I'm Back...

It's been a while..

I never meant to take another writing break, but I have so many other responsibilities now that writing had to go onto the back burners. Luckily, I seem to have gotten into the habit of making notes of my ideas on my phone, scraps of paper, and on the back of really important receipts.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak at the moment, I shouldn't leave my home.
Not that I was going to.. Either way, now there is time to write.
I have far too many WIPS and some of them are projects that need to be destroyed to prevent another human ever setting eyes on them.
As I said, time to write, means I will attempt to have up to an hour a day doing what I can to get another book out.
One of my aims was 10 books before 30. At the minute I'm on 7, pretty impressive, but I have less than 3 years to get 3 things worthy of the public eye. That's a book a year.

I have time, I got this..
Stay safe and sensible, readers!

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.

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.

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

You don't know pain like sending off a piece of work, then finding a typo the second it's sent.
Heartbreaking.

You can get other people to have a read through, or use a spell checker, but unfortunately, some things can be overlooked. I have only sent one essay off with a typo, so far, but I was fortunate to contact immediately and had the chance to rectify the mistake before the submission was accepted and the deadline was still open.

Proofreading seems like an obvious thing to do when writing, but as I said words can be overlooked, especially when you've added an extra word, your spell check may not flag the mistake, and your brain may completely miss it when having a quick skim when writing.
I've learnt to write, edit twice, proofread, and then have beta readers involved to avoid any typos slipping through. It's also a good way to hear your work whilst you're writing it - reading aloud whilst writing has helped me notice the words I've used.

Tip: Writing in comic sans apparently helps you notice mistakes, and makes you write more!

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!

Indie April : Ups And Downs

Indie April has come to an end!
It's been an opportunity to meet other indie authors, promote my books, and have an input to what indies are struggling with. It has also had a few negatives!

UPS -
This month my highlights have been plugging my books without feeling guilty - there has been so many threads asking people to share their Amazon links, it is a chance to self-promote and find what other people have been working on.
I have also enjoyed interacting with other indies - I'm usually quite shy, but I have found so many people I'm comfortable talking to or reacting to their posts, which is a huge step for me!
I have started so many writing projects this month - I don't know if it's due to bouncing creativity off of one another, or just seeing the pride people have in their WIPS have driven me to write as much as I can.
I've found a pattern in what people look for in indie authors - I have written about this in a previous post. I am aware what is popular in the community, so I can either work with that, or decide to go against the grain of what people are doing.

DOWNS -
This month has also had a negative side, I have noticed that people don't look for children's books when requesting work from indie authors - it's not their go-to genre or something they want to read by choice. So this made me feel like I need to work on other things!
Also, I have had more rejection emails than ever before. I don't know if it's due to deadlines being at the beginning of April, and they've replied immediately, but there has been far too many for my confidence this month. It did knock me, I did want to get some of those projects. It's annoying now, and I will get over it.

Either way, there's more good than bad - Indie April is a success and a positive thing to happen to the writing community. I can't wait for next year - and hopefully, by then I'll have no negatives!

One last Amazon link plug for the road:

The Macroodelzig

Don't Eat Charlie Cheese

Charlie Cheese Travels The World

Charlie Cheese And The Food Dance

4am Creative Writing

Being woken up at 4am isn't always fun. Who are we kidding, it's never fun being woken up, no matter what time it is!

Unfortunately, this is quite frequent these days, so I put my time to good use. I have been spending the early hours of the morning writing! Poetry, story ideas, and for the first time in a while - a complete children's story. I managed to write a full rhyming story in the hour and a half I was rudely awoken. When I woke up at a reasonable hour, I sent off the note to my beta reader ( ... my poor unsuspecting husband!) and had some good feedback.

No typos, no plotholes, no confusion.
How on earth did I do that when my brain doesn't want to work?

The story is called, 'Do Your Homework, Sally Dean!', I'm hoping to sit on it for a until the end of the year, or the beginning of next year, then release it - but I know for a fact I'm going to be overly excited and try to publish it as soon as I have the finances! (If you see me promoting a book with that title in a few months, call me out!)
I am making sure I put a pin in all future ideas and notes - they will either become future writing projects, or something to reflect on and wonder how I got anything at all done on so little sleep.

Contacting Big Bookstores

I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert at this, as I've only done it once.. Yesterday..

A NYC bookstore had liked a photo of mine on Instagram, and me being me, pushed my luck by messaging them something along the lines of 'if you liked that picture, maybe you'll like stocking my new book'. Ridiculous, but I expected an emoji response or little a back and forth - but no - they sent me to a link of how to get my work in their stores?!

I was baffled. This is an amazing opportunity, which was unexpected. In less than five minutes, I had followed their instructions and sent The Macroodelzig on it's merry way to New York. Sometimes light hearted actions can lead to a big deal. I'm crossing my fingers, but I understand it's a tricky business to break - so my hopes are not too high!

I don't think that I would contact a big bookstore off my own back, I'd feel far too vulnerable and inadequate, but the presence of social media made me put myself forward - although it was in a jokey way, they helped me. I would definitely encourage contacting bookshops if you feel confident enough, or if like me, you'd prefer to test the water, then do it through social media - the people running them are polite and helpful, so you can't go wrong.

Bite the bullet! Contact away - you never know how they'll respond, but they'll definitely be helpful.

#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.

Finding Feedback - The Struggle

It's fairly difficult to source your own book bloggers for feedback, and being an indie only makes it worse. Here's how I went about finding people willing.

I had to contact people on several different social media sites to find people willing to fit my work in to their busy To Be Read list.
You can't expect people to drop what they're doing to deal with you.
The people I spoke to were writers, bloggers, book reviewers, parents and carers, and people who enjoy children's literature, and fortunately, I managed to get some feedback.

Some of the feedback I received were posted on the social media that I had contacted them on, so I had featured on their Instagram stories, was retweeted on Twitter, and the cover of my book reposted on Tumblr. Not all feedback comes to Amazon - that's why you have to share their feedback on your own, as others may not see it. It's always good to request that they share their comments on Amazon, if they can, bonus, if they can't, it doesn't matter, they've spent time giving your work feedback, so you should take the time thanking them, sharing their words, and returning the favour if possible.

Don't go into thinking that people owe you anything. Yes, you have a new book. Yes, it's super exciting. Yes, the people you contact do this for a living. It doesn't mean they read your genre, or they prefer books that aren't indie, or they just don't have time - some people make a living from reviews, and therefore would expect a payment for their time. If you cannot pay them - don't ask them. I don't pay for reviews, as I feel you'd want more bang for your buck, and expect a glowing review as your hard earned money went towards it - which may not be completely honest or reflective of your work.

Top tip: Do not expect the review to be perfect and sparkly, they see your work in a different light and will point out the flaws, imperfections, and will inform you of their opinion - it's honest work, and it's better to hear the truth from someone who has built a career on book reviews, than to be told it's amazing and that feedback being useless to you.

Indie Writer : Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

I've posted twice about experiencing imposter syndrome. There's genuinely a horrible feeling of playing pretend when you're trying to follow your dreams and getting nowhere fast.
I've seen a few people posting about it in the Twitter Writing Community, which is comforting to know I'm not the only one, but it's also awful knowing that so many talented people feel like this when it comes to writing.

It can come in different forms, feeling like you're not being taken seriously as a writer, looking at your own work and thinking it's absolute rubbish, thinking your work will be overlooked because you're 'a nobody', or even when looking for writing jobs and not applying because you're not a household name.

Writing is hard, it always has been and it always will be - and unfortunately, Imposter Syndrome seems to follow not far behind whenever you start a writing project.
Yet, it's not permanent. Whenever I get excited that work was accepted, or I run with a new idea, or when a project is finished, it goes. Know it's not forever, it never shows it's face when you're on an up - I know it's often a long time between good news, but point stands, enthusiasm seems to curb the idea you're an imposter.
Chin up, crack on, and understand it's temporary.

Does Blogging Count As Writing?

Of course.

I write every single day, be it in notebooks, correcting ideas or through blogging. I'm writing.
Blogging is a way of sharing the writing projects I'm working on, a platform to plug my books, and to express what I'm going through at the moment. I don't blog for the sake of it, I often write posts to explain the difficulties you can face as an indie, or to show off writing exercises that help me create.

My blog is another place to be creative with my writing. There's nothing holding me back, I have freedom to write all day long on here if I see fit.
Some people will pass it off as being a blogger - but you have to have a way with words to make content people want to read.
It's taken me a while, but I can bring in over 1k views a month with my blogposts.
It wasn't always like this, but the more experience I gained, the more I could write interesting content!

My blog is a place to log and record my journey to being a full-time writer. If I didn't have my blog, I wouldn't have anywhere to express myself - whilst sticking to the theme of being an indie writer.

If you blog, you write. End of.

My Impending Writing Hiatus..

It's hard to come to terms with the fact that my writing will have to go on the back burner for a while!

I've had my whole pregnancy free to write whatever I want and try new writing styles, so it'll be strange not getting up, grabbing a pen and cracking on! I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy and in a few months, I'll have a new priority.

I'm swapping notebooks for nappies! How exciting!

I will be making an effort to write as and when I can - but I have a feeling my ideas will be recorded as voice notes, rather than quick sticky note scribbles. I don't want to lose my interest in writing, and I'm excited to juggle raising my child, and follow my career goals - you can have both.

I'm hoping to set a little time aside when I feel comfortable to get some new ideas down or rediscover my WIPs. I've been making an effort lately to draft some blog posts, so if I do get a spare moment, I'll at least be able to keep my blog as active as possible.

This is the good thing about putting a pin in projects!
I have some work projects to come back to - and since it'll be a while in the future, I'll have fresh eyes - which has worked well for me in the past!

Unplanned Poetry

Yesterday, I wrote a poem without feeling motivated or prepared - but I was inspired.
I became infuriated when reading multiple posts online with the same , and apparently I respond by making poetry.
Who knew?
You can create incredible things from frustration, anger, sadness, jealousy, etc. You don't have to feel happy and positive for inspiration to come along and help you create. Emotions are important when creating, as there's a drive of passion behind a project.
So, yesterday I was beyond angry, and the more I read, it riled me up more - but because I can't actively do anything about the issue that sparked my frustration, I sat and wrote this poem.

I've said it before, and I will say it again, writing poetry can help your mental wellbeing. I got all of my negative emotions out, and it resulted in something I'm quite proud of. The poem did have a title, but it was a little on the nose - so for now it's untitled.
Hope you enjoy it!

The Macroodelzig - Feedback

The Macroodelzig has been out for one whole week! Argh!

Before the book launch on March 13th, I had been in contact with a few writers, reviewers and bloggers to request some feedback on The Macroodelzig. Luckily, those people are amazing and have helped me promote the book - even if they didn't have time to write something up before the launch, or had a to-be-read list longer than their arms - they shared the book cover on their Instagram stories, retweeted about the book, or wrote a little opinion piece on the story. Thank you so much!
Here's some quotes:

"It’s an uplifting tale that reminds us how being different or quirky doesn’t mean we’re no good, and how there is always someone out there on your wavelength who will ‘get you’ and who will show you their love." - Fran Grant |

"Y'all, this children's book has to be one of the most adorable and creative stories I've read! ... It was really cute and I enjoyed how different it was from anything I had read" - Nataliesbooktalk |

"I think for older readers they will get the message about acceptance , that you don't always have to fit in with the norm ... Beautiful little story will read more from this author" - Amazon Review |

"This is exactly the kind of book that needs to be distributed in primary schools ... It cleverly covers everything from body image, individuality, acceptance, breaking convention and normalising same sex parents whilst keeping it fun.." - Debbie's Bookshelf |

"My four year old loved this book. It is Julia Donaldsonesque but funnier and with a nice moral undertone." - Amazon Review |

Grab the book and see for yourself! HERE or HERE

My Book Aims

I genuinely didn't expect to have more books than Don't Eat Charlie Cheese.
I was 22 years old when I crafted the Charlie Cheese character, I was working in a pre-school, didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I thrived making up rhymes and funny characters with the children and my co-worker (now best friend!). On my break, I used to make notes on scraps of paper or tissues I'd find in my pockets. It was exciting and sparked my interest in writing.

I would never think that 5 years later I'd have two more Charlie Cheese books, a memoirs comedy book, a poetry book and a new children's book.

It's such a wild achievement, and it's incredible to see my hard work being enjoyed by others. I am delighted I found such enjoyment with making stories, and decided that this is the future I'd see myself being happy having.
I believe I've done incredibly well in regards to getting my writing career off to a running start, although I hate feeling like I'm boasting or showing off, I do feel proud about this. I'd like to set myself new aims when it comes to books - rather than writing challenges.

My book aims are:

- Release 10 books by the time I'm 30. (Borderline impossible, but let's give it a go!)
AND
- Finish my novel. I don't have a deadline for this, but I'll be happy when it's complete.

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!

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!

Happy International Women's Day!

Shout out to all the female creatives out there making a living!

Celebrate all of the women in your life today (and every single day ever) by supporting their work, and promoting their business - trying to make a name for yourself as an indie is hard enough without there being a gender bias.

Today is a day to celebrate your favourite female artists, poets, writers, musicians, comedians, mothers, scientists, medical staff etc, etc.

I've written a poem about female empowerment in my book, Mind The Gap.
Give it a search on the blog for a link, if you're interested!

Writing Projects : Knock Backs.

I'm not going to be one of those people who only blogs about the good news and the success in terms of my work - it's not what being a writer is. I'd rather be honest about it than put on a front - not everything is handed to you, and so it shouldn't be.

You will apply for things and get knocked back, you will enter your work and it be rejected, you will spend a long time working for it to be a none starter. It happens. If it didn't happen you wouldn't grow as a person, you wouldn't put more effort in, your writing wouldn't go anywhere.

I've seen today that the filming opportunity I applied for has closed, and the chosen projects have been informed. Meaning my short film idea wasn't taken on.
Of course I'm gutted.
But what can you do?

..You can crack on, that's what!
I have a filming project that I can work on, and film when I fancy. It's not the end of a project, just because one opportunity doesn't choose your work.
Take it on the chin and put it down to experience. Onwards and upwards - as always!