Confession

OK, I'll admit to it. I fantasise about the good life. The author's life and all that goes with it.

If you've read a previous post of mine, I have organised a soundtrack to go with my novel (and of course the movie that's made from it). That's not all I do.
When I exercise I sometimes find myself answering questions from a phantom interviewer about my inspiration, the plot line of my next novel and even those pesky ones about my private life. I dream of travel being a tax deduction and buying books as research. For work avoidance or when I have writer's block I design the covers for my books. Making them reflect the essence of my story. When I'm driving I practise my acceptance speech for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. I think about the locations I'll write a book in. Warwick Castle for my medieval romance, Cambodia for a medical adventure and Ireland for... well who cares what I write there - I just want to go back and visit.

Now if I actually achieve my ultimate fantasy life, I could call my daydreaming preparation. If not, delusional would be the kindest term.

Am I alone in this? Is it a waste of 'writing' time? Or better yet, do you know of a cure?

The Secret

A lot of words
Too many rejections
Not enough love.

Sound like your story? It’s the life of the unpublished writer and it never seems to end. Why is it taking so long? Why isn’t my work good enough? What am I doing wrong? I had a theory and decided to test it. I put this question to some of my published friends.

“How many manuscripts did you write before you got published?”

I got seven responses and I know that’s not an extensive survey but I think it’s a big enough pool to see a few patterns.
Pattern number one: No one said, one manuscript.
Pattern number two: No one said, two manuscripts!
Pattern number three: No one said, three manuscripts!

In fact, the lowest number of manuscripts from page 1 to “the end” written before they hit a winner was four. Where the fourth manuscript was published. The average number was 6 manuscripts. The highest number was 13!
Personally, I think I’ve stumbled on “the secret” here. If you want to be published you need to write, write, write, practice, practice, practice. Every page you write makes you a better writer. Why is practice so important? It teaches you three things that no course, workshop, seminar can give you.

a) Your voice
Voice is something that develops over time. It evolves as your writing evolves. If you don’t write, it will stagnate. The more you write, the sharper and more distinct it becomes.
b) Finding the genre that best suits you
Some writer start out writing single title and end published in category. Others in category start out in medical and end up published in modern. Sometimes, you don’t know yourself. Writing is not just a journey for the reader. It’s a journey for you, to discover where you best fit.
c) The best method of writing
Some writers, start at the beginning of story. Some start in the middle. Some are pansters, some are plotters. Some are a bit of both. Some write late at night, some at 4am. Developing a writing routine or method that makes you the most productive also takes awhile to nut out.

So what’s the moral of this blog.
Write.
Just write.
And one day, it’ll pay off.

Read This Book

As writers we tend to become fussy with what we read. Maybe it’s because our eye is trained on the craft, we know how a book works, or maybe it’s because we’ve read so much that we are jaded. Either way we rely on our favorite authors to save us.

There are some authors I continue to read because I’m invested in the characters they have created, Ayla (Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel) and Rhodry Maelwaedd (Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr) spring to mind. I’ve been reading about them for over a decade sometimes with years between books.

There are other authors who go on my book buying list, they are the ones who I’ve accidentally discovered, but who have a backlist or a series I want to read all of. These are my guaranteed good reads. They are a treat for when I’ve finished the first draft, or the edits, or just because I’ve read a number of ordinary books in between. At the moment these authors include Jim Butcher (Dresden Files) and Rachel Caine (Weather Wardens).

Then there are the books that are handed to me by a friend saying “read this”. They are often something I wouldn't usually pick up, but are fabulous discoveries. Because it’s that time of year when we all start thinking about what to buy others for Christmas, while we wonder what to put on our wish list, I thought I’d open the blog for people to share their love of books and give us some recommendations.



Here is my “read this” recommendation, The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. It is spine tingling good, a romance that defies logic and time.



Now it’s your turn.
What is the best book you’ve read this year, your “read this book” that we must have for Christmas?

Shona

FINDING YOURSELF

I didn't know who I was last week.
Luckily Nicki was able to help me out. She's always the one who has the answers.

Oprah said I could find out who I was meant to be.
I have to do all the work though. Apparently I'm the one with the answers!

If you go back to January on this blog I'm supposed to have been on a journey of self discovery about myself as a writer this year. I think I've discovered that I'm lazy. Or if not lazy at the very least an Olympic contender for a medal in procrastination.

I've written very little bits and pieces of various things. I think I've spent the year finding out things I probably already knew if only I was a little better at seeing myself.

My biggest epiphany was that while I might be a pantser, I need a plan. If you look back further than January I already knew that, wrote a whole blog about it even.

I also discovered that I like to write different stuff. It seems that 'day job' me quite likes writing for children. 'H M Davis' me writes rather dark stuff, in a variety of sub-genres. 'Maree Davis' me likes writing category contemporaries. 'H Maree Davis' me - well, no wonder I was confused.

What I really discovered was that I need to separate out all the different things that I like to write and do one at a time. It makes my writing life a whole lot easier. Now I can get on with the writing.

Tell Oprah I was meant to be a writer.

Hey Nicki, I know who I am!

Who are you? And how did you find yourself?

H! :)