I took the plunge and read it, and I have to say, it's actually pretty good! My point is, if you leave it too long, the doubt crows will start to win out over reason, and it's all too easy to convince yourself that your worst writerly fears are true. The only way to prove to yourself that they're not is to read through what you've written and make a plan for revisions. 
3. Read your book. All of it, preferably printed out, or on a Kindle, or in some other format that stops you fiddling with it. What you're looking at is the big picture. Does your plot develop realistically? What is the pacing like - too fast? too slow? Do your characters' emotions develop consistently and smoothly? Is there enough intrigue - either about the past, or the future, or both. What do you repeat and fall back on too often: a word, a description, an image, a point of view, a metaphor? You're looking to make a To Do list which will probably require you to make changes throughout the story. I know that what Hollywood needed at this stage was smoothing - there were too many details that hadn't made it from brain to manuscript, resulting in great leaps on the page.
4. Line edit. Now this really is the best bit. Go through line by line, making sure that every single word of your story is perfect, or at least as close to perfect as you can get. I actually do a little of this between steps two and three, just to make my reading experience more enjoyable, but this is when I really go to town. Play with vocabulary, tweak your syntax, sharpen your dialogue. Chances are, to make your book really sing at this stage, you're going to want to cut cut cut. Any adjective or adverb that doesn't pull it's weight should be deleted instantly. (OK, that's not a law or anything, but I do think it's generally a good idea ...)
5. Ask someone else to read your book. I know I said that the hardest part of writing a novel was done, but I'd forgotten the sweaty-palmed terror that accompanies sending your novel out into the world for the first time. But if you're hoping to be published, you knew this part was going to come eventually. Make it easier on yourself by picking your reader carefully, and most importantly - listen to what they have to say. More advice here.

So there you have it, the five steps to finishing your novel once you've completed the first draft. Rinse and repeat until you're happy with the result, and then it's time to make the big decision - what to do with it next.

Ellie x

How to write a novel: Part one
How to write a novel: Part two

I'm back!

And I bring exciting news: the latest draft of Hollywood is finished! I think there may be a few comments to incorporate as I ask a few trusted friends and critique partners to review this draft of the manuscript – but to me it feels done. I’m happy with the character development, the plot, the romance, the sex scene *blushes furiously*, and all with a little time to spare before entries open for SYTYCW 2012.

And that’s not all. Remember my Old friends? Well, their story is starting to fall into place too. The setting’s become much clearer – these are definitely Tudor folk – and so the great research marathon has begun. I took some good advice from Vanessa Greene and am trying to research and develop a story simultaneously, and so far it’s working. Each nugget of information I uncover suggests an idea for the plot, or a facet to a character, and every leap I make in character and setting points my research in a new direction. I’ve now got a sizeable reading list, books on order from my new local library, and am close to the big ‘sticking post-its on a storyboard’ moment (one of my favourites in the writing process). And I haven’t even mentioned the DVDs I’m lining up for a Tudor marathon: The Other Boleyn Girl, Shakespeare in Love, The Tudors …

So the last quarter of 2012 is looking like a busy one writing-wise, and I cannot wait J What have I missed while I’ve been away – please share your writing news!

Ellie x

The Waiting Game

Once that all-important first draft is completed, writing is a bit of a waiting game. Especially if you're hoping to publish, you will probably want lots of people to read the manuscript: crit partners, beta readers, and eventually, agents and editors. I know from experience that the waiting is a strange time. After months and months of writing every day, making sacrifices to find the time to work on your book, all of a sudden it's gone. 

So, what to do while you're waiting? The first, and most obvious, option is to sit in front of your email inbox, hitting 'Refresh' on a regular basis. I'm not saying that this isn't a valid life choice - it's certainly one I've indulged in from time to time - but if, like me, you have decided to step away from the inbox, here are a few things that I've tried:

1. Try a different style of writing. Explore different aspects of the writing craft by trying something completely new. Recently, I've started short story writing, and found that it's really helping me to develop my skills - the restricted word count means that I think harder and longer about every word, making sure that each line packs in as much intensity as possible. One of my favourite things so far is the freedom it gives you to make fundamental changes in style and POV. How would this read in the first person, I think to myself. To change a whole novel would take hours, if not days, but with a short story, twenty minutes later I can see for myself! If short stories don't appeal, what about poetry, haiku, feature articles, a blog? 
2. Visit old friends. I have two NaNoWriMo novels stashed away that, on the relevant December 1st, I swore would never again see the light of day. But the characters from the first one pop into my head on a regular basis, and I know that one of these days I'm going to have to  write them a proper story. If you don't think you could revive a whole manuscript, is there a character, a location or a plot twist that you can use elsewhere? Or, on a related note, you could: 
3. Plot your next NaNoWriMo novel. If you've not NaNo'd before - I can highly recommend it. But let's face it, writing a novel in a month is hard. It is a lot easier, however, if you have elements of plot, characterization, setting, etc. clear in your head and down on paper before you start. That way, if you start to enter a slump (for me, always after the half-way point), or the words start to fly, you don't have to stop writing to work out what happens next.
4. Watch TV. And go to the cinema, read books - especially outside your usual genre, go for walks, overhear things in Starbucks. Load up your author notebook with so many brilliant story ideas that you can't wait to get back to your computer/notebook and start on the next project.
5. Start your next novel. You knew this was coming, right? Because now you know you can write a novel, why wouldn't you want to do it again? You've lived through the ups and the downs, the moments of genius and absolute idiocy (maybe that last one's just me). You've found time to write on days when it seemed impossible. And even though, when you were somewhere around the middle, you thought you might just give up now, YOU DIDN'T! 

So, there you have it. Five things to try. Any other suggestions?

Ellie
x

Can I get a second opinion?

After weeks of planning, writing the first draft of my book, and then several more months editing it into reasonable shape, I started to look at it and despair. It could have been written in another language for all the sense it made to me. Every word was so familiar and so ingrained in my brain that I couldn’t see a way to change it. The only way to move forward from this point was to get a second opinion. What I wanted out of an early review, or beta read, was to know in broad terms which parts of the story, and which bits of my writing, were working and which weren’t.

When you’re looking for someone to review your manuscript, you have several options. There’s friends and family, of course, but be sure that whoever you ask is prepared to give you constructive criticism when it’s needed. Absolutely the most important thing in a reviewer is that they’re able to be honest with you - a review is no use if it doesn’t help you improve your book. If you don’t like the idea of asking a friend, then you have a couple of options. You could ask a professional editor to appraise your manuscript and make suggestions, or you can take to Twitter, blogs and forums to find beta readers or a crit partner. Chat with people who read and write in your genre, find someone you have a connection with, and ask! If possible, make yourself available to other writers who want beta readers – you learn so much about the craft by finding what works and what doesn’t in other peoples’ writing.

I’m very fortunate to have a brilliant friend, who also happens to be a brilliant editor (@SarahLou_Long – follow her real-life romance here: http://www.miningfm.com.au/ask-our-experts/the-miners-girl.html), agree to read my manuscript. We read and write in similar genres and I knew that her editorial instincts would be too strong not to suggest improvements wherever she could. I’d have been happy to have comments on just a few chapters, but, as I said, she is brilliant and agreed to read the whole thing.

When it actually came to reading this honest feedback and (plenty of) constructive criticism, I felt a bit ill. I’d not had anyone comment objectively on my writing since school, and had major attacks of the doubt crows (my current favourite phrase, courtesy of Maisey Yates). Mostly though, once I got into it, I found reading the suggestions for improvement more frustrating than painful, because once it was pointed out, every mistake seemed so obvious! Not only that, but a lot of the comments were requests for more information – often about the finer details of setting or subtext – that I had already thought about and written into my notes. It was absolutely crystal clear in my mind, but I’d somehow forgotten to get the words on the page.  By this point I knew my characters and my scenes so well that my brain was filling in gaps. But at least this meant that the negative comments were easy to tackle, and even the littlest positive ones (‘Love this J’ or ‘I love this whole page!’) made me do a little happy dance.

Of course, the reasonable part of my brain knows this isn’t the purpose of positive comments. What I need to do is pick apart these good bits, trying to work out what I’d said, or not said, that made Sarah smile, or gasp, or hate me (my favourite of the bunch was this one: ‘What? Don’t stop!! OMG, I have to get back to work now and I want to keep reading – you’re such a bl**dy tease!!’). And I will absolutely do this. Right after the happy dancing. 

But by far my favourite thing to come from this process is the homework – so far, I’ve been instructed to reread Marian Keyes, spend some quality time thinking about Jonny Jefferson, watch Entourage and listen to Matthew McConaughey’s voice. With advice like that, who am I to argue?