Tag: Writing

The First Draft Blues

I have discovered something about myself in the last year of writing. I suffer from The First Draft Blues.

Symptoms include:

– Thinking your story concept is complete rubbish and no one will like your characters

– Believing your writing rivals that of a six year old’s.

– Questioning every turn your story is taking.

– Wondering why you are bothering when it’s the worst thing you’ve ever written and everybody will hate it.

– Laughing at yourself for thinking you could ever make it as an author.

I had a very bad case of it with Betwixt and I am suffering an even worse case of it with my current work-in-progress. So how do I medicate myself against this rampant disease that threatens to destroy my dreams? Continue reading “The First Draft Blues”

Thoughts on Killing Off a Character

Guest post
by Sophie Schiller

In my novel, “Spy Island”, the protagonist, a girl named Abigail, is compelled to cross the Caribbean Sea by steamer during WWI to live with her spinster aunt. On the journey, she strikes up a friendship with Ian, an Irish sailor. I incorporated those witty Irish expressions and that unmistakable Irish humor that wraps around you like a Shamrock wool blanket.

Ian’s Irish red hair burned the pages of my manuscript. His Cheshire cat grin, his twinkling eyes, his Gaelic sense of humor and manner of speaking, and his vulnerability captivated my Writing Class. And now we come to the “killing off part”. Out of a sense of duty and patriotism, Ian stalks a wanted German spy and turns up dead—a corpse lying in a pool of blood—on the boat deck.

The ladies in my Writing Group bristled at this notion. They demanded a rewrite. “But it’s crucial to the development of my story,” I argued. “If Ian doesn’t die, Abigail has no reason to hunt down German spies.” They shook their heads. “Change it!” they demanded. Again my brow wrinkled. Change it? And so, pen in hand, I kept the ominous pool of blood but removed the corpse. They were satisfied. But the question remains. When is it appropriate to kill off a character? Continue reading “Thoughts on Killing Off a Character”

Psst….I’m a Writer

Alright! This is top secret information. I have confidential and restricted data that cannot reach the ears of the ‘not one of us’. They are out there. I see them everyday. Ignorant faces pasted upon wobbly heads, they swirl and contort, exuding meaningless froth from misplaced orifices.

My ‘never to be revealed’ encounters with them have left me tongue-tied. My otherwise pompous brain quietly switches off, leaving me incapable of intelligent dialogue. Faint whispers flee my lips, their battered frames jumping to harsh premature deaths. This makes them smile, they enjoy the discomfort. The air around us is heavy with guilt and insecurity, suffocation humbly waits its turn. Continue reading “Psst….I’m a Writer”

All Through The Night (The myth of the overnight success)

Guest post
by Jo at Inknbeans Press

There has been much alarm, many blogs, news items, blustering and tears recently about bigger fish in the publishing pool, and how the pond has been tainted by sock puppet reviewers, gaming sales, defining ranks, Amazon’s latest shenanigans, and flash mob vote ups (or downs.) Here’s the truth: Amazon has nothing to do with it. An author’s auntie getting her entire bingo club on a bully run to vote down negative reviews has nothing to do with it. Big six publishers arranging thousands of pre-order and release day sales to make a new title’s ranking soar has nothing to do with it. What matters, in the long run, is the quality of the story. Continue reading “All Through The Night (The myth of the overnight success)”