The To Do List 17th to 23rd December

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I didn’t have a bad week last week, even with the stresses of Christmas fast approaching lol

1. Finish Beta reading BN’s piece. Unfortunately, nope 😦 My reading has sunk to an all time low and I don’t know why.

2. Faber homework. Done!

3. Continue with Nigel Watts book. Still doing!

4. Edit and prepare The Last Word Cafe Synopsis for Thursdays event. Done!

5. Continue making notes on The Last Word Cafe and do a section in 3rd person. Still Doing. I spent a couple of hours last week working on a timeline lol.

6. Go through Faber notes re The Last Word Cafe. Done!

I’m going to be very easy on myself this week (especially as today is the last Faber session until after Christmas) in the run up to 2 weeks off! 🙂 Not 2 weeks off of writing but 2 weeks off from having a list of goals.

Look at that clear diary! 😉

1. Continue with Beta Reading BN’s piece.

2. Continue with Nigel Watts book.

That’s it! Lol….I will make some notes on The Last Word Cafe if the mood takes me, but I’m not gunna beat myself up. This week is gunna be busy enough as it is, getting prepped for Christmas!!!! I still have a couple of pressies to buy, and some last minute bits of food. The plan is to be totally done by Saturday so that we can shut ourselves away in the warm until the 27th. Wish me luck!

So what are your plans for the week?

Faber Session 12 – Conflict and Resolution

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Blooming freezing up London Monday night so when I got off the Tube I dashed into the first coffee shop I could see spare seats in, which just happened to be Patisserie Valerie. I had a latte, a tart, and did some writing for an hour….bliss 🙂

Ok, on to Monday nights session 🙂

We talked about having conflict in our stories, and the different forms of conflict there are. Internal, external, environmental, you know all this, right? And that posing a question, having a problem for your character to solve can carry the narrative all the way through your novel. That’s what makes up the plot….but what about sub plots?

I’m not sure I really understand sub plots. I mean, the general consensus is that sub plots are hard to pull off in first person…ok, I can kind of get that. And that when they are included in a 3rd person novel, that they feed into the main plot, but are independent to the main narrative.

Hmmmmm, I’m not sure I get it 😦

The only example that I knew that was given was My Fair Lady (Pygmalion) where Eliza’s father is getting married, and that would be a sub plot. Ok, well if that’s the case, my first draft of my WIP (But Not Forgotten) was all sub plot? Lol.

Help me out here guys? How would you define sub plot? Before tonight’s class I would have said it was something along the lines of, say, (sorry Jayne, your WIP was the only example I could think of) 4 women going on a cruise, and 1 of them is escaping an abusive husband. What happens to the other 3 women on board (one discovers she’s pregnant, one meets a bloke etc) are the sub plots, yeah? Or have I got that completely wrong? *groans*

Wow….this is the first lesson I’ve come away from being more confused after than I was before lol. On a lighter note, they have provided us with a rather nice Christmas Tree in our class room 🙂

The To Do List 10th to 16th December

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I spent most of yesterday trying to catch up with all your blogs and e mails. I’m sorry, but I made much use of the “like” button lol 😉

I’m feeling a bit worn out at the moment. I think I’ve just been over doing it, so I’m looking forward to a break at Christmas.

Last weeks To Do List was more successful than I thought it would be now I’ve a tally gone through it again 🙂

1. Print out Sorrento Sunrise and file (for editing at a later date). Done!

2. Finish BN’s manuscript – Beta reading. Still reading 🙂

3. Faber homework. Done!

4. Do a review of Richard Skinners book and Start Nigel Watts one! Done!

5. Continue making notes on new version of But Not Forgotten. Need to decide on POV etc. if it goes well, make a start! Ive made a start. Written 500 words, the beginning, in 1st person POV….now, I just need to do the same piece in 3rd person and see which works better.

6. Print off and file Nano short stories. Done!

This weeks list looks like this…..

1. Finish Beta reading BN’s piece.

2. Faber homework.

3. Continue with Nigel Watts book.

4. Edit and prepare The Last Word Cafe Synopsis for Thursdays event.

5. Continue making notes on The Last Word Cafe and do a section in 3rd person.

6. Go through Faber notes re The Last Word Cafe.

I have a really busy week coming up…I’m out Monday night, Wednesday Night, Thursday night and then all day Saturday and most of Sunday….so wish me luck! Lol

What are your writing plans this week?

Faber Session 11 – Guest Tutor Jill Dawson

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’ve had a real hectic few days so I am behind with blog reading….I will catch up today I promise, so bear with me. 🙂

It was bloody freezing yesterday morning as I made my way to central London at 8am. I don’t normally have breakfast, but yesterday, I was desperate 😉

Today our guest tutor was Jill Dawson who’s book, Lucky Bunny I’m reading at the moment (and really enjoying!).

We all agreed that Jill’s passion and enthusiasm for writing was infectious and inspiring. A thoroughly enjoyable session where I made lots of notes (you know me! Lol). Here’s a few snippets that I wrote down that I found interesting and helpful 🙂

The best way to be motivated to write is to be in love with it!

How to deal with rejection: Don’t dwell on it, it will infect your writing and the feeling of failure will go into your work.

Have a monthly goal (word count) rather than a daily or weekly one. Make your goals manageable.

Time your ideal writing session then duplicate it. Find what works for you.

Jeanette Winterson told Jill that her first novel was crap, she’s grateful for that now. Peter Carey had written 4 or 5 novels before his first that was published. Jill beleives that ALL writers have at least written 1 book that will never be published. The book you’re working on now may not be THE ONE, it might be your training ground.

Jill keeps a journal while shes writing a novel, where she reflects on how she feels and works out problems.

Learn to tolerate chaos. Get the writing done first then worry about the other things you have to do in your life!

Ask yourself when you read through your first draft – Is it alive? (Something interesting or exciting) or Is it dead? (Something boring or flat).

And finally, my favourite (and also that of my tutors!)

“Know the rules but have none.”

I made 8 pages of notes! Lol….I just couldn’t help it, she was brilliant! 🙂

I love this whole idea of keeping a writing journal! Jill says it helps her work out her own processes and is like talking to herself. I’m a huge fan of journal keeping, but I’ve never tried using it just for my novel writing. Have you ever used a journal to work out problems with your writing? I’d be interested to hear if anyone has. I think I might just give it a go 😉

Lucky Bunny, a Review (walkingwithnora.com)

The NEW WIP drum roll

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’m up at Faber all day today, so I’ll post about that tomorrow….in the meantime…..

Ok, after my critique recently (and my IWSG post) I’ve had to totally rethink my WIP *gulp* Thanks for all your words of encouragement on my IWSG Post, by e mail, and Facebook. Right, that’s it, I’m bucking my ideas up….rolling up my sleeves….gritting my teeth, and DOING IT!

It’s been hard trying to use the same characters and the same basic plot line to come up with a new story, but, I think I’ve cracked it. So here goes, tell me what you think. This is more a blurb than a synopsis, although, I have written a synopsis that I’ll share at a later date. It needs a bit of editing 😉

Be careful what you wish for… At the age of 40, Laura Hopwood finds herself in desperate need of excitement. The arrival of her husbands long lost brother means that again she finds herself torn between both men. Daniel, the one she’s married to, is dependable, doting, and just plain boring. Whereas Ronnie is mysterious, moody and dangerous.

But there are two things in life that Laura loves more than anything, her daughter Ruby, and the cafe she inherited from her parents. Just how much is she prepared to risk to recapture the excitement of her youth? Did she make the wrong choice 20 years ago? And will the devastating consequences of her actions mean she’ll lose everything, including her daughter, when she finds herself having to make a similar decision 20 years later?

So that’s the basics 🙂 I have to say, at the moment, I haven’t really decided what will happen (although i have a pretty good idea!). But, I’m quite excited about it! Which is a good sign yeah?

But I do have 2 problems, so I need your advice…

1. POV Last time it was in multi 3rd person, which didn’t work. So I’m thinking perhaps I should do it in 1st person? Having Laura as the protagonist. In class they suggested Ruby, as I know from personal experience what she would be going through, but, I can relate more to Laura if that makes sense.

2. Timeline Where do I start the story? It originally spanned 25 years, but I’ve cut that down to 20 (and could possibly shave a few more years off that) Do I start at the beginning, or now when the action starts and feed in back story?

So I guess I better unveil the title…

I wanted a strong setting. They didn’t need to be rich accountants anymore. So now, Laura & Daniel run a cafe that Laura inherited from her parents. It’s also where she met Daniel & Ronnie in the first place, so has been the central, consistent setting throughout the whole story.

So what do you think? Honest opinions and any advice much appreciated!

Faber Session 10 – Story Vs Plot

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Ok, well today, you do get a picture of last nights cake!

Lemon, rosemary & olive oil cake! Oh how I will miss you once the Faber course is over *sighs whistfully* But enough of the cake porn, lets get down to the nitty gritty 🙂

Tonight, the discussion centered around what the difference is between story and plot. The simplest way to show the difference is by using the example given by Nigel Watts in his excellent book Write A Novel where he says:

The King died and then the Queen died. Is a story.
The King died and then the Queen died of grief. Is a plot.

Causality distinguishes story from plot. Does that make sense?

In it’s basic terms it boils down to:
character=choices=causality

Its basically the choices, that lead to consequences, which then becomes the plot.

We talked about Christopher Bookers 7 Basic Plots and why they work.

Then talked about plot bombs and how to keep the plot moving.

A very interesting session where my critique of last week was used as an example, as what we shouldn’t be doing, i.e. throwing everything at our reader in the first 5,000 words…whoops! *snigger* 🙂

So do you agree? Are there only 7 Basic plots or would you say there are more? And if you have another theory on the definition of a plot, I’d love to hear it 🙂

The To Do List 3rd To 9th December

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Firstly a huge thank you to Bridget Whelan for looking after my blog these last couple of days. I feel like I’ve had a mini holiday! Lol 😉

I hope you’ve found Bridget’s tips useful, I know I have. My advice is to print them off and stick them in your notebook, that’s what I’ll be doing 🙂

The 3rd and final part of Bridget’s Editing Series will be on her blog today. So do pop over to Bridget’s Blog to read the final part – Six Tips To Help You Get Your Nano Novel Ready For A Reader

Ok, now lets crack on….

It’s been a funny old week, I’ve found it hard to focus. Too much spinning round my head I guess from the Faber Critique last Monday. So the to do list was neglected 😦

1. Print out rest of Sorrento Sunrise and start padding. Nope! Didn’t touch it, but, to be fair, my printer cartridges only arrived on Friday lol

2. Read BN’s manuscript (a friends Nano story). Halfway through, I am a bad Beta reader 😦

3. Sort out notes from critique of But Not Forgotten. Ha ha ha, what notes? I didn’t make any!

4. Read next Faber critique piece. Done!

5. Continue with Richard Skinners book. Done!

6. Start an ideas notebook for But Not Forgotten. Done! I have made some notes, got some ideas, will share later 😉

7. Print off and file Nano short stories. Nope! Due to printer having no ink and being lazy lol

So not a very productive week this week 😦 My only excuse is not being mentally 100% with it. Which means there will be some stuff carried forward 😉

1. Print out Sorrento Sunrise and file (for editing at a later date).

2. Finish BN’s manuscript – Beta reading.

3. Faber homework.

4. Do a review of Richard Skinners book and Start Nigel Watts one!

5. Continue making notes on new version of But Not Forgotten. Need to decide on POV etc. if it goes well, make a start!

6. Print off and file Nano short stories.

Also, I’ll be going back to writing my daily prompts in my notebook, which I’m actually looking forward to 🙂

so what are you up to this week?

But Not Forgotten Needs Forgetting

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Ok, what can I say about the critique *laughs hysterically*

If I just say that it looks like 65,000 words will be going in the bin within the next couple of days does that indicate what they thought? 😉 (a metaphorical bin of course!)

Seriously, I knew it was a mess, which was why I decided to use that piece. I just didn’t realise how much of a mess it was 😦

I knew I’d tied myself up in knots, I knew that was why I hadn’t been able to come up with an ending, but, what I was hoping was that I could tinker with it, make it better. What I didn’t expect was to find that the general consensus is/was to start from scratch!

A different angle, a different POV, don’t start with the suicide, in fact, don’t kill him off….WOAH! Concentrate on one aspect of the story and forget the rest! OMFG!!!!!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT!

So now what? Complete restructuring that’s what! A completely new novel really, only using the same characters and only part of the original plot line *slumps*

I don’t know if I have the energy!

Don’t get me wrong, everyone was helpful and sympathetic, but I came away thinking perhaps I’m not cut out for this, and what the hell am I doing in this class? Be prepared for a major self pity trip post on IWSD next month, honestly 🙂

I went for a Spa day today. I was going to cancel because all I wanted to do was sit in my jim jams, drink hot chocolate and sulk lol. But, I made the effort, went, and had my nails painted. I went for a walk and contemplated stuff. It was a nice day 🙂

I’m signing out with Edwin Collins

I need to think……

Faber Session 9 – Dialogue

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Ok, well coffee and cake was enjoyed at The British Museum last night. Lemon drizzle which was rather nice. So I sat for an hour, reading my book, nursing a latte and looking at this view 🙂

Tonight’s class was all about dialogue…some of my notes:

Limit speech tags to the minimum.

Pinter went on bus rides and recorded conversations.

It has to serve a purpose: move the plot along, raise a question or show something about the character.

What isn’t said is very important. Use silence and remember its often what’s not said that gives more away.

Give your characters verbal ticks to make them more realistic.

Remember to use body language. A character could be saying one thing verbally, but their body language saying the complete opposite.

We then had to do 3 exercises (writing dialogue) which were very interesting, and bloody hard! Lol

It’s funny because Stephen King said that dialogue is written best by writers who enjoy talking and listening to others. Do you agree? Do you enjoy writing dialogue? It seems to be something writers either love or hate!

Will post tomorrow about my critique when I’ve recovered and had chance to absorb it all lol. I’m off to a Spa Day today 🙂

On-The-Nose Dialogue (limebirdwriters.co.uk)
Is Your Book Dialogue Heavy? (breezybooksblog.wordpress.com)

Faber Session 8 – Guest Tutor Mick Jackson

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Arrived in a foggy rainy London 😦 That’ll teach me to wear suede boots! Lol

So I arrived at class with wet feet where we went straight into a discussion/talk by Mick Jackson which was all about Pace & Style.

A few of the things I took away from the session:

Style seems to be more important to reviewers and creative writing tutors.

style should develop naturally. Each writer has their own style.

Writing is like a game of tennis between the subconscious mind and the conscious mind.

Can you reproduce another writers style?

Pace is the speed of the narrative.

Adding back story can slow down the pace if not weaved into the story.

Attach little details to the stream of narrative. It shouldn’t stand out.

Reading your work aloud can pinpoint problems in pace, but it can also help you establish if you have a set style.

A fascinating session, and now, I’m sitting in a hotel room enjoying some chill out time 😉 So if I’m quiet, you know why. I’ll catch up with you all tomorrow 🙂

Do you think you have a style? I think I can see a style developing within my work but I will definitely be reading my work out loud from now on 😉