Appearance on Publishing after the Apocalypse

This is late night post from Cyprus to let the rest of the western world know and the east as it wakes up that my guest appearance on the fantastic blog of Griffin Hayeshttp://griffin-hayes.blogspot.ca is now online.  Stop by, and make sure that you check out his brilliant catalogue of work and what I have to say for myself

Friday morning after the week before

Well it's the Friday morning after the week before, and my writing is my victim.  Oh dear.  All those intentions, all those self made promises.  I have been lured away by the call of the internet, the emails, the kindleboards and now my blog. 

Having guests from the UK is wonderful, and I love it.  However, night after night of consistent social butterfly activity, eating out, drinking, eating out again, and again, and again, and today all you get left with are gritty eyes and a sleepy head.  I don't need to confess to any hangovers, I'm a big girl now and I'm English so I can take a couple of glasses of wine here and there.  But too much food + too much wine = poor writing effort.  And that's math that even I can do.

So today the word count for my WIP is on 1265.  WIP total just over 64000.  This is not where I wanted to be by this Friday.  I was hoping for a good 4000 words more.  But next Friday's deadline is still there, and it's still sitting on my shoulder giving me a good nudge.  We will hit the end of the first draft by then (that's me and my deadline we are working in unison).  So now I am going to take myself back home, make a nice cup of tea, and zone out for a couple of hours.  But get ready for me Sunday, because here I come!

The New Class

Just a quick note today to remind you all the September is Back to School month.  I have so many interviews and guest posts waiting on my desktop that I cannot wait to share with you.  I have met some very talented writers with this journey.

So please feel free to share the image, the link, anything you can and spread the word.  Don't be getting all shy now!  It's back to school time again!http://michellemuckley.blogspot.com

First day back at school

We all know that feeling of the first week in September, as we sit at home reflecting on the amazing summer that is nearing the end.  Up until the age of about eighteen, two months ever year were guaranteed away from school.  They were designed to be the best two months of your life, every time.  When we were really little, we would (inevitably for the kids who grow up to be writers) roam around our homes, our own kingdom in which we could imagine any number of adventures.  There would be days out to the seaside, play dates, and tents made out of garden canes and freshly washed sheets whipped from the clothes line before my mum could say no.  Then, as we all got older and decided we had fallen out with our immature playdate friends, hanging out by the river with the cooler kids from high school.  Driving around on the back of the football captain's Vespa, and drinking beers too warm to taste good late in the evening and well past the parental curfew.  Or in my case sat at home wondering why it was that the cooler kids with whom I used to share play dates with didn't want to hang out anymore. 

And then it would arrive.  That first Monday or Tuesday of September when you went back to a new school year.  You would have your new bag and hope that it was cool enough not to get you ridiculed.  New pencil cases and sharpened pencils ready for action in lesson one of the new school year.  You had buttoned up your new blazer, socks pulled high.  That was the right way, right? But it was that first day, when you sit down in the new class with the new teacher at the desks that are kind of a bit big for you to be comfortable at and realise that your old buddies arn't in '8M' anymore.  You're on your own, and you don't know anybody.  We'll except for the kid who was always too loud and too scary looking at primary school, and you don't want to sit next to him even if that's the only desk left.  What the hell is he going to make of the regulatory black school shoes that when you look at them from above look like they are turning out the wrong way.  You know they were on the list, but why couldn't your mum just let you have the trendy Doc Martin's.  They were black too.  God I was a nerd.

So, September is the month of introductions.  Virtually everyday of September, I will be introducing you to a new kid amongst out class of writers.  Some of us have been at it a long time.  So long that they are bound to get class president. Books and books under their belt.  They could probably make head boy too.  You'll meet the class clown, the dreamer, the grafter, the bad boy, the pretty, untouchable girl.  The slot for the geek is taken, but further applicants are welcome.  So make sure you are stopping by everyday in September.  Come and meet the other kids.  You might just well make some new friends.

The work in progress and the self imposed deadline

I am not normally one for imposing deadlines.  Not for me, and not for anyone else for that matter.  I believe in a certain organic process that it is better to let things take their time and grow naturally rather than try to push them in a desired direction.  Pushing gets you nowhere.   Unless there is a really good life changing reason.  But I am also not one for always following the rules........even my own.  After getting back from holiday and going on a book planning mega-journey to the point that I know exactly what's going on right up until the end of the book, the words just keep coming to me. I haven't done any writing yet today, and there were too many real life neccesities pulling at me, but I will be doing so later on and don't have any of those doubts that I used to have, like the thirty minutes pre-writing of where exactly I would be taking the characters on that day.  I know what they have done and what they are about to do. 

So I have broken the rules.  I am given myself a tight deadline.  I am hovering now at the 55,000 word mark for Book Two, WIP.  Before my planning adventure I was hoping to write 55,000 words before the end of August.  Now the deadline has been changed to 60,000.  But not just that.  I am setting another target.  Friday 7th.  September 7th, the Friday after this one it should be sitting at the dizzy heights of 80,000.  That was my initial aim for the end of the book.  That should be the day when the first draft is ready.  So I am telling all of you so I stick to it.  I am a Leo, and the pride of a lion gets hurt when people see it fail.  So Friday 7th I'll be here to check in with finished first draft.  Either that or you will find me nursing my pride somewhere away from the rest of the world!

Mimetic Writing

There are many things that Britain is famous for: Big Ben, The Queen, Rugby, and our general desire to conquer other countries, building huge colonising empires. But the people are also famous. I'm not talking about the likes of David Beckham, or Paul McCartney. I'm talking about all of us. Together. The collective personality of our nation.  The fact we love to queue and will quietly complain when the rest of Europe fails to recognise our orderly ranks of two by two that we have willingly formed like the animals of Noah's Ark. The fact if you tread on our toe, we are likely to apologise to you, when what we really mean "Oi, you just stepped on my foot, you stupid sod". Then there is our ability for self deprecation. We love to sell ourselves short.  People are drawn to our self deprecating wit by the truck load.  Apparently it also makes men more attractive to the fairer sex.  Just think of how the world fell in love with Hugh Grant.  Trumpet blowers who go on and on about their own achievements and success might in other cultures be praised for their confidence and standing, but in the UK we will tear you down quicker than you can climb back onto your self built pedestal.
 

Now I might be British, and I might love our quaint little culture, but I also love a good trumpet blower. I love people who are confident and loud and full of themselves.  Maybe I have learnt to, after all I do live in the depths of the Mediterranean where here speaking your mind is an absolute must unless you want to get lost in the overtly expressive crowd.  However, I am still quick to admit my short comings.  My self deprecating abilities have stood firm against the will of society. So today, when I stumbled upon the phrase Mimetic Writing (hang on just checking I spelt that right) I was rather disappointed to realise I had no idea what it meant.  The thing is you see, once you’ve written a book (and all of you writers know that sense of pride of what is surely a brilliant achievement) you feel somewhat of a literary genius.  “I wrote a book,” you will say to yourself.  “I even published it.   How could I possibly not know?” As long as you don’t say anything out loud of course.


So I did a bit of googling, and I have come across a wonderful article (click here). I want to share it with you, because I couldn't possibly have written it any better myself. So thank you to Mary Kole, of kidlit.com, for not only answering my question, but also giving me a great big slice of advice, such that once my current WIP is finished in the next two weeks I will be taking it with me on the journey of the first edit. A journey of which will be awful. Because I'll have made loads of mistakes. Because I'm sure I could have done it better. Maybe I shouldn’t be a writer after all.  Oops, sorry, yeah forgot where I live now. It's going to be absolutely brilliant!

Character Building

With The Loss of Deference published, I decided that I would give myself a little break from writing. I thought a few weeks of holiday time would suit the time of year, and that I could hit the beach and revel in my new found glory as a self published author. Well, I might still be revelling in the idea that I published my book, but the holiday from writing never really took off.

So this got me thinking. All these years that I have been trying to write, since being a child. All the moments of daydreaming. Have they all been the expression of something rooted deeper? Was it ever really a hobby, or was this a need in me that was never getting fulfilled in my scientific professional life. All the times that I spent in between patients in a dark ultrasound room scribbling down ideas onto post it notes and tucking them in my tunic pocket until either they would get accidentally thrown away with the other bits of scrap or I would have forgotten their point; the time that a small black notepad sat by my nightstand to recall the horrific dreams that my mind would conjure up that might in the guise of James Cameron lead to a single idea that would spawn a mega-story like The Terminator; the years that I passed snatching moments with the laptop in order to get The Loss of Deference written. Some of those moments were awful. After a twenty four hour on call shift, finally getting home when any sane person would stick on the TV and watch a bit of mindless nonsense before sleeping off the day, and I am getting out a laptop and starting the tap tap tap that begins the next chapter. It is only in the last few months, when finally life has taken an unexpected turn and handed me a new set of cards, when I have actually been in a position to write freely, at normal hours of the day and still turn on the TV at the end of the day and Keep up with the Kardashians.

Today I sat at the computer and the words just wouldn't come. So I completed the accounts for the day job (bills still have to be paid, this is not a utopia) and fussed around the spell checker, and mopped the floor of the clinic. Then, sat amongst the files and notes, with the familiar scent of Dettol creeping up my nose, I started scribbling, like I had done so all those years ago. Random lines and scribbles and words: a new character here, and new setting there. The post-it note was relegated for a much larger piece of paper but the idea was the same. Suddenly I had the next five, maybe six chapters. I think I might even have worked out the end. Kind of.

So my point is this. Today, I had no will to write. I didn't know what I wanted Elizabeth to do when she got off the bus back in her sleepy coastal town in my WIP, and I had no idea how Jack was going to get her back to the city, or how he was going to find her dead sisters house.  And today, I'm not sure when I got to the office at nine this morning I was too worried about it. I was sure that by the weekend, or early next week I'd get there. Hell, I have written over 50,000 words in the last six weeks or so, and that is by far my best writing achievement. I'll work it out, relax, take a day off search the internet, look for a wedding dress. But I couldn't. I couldn't help myself. I had to find a solution. I had to make the story work. I had to breathe life into Jack and Elizabeth and solve her sister's death. I guess real life can fight me as much as it likes but when your mind wants something else, it will win out. So I may have considered giving up on my writing, stop living the dream/nightmare depending on your daily viewpoint and go any enjoy life away from a computer screen, but only to realise that my writing just wouldn't give up on me. It clawed me back. It enticed me, and I came grovelling back asking for another chance.

Checking in for the month

Hey everybody! Well I am aware that I have not been blogging as much over the last week and a half. In fact there has been a definite absence of my virtual self. It's time to put down the beach towel, wash off the sun-lotion, and get back to work.

Any of you that checked out my last blog post will know that I took a holiday in Greece on the island of Santorini, and the holiday spirit has lingered on! I think I am now at the end of a ten day period when I have dropped out of the world of work completely, not a single word of the WIP was written, and I have abandoned my electronic and virtual friends. Let’s take a recap on the achievements of last month. The things that actually can be ticked off include;

1.      Self published The Loss of Deference

2.      Joined twitter

3.      Started a blog

4.      Began the work in progress

5.      Typed 45,000 words of WIP

6.      Got engaged and lounged around for over a week



So, all in all, I am not feeling too disappointed with myself, and think I have put in a fairly good effort for the summer (especially considering that I live in Cyprus where the extent of work at this time of the year is considering whether you want one sugar or two in your frappe). To have self published my novel and have a steady stream of sales has been by far the biggest of the achievements, and the most challenging. Self publishing may not be for everybody but it has worked - so far - for me. Twitter and the blogging have also been unexpected but very enjoyable and rewarding editions to that process that has brought me in touch with so many people that are in the same boat as me. So don’t forget that if you haven’t picked up your copy of The Loss of Deference yet make sure you follow this link to get your hands on a good read for less than the cost of the weekend paper (and probably is considerably more uplifting!)

As for the WIP, I am so pleased with the 45,000 words that I have typed in the course of three weeks. Although I haven't written anything for the last ten days, and was starting to berate myself for it, when I see what I have typed in black and white it puts my mind at rest. By the end of September, it should be finished, and the first draft edited. I'm not going to grumble about that too much, and then, I can also start enjoying the process of the artwork for the cover whilst it is at the editors! Plus maybe do a bit more lounging and wedding planning then too!

So today is the first day back. With the exception of not having a new pencil case and lots of nicely sharpened pencils to lose from it, it feels like the first day back at school. Let’s hope that the final mark for the next school term will be an A+.

A place for inspiration

First things first......a huge congratulations to T.S. Welti for her guest blog.  It was a fantastic contribution, and very well received.

Today is the first day back in the office, back to reality and work with a bump after a wonderful holiday.  I have spent the last five days in Santorini, an amazing Greek island that defies even the most well travelled soul to not find something magical and poetic about it.  Staying in a small village called Oia, it is a haven for artists and writers, surrounded by the majestic beauty of the sunset where all visitors make the daily pilgrimage to the northern tip of the island to watch the sun dip slowly behind a perfectly crisp horizon.  The caldera, the huge basin of water created thousands of years ago around which the islands sit is bathed by day in a rich summer glow, the sharpest cliffs rising up from the water's edge, topped with a sprinkling of chocolate box houses scattered like a light fall of snow.  As the sun sets, the water's surface transforms into a silken blue powder, the only disturbance the white drifts left behind by the boats.  Days are filled with simple strolls that take in the narrow streets and higgledy-piggledy steps that intersect the cave houses, carved into the looming cliffs, or passing time in a cafe soaking in the view.  There is a peace about Oia that I have never before felt in another place. 

For the creative people of the world, it is easy to take inspiration from natural beauty like this.  It is impossible to sit in such a place and not feel the earth underneath you, it's changing shape and power so evident in the suroundings.  It is no surprise that every other shop is a gallery, a craft shop, and cafe full of rich foods and scents.  The writer in me wanted to scribble down words, the painter wanted to grab a brush, the sculpter a lump of clay.  I became totally absorbed into the life there, and could have happily stayed longer.  I will take the memories and store them up, and when my words become dark I will remember them, and scatter them into my writing.  For there is no place yet for me more beautifully inspiring than the island of Santorini.

Guest Blog by T.S.Welti - The Journey into Darkness

You’re probably scoffing at the dramatic title, but it’s not really as dramatic as it sounds. My journey into darkness, where unhappy endings are born, began in February of this year and culminated in June when I wrote the darkest ending I have ever written (and possibly ever read).

The idea for the No Shelter Trilogy came to me shortly after finishing book two in my sci-fi/fantasy series for children. No Shelter was initially going to be a stand-alone novel about four teenagers attempting to survive in post-apocalyptic America. Within the first few pages of writing, it was clear I was writing a tragic post-apocalyptic love story.

 Authors love to credit their characters whenever a story goes in an unexpected direction. I’ve done it myself. “Then the character decided to do something completely unexpected!” Nowadays, I prefer not to blame my many plot twists and meanderings on helpless characters—and this series has plenty. Which brings me back to my journey into darkness.

Setting out to write a post-apocalyptic story about survival and hope, I ended up writing a post-apocalyptic love story about trust. It became quite evident upon reaching the end of book three that something awful was going to happen. The ending was planned this way from the beginning, but I had hoped that somewhere along the way I’d discover a way out of it. No such luck.

After writing the ending, I wandered around the house for days in a dark fog, unable to focus on much of anything because of what I had done to these fictional characters. I had never been so upset with myself as a writer. I frantically consulted my beta readers and my family and friends, attempting to find some way out of this ending. I stared at the walls, listened to the music on my headphones much to loudly, and tapped my foot as all day long with anxiety. It couldn’t end this way.

In the end, I learned one very important thing about writing unhappy endings: You must stay true to the characters.

An ending that is true to the characters will not be universally liked by your readers. Readers don’t all feel the same way about your characters. I learned quickly after book three was published that readers who hated “Character A” loved the ending and readers who liked “Character A” hated the ending. “Character A’s” fans took “Character A’s” betrayal personally. Of course, in the end, a reader with a strong reaction is a reader who paid attention. As an author, you can’t ask for much more than that.

Will I ever venture into the land of unhappy endings again? With my new knowledge, I’m certain I will. I found that, even though it’s a painful place to roam for long periods of time, the darkness is something many readers identify with and appreciate.

AUTHOR BIO: T.S. Welti was born and raised in Southern California, but she is currently living in Portugal while finishing up a few writing projects. T.S. writes mostly science fiction, fantasy, and romance for readers ages 13 and up. In her spare time she loves spending time with friends and family; consuming mounds of books and chocolate; obsessing over music and lyrics; pretending to be a celebrity chef; and reveling in the sweetness of being alive. She is incredibly humbled that she gets to do what she loves every day and she thanks all her readers for supporting her debilitating writing addiction.

You can find out more about T.S. Welti and her books at http://tswelti.com.

BOOK LINKS:

No Shelter Trilogy

Parallel Spirits (New Release)

MY LINKS:

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Introducing T.S.Welti

Today I would like to introduce to you a fellow author who has impressed me with both her writing capabilities and work ethic. T.S Welti was born and raised in Southern California, but is currently based in Portugal where she is finishing up several projects. Today she is releasing her latest novel, Parallel Spirits three weeks ahead of schedule. Parallel Spirits is a character driven paranormal romance set in California. Goodreads is holding a giveaway running from now through until September so be sure to stop by for the chance to get your own autographed copy. Check out her blog here.

Next week, on Wednesday 15th August (which also happens to be my birthday, but enough of that, I'm into my 30's and have officially stopped counting) T.S.Welti will be guest blogging and giving me a day off. She will be discussing her thoughts on the difficulties of writing difficult and unhappy endings which many writers can find incredibly difficult. So put a date in your diary, reminder on your calendar, or a note on the fridge in order to read her excellent essay.

The world of interviews

In the world of publishing there seems to be, as said before, certain rules.  You have to live in London or New York, you have to have a great approach letter, you have to have to publish at least one short story in a magazine or flash fiction collection.  Complete the list, and get your agent.  Yet somehow it is tinged with the same sincerity as the 'we loved your work' in my pile of rejection letters.

But it seems that there are certain rules that are worth abiding too.  One of those rules is meet other authors.  Now I'm not talking about hot-footing it over to Bangor, Maine and roaming the streets until you find Stephen Kings house and demanding a coffee date.  I'm talking about meeting other authors, like you (and me) that are publishing their own work, believing that it is good enough to be read and sold, although not yet stamped with the approval from one of the main publishing houses.  That is unless Stephen King wants to meet you.  Then, saying no possibly could be a mistake.

So, through various forums I have met a very talented author.  Griffin Hayes is the author of Malice (which I have read and loved) and Dark Passage (which is downloaded and waiting for me).  I have recently been interviewed by Griffin, and you will be able to catch the full interview here and on his blog. I highly recommend that you take the time to stop by.   

So this got me thinking, that having other authors interviewed for my blog would also be a great opportunity to meet new writers, find new novels, and also make this blog a lot more interesting than me waffling on everyday about myself like I am in therapy.  So I will definately be introducing you to the world of Griffin Hayes, and then every now and again will be introducing you to other authors who are prepared to answer my questions. 

If you are an author who would like a chance to guest blog or be interviewed, this is your place.  Drop me an email or leave a comment.

Happy writing!

Freebie Wednesday and The Loss of Deference

Good morning folks!  It's Freebie Wednesday!!

I have discovered the site scribd.com, and have decided to share some of my work on there with you.  I have posted up a very generous seven chapter sample of The Loss of Deference, and it is already being viewed and read.  Come and get your copy whilst it's hot!!

If you follow this link http://www.scribd.com/doc/102334641/The-Loss-of-Deference-sample you will be able to either print (if you are still a paper junkie) or download if you are at least a partial ebook convert or an environmental activist and read it on your viewer of choice.  Plus don't forget if you like it to head on over to Amazon and pick yourself up the full book and leave your review.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Loss-of-Deference-ebook/dp/B008LSHGT6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344245970&sr=1-1&keywords=the+loss+of+deference

Happy reading!

How to get yourself an agent (the impossible promise)

As the days go by I am becoming more and more familiar with the whole self publishing thing.  I know, I know, I haven't yet made myself enough money to call myself a successful writer (at least financially) but I have made enough money to buy me and my friends a round at Starbucks, and for now at least I will enjoy these small trinkets of success and the taste of a hot Chai tea latte.  My book is slowly being picked up from the electronic shelf and given some consideration, sometimes enough to purchase one.  I am especially pleased to see books being sold in America.....I only know a handfull of people there and so maybe, just maybe there are people I don't know who are buying my book out of nothing but interest.  Now that to me seems like a good start!

Yet the more I make my way around this electronic self publishing world there are people and stories that promise me the world.  I click on blog posts that promise me that if I have a killer first letter, and a cracking manuscript it's as easy as pie, but even with a recipie I was never very good at making that work either.  The thing is, I believe I have a good story in The Loss of Deference.  I believe that my approach letter was not too shoddy either.  Yet there is a box that I have so far refused to label 'failure' tucked in a cupboard in my house jam packed with standard rejection letters.  It's sits next to my recipie books.  I hold on to the hope that sometimes it simply wasn't read (at least I know that I can't read thirty or so pages without creasing a few).  I hold on to the fact that they are so overloaded with work that they couldn't give me a proper chance.  So the promise of agent representation if you can tick your way down box A, B, C and D doesn't wash with me anymore.  I believe you need all those things, plus a hefty slice of luck (and maybe if you know somebody who works at B and N, thats quite high up on the list too!). 

I will forever be grateful to the agent that shall remain nameless for taking just a few of his precious '100-new-manuscripts-today' filled moments to send me a personal email to tell me that he liked my story and my style of writing.  That he took a moment to tell that he thought I had something, but that he wasn't the right agent for me made my day.  It was the best rejection/failure ever, and the whole I-am-going-to-publish-my-book-come-no-matter-what attitude was born.  Somebody liked it.  Not somebody who loved me.  Somebody who didn't even know me.  Somebody thought my writing didn't suck.  So in with the letters of rejection, I stowed away my Writer and Artists year book (2009 copy) and stuck to my guns.  I may not have got the support of an agent yet, but what I am learning as an author is that the other thing you need is a hefty dose of self belief.  Maybe if I hang on to that, the agent might find me instead a bit further down the line.

A moment of Flash Fiction

After stumbling across a fantastic website for writers (writerunboxed.com) I have decided to take part in this week's flash fiction competition.  The idea is (for those of you like me who didn't know) to take an image and develop a short story that is inspired by the image.  I have found it really challenging, and actually quite difficult.  This can only be good for my writing!!

This week's image available on (writerunboxed.com) has inspired a short story called The Kiss, and I would love for you to stop by a give it a read. 

Here is an excerpt for you.  Don't forget to use the link below for the full story and to 'like' it!

As she closed her eyes the walls around her fell away, silently crumbling to the ground. Her feet skipped through the fallen blanket of autumnal red and gold beneath her feet, rustling the leaves into plumes of hope. Hope had been until now all that she had. She had clung to it. She was weightless as she rose into the air, both feet off the ground in the balmy glow of the low afternoon sun as it cradled her in its gentle warmth. She could barely see the trees as the hazy light scattered through the trunks and branches, darting rays bursting through. This place is not real, but she would stay here. She would stay wrapped up in this utopian dream for an eternity if she could.

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/08/05/7-sizzling-sundays-of-summer-flash-fiction-contest-week-6/#comment-252121

Amazing animation by Jim le Fevre

Let me share with you a little something that I came across.  One of of the scenes in my new, as of yet untitiled book had me thinking about the old spinning toys where the animation appears to move.  I didn't know what they were called and after a quick google search found the name: the Zoetrope.  It is an amazing device, where literally the spinning pictures come to life.  I never had one as a child, but am still facinated as an adult.

On that note, I will let the video, and an amazing BAFTA winning animator do the talking.

Over to you, Jim Le Fevre.

The cure for writer's block

Today did not get off to a good start.  I spent my usual time on twitter, kindleboards.com, email, and little bit of celebrating for team GB for another gold (well done!).  Then I opened up the file for the as of yet nameless 'Book 2' and proceeded to sit and watch that nasty little cursor refuse to move.  I was willing it on, but in fact the only direction it budged was backwards, making a cut of approximately 100 words.  Doh!

So what to do?  I had never had writer's block before.  When I used to sneak in time here and there, I always had something to type.  I would have already spent two days, maybe more dreaming up the next section of the story, But now it's a whole different story.  Everyday I have time at this computer.  It has become the thing I spend most time with.  So whereas the previously uncreative moments were probably filled in chasing around doing something else, now they are sat here.......waiting.  And waiting.........

So I looked to the rest of the ebook world for help.  I asked my network of electronic friends how might I get past it, and the answer is it seems not that simple.  Everybody does something different.  So thanks to all of you (that's you PhilipG, Carradee, Swolf, Catana, Tensen, Lisa Scott, Edward C. Patterson, and Harriet Schultz) who gave me inspiration to get going again.  My solution was simply to get another coffee and chocolate coissant.  That helped too.....

Here are a few ideas that they gave me.
- move on to another chapter.  Come back to this difficult section when you know what is going on further down the story.
- There is no block, you just have to be more creative.  get a character to do something oddball, and remember to worry about refinements in a later revision.
- Take a walk and consider the story further.  Get a time out.
- Start a new story.
- Have a day off from writing.
- Maybe there is 'something wrong'.  Tired?  Self doubts?  Work it out and fix it
- Ask yourself honestly is your material boring you.  If it is, cut it and get to the good bits.
- Just keep writing on through it with the attitude that anything is better than nothing, it might just come out OK.

What are your ways of working out writer's block?

Waking up to good news!

After thinking that I had just about got this Amazon KDP thing sussed, and that I hadn't sold a single book (except the one i purchased for myself, that is), it had not been the best first two weeks with regards to The Loss of Deference.  I logged on as I do everyday to the kindleboards.com, and realised that I had another message.  Somebody told me that they had just purchased my book!  Excitement went into overdrive as I ran back in to the living room to announce the life changing 30 pence revenue that we had just made......I was on my way to an Aston Martin!!  After settling my excitement enough, I log into Amazon, and don't find the sale recorded anywhere.  Hum, something is not right.

After a lot of fiddling and refreshing and reloading, I have finaly worked out that I am a little bit stupid.  There is a drop down box that has eluded me since the start where I can flick through the different sites, eg .com and .co.uk.  But no more!  I have found it and have actually been making sales!  Not many, but sales!

So a big thank you to the first few (eight actually!) who have purchased my book.  Even if you are friends and familiy, it is a start.  One small step for Michelle and all that..........