Tag: diary of a writer

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.    

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

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.  

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

Editing is coming to an end, just in time for PitMad.  I have been working hard on my pitch which I will share with you in a later post.    

I am now getting the final chapters of Jewel of the Sea finished and saving them in draft to be published on Wattpad.  I didn’t want to overwhelm readers by doing it all in one go.    

Does your personal life affect your novel writing – any tips for dealing with that?  Anyone doing PitMad this month? 

Click here to read chapter 24

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 23

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 22

I went to YALC – did you?

Book Review: Who runs the world by Virginia Bergolt

Last week, I was a little distracted and didn’t get as much editing done.  I was feeling anxious about my flexible working request to reduce my hours.  Today, I had the meeting with HR and it couldn’t have gone better. I was almost dancing out of the office.

I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders and can now relax and focus on my novel.  As a result, it is only Tuesday but already I feel this week is being so productive.  This is the second chapter I’ve edited and I’ve already made a start of the next chapter. Plus, I have been working on my Pitch for PitMad (Pitch Wars).

I probably won’t take part in PitMad on 6 June as I don’t think my novel will be edited in time, however, it doesn’t hurt to get my pitch ready.  You can join the PitMad Challenge Facebook group and get help from Kathy Ver Eecke on your pitch.  

Does your personal life affect your novel writing – any tips for dealing with that?  Anyone doing PitMad this month? 

Click here to read chapter 23

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 22

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 21

#PitMad – October 2016

#PitMad – December 2018

I tried to edit this chapter yesterday but something strange was up with Google Drive and it left me feeling a little paranoid about whether it would save my progress. 

It kept saying there was an error when it opened my documents or tried to create a new one.  

Everything seems back to normal today and I got it finished.   Have you ever worried about technology losing your work? 

Click here to read chapter 22

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 21

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 19 & 20

Seven tips for querying agents

#PitMad – December 2018