Felixstowe Book Festival wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t support the local writer groups. The festival is run by Felixstowe library so if you are looking for your local writing group I would suggest visiting your local library and asking the librarian if they have details of any. Maybe you will start one up?
Felixstowe Scribblers meet fortnightly at Felixstowe Library, and I was a regular attendee. The meetings set a prompt for writing, they sometimes do flash fiction and hold a quarterly competition to win the Bill Bunder Cup. They published my short story Cherry Blossom in their first anthology. The group is run by Dave.
Orwell League Writers (OWL) are an Ipswich writing group. I’ve not been to any of their meetings so can’t tell you much about the set up but I know a writer who won their annual writing competition. The group is run by Mia.
Both groups had come up with an activity for attendees.
Flash Fiction
Scribblers had prepared a number of words to act as writing prompts and placed them face down. Participants were encouraged to select one and then a timer was set and we had to write a short story.
My prompt word was ’weapon’ and I wrote a story inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale about a suicide bomber that is starting to doubt their cause moments before acting.
Character Development
OWL had created character sheets and got us all to create two characters that could meet at a train station.
Creating my two characters and imagining their reason for being at the station got me creating a story in my head. If I wasn’t so busy with other projects I would write it – like I needed another story idea. ?
Stay tuned, I promise the tale of my White Knight is coming soon…
July has been a challenging month for my writing goals. For Camp NaNo I decided to make a start on book 2, Diamond in the Sky but it has been full of distractions! I’m hoping August will be more productive for my writing.
Distraction 1: Course Work
I needed to finish my coursework for the Working Together Community Course. I must admit I had been putting off the assignments to work on my writing and as the deadline to submit approached I had to prioritise it and get it done. I have really enjoyed volunteering and everyone at the school has been lovely. On my last day, I got a card from the teachers and signed by all the children and chocolates.
Distraction 2: Blog
I didn’t make any progress on my Camp NaNo project until day 7 and I quickly realised that I needed to do some more planning. Not only that but my blog was also in need of some attention. I need to write up about all the fun I had at Felixstowe Book Festival. I then spent the next few evenings prepping some posts.
After a little plotting and scheduling, I was ready to write and decided to sign up to Mandi Lynn’s #10kWritingChallenge. I knew there was no chance I could write 10k in one day with my other commitments but I knew if I aimed high, I would achieve something great. I wrote 2,792 new words for Diamond in the Sky. I was back on track for my Camp NaNo goal.
Turns out Mandi Lynn didn’t make 10k either. She vlogged about her struggles and celebrated the words she did achieve. She encourages people to sign up to next months 10k challenge and win a pin.
Distraction 3: Important dates
The end of July and start of August have some important dates for me.
Husband distractions: It is my husband’s birthday month. I needed to sort out his gift and I wanted to take him out somewhere child free. I arranged for his sister to babysit. I also got Aria to print her feet in his card and Noah to write a personal message.
Also, last month, my hubby got a little neglected as the end of Jewel of the Sea got closer, so I promised to watch Stranger Things with him – which was awesome.
Noah distractions: My son was finishing his first year of school (Reception class).
I think it is nice for kids to make their teacher a card or gift so I had to come up with an idea and organise the craft.
We got to go to Noah’s first sports day. I also decided to arrange a night out with the playground mums and get the ball rolling on some summer play dates.
Aria’s distractions: Aria’s first birthday is at the start of August. I have been busy arranging her cake smash and splash and worked with the photographer to create a very personal experience (more coming soon).
I’ve also been planning her parties. Yes! That was ‘party’ as a plural. She is a very lucky girl.
Distraction 4: Pitching
SFFpip was this month. It was my first time taking part in this Twitter pitch event and I got a like by a publisher! Naturally, I have then had to research them to decided if the feeling is mutual.
If writing up about Felixstowe Book Festival was my distraction at the start of the month, then YALC was my distraction at the end. The closer the date got, the more excited I became. I went to bed early the night before and barely slept a wink. I can’t believe it, I pitched to two agents – one of them I have stalked on Twitter for years – and they both asked me to send them Jewel of the Sea – Aghhh!
Now, my distraction is trying to write the perfect query letter. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I’m pretty sure my letter stinks and is why I get rejected. I feel like an excited puppy chasing my own tail and equally terrified that when I bite, I am going to get hurt. I need to conquer my fear and be brave.
Conclusion
I was in two minds whether or not to do Camp NaNo as I knew I had a lot on already this month.
With a grand total of 9,886 words, I think it is pretty impressive what I achieved despite all the distractions. If I hadn’t given it a go, I may not have written anything this month.
I also feel the challenge has kept me in touch with my novel so when things calm down in a few weeks, I can dive straight back in.
How did your July writing goals go? Did you do Camp Nano?
This event was hosted by Phoebe Morgan who promised to share her advice on how to get published, attract an agent and attract an editor. It was held at the Sailing Club with stunning views of Felixstowe Ferry.
Introductions
Phoebe Morgan is the best selling author of The Doll House and works at Orion as an Editorial Director. She explained a little about the books she works on (crime, thrillers, women’s fiction and saga). She had created a presentation especially for us.
Before she started, Phoebe went around the room and got each of us to introduce ourselves and what we are writing and hoping to get out of the talk. There was something very endearing about Phoebe. People instantly warmed to her and wanted her to know about their writing. I think it is the way she appreciated and valued every writer in the room.
I shared that I have just finished editing Jewel of the Sea and sent it out to Beta Readers. I explained that I have queried a lot, been rejected a lot and then edited again and have lost count of the cycle. I confessed that I am now considering self publishing and believe my query letter and synopsis is not having the right effect on agents.
First Impressions
Phoebe’s talk began talking about bestsellers and popular genres and why these books are doing well. She emphasised why it is so important for writers to know what is trending when they are querying because this links to how it will be pitched to editors and publishing houses.
Phoebe had put together examples of pitches to illustrate how important it is to quickly get agents up to speed on what your novel is about in just one sentence.
Example: The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins – Woman sees inciting incident through her train window.
Phoebe told us what genres are trending right now. However, it is best to write the novel you want as these are constantly changing. She talked about why genre fiction is popular and why it is important for us to identify the genre where our novel will be placed. This helps the publishers identify where to market, package, design and price it. She pointed out how we need to be passionate enough about our books to promote it for two years!
Phoebe had collected examples of the first line of successful books and discussed how these sentences grip the reader right from the start. She pointed out how agents are often very busy and if they are not pulled in from the start, they will move on to the next. She pointed out how in a shop, a reader may pick up a book and look at that first line to decide whether to buy it or not.
Example: The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins – There is a pile of clothing on the train tracks.
Then, she got us to share the first line of our books and discussed their strengths. She also suggested that some writers should consider starting further into the story where the action starts.
She went on to talk about how to use suspense and pacing in our novels giving us tips on how to use these to make our novels a page turner. For examples, shorter sentences and chapters can speed up action but you can do the opposite for when you need to pull the reader in for more detail – there needs to be a balance between the two.
Ending a chapter on a cliff hanger can leave a reader needing to read the next chapter, to do this successful you need the reader to care about the character and be worried about them or the invested in the outcome. It helps to make the characters life full of obstacles – if it is too easy, it is boring. Obstacles create conflict.
Phoebe briefly covered different ways to structure your novel and why this is important.
Characters are incredibly important in your novel so Phoebe had collected a few tips to help us. In my notes I jotted down:
Not too many – you only need three to five main characters. If you have more then you can lose the reader as they won’t be able to connect with them. If you have too many, see if two characters can be merged together to fulfil one role.
Zoom in technique – Imagine a lens and zoom in and think of little things that makes the character who they are.
Back stories – Make sure you know your characters back stories, even if this doesn’t come into the story it will influence who they are and make them more vivid when you write.
Motivations – Understand what drives your characters. What are their goals and what they want to achieve, etc.
Likeable? – It is not necessary for the reader to like your main character whoever readers do need at least one character they can emphasise with.
Phoebe then got us to think about one of the characters in our novel and write for five minutes about their backstory. I chose Luna who is a secondary character but her back story and actions are the catalyst for the entire series. She is a character I need to know inside and out. I may one day write a short story about her.
Roles
She then told us about the steps to getting published. There were twelve steps! I’ve always been focused on ‘getting an agent’ that I have not thought much more about ‘what next’. It turns out there is a lot that happens after you get an agent, and a lot that happens after you an editor and after all that, when you finally get an offer from a publisher, you can say no.
Phoebe went into more detail about what an agent does and how to pitch one. I felt like I knew a lot of this as it is something I’ve done a lot of. Phoebe was able to recommend some good agents and resources like The Writer’s and Artists’ Yearbook.
She then told us what editors look for. It was very insightful to hear this as the agent will be looking for these things in your query. The agent will be trying to figure out whether they can pitch your novel to editors. Here are the main things editors want:
A strong, clear, one-sentence hook
A good sense of voice – character needs to feel new and unique
Fill a spot on their list – keep an eye out for out for wish lists
Pleasure to work with – they will check out social media to see if you take writing seriously but this is not a deal breaker.
A clear vision – they need to believe in the book and be able to see it doing well.
She ended by warning us that rejection is something almost every published author has experienced. She gave us tips on how to deal with and was very encouraging that a rejection doesn’t mean give up.
Summary
She finished by giving us a list of resources for further information and how to contact her if we have further questions. She also took our emails so she could send us a copy of her presentation.
Phoebe was so lovely, approachable and genuinely wanted to help everyone in the room. Writers who get to work with her are truly blessed.
I did have a damsel in distress moment in the car park where a knight in shinning armour came to my rescue. More about this in my next Felixstowe Book Festival post.
I hope you have found this useful. If you want to connect with Phoebe, you can find her:
I am getting so excited about my upcoming date with YALC! I can’t wait to be surrounded by all those wonderful books, authors and influential people in the industry.
But London is expensive and a long day out for me so I’ve thought about what to take and wear.
What I’ll wear
I want to be comfortable so I will be wearing flat shoes. Not only will this trip involve a lot of travelling for me but also book festivals involve a lot of walking around visiting the stands. I couldn’t believe me luck when I discovered this cute T-Shirt in a sale at NewLook with the slogan “Don’t judge a book by its cover!”
I’ll also want my makeup to last all day so I’ll be wearing Pacifica waterproof mascara and Ere Perez lip stain in Joy. I’ll take my rose facial spritz in case it is sticky hot and sun lotion in case I am out in the sun.
What I’llpack
I haven’t decided what bag to take yet but I plan to pack a notepad, and a reusable shopping bag for all the books I buy.
I will also pack my water bottle, snacks and, if I’m organised enough, a pack lunch.
And finally…
My last bit of prep will be to check my travel details and time with my friend. We’ll likely drive part of the way and the train/underground the rest. I’ll also double check I’ve got my tickets.
Also, someone I connected with on Instagram is going too. We are hoping to meet up. I’m super excited as I’ve never met an online friend before.
I don’t travel to London very often. What tips do you have for me to ensure my trip is a success? Are you going to YALC?
I booked this workshop with no idea what I had got myself in for. As I arrived, I realised in the scorching hot sun, I had forgot to bring my bottle of water and was about to spend two hours in a container.
Thankfully, Richard O’Neill came prepared with water, notebooks and pens for everyone. We felt rather spoilt despite our unusual setting. Richard’s wife Louise helped us all settle into the container, where we sat on blankets, cushions and someone had brought a camping chair.
Richard began the session but talking about Containment. He talked about his background and the things that have held him back and how he has learnt to consider whether a barrier is his perception or a reality. Sometimes, all it takes to free yourself it to change the way you think.
I could relate to this a lot. For a long time, I described myself as an aspiring writer because I don’t have anything published. Then, I realised that I am a writer because I write. And, I write a lot. I also felt my writing wasn’t good enough to share as I was not good at English at school despite enjoying it, I certainly don’t have a degree. But, I realised that my writers voice is what sets me apart, it makes my stories unique and my writing is good without some fancy certificate.
Richard then asked us to imagine we were somewhere else. Where would we want to be? He then left us to write about this place. The he got us all to share what we had written and we had all wrote something different. He pulled out parts that he liked from our writing.
I wrote about Mauritius. I went back to the white sandy beaches and crystal blue sea that I enjoyed for my honeymoonwith a cocktail in hand.
Richard talked about the different constraints that people have. He talked about how he has delivered workshops in prison and that those students were obviously physically constrained within those walls. He spoke about a project he is involved with about diversity in books and how the subject is much deeper than just the colour of a persons skin. He explained how he grew up living as a traveller and the constraints the lifestyle presented.
Then Richard asked us to think about our own barriers to writing and got us to write them down and think about how to overcome those barriers. Some of the participants wrote down a paragraph but I chose to do a spider diagram as that is something I like to do when problem solving.
It was a very enlightening experience. I do have a lot of barriers to my writing but I choose to overcome these because writing is important to me. Everyday, I don’t give up.
Richard & his wife did a tremendous job at making everyone feel welcome. Richard is an incredibly charming man who made us to think and question. He encouraged everyone’s writing and didn’t make anyone feel on the spot or stupid. I think we all came away from the session feeling motivated – I know I did.
What are your barriers to writing? Can you break free from your containment?
To learn more about Richard O’Neill and his books, you can follow him on Twitter or visit his website.
This book came highly recommended on Instagram and when Bethany Atazadeh and Brittany Wang did their #STCExperiement – YouTube videos of them using the book to outline a novel – I decided I had to get it so I could join in.
The book is based on books by Blake Snyder who writes guides for scriptwriters. Jessica identified that the best novels use the same structure. In this guide to writing she adapts the ‘Save the Cat’ beats for novel writing. She also gives plenty of examples form best sellers – even if you haven’t read them you will know their names.
How it works?
This guide splits the novel into four Acts. Each act is broken down into beats. The Beats have names and descriptions to prompt you what needs to be happening in your novel.
Once you read the book you will start noticing the beats in films you watch. It is a real eye opener.
How I used it?
Editing (Jewel of the Sea)
When the book arrived I had just decided that Jewel of the Sea needed yet another edit! I wanted to re-write the ending, however, that’s not as easy as just jumping to the end and writing it. There are little details that need to be woven in throughout the novel.
After reading STC, I created a spreadsheet based on my word count and used the percentages to see where certain beats should be happening. It turned out I had a lot of the beats but in some places my pacing was off. I then used STC to help with that.
Plotting Act 1 (Scarlet Dresses)
For Camp NaNo April, I used STC to draft out the first Act for a new novel called Scarlet Dresses. During the challenge I made a really good start on this novel.
My only hold up was that I felt my characters were a bit flat as I had not spent long enough developing them. I feel the story had got potential so I plan to return to this project and complete it… one day.
Plotting and editing (Diamond in the Sky)
This month, I decided to do Camp NaNo July. Jewel of the Sea is out with Beta Readers and I need to start thinking about writing the next novel in my shifter series. Now, Diamond in the Sky has been started but never finished. Now I am more familiar with STC, I decided to use it for both editing and plotting.
To start with I need to edit what I already have. I have used STC to plot the first Act and created my spreadsheet to check the pacing is right. There are a few instances where it is slightly off and I have noted this on my spreadsheet to check later. First, I want to get the novel written.
The next step will be to use STC to plot the rest of the novel – the unwritten chapters. I will use STC to check that when I create the different beats that I am getting the pacing right.
Final thoughts…
This book has changed the way I write. I have always been a pantser and found editing incredibly hard. Writing without a plan often can take you off on wayward paths that are not necessary or haven’t been preempted to create the right impact. This results in a lot of editing – something I hate.
With STC, I feel have a guide keeping me on track and I can check my pacing is working. Previously, my outline was incredibly brief and left a lot of gaps for me to fill but having a plot keeps me on track and I don’t get stuck.
If you need help plotting and with pacing, then I highly recommend this book. Now, it is always close to hand and I wouldn’t write a novel without it. I love it.
Do you have any writer resources that you swear by?
I am never short of ideas to write, just time to work on them. Today, I am going to share with you where I get my inspiration so you too can have an abundance of ideas.
Where I get my inspiration:
Art
My story Jewel of the sea was inspired by a photograph of a couple kissing underwater.
Music
Listening to songs can often drive emotions and take you to places that creates a story.
Films/Shows/Books
Sometimes I am watching or reading something and it inspires me to write my own story.
Dreams
Not everyone can remember there dreams but if you can your subconscious can be a great source of ideas.
People watch
Watching the world go by gives plenty of opportunities to generate ideas or characters and these can be the start of something.
Take a walk
Not only is it a great way to clear your head but whilst you are out you will see things to spark ideas.
Experience new things
Learning and doing new things will generate new ideas. You can also learn about new things from other people sharing their experiences with you.
What if?
Asking what if. Everytime you ask this question it pushes you to think and imagine what next and start building a story.
History
You can use experiences from your own past or research historical events or periods to get your imagination going.
I would love to hear whether you use any of the above methods to come up with ideas and I would love to hear of any methods you use that I’ve not mentioned.
There was plenty of choice for kids this year with many events being free of charge and no need to get a ticket. This is great for parents with young kids who have no idea how their kids will be feeling on the day or even awake at the scheduled time. My biggest challenge was how to fit in activities for my children when there were so many events I wanted to go to for me!
Story Walk in the Woods
The first event we attended was at the Grove, out local woodlands. The event was run by Elly Crichton Stuart who led the children (or get them to lead us) through the forest and hunt out spots for story telling. During our walk she shared a total of ten stories. She was animated in her story telling which appealed to the children and often got them involved.
Sitting on a log, the first story she shared was the Grufflao that she recalled from memory. The children were all familiar with this one. Later, sitting by a large oak tree, she shared a Scottish tale about a White Stag and a girls trip to fairyland. Next, the children sat on a tree stump whilst she shared with them a fable about a pigeon and an ant. Finally, on the field she told a story about the Loneliest Giant and how the salt water shrank him. She encouraged the children to not forget the stories she shared with them and to tell them to others.
You can find out more about Elly by clicking here.
Bread Babies
I had not planned to go to this event, but whilst at an event of my own, I was told about it and when I asked my son if he would like to go, he did.
This event was run by author Richard O’Neil and took place at The Bakery which was a very fitting venue considering the story being shared. The children all sat beautifully at the back of the bakery, listening to a very imaginative tale of a Baker that decided to make bread babies for their customers but there was enough dough left over to make a life size baby. Once baked the big baby vanished only to turn up in the home of a couple that desperately wanted a baby of their own but never had such luch. Now the bread baby is alive and they adopt it.
It was a very entertaining story and Richard shared it in a way that engaged the children. I was very impressed with how Noah paid attention and even whispered “Our baby isn’t made of bread?”
At the end, the owner of the bakery kindly shared some bread babies that she had baked for all the children – there were even some little redhead (jam) ones. My compliments to the Baker – they were so delicious and didn’t make it home.
To learn more about Richard O’Neill and his books, you can follow him on Twitter or visit his website.
Writing a novel is mainly a solitary project that you work on for months. And, when you type ”The End” it is a huge achievement, but what do you do next?
For me, I sat alone at my PC. After editing 85k words there was nobody around to celebrate with me. To be honest, that isn’t the end.
If you have been following my blog, you are probably aware that my novel is posted on Wattpad so when I finished editing, it was very easy to submit my novel into their annual competition.
Beta Readers
While it is sitting on Wattpad being judged by the judges, I decided to send my novel to a select group of beta readers to get feedback. 07I will take their feedback into consideration and make any necessary amendments and then I will decide whether to query agents, self publish or enter other competitions.
I am also part of World Indie Warriors which is a collaborative group that are supporting authors in the self publishing industry or those aspiring to self publish. Meeting them has been a very enlightening experience and as a result I feel more motivated and informed about self publishing. It no longer feels like a scary unknown.
I am also attending a marketing course with Pagan Malcolm on book prompting which will be beneficial whichever route I take.
Next Project
Although I’ve taken a creative break, I have already started plotting the next novel. I am going to rework and finish Diamond of the Sky. This will be my project for Camp NaNo (July 2019).
Read
This summer, I will be catching up on my reading. Reading is a great way to continue to develop my writing skills as I soak up the methods others have used. It is also a great way to support other writers.
What do you do when you have finished writing a novel?
You may have caught my previous post where I reflected on my progress so far this year towards my annual goal. As we enter into Summer, I am evaluating where I am at and setting myself some new goals for the next quarter.
Social Media
Blog (Word Press): To continue to post at least twice a week keeping to my content schedule as much as possible.
Instagram: To maintain the new connections I have made and continue to engage with them and share content about my writing.
Twitter: Continue to share links to my content on Twitter and connect with writers on the platform.
Facebook page: To brainstorm how I can use this to connect with more writers.
YouTube: To be brave and get in front of the camera and start sharing video content.
Tumblr: Share Instagram and Word Press content to this platform.
Writing
Jewel of the Sea: Enter into the Wattys. Put novel out to Beta Readers. Take part in September’s #PitMad. Work on my query letter.
Diamond in the Sky: Re-plot novel, edit existing version and write ending.
Festivals: Attend festivals:
Felixstowe Book Festival
YALC
Wow-Con
Personal
Working Together Course: Finish this course.
Crafts: Make time at least once a week:
Planner: continue to use Carpe Diem planner
Pocket letter: write another pocket letter
Scrapbook: Do at least one page
Crochet: Finish Aria’s blanket for her birthday
Read at least four and a half books by the end of September: I have read three books so far this year. I’ve started two books I have just not been able to get. I will most likely buy new books at the festivals.
Development
Writer courses: Continue to take advantage of any free courses that come my way if I have the time to do these.
Resource book: Buy another writing help book. I am considering the Emotion Thesaurus.
What are your goals?
I shall review these again at the end of September. I often feel like I haven’t achieved much until I acknowledge what I have managed to do. Will you be setting any goals?
