Monday, 25 May 2009
Shopping & Lots of Words
Saturday I went shopping and dancing but Sunday and Monday were good. Chapter Two is finished. I can work every day until Friday now. It will be good when three chapters are ready, because then I can put a proposal together. Sometimes I stop after that stage, thinking it's no good to finish a book without a home, but I think with this one, especially if the film does well, a publisher might want the book quickly so it would be best to finish it.
Friday, 22 May 2009
Thursday, 21 May 2009
673 Words
The holiday was great, but I didn't do a lick of work. This morning though, I felt right for the first time in ages and sat down and got going. 673 words - which is OK, given that I had to get back into it.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
A Holiday
Finally got all the decks cleared, sat down at the computer on Monday morning and realised I was completely and utterly brain dead.
Went up town and bought a cheap week in Cyprus, leaving Wednesday. I have to have a break.
Printed out the new version of the film script to take with me, but the laptop, which I haven't used in ages, has died. It would cost £50 odd to fix it. I'll work on mapping out some scenes, and resting!
It's scary how the weeks slip by. I'm looking forward to getting back to work.
Went up town and bought a cheap week in Cyprus, leaving Wednesday. I have to have a break.
Printed out the new version of the film script to take with me, but the laptop, which I haven't used in ages, has died. It would cost £50 odd to fix it. I'll work on mapping out some scenes, and resting!
It's scary how the weeks slip by. I'm looking forward to getting back to work.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Back to Work
Finally managed to sit in front of my computer - I'm not writing this morning, there's too much mess and too many things I want to clear up first, but at least I can clear the decks and I will be able to start again on Saturday.
Bad news re the Glass Cliff - the line I sent it to has folded. It was nice of the editor to let me know. I do have another idea for a place to send it, but they require a finished novel, so it will have to be shelved for now.
I am looking forward to getting back to the Find a Man Campaign. As soon as the first 3 chapters are ready, I'll start looking for a home for it.
I have also signed up for a two-day 'preparing your lessons' course. It is a long time since I did any teaching, and I want to make sure that the workshop on romantic fiction for Todmorden Library goes well.
Bad news re the Glass Cliff - the line I sent it to has folded. It was nice of the editor to let me know. I do have another idea for a place to send it, but they require a finished novel, so it will have to be shelved for now.
I am looking forward to getting back to the Find a Man Campaign. As soon as the first 3 chapters are ready, I'll start looking for a home for it.
I have also signed up for a two-day 'preparing your lessons' course. It is a long time since I did any teaching, and I want to make sure that the workshop on romantic fiction for Todmorden Library goes well.
Monday, 27 April 2009
5000 Words - and a line!
That nice big line you draw under the bottom of things and say: 'Finished!' My degree is done.
The last 5000 words was on the strategies Toyota use to maintain market position. Nothing to do with being a writer? Well, no, actually. The hardest thing in an essay (I think!) is to come up with a thesis. You have to decide what you want to say then hang all the other stuff around this spine - the clearest example is with my last essay, a mere 3500 words on the building of Holyrood. I decided that had they done risk assessments all the way through, and acted when important milestones were missed, they might have come in on time and in budget. Each paragraph in the essay talked about what happened when they didn't do this, and what happened to other parliament projects such as the Welsh one who did risk assess. Any material that didn't fit this main thread got thrown out. Sometimes sadly because I'd done loads of research. With a bigger essay, and material one's less familiar with (Toyota!) it's harder to find this spine. But a good spine is what gets you good marks, and sales.
Writing a book is exactly the same, and I think finding this theme or premise is the hardest thing about writing a book. All books need a spine running through them. The plot of the book might be about a heroine opening a business and trying to do well, and that sets a lot of scenes for you, but if your theme is that honesty is the best policy, then that too sets a lot of scenes and characters for you. Robert McKee talks about this in his book story - he charts out all kinds of variations. For example, if honesty is your theme, then pushing this to the limit gives you a character who lies to themselves. I might dig up his book and review it again.
Anyway, the wonderful thing is that give or take a day's training in Preston, a hospital appointment to check out the blind spot in my eye and an application to Burnley College, I am free to get back to The Find a Man Campaign.
The last 5000 words was on the strategies Toyota use to maintain market position. Nothing to do with being a writer? Well, no, actually. The hardest thing in an essay (I think!) is to come up with a thesis. You have to decide what you want to say then hang all the other stuff around this spine - the clearest example is with my last essay, a mere 3500 words on the building of Holyrood. I decided that had they done risk assessments all the way through, and acted when important milestones were missed, they might have come in on time and in budget. Each paragraph in the essay talked about what happened when they didn't do this, and what happened to other parliament projects such as the Welsh one who did risk assess. Any material that didn't fit this main thread got thrown out. Sometimes sadly because I'd done loads of research. With a bigger essay, and material one's less familiar with (Toyota!) it's harder to find this spine. But a good spine is what gets you good marks, and sales.
Writing a book is exactly the same, and I think finding this theme or premise is the hardest thing about writing a book. All books need a spine running through them. The plot of the book might be about a heroine opening a business and trying to do well, and that sets a lot of scenes for you, but if your theme is that honesty is the best policy, then that too sets a lot of scenes and characters for you. Robert McKee talks about this in his book story - he charts out all kinds of variations. For example, if honesty is your theme, then pushing this to the limit gives you a character who lies to themselves. I might dig up his book and review it again.
Anyway, the wonderful thing is that give or take a day's training in Preston, a hospital appointment to check out the blind spot in my eye and an application to Burnley College, I am free to get back to The Find a Man Campaign.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
A New Adventure
I am going to do a workshop for Calderdale Libraries. This is the blurb I sent them:
Lancashire author, Louise Armstrong, has dozen sweet romances in print. She is currently turning a film script (The Find a Man Campaign due out 2010) into a novel. You can read about her writing life at http//:louisearmstrong.blogspot.com
Workshop - we'll be looking at the structure and ingredients of a perfect romance (hint: you start with a hero to die for) followed by a workshop exercise designed to intensify your descriptive powers.
Now, back to Toyota and their management strategies.
Lancashire author, Louise Armstrong, has dozen sweet romances in print. She is currently turning a film script (The Find a Man Campaign due out 2010) into a novel. You can read about her writing life at http//:louisearmstrong.blogspot.com
Workshop - we'll be looking at the structure and ingredients of a perfect romance (hint: you start with a hero to die for) followed by a workshop exercise designed to intensify your descriptive powers.
Now, back to Toyota and their management strategies.
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