Ally Aldridge Competition, Novel, Writing

A plea for your help…

About the competition:

So, I entered Jewel of the Sea into a competition. I am in Group One for SciFi, Fantasy Paranormal, Werewolf and Vampire stories.

The competition has six rounds. Each round, the stories will be judged for different things.  Each round the contestants will be halved so that by the final (sixth) round there are only two contestants competing to win. The criteria for each round is:

  1. Title, Cover, Blurb
  2. First Chapter
  3. Characters
  4. Plot
  5. Overall Story
  6. Judges’ Review

Round One for Group One Starts On: 27 March 2019 to 5 April 2019

I have ten days to spread the word and encourage my followers to visit the competition and comment on why they like my novel’s title, cover and blurb.

Jewel of the Sea

Blurb:

One kiss is all it took to wake Mariah’s weather manipulation powers.

Mariah is crushing on her best friend, rivalling with the swim team star and Gwyn in meddling in her life using spells. With no idea what she is, this mermaid could lose control and kill!

When your deadly powers are connected to your emotions, it gives a new meaning to “It’s complicated.”

How you can help:

Please can you visit the Cliche Press Competition and comment on what you like about my novel’s title, cover and blurb. Click here to visit the competition.

Also, if you have time to give me feedback on my project it is always welcomed. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve so please don’t hesitate to let me know what is working and what is not.

Please let me know if you are on Wattpad as I would love to follow you.

Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

What theme is heavily portrayed in your story?

My work in progress, Jewel of the Sea, has romance, coming of age and friendship but one of the strongest themes is metamorphosis.
 
Mariah begins as a shy girl that hides behind her best friend but by the end she has matured and started to blossom into a young woman. In addition, she starts out unaware she is a mermaid. But, by the end she has mastered turning into a mermaid and controlling her emotions that trigger her weather manipulation powers.
 
Tell me about what theme is strongest in your story. 
 

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2HmhXqR
 
 This is my pic for day 15’ s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019
 
Image from #Unsplash by artist Karina Vorozheeva https://ift.tt/2HBNxQu

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Do you keep notebooks of story ideas?

I use the Simple Note app for jotting down ideas as I always have my mobile phone with me. 

I do have physical notebooks but tend to use them more for development. For example when I sit down to flesh out an idea. This could be for jotting down research or for when I outline my plot or character development like their backstory. I also jot down useful tips I’ve picked up from reading blog articles or watching videos by other authors. 

How about you? Where do you keep you story ideas? 

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2TezeUe
 
Image from Unsplash by artist Aaron Burden @aaronburden

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Does your story have an antagonist/bad guy?

I always feel that a well developed antagonist can be both good and bad. Most people have a reason for their actions. It depends of the perspective.

For example, Fallon is quite mean to Mariah. Some could accuse her of bullying. She keeps pushing Mariah until she triggers her weather manipulation powers.

However, in Kya’s story, Fallon is her best friend and she’s protecting her from the heart ache of seeing Jace and Mariah together. In Kya’s story she is more of a heroine.

Does your villain have a good side?

Here’s my pic for day 14’s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019

Collage made with images from Unsplash artists Becca Tapert, Riccardo Mion, Courtney Clayton, Kings Cichewicz.

View on Instagram https://ift.tt/2CkRl5r
Ally Aldridge Novel, Tips, Writing

Do you use Pinterest?

This is a screen capture of my board ‘Story Inspiration’. It’s where I save stuff I’ve found on Pinterest that sparks story ideas.

I have loads of boards. I have boards for character development, cover designs, mood boards, etc. I save useful articles for tips on writing, blogging, vlogs, etc. I’ve got boards with useful crafts, recipes and hair tutorials. I have used it for my sons homework, party planning and decorating rooms.

It is quite clear that I love Pinterest and find it incredibly useful. I haven’t used it much for socialising although I hope to get better at that.

Click here to view my Pintrest board.

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I did #FebWritersChallenge

The challenge was on Instagram and set by @marielipscombwriting.

I enjoyed the first challenge so much that I decided to give it another go. Here are the highlights from February:

My top three photos from the challenge

These pictures are the ones that recieved the highest engagement on Instagram.

Day 1 #CurrentlyReading

This video clip was viewed over 200 times. It was one of the rare occasions when Aria wasn’t asleep on me so I was able to relax and read my book.


Day 13 #MCsHair

I created this layout using images from my Pintrest board on my main character Mariah.

Day 25 #WhoDoesYourMCAdmire

For this image, I used Unsplash to find an image of someone that looks like Kya. Mariah doesn’t really look up to anyone but she gets envious. Kya is someone she compares heself to and wishes she was more like.

My favourites

I really love how these challenges encourage me to share my writing with my instagram followers and on day 18 I got to post my favourite scene. Initially, I was going to share the underwater kiss as it is the scene that sparked the whole story. As I was looking for it, I decided to go with the moment before when Mariah’s life is changed forever.

Day 18 #FavouriteScene

March Challenge #WomenWritingFiction #WWFChallenge2019

This month I have decided to go with another Instagramers prompts. @Courtnimax has created the following Women Writing Fiction Daily Challenge for March 2019.

I hope you find these examples of the images I posted for February’s prompts interesting and inspiring. If you are a writer on Instagram please connect with me as I would love to see how you share your writing on the platform too.

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Day 5 – Photograph

Ally Aldridge Goals, Novel, Tips, Writing

I did #JanWritersChallenge

The challenge was on Instagram and set by @marielipscombwriting.

This is the first time I have done a photo prompt challenge but I really enjoyed it. It got me posting everyday and gave me a range of ways to share my writing and passion through photos.

Here are the highlights:

Top three photos from the challenge

This pictures are the ones that recieved the highest engagement on Instagram.

Day 25 #AuthorSelfie

I have never had a photo do so well. I thing it was boosted by the increased engagement due to the daily activity but I got over 300 likes in less than 24 hours. This is ten times more than what I would get on a popular photo.

Day 9 #WhatMotivatesYou

I think my new writer following was able to relate to this photo as I regramed a photo from @gracethewriter8 that really resonated with my dream. It is that hope that one day I will make it that keeps me going.

Day 15 #BeProud

This was the day that I shared a picture of myself with my family.

My favourites

I couldn’t see how to share my writing online unless it was text. I really enoyed these photos as I was able to share with people my stories:

Day 17 #TheUltimateDream

I felt embarassed to admit my dream but then I thought “What the heck!” It turns out that a lot of writers share my dream.

Day 19 #MoodBoard

I decided to do the Mood Board for Jewel of the sea to give a feel of the novel. It was my first time creating one.

Day 4 #CharacterFlaw

It actually made me think about what makes my characters weak or unattractive.

Day 5 #CharacterStrength

I found reflecting on their weaknesses helped me to identify their strengths. It also made me want to go back and edit their weaknesses.

Day 6 #TheLoveInterest

I decided to focus on just Jace as he is the love interest in both the projects I am working on. It is a love triangle and I decided to write it from both girls sides as seperate stories.

Day 7 #TheVillans

I went for the villian that is the catalyst for the story. Even though she doesn’t feature in Jewel of the sea, her actions is what send the crows to go soul snatching on their doorstep.

Day 10 #FavouriteLine

I really enjoyed this as I have a few favourite lines in my project. The ones that I smile whenever I read and I hope my readers enjoy too.

Day 13 #Weather

The Brits love talking about the weather and my novel is no exception because in Jewel of the sea, Mariah has weather maniuplation powers.

Day 23 #YourMCsHands

For some, I guess this might not have been a very exciting prompt but for Mariah it was another excuse to show offer her powers.

#FebWritersChallenge

I enjoyed January’s challenge so much that I am going to do it again!
@marielipscombwriting has created a new list of promps for this month.

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Creating a Catchy Novel Title

Personally, I like my projects to have a title before I start writing, some people don’t feel this necessary. My debut novel, currently being queried, was originally called Drift.

Here is a collection of some of the covers I have created for it over the years (there are more).

You will also notice one is called Wipeout as originally  there was two books but during a brutal edit, I cut loads , they became one.

I have recently changed the title of Drift to Jewel of the sea.  Here is the current cover and can be read on Wattpad.

jewel of the sea cover 2019

If you would like to learn more about creating a novel title please check out today’s featured post by Lorraine.  She shares her simple and easy to use tips on how she develops her novel titles.  Here is the link to her article: http://lorraineambers.com/2018/03/31/creating-a-catchy-novel-title/

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

I discovered this group through a connection I made on Instragram. I am so pleased that I decided to check it out and join.

About Pagan Malcolm

She is a YA Fiction writer that has published several books. She is also the founder of Paperback Kingdom and Facebook group Happily Ever Author.

About the Facebook groups

Happily Ever Author is a group run by Pagan on Facebook. She posts prompts to get authors to socialise and share what they are working on and to set goals. She sometimes gives prizes (I got a YouTube guide) and sometimes she promotes her books and other group (Paperback Kingdom).

Paperback Kingdom is a Facebook group linked to services she offers such a course, 1:1 coaching, etc. I can’t tell you much more as I’ve not paid for the additional content.

About #NewYearNewNovel

Pagan set her Happily Ever Author group members a challenge in December to start doing the prep work for a new novel in 2019. This was supported with videos where she shared her tips and techniques for doing this, from how to come up with a story idea, outling, character development, etc. These were really useful and I would like to watch them again.

Although, all I have written is the opening to my story (Scarlet House), I do feel more prepared and clearer about what I will be writing. I can’t wait to finish my current editing project so I can start on a brand new novel for 2019.

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