With Camp NaNoWriMo starting tomorrow, I thought now would be quite an appropriate time to link-up with Beautiful People and introduce the main character from my upcoming Camp novel to you all (that and I’ve somehow managed to leave it til the last minute to join in. Typical). Beautiful People is a link-up for writers hosted by the amazing duo Cait@Paper Fury and Sky@Further Up and Further In. For Camp NaNo, I’m planning on writing a fantasy with magic, thieves, and dragons! Did I mention the dragons? I may be a little excited about the dragons. The plot is a tiny little bit vague (read, Imogen’s been struggling with editing and hasn’t really plotted anything), but as it stands, this is the synopsis for my story so far:

What first inspired this character? Is there a person/actor you based them off?

I don’t generally base my characters off people or actors. I prefer to steal traits, features and creativity, and mix it up into a delightful hodgepodge that somehow results in a (semi) cohesive character. What inspired Maya’s character mostly was my love of sarcastic, witty characters, a desire to write a slightly less than mystical elf, and my fascination with characters who are thieves. I just decided to mix them all together and hey presto, she arrived. 

Describe their daily routine

When the book starts, Maya is in solitary confinement in a prison, so her daily routine mostly involves being fed twice a day, being escorted once daily on a walk by a platoon of armed guards, and counting the bricks in her cell. She’s famous for her escape attempts, so the prison guards have learned not to take any chances with her.

If they joined your local high school, what clique would they fit into?

Maya would definitely be the loner, and proud. Fun and witty Maya might be, but she’s not really into being part of a group. She’d be that rebel person who makes fun of the cool people, has like one really close friend, and doesn’t take anything from anyone.

Write a list of things they merely tolerate. Ex: certain people, foods, circumstances in their lives…

Her guards, especially when she’s out of prison working for the council. Those guys really don’t know how to have fun. Prison in general. There's only so long one can look at the same four walls without getting bored. Fools. Especially the ones with massive elaborate robes and long wispy beards. Magic portals (she gets portal sick). Fish. Fish are nasty slimy things and should be outlawed.

How do they react in awkward silences?

Maya’s automatic reaction to awkward silences is to fill them as quickly as possible with whatever meaningless chatter first springs to mind. Not that she doesn’t like silence. In fact she’s quite fond of it, especially when it’s just her and her dragon friend Zanth. But awkward silences, in her opinion, are meant to be filled, so she’ll literally blather on about anything in a vain attempt to cover the awkwardness. 

Can they swim? If so, how did they learn?

Nope. Maya cannot swim. At all. She loves heights, will fly anywhere and climb any building. But water is scary and bad. It is for drinking only. She also never had anyone to teach her to swim, so that hasn’t helped her distrust of water.

What is one major event that helped shape who they are?

Probably being abandoned as a child. Her mother left her with a family friend in order to pursue her career working for the council. And then the plague swept through, the family friend died, her mother never came to find her, and she was left abandoned on the streets. That pretty much shaped the pattern for her entire life and personality.

What things do they value most in life?

Freedom, especially now hers has been taken away. True friendship, considering that is so rare in her life. Compassion, a weird trait for a thief I will admit, but she knows what it’s like to have it rough, so she’s a lot more compassionate than people expect. Reputations, especially her own. An intimidating reputation does a lot for a girl.

Do they believe in giving other people second chances? Do they have any trust issues?

Does Maya have trust issues? You bet. In bucket loads. She grew up with thieves and tricksters, was abandoned as a child, and has spent most of her life being lied to and betrayed. It takes a lot for Maya to trust people. The only person she really trusts is her dragon friend, Zanth. As for second chances, well, if you break her trust, you don’t deserve one.

Your character is having a rough day…what things do they do to make them happy again? Is there anyone they talk/interact with to get in a better mood?

Basically Zanth is the one person who can cheer Maya up. They usually go flying, anywhere, anytime, especially at night, or early morning. She’s not really one for talking problems through. Sometimes Zanth gets her to share, but mostly she likes to try to forget and move on quickly.

So, that’s a bit about my Camp NaNo protagonist. Tell me, are you participating in Camp NaNo? Who is the protagonist of your current novel? Are you linking up with Beautiful People this month? Link me to your post!

Many apologies for the lateness of this post. Coming up to Easter is possibly the busiest time of year for me as a musician, so it’s taken a bit longer than I expected to finish this post. However, here it is at last, Elements of a Good Mythological Retelling. Thank you to everyone who let me know what subject they wanted me to cover next. Myths, like fairytales, are an amazing source of inspiration for books, and make for great retellings. Whether you retell a single myth, or you create an entire world based around mythology and weave them into that (think Rick Riordan, king of mythology, here), there is a universal appeal to myths. In many ways, the rules that apply to other retellings also apply to myths. However, there are a few extra elements in particular that need to be considered when retelling myths. Today I'd like to share a few of them with you.

Do Readers Understand The Myth?

Some myths are universally known. Most people have heard the tale of Hades kidnapping Persephone at least once in their lives. These popular myths make for great retellings. But there are hundreds and hundreds of lesser known ones out there, and plenty from mythologies and pantheons that aren’t as well known. Good mythological retellings situate readers well within the story, lay out the conventions of the world, and make sure that they can understand the myth being retold, even if they’re not familiar with the base story. It is important, when writing a retelling, for readers to be able to tell that it is indeed a retelling of a myth. It’s one of those strange paradoxes. You want the book to sound original, but at the same time you want people to know that it’s based in an awesome source. Be prepared to dig into the mythology around the myths and add in context and detail so that readers not familiar with the original story are still able to understand and appreciate what’s going on.

Which leads onto…

Expand On Common Myths

As mentioned above, there are some myths that everyone knows, and they’re really fun to retell. But because they’re so well-known and so often told, any new retelling has to have a something extra to make them stand out from the crowd. This is easier done when retelling them in another genres, sci-fi, say, or a dystopian (seriously, I’d love to see some more dystopian retellings of anything. I can’t remember have read any. Anyone know of some?). But beyond changing the genre, there are other things you can do to try and change things up. Explore new relationships between characters. In the Hades and Persephone myth, did they know each other? Maybe Demeter and Persephone weren’t as close as people though. Or experiment with new reasons for why things happen. Maybe Hades actually kidnapped Persephone to keep her safe. Play around with the base elements and see what you can twist or dig into deeper for a more rounded, unique story.

Which again, leads me onto another point…

Character Development Is Key

One of the problems with gods and myths is that the gods and other mythological beings are portrayed as huge, mighty, and very one dimensional. Good retellings of myths explore the characters in new ways. This is a really good way to get a different feel to your retelling. For example, each of the gods has a basic stereotype they portray. Think of that stereotypical high school. Every kid fits into a single characteristic. If you were to put the gods in this high school, what group would they fit into? Thor might be a sports jock. Zeus would probably be the captain of the football team. Ares could be the bully. Each god has one main characteristic that people recognise about them, if they know nothing else. This is the core.

But around this core, there is a lot you can do with the character to make them unique. Take Hephaestus for example (a chronically undervalued god in my opinion). His two big things are that he’s crippled, and he makes things. That’s what most people will remember about him. But around those two elements, you can base several vastly different characters. He might be a bitter, cunning foe, twisted like his crippled body and seeking revenge on the people who hurt him, from his cheating wife, to his mother. Or he could be a real introverted sweetheart, focusing more on his work than on people and relationships, maybe even a little scared to open up to people because of what has happened in the past. Or he could be a man with hidden strengths and ambitions, an underestimated power. Develop the characters in new ways and they can vastly change the dynamics of the story and add a lot of new interest.

Experimenting With Different Mythologies

This isn’t so much as an element of every mythological retelling, as something that I feel needs to be tried more. The most common mythology I see being retold is Greek, probably followed by Roman. You get a little Norse, mostly because Loki is quite a popular guy. Then most others get ignore, like Egyptian, Aztec, and the like. (Unless you’re Rick Riordan, in which case I have no doubt he’ll get around to them all in due course). If you want to write a mythological retelling that’s different from the rest, consider experimenting with less popular systems. Instant unique factor, plus we readers get introduced to a whole new world through your book. Win-win!

And finally…

Stay True To The Core Elements

At it’s very simplest, a good retelling is one that takes a new look at a myth or story, while still preserving and conveying the heart of the tale. Every story has core elements that make that it recognisable and familiar, no matter what form it’s in. For Cinderella, you could classify these core elements as: kindness, defiance, and a search for a new life. Within all the paraphernalia of balls, step-families, and shoes, it is this quest of a kind person striking out in an act of defiance to find a better life that we all recognise. Any retelling missing one or more of these core elements immediately rings false. Think of Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. It has all these elements, a kind, compassionate heroine, an act of defiance, a quest to find a better life. Now imagine if Cinder hadn’t been such a kind heroine. She wouldn’t be the protagonist that we expect to see and the story wouldn’t be as effective because one of its core elements is missing. Good retellings identify these core elements and preserve them amongst all the amazing new things they bring to the table.

These are just some of the elements of a good mythological retelling. Do you agree with any of these? Disagree? What would you add to this list? What mythology would you like to see more retellings from? Norse? Egyptian? Something else? And tell me, what are some of your favourite mythological retellings?

Missed any of the posts in this series? You can catch up on them all HERE

Tell me, what topic would you like me to cover next time?

Elements Of A Good Villainous Plan

Elements Of A Good Female Protagonist

Something Else (leave me a suggestion in the comments!) 

As anyone who has ever watched Dr Who has probably figured out by now, this week’s writing music comes from the awesome soundtrack of the TV series, Dr Who. There are so many amazing pieces of music from this show, from the ever famous theme, to the many, many songs specific to each episode. It’s hard to choose just one to share, but I finally decided on This Is Gallifrey, Our Childhood, Our Home.

This is a strong, positive piece. It has an undercurrent of tension and a sense of forward motion. At points, there is an almost triumphant feeling to it. It feels like a climax, the turning of the tide. It would work well for a sci-fi, a fantasy, or a dystopian, but it would work well for any kind of book with action scenes in it.

What are you listening to this week? Are you a Whovian? If so, which is your favourite Doctor? If not, what is your favourite TV show? What music would you recommend I check out next?

So, a couple of weeks back, I wrote a post about the elements on a book cover that would make me decide not to take it home. (Missed it? You can check it out HERE) And I promised that I’d write a second instalment, all about the issues I can have with the back cover synopsis. So, as I’ve been too busy to finish up the next Elements Of post yet (seriously, where is all the time going at the moment? Can someone post some to me please?), here is that second post.

The Year Is... I get it. I get it. This book is historical and it’s probably amazingly researched and totally period correct. But I didn’t come for a history lesson. I came for a story inside the history. I want to know about the characters and the plot. Give me dates and historical periods in the middle of the interesting stuff, or later on. You’re not hooking me by making this book sound like a history lesson.

Name-o-rama. Books have loads of characters, and they’re all super cool and interesting and the authors want people to know about them as soon as possible. But if there are six names in one short paragraph, how do you expect me to remember, or like any of them? This is a synopsis, not a cast list!

One Line Wonder. One liners are great for gaining initial interesting in a book. Every book needs a good elevator pitch. But they’re for elevators, and unless I’m speed dating a book between floors, I need a bit more information before I can make a commitment to this adorable 500 page behemoth.

Sneaky Cover Opener. Hard cover books are especially sneaky at getting you to open them up. The back of the dust jacket is beautifully designed, covered in ornamental goodness, and perfectly useless for finding out anything about the plot. You’ve got to search the inside cover for the real synopsis. Hard covers drive a hard bargain.

Endorsement Board. Having endorsements on the back of the book to tell you that it’s super amazing and that everyone should read this book doesn’t hurt at all. But the back of the book is not a notice board. A synopsis is still going to tell me more about whether I’m going to love this book or not than a mere list of newspaper reviews endorsements. Cut the waffle and give me the info!

Blank Space. I’m sure there’s something missing from this cover. Now, what could it be? Awesome cover picture. Nice typeface. Good title. Oh, that’s right. The synopsis. Seriously, a book with nothing on the back cover is a nightmare. There’s nothing to guide you, nothing to tell you if you’ll like it or not. It’s like meeting a guy in a mask. Strange, unreadable, and just a smidgen like it’s going to kill you with an axe.

These are some of the things about back cover synopses that can turn me off a book. Now tell me, do you relate to any of these? Anything you would add to the list? What’s your biggest deal breaker when it comes to the outside of a book?

There are a lot of amazing bookish blogs out there. Some deal with writing, some with books, and some with just general bookish things. There are so many it is impossible to read them all (unless you have an army of dragon clones in which case I highly envy you and can I have one please?). Today I’d like to recommend five of my favourite bookish blog things I read regularly. Some are blogs, and some are blog series, and all of them are epic. Ready? Let’s begin.

Out Of Coffee Out Of Mind

A blog by Liz Brooks

This is an awesome blog all round. It’s a little bit books, a little bit writing, and a whole heaping of epic Lizness all round. Serious, this girl is all humour, personality, and deep thoughts. If you haven’t given this blog a look yet, you definitely should.

How to Write:…

A blog series by Krissy Aleman

This is a relatively new blog series on Krissy’s blog Words In My Soul. Each post features tips on how to write in a certain genre, such as the latest post, which is all about steampunk. They’re fun, and also super helpful.

Paper Fury

A blog by Cait Drews

This blog probably needs no explanation. If you haven’t come across the queen of blogging by now, then you really need to hop over and check out Cait’s blog at once. It’s all about books, book reviews, and bookish discussions, with liberal helpings of cake and dragons.

So Your Characters Is From…

A blog series by Victoria Grace Howell

This is a brand new blog series that focuses on helping writers authentically write characters from other countries and cultures. It’s super informative, and, as an added little bonus, I was asked to feature in the first post, which is all about Australia!

The Devil Orders Takeout

A blog by Alyssa Carlier

This blog is an amazing mix of writing, takeout, and Chinese culture. If you’re interested in deep discussions about character types, or learning more about Chinese customs and culture in general, you really need to check out Alyssa’s blog pronto!

And there we have it. Five bookish blog things I highly recommend. What blogs, or blog features and series would you recommend people check out? Leave links in the comments so everyone can discover some new amazing bookish blog things.

Right now, we’re over a week into March, which mean two things. 1) It’s almost time for Camp NaNoWriMo, and 2) I’m well past my deadline for finish editing Snow. The plan was to have Snow finished by the end of February, but of course that hasn’t happened. However, I am 60k/80k of the way through, so hopefully it will be finished well in time for Camp NaNoWriMo. Planning for which event is my other main writing concern this month.

Camp NaNoWriMo is always exciting because you get to pick your own goal, and, if you feel like writing something different, you can pick a project type, such as editing, which is what I hope to do in the second Camp NaNoWriMo later this year. I particularly like being able to choose my own word goal and make my own challenge. For this first session, I decided that, after all this editing I’m doing right now, drafting something new would be a nice break from the heavy work Snow has required.

So, what am I planning on writing? Well, I’m glad you asked that question. At this point in time, I’m probably going to rewrite one of my fantasy books. Again. For the second time. Somehow this always seems to happen. I’ll write a bad first draft. Then I’ll scrap it and write a somewhat less terrible draft. And then, if I’m really unlucky, I’ll scrap that one as well and write a completely new first draft. It happened with The Crystal Tree, one of my other fantasies, and with several of my other books too.

This particular book is currently titled The Dragon Thief. Which, I admit, is a terrible title considering the main character is the thief and she is in no way a dragon. However, she does have a dragon as a friend and companion, so that almost makes the title fit, right? (I really need to come up with a better one. Help!) So far I know it’s about dragons (yay!), thieves (also yay. I love a good story about thieves), and a bargain struck for freedom. And that’s about all I know about it at the moment. However, it does have a Pinterest board for inspiration, and this month, as well as finishing editing Snow, I’m also planning The Dragon Thief.

So, that’s where I’m at this week. But tell me, where are you at with your current project? Are you doing Camp NaNoWriMo? If so, do you know what you’re going to be writing yet? If not, have you ever considered giving it a go?

A while back, I wrote a post about the elements that go into making a great mystery. And afterwards, I kind of wanted to share my own process for writing in this genre. As a self-confessed chronic pantser who has a major aversion to anything that could possibly be classed as an outline, mystery writing really hasn’t come naturally to me. It’s taken me a while to find a process that works for me, and I’m certainly not claiming that this is the best process ever. But a process it is, and it is mine, and it works. And today I want to share it with you.

What’s The Big Idea?

Every mystery starts with a big idea. A murder. A theft. A kidnapping. Whatever it is, this is the first thing I know for sure about my book. Usually, when I’m coming up with my big idea, I also find out its unique or special factor. If it’s a murder, it’s committed in a waxwork museum. If it’s a theft, the thief is stealing a jewelled mask at a masquerade party. I try and nail down this idea as solidly as possible right off the bat.

Brainstorming Bonanza

This is the most enjoyable part of the whole planning process. In this step, I get to make a list of everything I’d like to include in the book. I might want twins to be part of the solution, or have parallel mysteries, that tie together at the end or maybe I’d rather like to shoehorn a cupcake shop in there somewhere. It doesn’t matter how random or out of place the idea is, it all goes on the list. The more ideas I get down now, the more I have to work with later.

Hero VS Villain

One of the other really important pieces I like to get straight before I start plotting the book is the identity of the hero and villain. It is especially important to know who the villain is as the whole solution to the mystery is based around that fact. But knowing who the hero is also gives me the chance to make the mystery more personal to them. Maybe it involves war crimes and they were a solider, or they know the villain, or the case is super personal to them because of a past experience. If I know who the hero is, I can work this sort of thing in right from the start.

Putting the Puzzle Together

This is painstakingly slow bit, and is probably the hardest step for me as a pantser. For a mystery to work, you have to do at least a little plotting, even if you’re a pantser (unless you’re super smart, in which case I salute you). Taking the pieces I’ve already brainstormed, I start fitting them together. Usually they go together in disconnected segments. I might have some ideas about the end, a section around the first murder, and a nice little sequence involving cupcakes. From here I build up around them as much as possible.

Activate the Timeline

This is as organised and as close to an outline as I ever get, but it does make the plotting and writing of mysteries much easier for me. Once I have enough plot to be going on with, I slot all the events in a timeline. This way I can see how everything pans out, whether there are any parts with too much or too little happening, whether the timeframe is realistic and, most importantly, where I have gaps in the plot.

At this point, it’s usually pretty easy to see where I need to do research, and this is when I start looking into that to help me make sense of the plot and fill the gaps in my story. I don’t really do a lot of in depth research at this point. Just enough to let me know whether what I’m planning sounds plausible or not. And usually this research sparks a few other ideas that are mighty helpful as well.

For me, this timeline is very basic. As a pantser, I don’t like working with lots of details, so usually I have a day, and a few bullet points for the important events. This gives me enough knowledge of the plot so that everything should make sense, I don’t get lost, and everything should tie together nicely at the end, but leaves all the fun bits to be worked out during the writing stage, which appeases my pantser personality.

Fill in the Holes

Timelining points out all the holes. And there are a lot of them. This is the point where I usually need a brainstorming buddy to help me work out how to bridge my solid sections and tie the threads together. This is the most time consuming, frustrating stage for me, and it’s only with the great help of my brainstorming partner and sister that I ever get through it.

Logic Check

The final step, after I’ve completed my timeline and brainstormed to fill all the holes, is to do one final check to make sure that everything happens logically. I also like to check to make sure things aren’t happening by coincidence, the hero has to work for the ending, and that things don’t run too smoothly.

Let’s Write This Thing!

After all the planning, checking and (shudder) outlining, it’s time to write the book. At this point I set out in my epic adventure, armed with my basic outline, and (hopefully) still full of enthusiasm for the original idea. Anchors away, and this mystery is ready to set sail!

So that’s how I write mysteries and thrillers. Have you seen my other post, Elements of A GoodMystery yet? Do you write mysteries or thrillers? Are you a plotter or a pantser? How much do you like to have planned before you start writing your book?

I usually discover pictures on Pinterest. All those glorious photos waiting for me to claim them as current or future inspiration (or just gorgeous things to stare at. I’m not above pinning a few of those). But while browsing the other day, I stumbled across some music videos. And quickly discovered a whole new amazing genre of music: Hang music. This is music played on a Hang, or a Hand pan, which is a kind of metal hand drum. If you have a few spare minutes, I would highly recommend looking them up. They’re really interesting.

One of my favourite pieces of Hang music is Sam’s Dance. This piece has a haunting sound combined with a dance-like beat. It has an almost tribal feel to it actually. This song would make great inspiration for native tribes of all kinds, or as unusual music for fantasy settings. I could also see this song as a background for a strange ritual.

For anyone interested in knowing a little more about the Hang as an instrument, you should check out this video, which will give you a bit more information.

And, while we’re on the subject of Pinterest, I’d like to announce that Writing Music officially has its own Pinterest board! If you’re a fan of this series then you might like to check out its board. It contains every piece of music I’ve ever shared on this blog, as well as more interesting pieces that I’ve found and added in between times. If you’re looking for musical inspiration, you should definitely check it out HERE.

Have you ever heard of the Hang before? Do you like this kind of music? What other unusual instruments do you like listening to? Are you planning on checking out the Writing Music Pinterest board? And tell me, what music is getting you inspired at the moment?

A couple of weeks ago, Katie Grace@A Writer’s Faith wrote about how she goes about writing a blog post. Now, I love seeing other people’s processes, comparing them to my own, and picking up helpful tips, so I was instantly intrigued. And also wanted to write one of my own. So today, for your viewing pleasure and amusement, I present you with my personal process for writing blog posts. It will be highly illuminating, and entirely useless for gaining tips from (unless you want to know the worst way to be a blogger that is, in which case do I have the post for you!)

The Beginning

Open a Word document. Stare at it blankly. Open YouTube. Contemplate giving up and hiding in a cave for the rest of my existence.

Blogging is hard.

The Idea

Right. A post will never be written without a subject. What kind of post? I could use a topic from my super organised phone list. Or I could write about robot chickens.

Robot chickens it is.

The Plan

Whip out that trusty notebook and smudgy pen, because we’ve got a post to plan. And by plan I mean scrawling a couple of dodgy bullet points of course. Alternatively, if we’re not writing an Elements Of or list post, we could just dispense with the whole planning thing and smash some words out onto the page.

Who needs plans anyway?

The Writing

Smash words onto the screen like Hulk. Actually, that’s pretty terrible. Rewrite that beginning. Six times…Meh, I’ll come back and write that later. Smash more words on the screen. Write half a draft. Ooh, what’s that on YouTube? New video, score!

Wait, what was I doing again?

Right. Let’s do this post writing thing. More words on the screen. Hulk has nothing on my smashing abilities. Ooh, that’s actually not bad. I think I’ve got it this time. Oh wait, what was I writing about? This wasn’t in the plan. Plan, what plan? This is way better.

The Re-Writing

This is awful.

What was I thinking? *cringe* Quick, delete. DELETE. Wait, that line there’s ok. First paragraph has got to go though. Rewrite every word twice. Much better. Ok, go through every paragraph one more time. But as you finish each one, paste it in Blogger. Then you can feel accomplished. Nice work!

The Formatting

Picture. Picture. What do I do for a picture? Can I possibly get away with another free photo of paper and pens? Maybe another paper texture of the background? I could take a photo of my own…No. That’s a terrible idea. Stock photo it is then. Fonts. Fonts. Which fonts go together? How does one know which fonts to pair together? Hey, that looks rather good. I should be a graphic designer.

Scratch that, it’s awful.

There. Picture done. Format the list. Bold. Centre. Large font. Bold. Centre. Large Font. NO. Don’t turn the whole post bold. Gah, why is formatting so hard? I’ve done rather a lot of this list posts recently actually. Maybe I should cut back a bit.

Pffft. Nah.

The Proofreading

Preview. Ok, everything looks like it’s in the right post. You got all your fingers and toes there buddy? That’s nice. And PUBLISH.

Wait.

Wait.

WHAT IS THAT NOTE IN BRACKETS STILL DOING IN THERE? Is that half a paragraph missing? And oh my goodness, someone take my writer’s badge back. I wrote ‘your’ instead of ‘you’re’ the whole way through. Mayday! Mayday! Writer meltdown. Delete. Delete. BURN IT WITH FIRE.

The Aftermath

That wasn’t too bad actually. I could do more of these in a week I’m sure. Maybe I could be one of those daily bloggers. Or next time I could make picture headings instead of just text. The possibilities are endless.

Wait…what am I going to write tomorrow?

And that’s basically my process. Anyone else relate to this? If you want to see a slightly more organised and helpful post, you should check out Katie Grace’s one HERE (sorry about this post Katie. I did try to be sensible. Or it was in the plan somewhere, I’m sure…). My friend Sunny@A Splash of Ink also did one of these posts. It is amazing, and you should hop over HERE and give that a look too. And tell me, what does your blog post writing process look like?

To tell the truth, I’ve been in a writing slump this week. Plot issues stalled the edits, I had to go back and rewrite large portions of what I had already done, which was demoralising, and I haven’t got back to where I was before so I can move on with the story, which is frustrating. All in all, it’s very easy to feel down about my book at the moment. At times, I’m very tempted to chuck it in the bin, and give up on this whole editing thing.

The book is being difficult right now, but, in a slightly more positive point of view, the fact that I know I have to rewrite things means that I’m making progress. I can obviously see what’s working and what’s not, and that’s a good thing. From what I can figure, the way that I see it, there are two ways I can look at this at the moment. I can either sit in a puddle and weep about the unfairness of life (a highly attractive option at this point), or look at it as a good thing for my book and push on with the edits.

At the moment, I’m trying to go with option two. Objectively, I know that the fact that I’ve identified the problem with my book and am working to fix it is a good thing. Inside though, I really, REALLY don’t want to rewrite this all again. But that’s the way with writing really, isn’t it? Sometimes things get tough and you just have to push through it and keep going. That’s what being a writer is about sometimes. Not that I want to hear that right at the moment. Chocolate, books, and hiding from edits sound so much nicer right now…

So that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment. My end of February deadline has come and gone, but I’m still determined to get this thing finished. I’m trying to think positively about things at the moment. Because after all, these changes have to happen anyway, so may as well be positive about it, right? Besides, the more positively I can think, the easier the writing is. So, onwards and upwards! Time to get this thing finished before Camp NaNoWriMo.

Speaking of CampNaNo, sign-ups for April Camp have opened. Time to start prepping the novels, gathering the inspiration, and setting sail on the Camp train (boat? canoe?) for the first session of the year. Anyone else planning on doing Camp in April?

Photo credit: Evelyn Flint (Daydreaming Images) via Foter.com / CC BY

“This is not Monday,” I hear you say. Very true. But most people in my house have been sick, and everything’s all topsy turvey over here at the moment as we nurse the sick ones, so Monday became Tuesday and you’re getting a post today instead of yesterday. Many apologies. But it does mean that it’s time to talk about a subject that I’m always interested in. Namely, the beta reader process. Now, never having reached a stage where I’ve been able to give my book to beta readers (hopefully changing that this year though!) I don’t have a process yet, so I’m doubly interested in seeing how other people go about this.

So tell me, how do you go about the beta reader process? Do you like to send your book out chapter by chapter or all at once? How many beta readers do you like to have at once? Do you send out a general call for readers, or do you select them carefully? At what point do you actually decide it’s ready for betas? Any advice for people who haven’t yet had betas for their book?