How will I know when my manuscript is ready?

 I dedicated some time to my manuscript this weekend. I did the painstakingly arduous task of editing (apologies if you are someone who enjoys this) and spent a few hours on Sunday re-reading through the entire re-draft. I always find it weird reading my own work. Sometimes it almost feels like it is written by someone else and sometimes it really does feel like it is written by me (and a little bit cringey as a result). I like it when I come across a bit that I think works really well but I hate the bits that still feel a bit forced, as if I was including them to purely move from one moment in the novel to the other. I also feel like I am not the best at ending chapters. It never feels natural. Perhaps I should look through my favourite books and look at how their chapters end?

To give myself a break from the editing, I decided to write my synopsis. Having to decide what key moments and strip it back to its basics without losing the key essence of it all is never an easy feat. But I suppose it is a great exercise in really getting to know your book and really thinking about the meaning and message you want to convey.

I am hoping to start sending my first few chapters to agents in the next few weeks, but taking that step is always a terrifying one! I always feel like the manuscript is never quite ready no matter how long I spend on it. I can’t go on making tweaks forever. I will have to find a point where I do feel happy with it and then take that plunge.

I would love to know where you are up to in your writing process and what the experience is like for you. Any comments are welcome below.  

Small Successes

I have decided that the best way to motivate myself this January is to celebrate the small successes. On the 1^st of January, I had dreams of spending multiple hours editing and redrafting my manuscript with the view of being ready to start thinking about submitting to agents mid-January. I am willing to accept that this isn’t going to happen.

However, what I have done (and what needs to be celebrated) is that I have entered a short story competition and have found another that I would also like to enter. I also spent an afternoon last weekend editing my manuscript and, although it still has a long way to go, there is definite progress there.

So, well done me. I wonder what I will be able to achieve this weekend 😊

Writing Routines

 Let’s be honest, I haven’t done a single thing towards my writing since I last blogged. I could use the excuse of the ‘last minute’ lockdown a day into the school term and getting used to an entire different way of teaching in just four short days (and I think that would be a valid one), but if I really was going to stick to my resolution, I could have made the time.

I think the issue is routine. Obviously, I had to get used to an entirely new routine in a short period of time with irregularities (such as a parents evening from home) throwing me out of my usual way of things. I hadn’t factored in how I could squeeze writing into my week. Something I could stick to. So that is exactly what I need to do. Now I (sort of) know how my weeks are going to look, I need to plan in some writing time and stick to it. Last lockdown I had the leisure of full days to write whenever I fancied. I haven’t that luxury anymore, so I need to be much more rigid with my writing time.

I would love to find out the routines of other writers (if they stick to a routine at all). Is it better to write in the mornings or evenings? Weekday or weekend? For a length of time or short bursts? What would suit me best and be most productive for me? Let me know if you have a ‘writing routine’ and what it looks like below 😊

Time to start writing again

 I found it really hard to write over November and December. Work had gotten ridiculously busy, lockdown number 2 had just started, and the evenings had gotten incredibly dark. I just wanted to get in from work, eat and then sleep. Writing was the last thing I wanted to do, which was such a shame because it is supposed to be something I enjoy, something to relax me and take me to another place for a little while. I was annoyed at myself for feeling this way about writing, but figured that (rather than force it), maybe I should take a break. It was nearing Christmas time so when I felt I should be writing (but really couldn’t bring myself to), I would spend the time baking or crafting, or ‘getting ready for Christmas Day,’ as I put it. I love Christmas time. It is my absolute favourite time of year. I baked cookies and cupcakes. I made festive garland, place names, decorated glasses, napkins. I went overboard on the Christmas preparation. And now Christmas is over, I figured that maybe it is time to get back to writing…

I always struggle with January. It such a long, dark, cold month, and work is always really intense as the usual lead up to the GCSE exams commence (although I am entirely unsure of how that is going to look this year). One of the things that get me through is the whole ‘new year goals.’ I never set resolutions, but I always set aspirations/ goals and do all I can to try and get into the ‘motivated mindset.’ It may be all a bit forced, but it does work for me, and somewhat diminishes those January blues.

So, I am determined to get my motivation and drive “to write” back. I am going to make the time. I am going to be as excited by the prospect of writing like I felt back last February. And it starts with writing this blog post- yay!

Short Story Competitions

 I have written a number of short stories this year and decided to have a little look to see if there are any short story competitions I could enter my stories into.

I ended up spending hours researching various competitions online and discovered the following things:

1.       Most short story competitions take place in the first half of the year- oops, seems I have missed them!

2.       There are very few “free to enter” competitions. Those that are “free to enter” are either for children or already published writers. The competitions that seem to be the most prestigious and have the highest monetary prize were exclusively for published writers. So not only do published writers already have their foot in the door of the writing world, they can enter for free and gain a substantial prize…hardly seems fair to me…

3.       Most competitions require an entry free and I couldn’t help but notice that some of those entry fees are rather extortionate.

After my many hours of research, I decided that the best option for me is to wait until January and take another look at what there is to offer. But I did find two competitions that seem a little bit more up my street. One was for teenage readers, which is exactly who my short stories are aimed at, and I really liked the ethos of the site- promoting reading for pleasure for young people. Fingers crossed the judges like it!

Visit to the Cotswolds- my break between finishing my second draft and before I start editing

I have spent the past five days in the quaint beauty of the Cotswolds- a lovely interim between finishing draft number two and before I start the arduous and pain-staking task of editing. I have also found some more sources for inspiration and really taken time to appreciate the splendour of the British countryside.

This is the first time I have been to the Cotswolds and I will certainly be going again. We spent most days walking and were fortunate enough to have pleasant weather for October. I enjoyed watching two sheepdog herd their sheep, walking through a field that had hundreds of pheasants flying out in a mad panic (although it did make me jump), seeing a number of red kites and kestrels and just generally appreciating all the autumnal colours.

It has been a lovely mini-break and now I am back home I am going to make a start on my editing. Wish me luck! 

Second Book- Complete!

Thirty-six chapters and 42,245 words later, I have finally finished my second book. It is a YA mystery, inspired by one of the short stories in the short story collection (book number one) that I wrote earlier this year. I have been writing since April and it feels really good to reach this milestone.

I started writing book number one in February as a way of getting myself back into writing, and short stories definitely eased me in until, very quickly, it became a collection. As I am trying to challenge myself this year and do all the things I have been putting off/ been afraid to do, I sent it to a few agents but to no avail. There isn’t really a market for YA gothic short stories.

Instead of giving up, and also not wanting the concepts and characters from my collection to go to waste, I decided to start turning them into longer stories with more nuanced plots- hence the birth of book number two.

I am really proud of getting it done, but I know there is still a lot of work to do. I haven’t edited or really proofread it yet, and with 42, 245 words, I imagine that is going to take me a really long time. And, I would also like to have some verdicts of the finished thing from some readers before I start the terrifying process of emailing agents.

But for now, I can kick back and say- “I have finished my second book of 2020!”