#1stdraftdiary and #Nanowrimo Week 2

Pants! That is the only way to describe my word count this last week.

PANTS!

Not even small thongs, but huge enormous Bridget Jones type pants. Knickers. Belly warmers. Call them what you will.

My word count was …228 words! 228. Yup, I hang my head in shame. It happens. Or doesn’t happen.

However the things that I did instead were very useful and important, so that’s my excuse.

Last Friday I set off for the RNA’s Conference in Lancaster. I hobnobbed (is that a real word?) with published authors, those that I look up to and aspire to be like, agents and editors too.

I went to multiple sessions on how to improve my writing craft, how to add in authentic crime elements, how to promote my brand across social media etc, I did speed dating for a critique partner and more.

It was an extremely useful weekend, better than getting words on a page.

(And I sat next to Liz Fenwick for dinner. She’s lovely!)

After the weekend I caught up with sleep, children, husband and household chores. I wrote blog posts, and numerous posts on twitter etc.

I polished my submission for Books And The City #Onedayoriginals -one day in the year to submit your book. That took up a lot of time. Fingers crossed it was worth it.

I have also started two books – Iona Grey’s ‘Letters To The Lost’, and Heidi Swain’s ‘Summer at Skylark Farm’, both very good. I also read a short story by Jojo Moyes ‘Paris for One’. Excellent entertaining short read. Everyone needs to write a Paris love story at some point. I wonder what mine will be?

 

And the wip? Well it is working away in my brain. It is not lost or forgotten, but it is hard to get back into it again. Especially since I needed to focus again on my previous book ‘Something To believe In’. One of the pieces of advice I got at the conference was to go ‘darker’ if you can. And we’re not talking about hair colour either!

Clio Cornish from Harper also said she likes sad endings, so, since I was about 10k short for the #BATC #Onedayoriginals I changed the ending.  In the submission piece, I have allowed my hero to die at the end, so the poor heroine doesn’t get a HEA, but she does move on in her journey  of bereavement and the end is uplifting. She will be able to put her new confidence in herself to good use, and how she overcome her grief the first time, to get on with her life the second time. I know it is sad, but I have come across people in life who do have to work through two bereavements. Life can be pretty crap for some people, they seem to have been dealt a bad set of cards; but yet they are often the kindest, most empathetic people I know. Because they have experienced so many emotions they are a better person for it. I hope I can show this in my heroine. I am having a panic now that this means it’s NOT a romance. Oh dear.

Whilst doing research in how to have him die in the hospital I asked a friend for help. She’s a GP and was able to give me great advice, but I do fear she thinks I’m slightly cracked now. Sure, I’m a writer. What’s new?

Anyhow, here’s hoping next week is better.

Drop me a line to tell me how you’re all getting on.

 

Book Review of The Cherry Tree Cafe by Heidi Swain

I totally adored this book. The writing was sublime and it slipped through my brain like cherry jam on whipped cream!

The beauty of Heidi Swain’s writing is that she laid out such a satisfying, compelling world, that by the time I had finished reading, I was entirely convinced I should set up my own craft cafe. And let me tell you I can’t even crochet!

Heidi managed to fabricate such a  desirable little cafe, with bunting and cake, and sewing and scones and also a totally gorgeous couple that I fell totally in love.

The Cherry Tree Cafe was a contender for the RNA Joan Hessayon New Writers Scheme Award for debut authors, and although didn’t win, in my opinion, was just as good as the winning book, The Gunner Girl by Clare Harvey. See post here.

I would give this book a huge ten out of ten, and I am totally looking forward to her next book coming soon.