Tag Archives: writing a novel

June 23, 2011 · 1:27 pm

Which Setting? – An Inspiration to Write

Choosing the right setting for your novel is vital but how do we do it?

Familiar or Imaginary

If we choose a familar location it has loads of advantages:

  • You can imagine each scene and the descriptions flow effortlessly as you write
  • Your audience loves to read about places they know
  • Promotion is more straight forward because  your initial drive can focus on reaching out to people with links with that location

If we choose a local setting there are added advantages:

  • You are more likely to have success with local papers if it is local interest
  • You are more likely to be interviewed on local radio
  • Local bookshops will feel more parochial and will be happy to promote your work in their ever popular local interest section
  • Talks in libraries and to various local groups will be popular
  • It is easier for a new author to begin making a name locally

If you choose a holiday location:

  • You may have a fresh audience for some years to come
  • People often buy books to read on holiday
  • People often buy books to remind themselves of a memorable holiday
  • The setting is usually beautiful, inspiring, exciting……
  • It is a setting which lifts readers beyond their everyday lives

If you choose an imaginary setting then:

  • You can let your imagination truly take over
  • You are not restricted to accurate detail as long as it is plausible
  • You are aiming for a wide audience
  • The scenes you evoke stand for themselves and do not need association to be successful

Your setting may have been your original inspiration, as Alderney was mine. As I stood on the Butes wondering what life might have been like in Victorian times I knew I just had to carry out some research. Alderney is unique as a setting for a novel. Many have been written on Guernsey and Jersey but, as far as I know, ‘Riduna’ is the first novel inspired by the beautiful island of Alderney.

My current writing was inspired looking out over a field one day. Very different!

Was it a location which inspired you to write?

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Filed under Marketing your novel, Planning a novel, Riduna, Writing, Writing a novel

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June 2, 2011 · 1:02 pm

Time off from writing –You’re worth it!

I hope that expression doesn’t irritate you as much as it does me. If so, I’ve lost my audience. If you’re still with me then my follow up from Time Management is the essential need to take a real break.

Writing is an intense experience and we writers are inclined to be a bit obsessive. In the last couple of years several of our breaks have been engineered around my research. We camped on the River Hamble and over Southampton Water near Calshot, both involving friends who were happy to be included. We travelled to Alderney and on to Guernsey. We went to the ‘Meet the Pilots Evening’ at the Shuttleworth Collection and watched their aircraft take off and fly above us. We stayed at a Premier Inn in Southsea and ambled along the coast passing the Palmerstone Forts. We had numerous day trips to Southampton and the surrounding area and visited Hendon too!  

Don’t get me wrong. All of these outings were most enjoyable but it made me aware of the need to get a balance in my life:

  • Keep weekends free – I am fortunate to have two days per week and sometimes during my holidays to focus on my writing and so I try not to work on my current project at weekends.
  • Have a real holiday – I aim take an occasional break when I totally switch off from both work and writing. Going to Cornwall helps. So many writers, both famous and otherwise, have based their novels on the Cornish Coast that I would be extremely foolish to try to follow in their footsteps. I know that the sequel to Rebecca has been written but it’s a risk to carry it off successfully!
  • Be myself in the evening – I have closure in the evening as soon as I start to prepare supper. I begin to switch my brain back to the reality of living, changing my persona from Diana the writer to Diana the home maker.
  • Keep in touch with friends – It’s far too easy to let friendships slide because I can’t find the time. It doesn’t take a lot to pick up the phone from time to time, send a message via Facebook or make the effort to arrange to get together.

Of course there are times when the pressure is on and rules made are rules to be broken – occasionally. What truly amazes me is that it is possible to switch off the flow of creativity like a tap and when I return to turn it back on again, the story carries on just where I left off. Does that happen to you?

 

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May 31, 2011 · 1:42 pm

Writers’ Time Management – I should be so lucky!

I have two precious days per week to write. I’m so lucky. Oh, just wait a minute – I can hear that the washing machine’s just finished. Be back in a mo………………

Hi again. Where was I? Oh yes. I like to start to write early. I spend some time getting my thoughts together, rereading my previous work and then I begin to let the words tumble out of my brain. This is pure novel writing or working on my current project and I like to leave any research until the afternoon. Oh, just a minute, there’s the post man………. Two bills to pay, nothing interesting. Now what was I saying?

How do writers cope with interruptions, the phone ringing, the washing to put out on the line, the floor that needs hoovering ……………all those things that just get in the way?

If I can try to find three clear hours to focus on my writing in the morning then I see myself as fortunate. It can be quite a selfish life. I used to visit friends in my holidays but now I just write. It’s addictive verging on an obsession. In order to cope with the frustrating demands of the day I’ve made myself a few ground rules and that seems to help me to remain focussed and less frustrated by my lack of progress:

  • I treat my writing like anyone working from home. It deserves no less than my undivided attention. 
  • I leave any research until the afternoon unless it requires a visit, when I give myself the time off wholeheartedly
  • I leave all social media networking until lunchtime or the afternoon when I catch up on Twitter, my blog and Facebook
  • If I have to put the washing out or do a mundane chore at home I think while I work, or better still leave it ’til later if I can get away with it
  • I am struggling with the last one; the desire to  be able to ignore bits on the carpet and leave the cleaner in the cupboard until another day, but i’m working on it!

That means leaving the post on the mat and sometimes not answering the phone. You see, there’s nothing worse than being in full flow, the scene coming to life in my head and the characters buzzing, when I answer the phone and it’s the bank trying to sell me a better deal in home insurance.

No offence meant to the poor person on the end of the line intended!

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