Writing Blogger Challenge Day 10

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Awwwww, that’s it! Today is the last day 😦

Today’s prompt is:

List 5 top blog posts from fellow participants in this challenge. Link to them, and say why you enjoyed them.

Oh, now that’s not fair 😦 How am I expected to choose! Plus, I’m so behind as usual that I probably won’t finish reading everyone’s post til the end of the week lol

Every day Hunter has been giving us a choice of 2 prompts to choose from, so today, I’m going for the 2nd prompt, which is…

Donate to a worthy cause or fellow writer.

I love this idea! 🙂

Well I always try to support my fellow writers (in any way i can) but I’ve been a bit lapse recently 😦 So today I will purchase some Kindle books by writers who I know or who’s blogs I follow. I have just bought:

Make Believe

100 Ways To Fight The Flab

Anyone For Murder?

The Wrong Man

One Day For Me

Now I feel all warm and fuzzy and have another 5 books to add to the To Be Read pile *snigger* If The Hubster is reading this, sorry honey, but look at it this way, they’re not actual books 😉

Do you support your fellow writers by buying their eBooks?

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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 9

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s prompt is:

Post either a setting or character profile from your latest fiction project, a chapter summary of your non-fiction book, or a discussion of the theme or object inspiring a poem, article, or other writing project.

Hmmmmmm *thinks* Well, I’ve shared the character profiles of my first novel (Still) but I’m afraid the characters in Tangled and Sorrento Sunrise are somewhere, within the pages of my 41 notebooks (and at this stage I’m thinking I really should have some kind of indexing system!). So rather than try to trawl through all my notebooks I’ll give you a new one 🙂

Last night I wrote the beginnings of yet another story (prompted by something in Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind). Ms Goldberg suggested making a list…

A Colour Blue (the sky over London on a September morning)
A City London
A Street Charlotte Street (where I meet the Faber gang and the location of my story)
A Fruit Mango (what my character finds in his lunch box lol)
A Month September
A Job Newsagent (newspaper seller)

And then to write a piece containing all of them…. So this character profile is from the story I came up with last night.

Bill Taylor is 62 years old. Born and bred in East London he is proud of his roots and his first job at 14 was on a market stall in Petticoat Lane, selling “bits and bobs” to local housewives.

Short and stocky, he is now balding, what little hair he has left is white but he still has the cheeky blue eyes and dimpled chin that made him so popular in the 1960’s.

Married to Marjorie since the 1970’s they have 2 sons who both live overseas, and 2 grand daughters they rarely see. On his left arm he has Marjorie’s name tattooed and on his right arm, the names of his sons.

Bill runs a newsagents in London selling to the commuters as they make their way to the tube station. Business has taken a dip these past couple of years due to the digital age (everyone getting the news on their phones) so Marjorie is trying to persuade him to retire and buy a little flat by the sea. Bill couldn’t think of anything worse! Since his heart attack last year, Marjorie has been filling his lunch box with what he terms as “rabbit food” and insists that he stick to the diet recommended by the doctor.

A very proud man, he is a traditionalist with high morals and strong views of what is right and wrong. A Royalist, his proudest moment was meeting Princess Diana when she stopped at his shop to buy a bottle of water and a pack of sweets for Wills and Harry.

In his spare time (what little there is as he has to be at the shop for 4.30 every morning) he enjoys football (but sadly doesn’t go to the matches anymore…he used to take his sons) and likes to keep up to date with current affairs. He often says “what’s the point of selling newspapers if you don’t know what’s going on in the world” and can often be found reading the papers behind his counter when the shop is empty.

He drives a small old white van that’s constantly breaking down and although he owns his shop (he inherited it from an uncle back in the 1980’s) which is prime London real estate, he has no intention of selling and is adamant that they will have to “cart him out in a box” which causes tension and arguments with Marjorie.

I think that’s it 🙂 I don’t know what’s going to happen to old Bill, I haven’t got that far in the story yet lol, but, you know me, Bill will probably end up getting his wish of being carted out in a box 😉

if you try Ms Goldberg’s list idea, do let me know, I’d be interested to hear what you come up with.

Writing Blogger Challenge Day 4 (the-view-outside.com)
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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 8

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Day eights prompt is:

Post about your writing routines / rituals / habits or quirks – or – your writing origins story

Well, I’ve told the story of my writing origins, so I guess today I’ll be revealing my routines 😉

I start every single day with a cup of tea, 3 sugars (I’ve cut down, it used to be 4 lol) and a cigarette. I’m the kind of person who is usually fully awake from the moment my eyes open. Yep, I’m one of those annoying people who jumps out of bed at 7am and is raring to go before I’ve even uttered my first word lol. So it makes sense that my most productive writing time is in the mornings.

Whilst drinking my tea I check my e mails, log into FaceBook and generally have a mooch around online (whilst trying to entertain Albie by multitasking with one hand on the iPad, the other on ‘teddy’).

I always start any writing session by writing in my journal, doing a prompt in my notebook, or, as recently, doing my morning pages. I prefer to write by hand than use a keyboard so doing something with pen and paper first makes me feel more connected, gets the creative juices flowing if that makes sense.

I went through a phase where I used to light a smelly candle as I sat down at my desk, but I don’t do that so much anymore, especially now that I’m back at the dining room table (Albies not allowed upstairs just yet). I also like to make sure I have a good selection of pens before I start. Different colours and nib widths, so that my notebooks are visually interesting.

And that’s it really 🙂 If I get really involved in a session I like to have a Nescafé Cappucino in a Starbucks mug by my side, or if I’m out and about, a skinny latte 😉

(My Starbucks mug collection – cappuccinos in anything else just isn’t the same lol)

Do you have any writing routines/rituals?

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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 4 (the-view-outside.com)

Writing Blogger Challenge Day 7

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Sorry today’s post is a little late, but I’ve been having a Proud Mummy Moment and I’ve only just got back 🙂

The prompt for day 7 is:

Profile 2 books you’ve read and loved lately.

Hmmmmm, well, I haven’t read any fiction for ages and that’s partly to do with all the critique pieces I’ve read recently.

The last book I actually read, and loved was A Voice Of Her Own by Marlene A. Schiwy.

A fascinating look at women diary writers. I will definitely be seeking out some of the work referred to. It’s very inspiring, especially if you’re into journal writing and keeping a diary (something I aspire to).

And then the book I’m currently reading (which I was hoping to love) is Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin.

I thoroughly enjoyed her first book, The Happiness Project, and although I’m on Chapter 3 of this one I’m finding myself skim reading sections *sighs* It’s so disappointing isn’t it when you thought you’d love a book, but you’re just not gelling 😦

I’m in a bit of a fiction reading slump at the moment so help me out….What was the best fiction book you’ve read so far this year? I need some inspiration 🙂

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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 6

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s prompt is:

Profile 4 Writing Websites / Blogs that you read regularly

Ok, this was hard lol. I read so many fantastic blogs, so if you asked me this question next week, or next month, the answer could be completely different lol. But, today, these are the 4 that spring to mind…

The Write Practice always gives me an eclectic mix of interesting posts. I have a whole folder on my email where I keep them for future reference.

Joanne Phillips is an inspiration! Since finding her blog last year I have followed her journey from writer to “Indie Author” and I’m a huge fan. This one is a must for anyone considering going down the Kindle route with their novel.

Hunters Writings just had to be on my list. Hunter Emkay (who created this challenge) always has interesting writing related posts and what I especially like is that she always includes lots of links in her posts (thanks Hunter, I think, but you don’t help with my procrastination! Lol).

And last, but definitely not least, Morgen Bailey who has so many blogs I can hardly keep up with it! 😉 Seriously, this woman wears me out just reading what she’s up to! She runs online writing groups (on FaceBook and WordPress), has critique groups, author guests, writing tips, podcasts, and manages to post her own fiction! Morgen, do you sleep? 😉 Seriously, if you’re not subscribed to at least one of her blogs, why not? 😉

Right, I think that’s it at the moment. Hope you decide to have a look at some of these.

Disclaimer: I hold no responsibility if subscribing to these blogs means you get less writing time 😉

Go on, give me a link (am I gunna regret this? Lol) direct me to a writing blog you read daily….

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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 4

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Day 4’s prompt is:

Profile 3 to 5 top writing craft books

Ok, I’m going to talk about the ones I’ve read.

My favourite all time writing book is The Writers Book Of Days by Judy Reeves. What can I say about this book that I haven’t already said (see my prompt a day 2012 tab above). This book is an excellent companion for any writer, but especially for those just starting out who need practice. I’m a big believer in the the more you write the better you write. This book helped me improve my writing ten fold 🙂

The 5 Minute Writer by Margret Geraghty was the first writing book I ever read. I loved this because it showed me that there is no such thing as “I don’t have time to write” 😉 The exercises are thought provoking and can be done in 5 minutes.

And lastly, no writers collection would be complete without at least one book by Natalie Goldberg. I have read Writing Down The Bones and then recently Wild Mind which were both inspiring. Ms Goldberg is a huge believer in writing practice (as are the other 2 writers above) and her books tell of her personal writing journey interspersed with exercises.

I’m a journal writer, it’s what started me on my writing journey (thanks Julia Cameron), so at the moment I’m reading A Voice of Her Own (Women and the journal writing journey) by Marlene A. Schiwy which is absolutely fascinating, and includes extracts from famous female authors journals/diaries. I think it’s important to keep writing, even if you’re not in the mood to write fiction, even if you’re suffering from writers block. Forming the habit of writing every single day is the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given 🙂

So tell me, what is your favourite writing book? Do you tend to go for a certain type, like I do?

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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 3

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s prompt is:

Introduce yourself with your writing bio.

Hmmmm, well in the past I’ve just done a jokey one, for guest blogging etc. so perhaps it’s about time I went serious lol.

I decided to go for 3rd person, but, if this was in a query letter I would write it in 1st 🙂

Vikki Thompson is a writer who lives in Kent with her husband, children and pets.

A recent graduate from the Faber Academy she is a New Writers Scheme member of the Romantic Novelists Association and member of several writing groups.

In her spare time she enjoys Blogging (where she often shares pieces of short fiction), reading, journalling and attending the Swanwick writers school every year.

Oh dear, how boring is that! I don’t have any publications to talk about, no competitions I’ve won, and nothing to brag about lol.

Any tips on how I could make it more interesting? Have you got an “author bio”? I’d love to see it if you do 🙂

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Writing Blogger Challenge Day 2

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

The prompt for Day 2 is:

Make 10 writing related confessions.

1. I still get confused between nouns, verbs, adverbs & adjectives. it’s just not sinking in 😦

2. I’m comma happy. I use far too many lol

3. I have approximately 450 unfinished short stories. Whoops!

4. I have a huge problem with Tautology in my writing. A really bad habit that I must get under control.

5. I prefer to Handwrite than type. I’m actually considering doing the next novels first draft all by hand.

6. I feel that my vocabulary is lacking. And that goes back to my education levels.

7. In real life I swear like a trooper. But my characters don’t tend to lol.

8. I am the Queen of Cliche. See number 7 *giggles*

9. I hate writing in first person. They always sound like me lol

10. I still haven’t sent off my first Writers Bureau assignment! EEEK! (Should really do that lol).

Well, that was pretty cathartic lol…. Go on, give me a writing confession, so I don’t feel such a loser 😉

Writing Blogger Challenge – Day 1

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

I must admit, I’ve been thinking my blog is/was a little stale recently. So this morning when I was reading blogs and having a major catch up I noticed that one of my favourite bloggers, Hunter Emkay is hosting a Writing Blogger Challenge which will run for 10 days. Ok, well that sounds interesting.

So I’ve signed up 🙂 (you know me, I like to be stretched lol).

So today is Day 1 of the challenge and the prompt is…

Introduce your latest writing project with an elevator pitch or maximum 250 words.

Now you all know everything about two of my novels (Still & Tangled) but I have a 3rd one lol. During Nano last year I decided to write, or rather, try to write a Mills and Boon novel *sniggers* I managed it, but, in just under 22,000 words, which is well short of the 50,000 that is required. So it will need some major editing, I need to add more angst, and add two sex scenes *blush*

So here is my 250 word pitch for Sorrento Sunrise

Kate works for a travel magazine and when her boss asks her to visit a hotel in Sorrento to interview the owner, little does she know that the sexy, dark Italian will become more than just another assignment.

After a hellish journey and mistaking him for a bellboy, Damiano initially thinks that Kate is a typical arrogant journalist, but he soon changes his mind as they get to know each other intimately on the hotels private beach and over the course of her stay.

Damiano asks Kate to meet him in the bar on her last night where he is planning to ask her to stay on, but when Kate arrives she see’s him with another woman and flees back to England.

Damiano tries to contact Kate but she refuses to speak to him or respond to his e mails, having now researched him online and discovering the string of Italian models he’s been photographed with over the last few years. Already having arrangements to visit London Damiano goes to Kates house with a huge bouquet of roses but as he gets out of the taxi he see’s her hugging a man who is holding a toddler.

Angry, and thinking he has been lied to he continues with his business in London, the purchase of a new hotel and decides to get on with his life, trying to forget about Kate.

Several months pass and Kate is given an assignment to attend a new London hotel opening. She is shocked and embarrassed when the owner gets up on a podium to make a speech and it is Damiano. Their eyes meet and Damiano realises that he can’t get on with his life unless Kate explains herself. Having traditional family values he is shocked that she could have been the way she was in Sorrento knowing her husband and child were waiting at home.

After a small “scene” at the party Damiano finally manages to drag Kate to his office and demands an explanation. Kate is shocked and after explaining that the child is hers but she is a widow and that the man was her brother Damiano feels an idiot. But Kate doesn’t let him off the hook easily. She demands to know who the woman was that she saw him draped all over in the bar. Damiano explains that she was his cousin.

Ha ha ha….that’s 394 words and I haven’t even told you how it ends! But it is a Mills and Boon, so I’m sure you know lol

Oh well, I think I’m gunna need to work on that.

Any guesses as to how it ends? 😉

Free Writing In The Lake District

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Standing in the grounds of the hotel as there’s nowhere to sit. Everything is covered in a fine layer of rain. The air smells clean, earthy, like a box of button mushrooms and the only sound is the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. Even the birds are fed up with the incessant wetness. They sit huddled on branches and dry stone walls, their feathers puffed up.

Is this really summer? The only animals that seem to like this weather are the Llamas in the field next to the hotel. They lay down on the wet grass and click their tongues at each other. I guess if I had a thick wooly coat like that I wouldn’t mind it so much either!

The Lake District…a place loved by writers, poets. An inspiration to artists so they keep telling me. But is that because it just seems so miserable? A place that suits a tortured soul? Perhaps I’m just not depressed enough to appreciate it. I just want to go home now, back to my concrete town where everyone shops at Icelands and where the Llamas would be well advised to wear a bullet proof vest over that warm wooly coat.

It’s not really that rough where I live….a slight exaggeration, but only slight 😉

No seriously, it’s a beautiful place but I didn’t find it as inspiring as I thought I would, or was told I would. Perhaps it was just too cold and wet? It got me thinking, what place would I find inspiring? And it has to be the beach, no doubt about it 🙂

What kind of place do you find inspiring?