Ally Aldridge Goals, Novel, Writing

Reflecting on Camp NaNo July 2019

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.

Valerie Patisserie

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).

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Wow! Seeing Noah’s first day of school and his last day in Reception, I can see how much he has grown. . The months have flown by. I’ve been fortunate that the other parents help me figure out what I am doing and save Noah from my mistakes (like no uniform day – Thanks @helenling27 ). Being on maternity leave has enabled me to take advantage of the support offered by the school and I’ve even passed a course. We couldn’t have wished for a better teacher. She has helped him settle into school and has done a tremendous job of developing him and preparing him for Y1. Most of all, I’m incredibly proud of Noah. He has achieved so much in a short time. ? . #receptionclass #receptionclass2019 #nowandthen #finishingreception #growinguptoofast #growinguptooquick #whatadifferenceayearmakes #schoollife #proudmummy #proudmum #mygorgeousboy #lovehimsomuch #receptionlife #5yearsold #schooluniform

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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.

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How exciting! I dared to take part and pitch in the #SFFpit event on Twitter. Swipe to see my pitch. Swipe again to see the Publisher that like it. ?? . I'm not going to rush my submission. I will research them to check the love is mutual and work hard on making sure cover letter, etc, is perfect. I'm so excited and happy. . Let me know if you've heard of this publisher or any tips for submitting. Many thanks ?✍️ . #SFFpit #pitch #pitchevent #novelpitch #novelpitching #twitterpitch #publisher #publisherrequest #submission #query #querying #queryletter #happywriter #happyauthor #debutnovel #debutnovelist #yafiction #yafantasy #contemporaryfantasy #cf #ya #writersofinstagram #aspiringauthor #aspiringauthorsofig #aspiringauthorsofinstagram #aspiringauthauthorslife

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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?

If you liked this post, you may enjoy:

My plans for the third quarter

Felixstowe Book Festival – The Publishing Industry

#PitMad June 2019 Summary

YALC Prep

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Tips, Writing

Where to find great story ideas…

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.

Image by artist Lacie Slezak on Unsplash

If you like this, then you will enjoy:

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Ally Aldridge Books, Competition, Festival, Goals, Novel, Query, Tips, Writing

Have you finished your novel? What is next?

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.

Entered Wattys

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.

Research

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How is your book published? For years, I’ve had my heart set on being traditionally published. I like the validation that someone else sees merit in my novel. I fear that I do not know the industry well enough and like the idea that my agent or publisher will push me in the right direction. However, the problem with the traditional method is my success relies on convincing someone else to believe in me. My novel has to stand out in a competitive slush pile. It needs to reach them when it is exactly what they are looking for. My voice needs to be fresh, original yet fit in with others on the market. Even then, it still might not be enough. Whereas self published authors are their only hurdle – only they need to believe in themselves to be published. However, all the work is on them to edit, market, sell, etc. But, if they have a ‘can do’ attitude there is no holding them back. I’m starting to wonder if I am my biggest hurdle. That I don’t need to win a literary agent or publisher over, I could self publish today. So, why don’t I? What am I afraid of? Is anyone else not published yet that feels like this? #traditionallypublished #traditionalpublishing #indieauthorsofinstagram #selfpublished #indiebooks

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Meanwhile, I will be researching literary agents to see who is a good fit for my novel.  I am attending an event about the publishing industry (how to get published, attract an agent, attract an editor with Phoebe Morgan) and an agent one-to-one with Florence Rees.  

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?

If you liked this post, you may also like?

How I edited my novel – 12 tips for self editing

Spotlight on Summer Literary Dates calendar

Book Review:  Rebel of the sands

Reflecting on Camp NaNoWriMo (July 2018)

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Ally Aldridge Blogging, Goal setting, Goals, Novel, Personal, Tips, Writing

Goals: Progress Since March 2019

Here is an infographic of the goals set for this year showing whether I have achieved them yet or not:

goals-2019-june-progress

Social Media

  • Consistently Post: Post twice a week to my blog, post three photos/videos a week to IG, share content to Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Brainstorm how to use my FB page more.

I am really pleased with how I have done here.  I have managed to keep up with my blog schedule.  I have also posted daily to IG.  In addition, I have been networking a lot on Twitter this past month and my connections have boomed.  

  • YouTube: Start making YouTube videos.

This hasn’t happened. I am no longer scared, I just want to do it but it is actually really hard for me to get the right conditions to create a video.  I often have kids around or it is late and I am tired.

  • Online Events: Take part in Twitter and Instagram events 

Woah!  I only just finished editing Jewel of the Sea in time for the June #PitMad Twitter Event.  This deadline gave me the kick I needed to cross the finish line.  

This month I am doing the #authorschallenge2019 on Instagram.  Last month I did the one week #StorySnippetsChallenge which was so popular it had now become a Saturday event called #StorySnippetsSaturday.  

In April, I took part in the Camp Nano. More about that later.

I am planning to take part in PB Pitch on 20 June 2019.  

Writing

Jewel of the sea (formerly Drift)

  • Edit: Finish work on Act 2 and start Act 3

I smashed this goal.  I have not only finished Act 2 and 3 but also Act 4. That’s right, Jewel of the Sea is finished.  You can read it on Wattpad for a limited time.

Diamond in the sky (formerly Glide)

  • Finishe & edit:  Diamond in the Sky has been on hold but work on this is possible to start in July or August but I plan to give myself a little break.

Scarlet House

  • First Quarter: Start novel #NewYearNewNovel

This was my Camp NaNo project.  I used Save the Cat to write an outline for the first few chapters and set myself a goal of 15k. I am please to say I achieved it!

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Yay! I did it. Achieved my Camp NaNo goal of 15k! There were a lot of personally challenges that at times I though I wouldn’t win. Aria is now in her own room and I am so pleased with the memories I made with my children during the Easter holidays. As always, NaNo goes to show with perseverance you can achieve your goals. I’m afraid there won’t be much of a break for me as I’ve been feeling anxious about not working on Jewel of the Sea. So, starting tomorrow night I’ll be back on with my editing. #campnanowinner2019 #campnano2019 #campnanowrimo #campnanoapril #writersofinstagram #writing #writingcommunity #write #amwriting #wordcount #goaldigger #goalsetting #goalsetter #achieve #achievement #winner #hustlingwriterscommunity #hustlingwriterscabin #fellowcreativeminds #paranormalromance #newadultfiction #vampirestory #newyearnewnovel #novelgoals #redheadwriter #discoverunder2k

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Tinsel Tiger (picture book)

  • EXTRA: I needed a picture book to enter a competition.  I decided to edit a poem I had written into a picture book format and submitted it. I also pitched it during #PitMad.

Article Writing

  • All year: Submit to Little Mum Mag & to Ginger Parrot

I still don’t have time for this at the moment.

Writing Course

  • Second Quarter: Take advantage of free opportunities to learn

An advert came up on Facebook to join a group to work on pitches ready for #PitMad.  It was a week long course, each day we were set a challenge to help us develop our pitch. 

The course was brilliant and I really like my pitches.  Here are my favourite two for each book.

#PITMAD #YA #PR #ContemporaryFantasy

TEEN WOLF but mermaids in the UK.

Love struck, misfit, redhead discovers she’s a mermaid.

Being in the middle of a love triangle awakens Mariah’s dormant weather powers and gives a dangerous new meaning to the status ”It’s complicated!”

#PITMAD #PB

VELVETEEN RABBIT for Christmas decorations.

A tiger made of tinsel comes to life and has all sorts of fun.  A story told in rhyme to inspire the imagination of children.

Personal

  • Second Quarter: Flexible work request

I had to put in a request to change my hours and attend a meeting with HR to persuade them to agree to the change. The meeting was a success. When I return in the autumn I will have the hours I want. I’m very happy with the outcome.

  • All year: Crafts

I am ashamed to admit I have not found time for crochet. I hope to finish Aria’s blanket by her birthday. I still haven’t done even one scrapbook page. think I need to set a night aside for crafts.

On a positive note I tried something new and created my first pocket letter for a friend. I wish to do another and write a blog post about it.

  • All year: Journal/Planner

I bought a Carpe Diem planner and find it very therapeutic to see my monthly and weekly plan. The stickers are aesthetically pleasing. I do find the layouts restrict me from doing what I want. I’ve searched for someone selling dotted paper but nobody does for this planner.

  • Read a book every two months

I’ve finished Red Queen and posted my review. I have completed Save The Cat (review to come) which is a theory book.

I’m currently struggling go get into a book at the moment as I’m so focused on finishing up my novel and have limited time but I am making slow progress.

Development

  • Working together course (be able to effectively support my son’s school)

I had my first volunteer session and it went really well. I still get nervous when I go in to help but each time I go it gets easier.  The children are wonderful and so enthusiastic about technology.

  • PitMad Challenge (Facebook Group)

This was a private group that you had to request to join. It involved a 7 day challenge during the week leading up to PitMad where Kathy Ver Eecke helped authors to develop their pitches with daily lessons.  It was incredibly good.  I cannot fault the woman and I am so thankful for everything I learnt on this course.

What’s next

I’m going to evaluate how I am doing and set some new goals for the next quarter.  

Let me know how you are progressing towards your goals and whether you check in on yourself too?

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

Goals: Progress since Jan 2019

Book Review: Red Queen

#PitMad June 2019 Summary

The Story Snippets Challenge

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 29, 30 and 31

I am releasing the chapters so quickly now as I am just excited to get them out there.  The readers on Wattpad are posting the more encouraging comments. One even compared one of my chapters to Percy Jackson!

Have anyone compared your novel to another?

Click here to read chapter 29

Click here to read chapter 30

Click here to read chapter 31

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 28

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 27

How to prepare for NaNoWriMo? #amwriting

Article writing for publication

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 28

This chapter is very upbeat and happy.  It felt good to write something that wasn’t full of drama but it still has lots of feels.

Here is a confession, I have never been on a real first date.  You know the sort where you a guy takes you out to get to know you better. I was too young for my earliest boyfriends and then I fell for Rob who was my best friend and have never looked back.  Mariah and Jace’s romance is inspired in parts by memories I have of crushing on my best friend.  

Some people believe you have to write what you know but I believe that you should work with what you know to create something new.  I’ve never had lightening powers but I know what lightening is and I can imagine how it might effect my body if it was part of me.

Does your novel contain things you have never experienced?

Click here to read chapter 28

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 27

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 26

How I got my son pedaling first try!

My baby girl. This post contains cute baby pics!

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Query, Tips, Writing

#PitMad June 2019 Summary

I just finished editing Jewel of the Sea. The chapters are in draft on Wattpad and I just need to consolidate and format them into a manuscript. So, I decided I should take part in PitMad.

I joined the PitMad Challenge Facebook group hosted by Kathy Ver Eecke. For the week leading up to PitMad, Kathy set daily challenges to help us with developing our pitches for the event. It really helped.

I got some likes but they were by other writers that were being supportive and I don’t think they realised what it meant. All thought I didn’t get any real requests, I did make a ton of connections. Twitter kept freaking out with all the activity and kept checking I wasn’t a robot due to the unusual activity. In just a few hours of starting I had 200+ new followers.

Here is my Twitter Moment created to highlight my experience of #PitMad June 2019.

PitMad runs roughly every three months. If you want to know about the next event, head over to the Pitch Wars website to find out about the next date.

If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy:

#PitMad – December 2018

#PitMad – October 2016

Seven tips for querying agents

Literary dates calendar

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 27

As I get closer to releasing the ending on Wattpad, I get more nervous.  I have put a lot of time and effort into my novel (I’m talking years) and I really want people to enjoy it.  

Originally the ending was the new midpoint.  My early version left ended on a cliff hanger as I wished to my readers wanting the next novel.  But, then I realised that is really unfair on my readers. 

So, I cut a lot and added a lot to make a new ending.  But, I still wasn’t pleased with the new ending.  It fell flat from how I saw it in my head.

I will confess, I do struggle with endings.  I don’t like saying goodbye to my characters.  But, I rewrote the ending and it is so much better.  I pray my readers feel the same. 

The new version is a whole story – no cliff hanger ending.  I have hidden elements within the novel to enable me to write a sequel for those that wanting more.  My plan is that by delivering a good debut that keeps its promises, my readers will want more and they will become fans.

How many times have you changed the ending of your novel?  Have you read a good novel that was spoiled by a poor ending?

Click here to read chapter 27

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 26

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 25

My best kept writing secret of last year (Happily Ever Author)

A Group For Writers with a Side Hustle

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 26

Today, I released another chapter.  Mariah is starting to get suspicious of her mum.  Head over to Wattpad if you have an account to have a look.  

I am cross with myself that I haven’t celebrated finishing editing my novel.  It is because, although it is finished I know I need to get it into a suitable format and then I will be looking for beta readers.  Then, I will have to edit again and it feels like it is never ending.  In addition, I would like to give the new content another once over…

The task of querying is on the horizon and that is putting me off doing anything.  Instead of formatting I am researching agents.  Anything to delay querying.  This time would be better spent working on my query letter which I am certain is what holds me back.

On a more positive note, here was my Instagram post about celebrating triumphs no matter how small.  Writing this post did help perk me up.  I really should listen to my own advice.    

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I was thinking too big. Thinking that a triumph has to be an award or publication but you know what, writing every day and not giving up is a writer that’s winning. It is too easy to give in to self doubt, to feel you are wasting your time, to keep going when you aren’t getting anywhere but this year I’ve not given up. I’ve blogged, written or edited every day, I’ve pitched, I’ve entered competitions and I’ve put my writing out there for all to see. That is my triumph this year. I will continue to triumph every day because dreams don’t work unless you do. Each days those wins are small but overall they are gargantuan. This is my post for day 10 #authorschallenge2019 asking for a writing triumph. What’s your triumph? NB: This is one of my favourite images on Unsplash and it is by Lacie Slezak and edited by me in Canva. #writingtriumph #triumphofwriting #mondaymotivation #mondaymotivations #mondaymotivationalquote #dreamsdontworkunlessyoudo #triumph #motivationalquotes #motivationmonday

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Do you find you are great at giving other people advice but struggle to swallow your own truth pill? 

Click here to read chapter 26

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 25

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 24

A little post on how I am doing…

Spotlight on Summer Literary Dates calendar

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 25

This is the chapter where the snippet comes from:

Still crouching under the table like a naughty little fairy, I had enough happy thoughts to fly me to Neverland.  

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”Still crouching under the table like a naughty fairy, I had enough happy thoughts to fly me to Neverland.” #jewelofthesea This quote is from the scene where Mariah and Jace are painting the nursery and flirting. Things are finally going well and she is on cloud nine. If you would like to read more the story is on Wattpad (link in bio). This is a #Repost from January but I have a lot of new followers since then and today’s prompt is to post a happy scene for womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019 #writerslife #writer #instagramwriters #writersofinstagram #writerschallenge #aspiringwriter #writerscommunity #writersgram #writersofig #instagramwriters #igwriter #writingcomnmunityofinstagram #discoverunder3k #redheadwriter #hustlingwriterscommunity #fellowcreativeminds #writingproject #workinprprogress #amediting #wattpadstories #wattpad #yafiction #yafantasy #paranormalromance #mermaidstory #contemporaryfantasy #urbanfantasy

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So, all the chapters are finished now although I’d like to go over the new content once more as I find when the writing is fresh it is hard for me to spot my own mistakes.  Then, I will be putting the manuscript together and preparing to query.

Today, I attended a live workshop with Kathy Ver Eecke called Secrets of Getting a Book Deal.  I sat there with my notepad taking notes on the 20 things that writers do wrong when querying.  This webinar was a sales pitch for her paid services but she spent an hour demonstrating her wealth of knowledge and answering questions.  She made some brilliant points and if I wasn’t on zero money right now, I would have been very tempted by her offers.  Would you pay for help with getting a Literary Agent?

Click here to read chapter 25

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 24

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 23

The Story Snippets Challenge

I did #FebWritersChallenge

I did #JanWritersChallenge

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