WIP Challenge

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’ve been tagged by Shannon M Howell with the Work In Progress Challenge. As I haven’t got a WIP, as such, I’ll try to answer the questions about my Mills & Boon novel idea I’m working on…..which will be my WIP come November 🙂

Image courtesy of Pixtawan/FreeDigitalPhotos

1. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK/WIP?
Sorrento Sunrise- It’s a bit naff I know, but have you seen some of those Mills and Boon titles? Lol

2. WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR THE WIP COME FROM?
I’m going on holiday to Sorrento in June. I love Italy, and Italian heroes are very popular.

3. WHAT GENRE WOULD YOUR WIP FALL UNDER?
Romance, Mills & Boon Modern

4. WHICH ACTORS WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY YOUR CHARACTERS IN A MOVIE RENDITION?
Well, I tend not to think in terms of actors/actresses, as I think it influences you when it comes to thinking about your characters personality. Sooooo, my hero Damiano, looks like David Gandy and my heroine, Kate, sort of like this 🙂

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic/FreeDigitalPhotos

5. WHAT IS THE ONE-SENTENCE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR WIP?
A romance set in Italy that starts with mistaken identity, and finishes with a wedding lol

6. IS YOUR WIP PUBLISHED OR REPRESENTED?
Nope, it’s not even written yet lol

7. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE?
It will be started on the 1st November, and finished by the end of the month 😉

8. WHAT OTHER WIPS WITHIN YOUR GENRE WOULD YOU COMPARE IT TO?
Ha ha ha, well I’m aiming for it to be a typical M & B book.

9. WHICH AUTHORS INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS WIP?
Kate Walker and Sharon Kendrick

10. TELL US ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT PIQUE OUR INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT.
Well, I’m actually considering adding a few more sex scenes and perhaps going for one of the more raunchier M & B lines 😉

So now…..who do I tag?…….

Peter Germany
Karen at karcherry
R E Hunter
Kitty Hietala
Cat at No Written Words

if I haven’t tagged you, please feel free to share anyway 😉

Does Your WIP Need A Bible?

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

One of my favourite bloggers, Hunter over at Hunters Writings recently included a link in one of her posts to a very interesting article:

Making A Writing Bible is an article that appeared on The Write Thing’s web site.
Edited to add: This link appears to be down 😦

Hunter has also been talking about The Novel Journal

So that’s what I’ve been working on, in preparation for Nano, my WIP Bible 🙂

I’ve decided to use a notebook rather than my Netbook as I can add things as and when I think of them. Even carry it around in my bag if inspiration strikes.

So, I’ve got the hero (although he’s changed a bit since you last heard about him….thank you for all your comments and suggestions!!!!). His name is now Daminano Moretti 😉 harry is still knocking about, and I’m sure i’ll find a use for him later 😉 Kate Walker suggested that we find a photo of what we envisage our hero to look like. So after some extensive Googling I have a couple of pics!

Then this section is for notes on my heroine, who is still Kate 🙂 I’ve also found a couple of pics of what I imagine her to look like.

I have a section for the minor characters. There won’t be many, as, in a Mills & Boon, its all about the hero and heroine.

The setting…..ahhhhh…. *day dreams wistfully* It’s Sorrento in Italy. So I’m collecting pics and info.

Chapter breakdown is a suggestion made by Sharon Kendrick at Swanwick. Because Mills & Boon books generally have a pattern, it’s a good idea to have an outline of where things need to happen, such as “the black moment” and that way you know where you are 😉

Notes and ideas is basically the section for everything else….title ideas, ideas for scenes, back story etc…..

I’ve never worked like this before (I was a pantster lol) but I can really see the benefits. And now, I have 2 whole months to collect all the info I need before I actually start writing on the 1st November! And I have to say….I’m loving it! 😉

Have you ever created a WIP Bible? And if not, would you consider it?

I’m feeling SOOOO Inspired! – Swanwick Day Five

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Yesterday was the third class with Linda Lewis on short story writing. I struggled with my homework so Linda scribbled my “words” on her flip chart and then the rest of the class bombarded me with ideas on a story lol. Thing is, I didn’t realise that I didn’t have to use all the words 😉

Then it was on to Sharon Kendricks course…..and at this present moment, all I seem capable of saying is wow! Lol *goes off to have a cappuccino and a cigarette to recover*

Ok, where do I start 😉

Sharon gave us a 12 chapter break down of a Mills & Boon book, so that we would know approximately where things are suppose to/should happen. It made it look easy, but, I know that’s not the case lol. We (as in, the class) came up with a hero, a heroine, back story and established that it was a “secret baby” story set in Rome and London. Brilliant. So interesting and informative, and Sharon is a great tutor. She had us laughing all the way through her classes 🙂

It’s probably been the highlight of my week, and now, I’m determined to try my hand 🙂

Late afternoon was spent in my room, trying to catch up with some writing, whilst outside it was torrential rain 😦

The speaker last night was the highly acclaimed David Nobbs who’s anecdotes and memories had most of the delegates roaring with laughter.

A quick drink in the bar and then it was time to hand my raffle tickets in….I sold 417 tickets at a quid each, so I’m pleased with that 🙂

And my final news of the day…… I’ve joined Twitter ha ha ha! I blame Della Galton & Peter Jones 😉
My Twitter name is @vikkithomp lol. I did want to use the blog name but decided against it. So if you want to follow me, lol, please 🙂

Are you on Twitter?

All E’ed Out – Swanwick Day Four

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I can’t believe I forgot to tell you who our speaker was yesterday….shocking! Seee, brain dead already and it’s only day four *snigger*

Our speaker was the lovely Alan Samson from Orion Books. His talk was very interesting, and my favourite quote? “The book belongs to the author. An editor should be invisible.” which was said by Max Perkins, who is considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest literary editor ever.

So now I’ve got that out the way, what have I been up to?

I spent the early morning, writing, in my usual spot 😉

Then after breakfast it was a talk from Rebecca Woodhead which was all about E Publishing. Fascinating stuff, in which she told us the secrets of her success, one of which is about building your “tribe” lol. What that actually means is that you need to build up your loyal following.

After a break for tea it was “Ask the E Panel”. A Q and A session with Alan Samson, Rebecca Woodhead, Jan Davison and Jonathan Telfer (both from Writing Magazine).

One of our delegates asked the question “If you’ve already published an EBook, does that ruin your chances of getting a traditional publisher and agent?” The panel were in full agreement with their response, and the answer was a definite NO and that, in most cases, it actually enhances your chances, especially if the EBook sells well and you have good reviews! OOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 🙂 I kinda thought that would be the case, but it was great to hear from this well respected group. Alan Samson added that he would never take an existing eBook that had been published elsewhere. So remember that people. If you want to go down the traditional route, please don’t post your WIP’s on your blog 🙂

We had the afternoon off, so I spent it catching up with online stuff, reading my book and doing some writing. I had a wander around the beautiful Lakes in the sunshine and actually managed to find a bench in the shade.

The evening speaker was Sharon Kendrick who is a Mills & Boon writer. She gave a thoroughly entertaining speech and i’ll be attending her course today 🙂

The rest of the evening was spent watching plays that were written by, directed by, and starring my fellow delegates. Great stuff! And Simon Hall as the Song Police got my vote 😉

So my question today, dear reader, is…..will you be going down the EBook route, in the hopes that it will give you a publishing deal? I still can’t make up my mind lol 😉