Archive for the ‘Advice For Writers’ Category

Last weekend I went to see a Peruvian Shaman who had journeyed to Malaga to give energy cleansings and healing.

Despite the fact that the ritual sounded a little bizarre, I decided to go and check it out.

To begin we were asked to write our intentions on a sheet of paper. We had to make two columns – the things we wanted to attract into our life, and the things we wanted to eliminate.

I found it far easier to list the things I wanted to attract, so I scribbled them down at once. The elimination list, however, proved more difficult. Nevertheless, finally I wrote down three or four, so I folded my paper and handed it in.

The Shaman gave us each a cup of herbal tea to begin the cleansing process. Then, he disappeared inside and one by one we went to see him. Using wooden sticks – or swords in cases involving the attachment of evil spirits – he navigated around our bodies to free any negative energy. And it was quite obvious when this energy had been freed as it left via dramatic orange sparks, visible for all to see.

Immediately after, we took a seashell full of a mysterious brown liquid, and sniffed the contents up our nose. This made many people feel extremely sick, and the intoxicating taste got trapped at the back of our throats making us cough.

But there was more to come.

Next he pulled out a bag of herbs, called Dragonsherb. This herb can only be eaten in ceremony. If it’s ingested outside of ceremony it can be very dangerous indeed, often resulting in heart attacks. He handed me a dose of Dragonsherb and I put some in my mouth and chewed slowly.

Almost instantly I felt incredibly nauseous. It didn’t help that by this time people all around me were throwing up into sick bags. Inevitably I threw up a few minutes later.

To finish the evening we sniffed a white powder up both nostrils to represent the things we wanted to attract into our lives, and the things we wanted to repel. That had everyone sneezing like crazy. Oh, and more sickness too.

At the end of it all, as I sat and analysed the night’s proceedings, I came to a very profound realisation.

I’d just spent €100 to take dubious substances and generally feel pretty dire (not to mention the  hallucinations). Ok, so we made our intentions for the evening, which is a powerful activity in itself. But I suddenly felt a little disillusioned. The only real source of power comes from within. I am responsible for my own power and my own reality (I knew that already), yet I’d just spent the last seven hours giving up my power to a Peruvian Shaman.

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I think he was a fraud. Simply that everything he did that night I could have done myself, but without the nasty side effects.

The moral of this story is that you are the powerhouse in your life. No one else can ever be that for you.

When it comes to your writing, by all means set intentions – to achieve a bestseller, get a glowing review from the New York Times, etc… But for those intentions to come true, it’s YOUR focus that matters…YOUR power, YOUR magnetism, YOUR energy, and YOUR faith – yours, and no one else’s.

Love & Light

The Word Queen xxx

Recently I returned from a life changing adventure, which involved camping in the Sawtooth mountain region of Idaho, USA. I’d never been camping before so the experience was entirely new for me, and I had no idea what to expect, apart from the likelihood of feeling dirty for ten days!

And I was right. Even with the occasional solar shower, I still felt icky and yucky. But I found that unless I focused on the grime I seemed to forget all about it.

This theme of focus continued to rear its head throughout my time away. Right from the outset, before I boarded the Virgin Atlantic flight to Chicago, I remember thinking, I’d love to have an amazing seat on the plane with extra legroom, and wider seats. Imagine my delight when a beaming air stewardess approached.

 ”We seem to have made an error and double booked your seat. Would you like to be upgraded to a Premium seat towards the front of the aircraft?”

Now some of you would put that down to ‘coincidence’ but that word no longer exists in my vocabulary. There are no coincidences. Everything that happens is a result of your thinking, and the rapidity of the manifestation is directly related to the energy behind it.

As I slumped into my Premium seat and sipped a glass of complimentary bubbly with my legs stretched out in front of me, I smiled inside and thanked the Universe wholeheartedly for delivering my request.

Throughout the trip more and more incidents of the power of focus materialised. In fact I lost count of how many of my intentions transformed into reality. At one point I even considered changing my name to Harriet Potter because of all the magic which seemed to be unfolding in front of my eyes.

But the biggest example of the power of focus etched into my conscious during the rock climbing activity. I stood at the bottom of the Superslabs with my neck right back as I gazed apprehensively towards the peak.

“You mean we’re climbing right to the top?” I asked our facilitator, gulping.

“Yep,” he replied.

“But I’ve never done any rock climbing before…”

My plea for reassurance was ignored, and before long I found myself hooked onto a rope, and scrambling up the first of the six slabs.

Somewhere around the third slab, as my foot slipped, my legs throbbed, and the palms of my hand began to bleed, I didn’t feel like I could continue climbing. I felt out of control; trapped halfway up a mountain with no apparent escape except to carry on up.

I began to cry, both interally and externally. Perhaps I was after sympathy from my fellow climbers, or maybe I was just downright petrified. But as I sniffled and wiped my eyes, I suddenly remembered that little word – focus! In that moment – like every moment in life – I had a choice. I could either focus on my injuries, the fear, the sense of not being in control, or I could decide to enjoy the experience and focus on reaching the top.

An hour or so later I absorbed the most amazing views and congratulated myself inside for achieving what initially seemed impossible.

So how can you apply this lesson of focus to your writing and your dreams of getting published? It’s simple. Set your intention, focus on it daily in a positive frame of mind (think about landing an amazing publishing deal, holding your book in your hand for the first time, the smell of the pages, the look on a relative’s face when you show them) and above all, take the necessary steps to reach your desired goal.

You can achieve whatever you set your mind to, even if once upon a time it seemed impossible. Or methaphorically speaking, you can climb any mountain. I believe in you…the question is, do you? 

Love & light

The Word Queen xx

The importance of editing your book is paramount to the success of your novel. Too many writers, having got so far along the journey, stumble when it comes to editing their sweated over manuscript. For most people it’s even more difficult to edit than it is to write their book in the first place.

Step One: Get Some Distance

When we’re too close to things we don’t tend to see them clearly, so typos etc are overlooked. That’s why it’s important to get a little distance. After you write a first draft, take a walk to clear your head.

It’s hard to start editing your  book straight away as it’s still too familiar. My advice is to shut your manuscript away in a drawer for five to six weeks. This period of time away from your novel will give you the opportunity to clear your head. The next time you pick it up you’ll see the content of the page far clearer and it will be far easier to edit your book. Better still, give your novel to a trusted friend, as he / she will be reading the paper for the first time with completely fresh eyes.

Step Two: Ask Questions.

Imagine you’re the intended audience reading your book for the first time. The big questions you’ll want to answer are:

• Does it make sense? Will the reader understand what you’re trying to say?
• Does it hold your interest from start to finish?
• Does it include all the information you need?

Step Three: Is Your Writing Lean?

If your writing isn’t lean you’ve got some work to do when editing your book. Here are three ways to get it in shape:

• Trim long sentences: If any are longer than 25 words, consider turning them into two sentences or removing unnecessary words.
• Slim down the words: Replace long words and phrases with short ones. Why say “ascertain the location of” when you can just say “find”?

Step Four: Think About Your Grammar

Here are a few major points to consider when you start editing your book:

• Good writing is error-free. This means perfect spelling and no typos.
• Check for the correct use of homonyms like to/too/two, their/they’re/there, etc. Spellcheck doesn’t always pick these up.
• Confirm you’ve spelt all names correctly.
• Good writing avoids the passive voice. Write Sara threw the ball. Not The ball was thrown by Sara.
• Check your margins, use of spacing and consistency in style of headings — font, bold or not bold, capitalisation, etc.

Step Five: Read It Again!

After you’ve made your revisions, print your document and read it again.

Editing your book  is a skill that can take years to perfect. But if you follow these recommendations, it’ll result in a far stronger manuscript…

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

Researching the market for your book’s genre is essential if you want to successfully target your book and win the attention of publishers and agents.

Here are some examples of genres:

Mystery

The characters of mystery books are usually fictional but they behave in realistic ways. There is a problem that needs to be solved. A mystery may include a detective or a spy as a main character.

Biographies

A biography is a book of true stories about the life of a real person. The author is a different person than the book is written about. The person in the biography can be dead or alive. The author describes how the person affected others.

Fantasy

A fiction story where there is a struggle between good and evil. Often there is also magic. The characters or objects do things that couldn’t happen in real life.

Poetry

This usually touches your feelings. It may or may not be written with rhymes. Poetry books are often read aloud.

Realistic Fiction

The characters behave in realistic ways. There is usually a problem or conflict to be resolved. The book is set in modern times.

Historical Fiction

Some characters may be real and others are fictional. The story takes place during a period in history. Real events from history can be mixed with fictional events.

Science Fiction

These stories are written with future ideas such as space travel and new technology. The characters are fictional.

Non-fiction

These books provide true facts and information about different subjects.

Romance

A story about character’s relationships, loves, affairs or engagements.

Horror

A story designed to scare or frighten the audience, through suspense, violence or shock.

Reference

These books provide true facts and information. Some examples include: dictionaries, almanacs, atlases, thesauruses, and encyclopaedias.

Your Book’s Genre

Your job as a writer is much more than just writing. Anybody can sit down and write a story, that’s simply a matter of sitting down and typing three or four pages a day until its done. But not every book is saleable, not every saleable book will find an audience, and not every book that finds an audience will be able to bring the readers back for more of what the writer is selling.

It is essential as a writer to know everything about your book before you begin writing it. You must know the genre, other authors who write for that genre, the readers, etc.

When preparing your book for submission to an agent or publisher, it’s essential that you define your book’s genre correctly.

The reason for this is that the genre of your book will determine the agents and publishers you will eventually approach. Get it wrong and your book will be rejected time and time again.

Publishers are set up to sell one type of genre. Even large publishers are split into genre defined departments and imprints.

Selling a cook book is very different to selling a horror novel. They have different readers, but also different marketing approaches and design aspects. This means publishers have an internal team dedicated to selling one type of genre. It’s your duty as a writer to correctly define your book’s genre and then choose the right agents and publishers who can sell books of your chosen genre.

How you determine your book’s genre is not as straight forward as it may seem. The development of online bookstores such as Amazon, have created some debate over a definitive list of genre. The reality is that though all of the publishing industry agree on the broad genres, there is much debate about sub-genres.

My advice for a first time writer is to turn to Amazon to help define your book’s genre. Collect a list of five to ten titles you feel are similar to your own, then look on Amazon to see how each is categorised. This should give you a good idea about your own book’s genre.

Love & light

The Word Queen xx

Throughout my busy days – which usually involve a lot of editing, some reading, and unfortunately only a smudge of socialising – I receive a heap of emails asking how to find a literary agent.

Well that’s a good question to ask. And not such a good question to answer. Mainly because I find it pretty boring. But hey, I know you writers NEED this kind of wisdom, so here goes…a blog post which tells you exactly how to find a literary agent (in the hope that I stop receiving so many emails asking the same question)!

And as we all tend to follow instructions far better when presented with steps, that’s just what I now give you…

Step 1. First, make sure your manuscript is finished and polished. It’s always a good idea to have it professionally edited if you can afford it. I can’t stress this enough…NEVER send an unfinished manuscript to an agent, or you’ll be the cause of another grey hair and another rejection.

Step 2. Now that your manuscript is shining bright, spend some time on the internet getting to know the business. Today it’s not enough to have just written a good book. You’ll need to read blogs, talk to booksellers, attend writing conferences, speak to authors, and anything else you can possibly think of. Agents may just be impressed with your knowledge and that’s always a good sign.

Step 3. To find an agent the best way through the door is by getting a referral. An effective way of going about this is to join local writing groups so your work will be seen by other established writers. Another idea is to get your stories published in magazines, sign up to online writer’s communities, and make a tonne of author virtual friends.

Step 4. If you don’t land a referral then try to write a query letter describing your work. Change your letter according to the agent you’re submitting to in order to demonstrate your knowledge.

Step 5. Find agents to post your letter to. A Google search is always a good idea. Try to target agents who represent your genre. Before you post anything off, find the agent’s submission guidelines and follow them with precision.

Step 6. Wait patiently for a request to see your partial or in some cases, full manuscript.

So there you go – six easy-to-follow steps so you know exactly how to find a literary agent for your manuscript.

Good luck chuck!

Love & Light,

The Word Queen xx

Now for some more tips on how to create a believable setting for your book, continuing on from point three in the last blog post:

4. Make Logical Decisions

Does your setting make sense? Readers won’t buy into a book where the characters are in a world that is dangerous to humans, but where they are able to move around freely without protective suits.

5. Be Creative

Let your imagination run riot and explore the surroundings in your story as you write. Make them as vivid and as real as you can.

6. Keep Your Ears And Eyes Open

Observe the world around you. Some of the best ideas you’ll get for setting could be across the street, or something that you discover on your way to work.

7. Include Details But Not TOO Many

The writer’s job is to flesh out details, but to a point. Give readers just enough information so that they’re able to fill in some details on their own.

8. Use the 4 W’s

Use the four W questions: Who, What, Where, When?

9. Think About Context

Context also has an impact on setting. A beautiful sunny day by itself will seem unordinary, but after leaving a haunted castle, a beautiful day will be like paradise and a character will lap it up! To give a setting a big impact, precede or follow it with a contrasting setting.

10. Consider Your Characters

To create the perfect setting ask yourself about your characters. Are they Southern folk, or Northerners? Do they live in a small flat, or a multimillion dollar mansion? These questions effect setting and you need to pay them some attention.

If you change locations and settings you must update the reader about the new location without it feeling forced. Do it through actions when possible, rather than through overly descriptive prose. Try to bring in the setting details through what the character is doing.

Too much description of setting can kill the reader’s interest. The key is to sprinkle descriptions throughout your story from the characters point of view.

Active & Passive Settings

Will your setting play an active or a passive role in your novel? An example of an active setting would be a novel set during a political upheaval, a war-zone, a natural disaster – whereby in each case, the setting will drive the plot in a massive way. You could not write a political novel without involving the setting to a large degree. The setting and the plot are entwined. 

A passive setting does not interrupt the plot. It merely compliments or enhances it. Choosing to write a novel in a city, next to the ocean, or in a rural retreat all serve to showcase the story, but they don’t drive it.

In the case of sci fi and fantasy, setting is of even more importance. You can be as imaginative as you wish and it’s often this depth of imagination which inspires the reader. With historical fiction, the emphasis is on accuracy of detail.

Big Picture Or Detail

A useful way of thinking about your setting is to think big picture and then detail. 

Big picture setting is the broad brush-strokes. It’s the first question to ask.

Another way of looking at the big picture would be to ask yourself – where is this book set and why? 

For example, you choose to write your book in New York because your character has recently moved there because she’s got a new job. Or you choose a place in the middle of nowhere because your character has just been widowed and wants to left alone to grieve. Or you choose a beach resort because your story starts with a couple on honeymoon.

The detail comes in with the smaller brush strokes. Let’s go with the New York example. Does she live in Manhattan or the Bronx? Does she live in an apartment on the third floor or the thirty-third floor? Is the apartment small or large? Is it clean or dirty? Does she share or live alone? What colour is the paint on the wall? Does she have a double bed or a single?  You can get to such a level of specificity here.

Landscapes And Weather

Another important feature of any location is the landscape. How many books have you read which feature a beautiful, break-taking sunset?  Or they feature mountains, deserts, oceans. We have all visited places no doubt where there are stunning landscapes and panoramic views and it is our role as the author to represent these pictures in words.

Weather is important too; try reading a novel and picking out how many times the weather is mentioned, particularly storms! Weather is atmospheric in its own right and as an author you can use the weather to help tell the story and also set the tone for a chapter or set-piece. Choose the season to set your book because it will influence the action.

Cultures And Traditions

Many authors who write about places they have visited, or indeed researched, find that it is a good idea to briefly touch upon the cultures and traditions. This has the effect of adding authenticity and a dash of foreign flavour. You don’t have to go into tonnes of detail. Just enough to embellish both description and narrative.

Landmarks

Landmarks are also something that can be used to good effect whilst writing. Take, for example, The White House in Washington, or Big Ben in London; using either of these landmarks is perfectly acceptable and is not infringing any laws as these are landmarks and in the public domain. Also these are landmarks that many people are familiar with so setting a scene against the backdrop of a well-known landmark allows the reader to draw their own mental picture, while enabling the author to use less description and concentrate on the plot and its characters.

Finally a note on how to go about mixing your locations: when plotting your novel it is an idea to note down the segments of your story and where they might be located. Allocate a location to each event in your story, or concentrate on one location throughout. Either way it can be fun to help the story along using places and landmarks as literary scenery.

To Conclude

The setting and location of your novel are just as important as the characters. Research the general setting, as well as sub-settings along the way.

Love & Light
The Word Queen xx

Today we’re going to focus on watering your seeds, so you can watch your ideas thrive.  

Now’s the time to gather your list of ideas and decide which ones you would like to explore further. It’s best not to pick a huge number at this stage, so whittle them down and select your three or four favourite.

Try not to look at these ideas just from your own personal tastes. Remember that your idea has to possess a commercial edge to work well in the big wide world out there. Will it impress publishers and agents? Would you feel proud telling the biggest publishing companies about it, and feel confident it would work?   Here are some ways you can decide exactly which idea to go for, out of your three of four pre-selected ones.  

Write A Press Release

Write a press release for each idea to check that the final book will sell well, even just as a concept. A press release is a one-page news story that elaborates on your book and proves that it is unique and worth looking at. Your press release gives your book a chance to get noticed. Any idea that can’t stand out on a press release is too risky to follow up.  

Ensure Your Idea Is Big Enough

By this I mean make sure that you can create enough gripping content to fill 250 – 500 pages, or however long you want your book to be. It’s easier for experienced authors to work this out than new ones.

After you’ve completed the two steps above you should now have one glistening idea in your head, which is THE ONE; the idea which is going to lead you to produce a best-selling book.

As we’re focusing on fiction books here, the next stage is to determine your characters. This is all part of the watering process, so that your idea grows and becomes stronger. Characters are what make a fiction book. They bring it to life and are the elements with which readers associate themselves the most. Sometimes they might see themselves in a particular character, or an element which is the same as their best friend.

Mentally focus on your idea as much as possible throughout each day. Think about it before you go to sleep at night and mull over it first thing in the morning. Focus is a remarkable thing. Think back to when you were a child. Did you ever play the game with the magnifying glass and the sun in the garden? When you held the magnifying glass so the sun reflected off it for a long enough period of time, the leaves underneath would start burning, right?

Well the same happens with our ideas and our focus. Focus on something for long enough and hard enough and doors open. In the case of a small idea, it then develops into a much bigger one with little or no effort on your part – all you need to do is hold it in your mind! Eventually your little idea sees will transform into a fully grown tree.

The Branches

The branches, or sub ideas of your main idea are just as important as thinking of the idea in the first place. Don’t get lazy at this stage, as otherwise the rest of the process would have been a waste of your time. Sub ideas can hold the jewel to real success.

Repeat the brainstorming exercise in step one, but this time using the same process to find sub ideas. Write your main idea at the top of a sheet of paper and for twenty minutes or so write down all the related ideas you can think of. These sub ideas are what can eventually help to make up your storyline, plot and theme.

To Conclude

Your ideas will grow as and when you allow them to. Use the power of your mind to focus on your ideas and watch them branch into different directions.

Love & Light,

The Word Queen xx

Our dreams are very insightful. Not only do they feed us relevant information about our current circumstances, but they’re also an excellent source of ideas for books!

If you think you don’t dream, then you are wrong. We all dream, it’s just that some of us remember our dreams easier than others. Keep a notepad and pen by the side of your bed or under your pillow and as soon as you awaken (whatever the time) write down what you’d just been dreaming about. If you really can’t remember that’s ok too – just write down anything that’s in your head. 

Repeat this process every morning, or every time you awaken from a sleep, and you’ll soon train yourself to remember your dreams far easier. That information can then be analysed and used to form storylines, characters and even settings.

For example, last night I dreamt about being trapped in a burning house with no hopes of escaping. I felt sure I was going to die, but then an angel came to my rescue and broke the window so that I could climb out and escape. I then found myself flying through the sky, which was ablaze with wonderful vibrant colours. It was magical.

How could I use this dream to create a story…? I could write a story about a girl who didn’t believe in angels until one saved her life. Perhaps this angel becomes her best friend and they go for many adventures together. Ok, so this kind of content might be more suitable for a children’s book, but it’s still an idea, which came from just one dream!

Ask Questions

There are three parts to this technique.

1. Newspaper / internet articles! Take a recent newspaper and either tear out or circle in red ink the stories which catch your eye, concentrating mainly on the headline. If you’re more technologically minded then you might prefer to do the same but on the internet. Log on to a popular daily news service such as BBC or CNN and copy and paste the most interesting headlines into a word document.
2. Mull over these headlines for a while and then write down questions about each one as they occur to you. This is where your natural curiosity is exercised.
3. Then ask a few ‘what if’ questions about the headlines. What if this had happened at a different time? What if this took place in a different location? What if the story had ended differently or began differently?

Step Into An Alter Ego

This one is a bucket of fun! All you have to do is imagine being a particular author or creative person who you admire / respect hugely, then meditate for twenty minutes or so, pretending to be that person. Ideas will scurry towards you. But not just any ideas. The exact kind of ideas that your alter ego would come up with.

For example, recently I had just finished reading Stephen King’s highly recommended book On Writing. My brain felt very much in tune with him, so I laid down on the sofa and let my mind drift for a short period. During that time I thought of no fewer than three brilliant novel ideas, each in the horror genre, despite the fact that I’ never considered writing horror novels before! You can do the same with an author who writes the kind of books you aspire to write.

You - The best ideas begin with none other than yourself. There are various ways in which you can think of ideas in this way so let’s take a look at each in turn:

1. What Are You Good At? We all have unique skills and talents so write a list of twenty of yours. They can stretch right back to when you were a child, all the way up until the here and now. Try not to strain your brain too hard and do include smaller talents too. For example, maybe you’re really good at listening to people, or helping friends in need. They all count towards your list!
2. Your Past Experiences. What’s happened to you throughout your life which is particularly interesting/funny or even scary? All our experiences, no matter how much they hurt at the time, can be used as ammunition for book ideas. In fact many of the bestselling books are about people’s real life experiences. Some choose to write these as non-fiction books whereas others take these experiences and wrap them into a fictional storyline. Both ways work just as well. Examples of this method of finding ideas include if you have suffered from a particular illness, you’ve overcome a big challenge or you have succeeded at something others would find impossible. Try working backwards through your life from the present day to as far back as you can remember.
3. Your Knowledge. At school, what subjects did you shine at? What jobs have you held in the past, full and part time? What are your hobbies? Do you like horse riding? Yoga training? Cross stitch? Write another list encompassing all of the above.
4. What Do You Enjoy Most In Life? Your true passions are great to write about as you’ll enjoy the process much more than writing about subjects you’re not so fond of. Jamie Oliver loves cooking and he has written a number of books, sharing his recipes with the world. What love could you share with the world? Do you adore travelling, fashion, beauty, mechanics? Whatever you like rest assured that millions of others will love it too! Consider also the current trends. You can get an idea of these by using Google Trends, or by reading newspapers and the daily news headlines on Yahoo and other news services. If you feel that a particular trend would be old news before your book is released then write about old favourites like weight-loss, money and sex. Sex always sells. If you can incorporate a fresh twist on these topics, then you’ll be on to a winner!
5. Your Challenges. At the time challenges in life never feel like opportunities. But they are the biggest ones that exist! What have you overcome or learnt that you could share with other people? Knowing that you are helping others via your books is an enlightening experience. List as many challenges you have faced in your life as you can possibly think of. The bigger and more terrifying at the time, the better! If you can’t think of any of your own then list the challenges of friends and relatives.

There! Lots of seeds have already been sown. Now they need some food and water, better known as love and attention, which we’ll explore next time!

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

If you’re a ‘real’ writer I’ll bet my bottom dollar that you’ll already carry around a notebook with you! Ideas can show up at the most inconvenient of times so it’s important to have a notebook handy to jot them down. If you’ve got a half-decent mobile phone you can probably store all your ideas on there. But if you’re the traditional type like me, I suggest buying a little notebook to really make yourself really feel like a writer. 

If you are a more visual person, how about carrying around a sketchbook instead of a notebook? A sketchbook acts as a visual aid. You can use your sketchbook to draw pictures of your characters, their houses and any key locations. Find photos of people who resemble your characters, or paste in photos of key locations.

Example:

Sitting on the bus I was intrigued by a man my age sitting diagonally opposite me as he talked on his mobile phone. He had no self-consciousness even as the bus filled up around him. Was talking about how he’d gone to Thailand recently and how everything there was really cheap. Said he was on the way to London to get a new passport because the pages in his were full. He was off to Australia at the end of the month. I wasn’t sure if I detected an accent in his voice. He had a goatee and a tattoo of a sword and a heart on his upper arm. Did he have a partner? How could he have a relationship if he was constantly travelling?  Where did his money come from?

Having recorded all this information in my notebook I can either create a character out of him for the future, or create a number of situations or stories around him. Have a good look at the world around you. Is there anyone in it that you can use as a character in your book?

How Is It Done?

Get into the habit of using your notebook! There’s no point carrying one around and then being too self-conscious to use it. When you’re sitting on the train and you see a newspaper article that stimulates an idea, make a note of it. If you overhear an amusing conversation or a great one-liner, jot it down! Observe your surroundings, the textures, colours, smells, sounds, and make notes. Do quick sketches of something. Create a habit of using it and it will turn into a friend.

Why Is It Done?

Writers use notebooks as a way of storing information. I find storing my ideas in a notebook a great way of keeping up to speed on my books. That way, when I go to write, I have something to refer to. I fill my notebooks with mind-maps as they’re a great way of generating fresh ideas for a project or a character. Notebooks can be seen as files, for collating ideas, observations and information on your book.

What Do Writers Do With Their Notebooks?

They fill them up! Don’t buy a notebook and then leave it at the bottom of your bag all the time, or in the bottom of a drawer. Use your notebooks regularly as a support system for your book. Also use your notebook as a way of reminding yourself you are a writer that observes the world around you.

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

Time is the bane of everyone’s lives. There just never seems to be enough of it in the day. Oh what we’d do to have a time freezing machine, so that we can fit twice as much into our days! For writers the old time nutshell is tough to crack. Here are some tips…

Ways You Can Time Manage Your Writing

Decide how many hours to spend writing in a day. Divide your day into chunks. For example, from 10am to midday writing, from midday to 1pm lunch, from 1pm to 3pm chilling out in front of the TV, etc…

Decide how many words you would like to write each day. However, do not get stressed out if some days the words don’t flow as you like and you only manage half your desired word count.

Decide to write one or two chapters a day. Find when your best writing time is and stick to writing during those hours.

Beware of sending or reading emails as they come in, or spending too long surfing the web. The internet can be a huge distraction for those across all professions involving the use of a computer, especially with the emergence of all the social networking sites of late.

Five Time Savers for Writers:

1. Invest in a writing notebook. Ideally this should be a simple notebook for scribbling ideas in to use later.

2. Start an idea file. Never waste too much time trying to develop a new idea for a book or a character. Develop a list of ideas to draw from when you need to. Add those ideas you think of in the shower, on the train, etc. Then, when you move on to your next book you’ll have a far clearer picture of which one will work for you this time.

3. Save all research for your novel on the computer.

4. Purchase a voice recognition software. This allows writers to speak while the computer types those spoken words on to the screen. Much faster than typing!

5. Purchase a digital voice recorder. There are an array of benefits to owning one of these little beauties. Firstly, you’ll never run the risk of losing handwritten notes again. Secondly, the voice recorder can be taken anywhere and work in most situations. Writers can be productive in unusual circumstances such as during the daily commute, waiting for meetings to begin, or during breaks at work.

Take heed of these suggestions and soon you’ll feel like you have all the time in the world (sort of!)

Love & Light,

The Word Queen xxx