Using Writing Prompts

There's many Insta / Tumblr pages now that focus solely on giving vague writing prompts for people, and although they do well in regards to likes/comments, they can be quite limiting.

I feel that whenever I see a writing prompt, I make a quick idea in my head and it goes no further, but who is to say someone else didn't immediately follow the same thought? It's a little exercise to get your brain going, but personally, I definitely wouldn't risk trying to base a story around one. It's a bit of quick fun at best - but it does have it's benefits - writing prompts can trigger other story ideas, or lead you on a train of thought that could help with other projects on the go.

If I ever see a writing prompt that leads my brain on a thought - I run with it and see what I can create - but the ones I have come across seem very limiting, or uninspired, or just completely wild and I feel I can't do anything with it. They would be a good jump off point for high school essay projects or as a creative ice breaking task before writing something else - but I've never got too far with a writing prompt idea, if I ever do, I'll be sure to tell the world.

The positive about writing prompts, is that it could lead you in a completely different direction - which could inspire a project that's a safe enough distance from the prompt that you can go anywhere with it. I'm yet to see one that's inspired me.

I suggest exploring writing prompt pages, to see if anything sparks your creativity. Best of luck.

Meet The Author

I thought I'd make a 'Meet The Author' post for whilst I'm on my writing break. I hope it makes for an interesting read and I'll be back as soon as I can! You can follow me on Twitter: @beffyparkin or Instagram: @thebeffyparkin if you fancy.

Do you use a Pen Name?
- Yes. 'Beffy' is my nickname, I gained it when working with small children as it's easier (and more fun to say) than my actual name, and 'Parkin' is my maiden name. I answer to my pen name more than I do my legal name!
What do you write?
- Children's books mostly, I have released four story books into the wild. But I have tried to expand my creative writing, I also dabble in poetry, screenplays, jokes, short horror stories, stand up comedy sets, and I'm working on a novel.
Do you base characters on real people?
- I have a few WIPs that have characters that are loosely based on people I know. I find  real life characters make the best book characters, even if it's just aspects of their personality.
What does literary success look like to you?
- I'm aiming to have 10 books out by the time I'm 30. I already have 6 books available to the public, so I'm nearly there. I like having my name on things, so the more books, the better!
Do you read your book reviews?
- Definitely, someone took the time to read one of my books and leave feedback, I'm happy to hear opinions on my work, positive or negative.
Do you Google yourself?
- I have done in the past, mostly to find where my books are available to purchase - I don't get updates for this, so I have to hunt them down myself.
How many hours a day do you write?
- I write as much as I can before burning out. I try to set time aside to write, but if I'm not feeling creative, it's not happening. I don't force it too much, it'll render the exercise pointless.
What are you working on?
- I have lots of unfinished writing projects, such as poetry, short stories and comedy. I can't wait to come back and get working on them again! Time away has worked well for me, so I'm happy to put pins in work.
What are the titles of your children's books?
- My Charlie Cheese Books have three books so far, Don't Eat Charlie Cheese, Charlie Cheese Travels The World, and Charlie Cheese And The Food Dance. I also have a book inspired by my naughty, little dog called The Macroodelzig. There will be more!
Where can we find your books?
- My children's books are available on many websites, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble, Booktopia, Amazon, etc.
Do you give out creative writing advice?
- My blog is riddled with advice, tips and experiences of creative writing. I will try most things to expand my creative writing abilities, so I'm happy to talk about them.
What's your top tip for an aspiring writer?
- Respect the reviews and feedback you get for your work - people put time aside to read what you put out there, so you should return the favour! It will only improve your work.
When will you be blogging again?
- I'm hoping to get a routine going where I have a few hours a week to write properly, and update my blog. I'm winging it, so it could be any time!
How can you be contacted in the meantime?- I'm going to be less active but I will try to check my Twitter/Instagram as often as I can - You can fill in the contact form on this blog if you're querying and I'll respond as soon as.

1). Following. 2). A 3). Word 4). Count

Obviously, if you have to work to a limit for someone, stick to it - don't sacrifice writing jobs because you don't like following a word count.

You may see other writers posting about how many words they have managed to write in a short period of time, and as a result, feel inadequate. Don't. Everyone writes differently, I don't use a word count for projects, nor do I set goals for how many words I plan to write in a set limit of time.

Word counts can be used to structure an essay, article, novel, etc, and having a deadline can put added pressure on writing. Writing can be painful as it is without a combination of a time limit AND needing a certain number of words. I feel if some days you are more creative than others, you're going to feel like a let down if you have an off day.

If you do choose to set a limit, ensure it's reasonable and not a project for someone else, that way you don't have a deadline to write it in. If you pass your daily goal, fantastic, if not, it doesn't matter, you're testing the water. I'd say do a dummy run, so when you're feeling particularly productive, pull a number out of the air and start writing. You then have the opportunity to see how long it takes you, how comfortable you are writing that much, and see if setting a word count is for you.

I don't work to one, I'd honestly prefer not to - in regards to my novel, I'm playing it by ear so when it is complete and I give it a run through and seems too short or too long, I'll deal with this in the editing stages of writing. If I get a writing job, I tend to write as much as I need to - but then chop and change when it's done.

Are Beta Readers Important?

I only recently started using beta readers - I have also had people read the book once released for some feedback and for them to do a possible review for me on Amazon. Beta readers get their hands on your work before it goes too far, they give their honest opinion on your writing, and they help with any plot holes, grammar issues or tell you if the story is interesting or not.

So, are beta readers important?
.. They're more like ALPHA READERS, am I right? - The response I've had from people interested in my writing projects before they are available for the world to see, is incredible. It's very scary letting someone see your work before you even feel it's nearly finished - but it is productive, especially since beta readers will be critical of your work and not just sugar coat things - they want you to have good quality work out there.

I will be contacting more beta readers in the future when I finally finish my novel - I will hopefully do this for my children's books too - obviously limiting how many you need, as if you let anyone read your work, you won't get any sold. I will also be continuing to send out a PDF copy of my books to select people in order to gain more reviews online. Get yourself some betas!

I'm Trying To Write A Musical ...

What on earth was going on when 'Let's write a musical' popped in my head?!
Why did I decide 'Yes, brain, this is a good idea'?!

I'm running with it, this is the same unpredictable brain that has created many wonderful stories and jokes, so who am I to question it? It'll be funny, either way. I love that this idea just came to me, and I didn't just brush it off as nonsense - you won't know if you're any good at writing something new until you give it a good go.

I only have a basic plot, a title, and a few themes bottled that can be used for songs.
I've already made a healthy start on it, and by that I mean it has it's own Word document, is titled and saved. There's also a tune in my head that I need to turn into a comedy song, so I'm looking forward to that.
I need to get cracking!

I am planning on the musical being a comedy/horror theme. I can write comedy, and I have written short stories in the past with a horror twist - I can thank some episodes of Inside No 9 for this inspiration, so hopefully I can mash this experience together.. Which somehow results in a musical (?!)

Novel Research : What Are Other Indies Up To?

I've only mentioned 'research' when I first started my novel - which is still nowhere near finished, please don't question it - and when I discovered you can use it as an excuse to take lots of trips and your husband has to be supportive...

Whilst being more involved with the Twitter's writing community, I've noticed a few patterns and themes within people's queries or pitches. Young Adult and Sci-Fi seems to be what people are looking for / writing themselves.

And I have no idea how to write YA fiction, and I worry too much about plot holes in Sci-Fi stories to even attempt - so as you can see it's off to a good start.
The second most popular genre I've found is Fantasy. I can't write that either.
I cannot for the life of me get into fantasy, books nor television, my brain just doesn't accept it.

BUT - if all of these other indie authors are writing YA, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, then why would mine stand out? Why shouldn't I jump on the band wagon? Shouldn't I be working on something else entirely to distance myself from already popular genres?
YES, I should.
Right, I'm almost out of options. Lots of indies are strong with Sci-Fi or Fantasy. So, the best thing I can do is play to my strengths. I can write comedy, so that's the direction I'll send my novels in. It's always good to stand out - especially if you'll be out of your depth if you attempt something you're not knowledgeable about.

Do your research! It's good to know what's popular with other indies, so you can decide if you're diving in with them, or stepping back to rethink.
The writing community is very friendly so making a query will not go unheard!

Revisiting A WIP : Spitting Ducks

I may have mentioned my sketch show idea, Spitting Ducks, last year or so. I was hoping to film parts of it just to get the hang of things, and a feel for directing a comedy.

The sketch show was written, edited and left in my notes - mainly due to the fact I didn't have any money at all to even hire filming equipment, never mind get anything made. Spitting Ducks is a daytime television parody sketch show - it takes television shows and mangles them, either with puns or taking it dark.

I had to dig out the notes recently, as I was inspired by the new series of Channel Four's Lee And Dean to get back into comedy. (If you've not seen Lee And Dean, you should! Come for the comedy, stay for the incomparable facial expressions).

Anyway, the notes I went through don't seem relevant anymore, or some ideas just come off as desperate or are spoofs of programmes that are no longer on television, and feel long forgotten. I'm glad I didn't throw it away though, as there is more good ideas I can work on than there is bad ideas. I am confident with 80% of the sketches - but there is always room to polish the positives.

I've decided to keep the title of Spitting Ducks, and will be leaving this open to work on as often as possible - I WILL get it perfect, it will be filmed, and I will bother as many people as I can with it.

#WritingCommunity

It's so amazing that so many platforms use the hashtag, #WritingCommunity - I have used it several times to plug my work, get some feedback, connect with other indie writers and answer other people's questions.
I'm not as active on there as I'd like to be - as I often feel out of my depth dishing out advice and information to writers who have way more experience than me.

There are some cool folk on there who promote work, and help other writers get more followers and attention - which is so helpful to indies.
You don't realise how much you actually expand your audience when you use the hashtag, there are so many supportive people who will take the time to have a look at your work - so make sure you return the favour! I tend to like or retweet whenever I browse the hashtag, or even joining in with threads that I feel comfortable contributing to.
I love reading peoples ideas and WIPS, or learning about their book characters.
People come up with the most incredible plots and are happy to share for feedback.

The community is very accepting and welcoming to new writers, even if you've not written anything as yet, they are willing to advise, guide and answer any questions you may have.

My First Author Interview!

I was recently contacted to take part in an interview to talk about being a children's author, and of course I was happy and excited to answer the questions!
The interview was for International Book Promotion and it was the January Children's Author edition, the interview was alongside 11 other authors.
Here's the full interview:

1. What is your source of ideas for a new book? Ideas can come from anywhere, whilst doing the most boring activities in the world! It could be from a mispronounced word that sounds like a fun character's name.

2. How do you come up with names for characters? Naming the characters is lots of fun. They can be bizarre and wonderful names, or names that everyone knows, as long as it suits that character.

3. How much time do you write in a day? I put at least five hours aside each day to write, but as I said, ideas can come from anywhere, so I may be making notes in the middle of the night when I've got a busy brain!

4. Is there a lot of material that you have written that never gets published? I do have a fair amount of material that is just scribbly notes! Too much! Sometimes I leave notes and come back to them at a later date, and sometimes I feel that those ideas are no longer relevant and can be left out of publishing.

5. What age group do you target? My Charlie Cheese Books are aimed at 2 - 7 year olds, as the rhyming story and colourful and wacky images appeal to the younger children, and the older children are exposed to more complex vocabulary as well as a fun story. I am releasing a book in the very near future called The Macroodelzig, it contains an exciting rhyming story which again gives children exposure and the opportunity to learn new words.

6. How do you promote your books? I have no pennies to make lovely big billboards, although that would be nice! I have to promote the books by going into local schools to talk to children, or write about the books on my social media accounts. It would be amazing if word-of-mouth promoted the books better, as I have had a lot of lovely verbal feedback from parents in person!

7. What do you think of video bloggers or You Tubers who promote books? I think video bloggers and book vloggers are amazing at expressing their passion for literature! It's lovely to see people are excited about books and are wanting to talk about them.

8. Children's books have improved over the years and there are books that discusses on sexual education, cancer awareness and gender equality. Do you think these topics are too much for children to learn? I think more mature or real-life topics should be included in children's books - the younger they get familiar with real-life issues, the better an understanding they will have. Some topics are normal in some families, so if it's included in books that everyone reads, then it just shows it as a normal family life - which is what some children will relate to.

9. How do you think your work is different from the other children's books? I feel my books are different as they include some weird and wonderful characters, they are unique and it's good to be different!

10. Name one children's book you would totally recommend to parents and kids, and why? It'll have to be Dr. Seuss' The Lorax - it has a wonderful meaning behind it, and the story is fabulous. I love Dr. Seuss myself, my favourite is Cat In The Hat!

11. What are you aspirations, as a children's book author? I very much enjoy writing and seeing little ones reading my work - I first started making stories when working in a pre-school, so making up wonderfully weird stories always made the children smile, which helped spark an interest in books - win win!

12. If there is one thing children's books should focus on improving, what would that be? Children's books definitely need to be more diverse! There's so many cultures and backgrounds in this world that need more representation in children's literature and picture books. The more children are exposed to diversity, the more they can understand the world around them!

I hope you enjoyed reading my first interview, I am happy to do more! Fill in the contact form at the bottom of the blog if you would like to interview me!

The Macroodelzig - Out Now!

The book is finally out in the world, and I cannot be happier! I've spent a lot of time and energy getting feedback, making promotional posts, and attempting to advertise the book as much as possible this month.

The Macroodelzig is only available from two websites at the moment, but I will make a seperate post of all of the online bookstores in the near future.

Please follow the hashtag, #TheMacroodelzig, on social media and give some feedback on Amazon as and when you can - that would be amazing!

Where to grab the book early:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Creative Writing - Word Salad

Whilst looking for writing jobs, I found a lot of notes for 'Word Salad'.
I checked out the job and found it to be a lot of fun constructing sentences and a storyline.
See, Word Salad requests poetry, short stories, novels etc. but you have to include a list of certain words.
This is an amazing writing exercise and I want to take this on as a regular writing exercise before I start work. You can be given three words, and you've got the freedom to make it any genre you want.

For my first practice, I was given: Hollywood, Bowling ball, and Reputation.

I wrote a little idea about a fictional person moving to Hollywood to make a life for herself as an actor, but due to poor choices and relationships, her reputation was twisted and run into the ground by the people she trusted the most. It ended with her throwing a bowling ball through her agent's window after a break down.
It's nothing special, but it definitely sharpens your ideas and was a brilliant writing exercise.
You can use a word generator to make your own Word Salad!

Coming Soon : The Macroodelzig!

Feel free to share this image / follow the hashtag #TheMacroodelzig on social media!
This children's book will be out in the very near future! Keep 'em peeled!

Taking A Writing Course

Am I a writer, or am I just writing?

I often get overwhelmed with imposter syndrome - as if I'm playing 'writer/author'.
To overcome this, I recently found some free online courses in literacy. I didn't go to university to spark my interest in writing, I just fell into it, and now it's my dream career.

And I want to gain as much knowledge as possible to help my creative writing, as well as improving my confidence. I have experience, but having a course down will be some knowledge to make me feel more comfortable when I tell people what I do for a living (well, what I do).

You don't NEED formal qualifications to write, but for me, it's helping me overcome doubts that I'm in over my head and chasing the impossible.
I like learning, so I'm happy to gain as much as I can through understanding different aspects of creative writing. If you're interested - check the FutureLearn website.

Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone

Before I started pushing myself to try writing new things, I stuck to what I knew, unknowingly limiting my writing. I recently started my novel, and I absolutely love it!
I like to challenge myself when it comes to creative writing, as it gives you experience, expands your abilities, and you could find something you're happy to do forever.

I felt nervous starting my novel - I didn't know where to start, and felt inadequate.
I mean, I went from writing short stories and poetry, to throwing myself into a massive project - I wasn't qualified to do this!
Well, I am, and I'm glad I made a start.

I'm only just coming to terms with the fact my anxiety makes me feel like I am limiting myself as a creative, or that I'm an imposter and I've no idea what I'm doing.
I know for a fact, though, this is my dream job - so I need to ensure I reach this by leaving my comfort zone more often! It allows you to move in the right direction, without forcing too much pressure on yourself.

Writing A Comedy Poem

I recently came across a writing job looking for a comedy poem.
I've written comedy sketches, a screenplay, and have experience ghost writing stand up sets.
A comedy poem sounded interesting.
I've written political, or serious poetry in the past, so a humour poem would be a challenge.

Most of my time went on deciding a topic - it's all good and well having the freedom to write comedy and go off on tangents, but I wanted to stick with one for my first attempt at comedy poetry.
I went with relationships as a theme, they're easy to write about, and even easier to be comical with. It's basically about a tragic date night - we've either all experienced disaster dates or we love hearing about them being cringey!

The deadline is April - so I'll share it after then, possibly on a publication.. Fingers crossed!

Stepping Away From A WIP

Spending some time away from a writing project could go one of three ways:

1. Fresh eyes on a project could inspire new ideas, which could result in pushing time and effort into finishing your work.

2. You could feel it still has potential, but now isn't the right time to fully emmerse yourself in it. Put a pin in it and you can always return later.

3. You find the project is longer relevant, it has run it's course and you no longer want your name on it.

If it is the third route, don't feel guilty for cutting ties with a WIP.
Yes, you worked hard on a particular creative writing piece, but do you really want to put your heart into something you find limited?
It happens.
Some WIPs got put on hold for a reason - it's better to put time into new projects, than trying to salvage something you believe isn't going anywhere.
If you aren't sure about a WIP, go for option 2 - but if you know you're stunted, drop it, you can always cut extracts from it you feel can be used elsewhere.

Keep moving forward!
Don't feel bad for letting go of a project!

Revisiting A WIP : The Macroodelzig!

I recently revisited a WIP that I began last year - it was to create a Dr Seuss style story.
It's not quite Dr Seuss, but it's definitely a Beffy Parkin!

It's a children's story, loosely based on my dog, Ziggy. She's a naughty, silly but lovable little dog, who doesn't understand boundaries - she is the ideal children's book character!
I have written up The Macroodelzig, and I'm just waiting on illustrations now - so the book should be released this year! Oh yeah, already smashing my 2019 writing challenges!
Revisiting a work in progress will always be rewarding, you need breaks away from your work so it doesn't go stale and you start to hate it - a break allows fresh eyes on a project, and it can have a happy ending - if not, let it rest a little longer!

I'll be going wild promoting The Macroodelzig in the near future, so please share, like, whatever you can!
Keep your eyes peeled!

My First Writing Milestones

Being an indie writer means that you're starting from scratch, often with no financial backing at all, and you are more of a niche than mainstream.
You're winging it, basically.
There has been some milestones for me that don't seem like a big deal to others, but meant the world to me. Having no money to throw at your hard work is heartbreaking - but that doesn't mean you're not moving in the right direction.

I think the first milestone for me, was completing my first short story - Don't Eat Charlie Cheese.
I was elated when the story was done and dusted, I had been working on it whilst being full time employed in a pre-school, so I had limited time to figure out where the story was going.
But that was only the start, from there, I managed to save money to have the book illustrated by a unique artist TOMMINGS. When he sent me the first illustrations to look at, I could not cope. The character was better than I'd ever have dreamed of - I'd seen nothing like it in my life!
Charlie was alive!
I then got the first print of the book in the post - and I smiled all day and told everyone in the world (and their grandmother) that I had written a book, a real life, hold it in your hands, give it a flick through book!
Don't Eat Charlie Cheese was then discovered on Amazon! I think I cried at this point..
And from there I continued to write!

Everyone has different milestones in regards to achievements. Don't compare yourself to other writers, ever.
You did a thing - be proud!
The good thing about milestones is, they don't stop. There's loads of accomplishments you can gain - I get excited when this blog gets views! I'll be excited if my books ever win a prize, you never know, working hard pays off - even if it's a small win!

Expanding Vocabulary

In my second Charlie Cheese book, Charlie Cheese Travels The World - I went crazy with synonyms. It's always a good idea to help children learn new words, especially if you just swap in a synonym now and again.
I did this when I worked with small children too, I was never 'scared' I was 'frightened' or 'spooked' - for some reason, the kids found me using bizarre words they're unfamiliar with absolutely hilarious, but it helped them learn and understand new words, so bonus.

I try my best to learn new words. This often happens when I have a word stuck in my head, and after I cannot figure out where I'd heard it, I end up blurting out and asking what it is - usually not taking into consideration whether or not the word may be inappropriate.. Either way, I get my answer!

I like to search synonyms and antonyms when writing - as basic as that is, I find it easier than reading a word over and over to try and make it stick. Expanding your own vocabulary doesn't have to be a chore and it can help massively when writing. You can end up using words several times and it does begin to grind and you feel like a useless writer as a result.

Reading also helps with vocabulary. (It helps you write, too).
There's no shame in looking up words that seem overly complex - an author/writer used that word for a reason - so find out what it means.

Best of luck!

A Novel - Making A Start

I've been toying with the idea of writing a novel for a while now, and today I made a start!

I have written up a basic idea of the story line, and made a small attempt to structure it.
It's so early in the creative writing process, but that's the good thing about a novel - no deadline, no rush - I have a long term project that I can work on comfortably and have as much time as I need to chop and change, until I deem it perfect.

There can be months of research, learning and pulling my hair out - and I cannot be more excited!
I am used to putting a pin in a work-in-progress for children's book ideas or short stories, but a novel feels much more serious - so it will hopefully be more rewarding, I'll soon find out!

It will be a writing challenge that will pull me in and out of my comfort zone, and if I still have this blog going when the novel's finished, I'll be sure to update!