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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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 24

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

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 23

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

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 22

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

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 21

I rushed editing this chapter so I have made a note on my spreadsheet to come back and look at it again before I finish.

I’m right in the middle of the novel and I feel like I have come so far but still have a long way to go.  It’s like the midweek hump.  I just have to get through it to see the end.

The second half of the novel is very distinctive as it has a very different feel to it.  Mariah thinks she has got what she wants but is suffering memory loss.  She knows something isn’t quite right but doesn’t know why.  

Is you midpoint distinctive?  

Click here to read chapter 21

If you enjoyed this chapter, you may like:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 19 & 20

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 18

Tips on naming your character

Handwrite to boost creativity

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 19 & 20

Earlier this week I published the new improved chapter 19 and 20 but I didn’t have time to write about it on my blog.

Chapter 19 is told from Gwyn’s perspective in third person which is different from the rest of the novel.  I wondered whether to cut this chapter out completely but I decided to keep it as the foreshadowing is important for the readers tension.  

How do you feel about changing the point of view within a novel?

Click here to read chapter 19

Chapter 20 took a little longer to edit as the original chapter was a whopping 5k words.  Often my chapters are quite short and I have to merge them together to make a better length.  This is because I’m naturally a fan of short chapters, so I have no idea how this happened.  And, I need to add in more content between the scenes so this word count is going to get bigger.  I decided to cut it into two chapters but it may even become three chapters.

Do you prefer long or short chapters?

Click here to read chapter 20.

If you like this post, you may enjoy:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 18

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 17

How to Write a Synopsis

How to handle rejection

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 18

Yay!  I hit my goal of editing three chapters a week.

I really enjoyed working on this chapter as well. I forgot how intense the emotions are and her powers coming to life and the promise of a beatiful romance.

But… is this the midpoint?  The false win?  You’ll have to read it and see.  

If you would like to see the new chapter on Wattpad, click here.

If you like this post, you may enjoy:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 17

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 16

A Group For Writers with a Side Hustle

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

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 17

Yay!  I hit my goal of editing three chapters a week.

I really enjoyed working on this chapter as well. I forgot how intense the emotions are and her powers coming to life and the promise of a beautiful romance.

But… is this the midpoint?  The false win?  You’ll have to read it and see.  

If you would like to see the new chapter on Wattpad, click here.

If you like this post, you may enjoy:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 16

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 15

My new Carpe Diem planner

How much development do you give you Secondary characters?

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 16

Have you ever heard of hump day?  It’s the term given to the midweek blues.  Like when people get to Wednesday in their 5 day work week and they just need to get through the day to see the promise of the weekend.

I have that feeling with Jewel of the Sea at the moment.  I am currently about midway through editing it.  I feel like I’m loosing steam.    I feel like I’ve been working on it for so long and yet there is still so far to go.  I’m trying really hard to focus on the positives to keep myself motivated.  

If you would like to see the new chapter on Wattpad, click here.

If you like this post, you may enjoy:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 15

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 14

A little post on how I am doing…

Creating a Catchy Novel Title

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Ally Aldridge Novel, Writing

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 15

Last night, I watched Game of Thrones so no writing happened.  I was disappointed by the episode, I won’t spoil for anyone watching but I feel that writers make promises to their fans and they have to deliver on those promises. 

When, you read a murder mystery you expect a dead body and clues that lead to discovering the murderer.  When you read a romance novel you expect the love interest to get together.  In last nights, GOT, I felt we have been following certain characters development and these were all undone.  I felt a little like arcs were unravelling in the last episode.  It feels like they are rushing to finish the series and aren’t caring about what is true to the character anymore.

Tonight, I started out editing the wrong chapter.  I kept getting a de-ja-vu feeling I had noted which chapter to edit next.  The familiarity kept coming back so I checked and turns out I hadn’t updated my note with where I was up to.  Luckily, there was still enough time to get this chapter edited.    

If you would like to see the new chapter on Wattpad, click here.

If you like this post, you may enjoy:

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 14

Jewel of the Sea – Chapter 13

Goals: Progress since Jan 2019

What to watch if you love mermaids!

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