Projects Update - May 16

I'll admit it has been a little quiet on the blog front but there has been some furious writing behind closed doors.

The Gaia Effect
The agent who had the full manuscript said................no.  There was a small amount of feedback. Nothing I didn't already know.  Without being completely defeatist and highly self critical there are serious issues.  I have realised, almost a year since writing the book, that there are no descriptions of people or places.  How did that happen?  Because I know what they look like and I know what the city layout is but I have neglected to tell the reader.  The story is dialogue driven which means I can see the characters talking in my head but I have not written that action into the dialogue so it can seem a little flat in places.  I do not have a main protagonist, I have a group of main characters on a journey together so there are multiple perspectives.  These are confusing because my characters aren't highly defined.  This is because I know what they look like, I know their different personality traits but I haven't infused my prose with their little quirks and speech individuality.  This may look like an awful lot of work.  It is.  But then this is my first book and I'm learning.  And it should be a lot of work.  Writing is tough.  So it's editing, editing, editing, refining, refining, refining, improving, improving, improving.  And then I'll be taking the self publishing deal that came with second place in the competition.  My Nan wants to read it so I've got to get on with it.


2016 Pen to Print Competition
Neither of my entries made it through.  Which was disappointing.  To my mind Thursday's Child lacks a historical perspective so I need to read more books set in the 1920-1940s and figure out how to write a sense of time period.  A Pint of Milk and A Stabbing dances around the harsh reality of the witnessed crime.  It needs to get grittier.  There is work to be done.


New work
Book Club - a semi autobiographical look at how important my book club has been to me.  With 5000 words so far it has really captured my imagination.  I also look at it being an opportunity to interview my fellow book clubbers - if they are willing - giving me some experience in talking to others and telling their stories.

Short Story Challenge
After being inspired by writers workshop I've decided to push myself to putting together a short story collection.  I have my headings so I will be writing one a week until I run out of titles on the list. Bodies in the Graveyard has been written.  Next up - Lunch on Venus.


I now have the beginnings of four books.  The poetry book is still dangling over the abyss of self publishing.  There will be a short story collection.  I am going to a playwriting workshop in a couple of weeks so there should be more exciting avenues to explore.  It's happening - slowly - but it's happening.