tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post7571125399456497941..comments2024-03-05T11:26:21.204-06:00Comments on All the World's Our Page: Psst! Don't tell anyone, but ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-85544116040438975142009-11-01T02:31:53.124-06:002009-11-01T02:31:53.124-06:00It seems like I'm the only one of the four of ...It seems like I'm the only one of the four of us who *didn't* hide that they were writing- I went the opposite way. I told friends, teachers, bus drivers, customers in shops, telephone salespeople... well, maybe not quite, but it had to be close. I couldn't *stop* telling people I was writing. And as a result I ended up with approximately four million people asking me, on repeat, "Are you finished yet? Whatever happened to that novel?" etc etc etc.<br /><br />Because you know where I went after I finished my first draft- down a dark and ugly rabbit hole, where I discovered that I hadn't really finished anything at all. I just thought I had. In reality, I had to start all over again.<br /><br />It's taken me two years (plus a couple of new jobs, a baby, a big move, buying a house and the usual life interruptions) to realise that it's okay to not get it just right first time. And now I'm ready to dive back in and make it perfect (g).<br /><br />Somehow I think you'll do it differently, though- it seems to me that your ducks are all in the right kind of row (g).Claire Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15286952159573145712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-38487772464177413912009-10-25T14:47:54.336-05:002009-10-25T14:47:54.336-05:00Hi Rachel - did you add to this thread? Ah, I see ...Hi Rachel - did you add to this thread? Ah, I see you did!<br />http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ws-books&tid=61759<br />Lots of great suggestions there!Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-46473573333234834542009-10-24T02:05:28.015-05:002009-10-24T02:05:28.015-05:00Helen - Oh, I love Anne Perry's book. She brin...Helen - Oh, I love Anne Perry's book. She brings Victorian London to life so vividly, and plots a very tight mystery. You might like the series I mentioned in my post, the Sebastian St Cyr mysteries by C.S. Harris. Set in Victorian London, Sebastian St Cyr is a nobleman with a dark past who the police call upon to help investigate murders involving the "ton". The books are darker than Anne Perrys, but fast paced and absorbing, IMO. <br /><br />And make sure you let us know when you finish your book. It's such an accomplishment to type "The End" - we'd love to share a glass of cyber-champagne with you! :-)Rachel Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-22405204119169027402009-10-24T01:53:49.987-05:002009-10-24T01:53:49.987-05:00Jen - see, another YA advocate. I really must dive...Jen - see, another YA advocate. I really must dive in and have a read of some, especially as my oldest son is about to turn eleven. He's a total book freak, reads at the level of a thirteen to fourteen year old and, as he devours at least three books a week, I'd love to recommend some new authors to him. <br /><br />Any hints?Rachel Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-55193845901539429512009-10-24T01:47:24.121-05:002009-10-24T01:47:24.121-05:00Kristen - LOL! What *would* you have done if she s...Kristen - LOL! What *would* you have done if she said it sucked? (g) I'm mighty glad she didn't, and that you decided to jump into the world of writing where you obviously belong. :-)Rachel Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-72282827639439592132009-10-24T01:44:01.799-05:002009-10-24T01:44:01.799-05:00Deniz - Yes, I can see how chunk writing can lead ...Deniz - Yes, I can see how chunk writing can lead you to jump into edits straight away, if you already know what holes need to be plugged and so on. I suspect I'll find it VERY hard to let my MS just sit. I'm notorious for fiddling with the same scene over and over and over and over, until my eyes are crossed. I'll have to find some discipline, somewhere!<br /><br />And genres - I really haven't read much YA, to tell the truth. I have the first two of the Twilight books sitting in my TBR pile, and I did read the Harry Potter series, but that's about it. I think I need to broaden my horizons ...Rachel Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-29514402158601076352009-10-23T14:57:20.185-05:002009-10-23T14:57:20.185-05:00Funny, but I've never hidden the fact that I w...Funny, but I've never hidden the fact that I write - probably because I've been writing stories since I learned to write, so it's an accepted fact in my family that Helen writes. I do hide what I write though. I lost a lot of confidence a few years back - I think the weight of the it's just a hobby/you don't think anyone will actually publish that comments finally got to me. Took a long time with "The Artist's Way" to get my confidence back, at least to the point that I can share again with family, a few friends, and of course the amazing folk at Books and Writers.<br /><br />Anyway, that's not what you asked. Genres - what I read most is murder / mystery / psychokiller nut-job - and that's what I started writing when I decided I was actually capable of writing a full-length novel. I have a couple of those parked on the back burner.<br /><br />I never really read much historical fiction (except the obligatory Georgette Heyer during my otherwise unromantic high school years). Then I found myself writing one! So I've started reading more of them in between the psychokiller bloodfests. I particularly like Anne Perry's Victorian murder mysteries, which give me two genres for the price of one. "Blood of the Heart" definitely appeals to me, so more please!<br /><br />What do I do when I reach the end of the first draft? I'll tell you when I eventually finish something!!!!! I think I'll probably do cartwheels, and pop a bottle of champagne. I suspect it will be important to resist the temptation to start revising it straight away, and I'll need a lot of will-power to stick it in a drawer and forget about it for a few months first.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136310244264394083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-60174750185947635412009-10-22T21:21:20.979-05:002009-10-22T21:21:20.979-05:00OMG...I totally hid my writing too. Only "ca...OMG...I totally hid my writing too. Only "came clean" so to speak when my family started noticing how much I was on the computer. Lest they think I had become a gambling/porn/online shop-aholic (take your pick), I finally told them. NOT sure it helped any in the end. WRITER was by far scarier to them than a lot of other vices for some reason. LOL.<br /><br />As for what books I enjoy. I have to admit I'm a child of horror. I LOVE to be scared. But honestly, I'll read just about anything. The only thing I really demand is a certain likeability factor with the characters. You have that, you've probably snared me as a reader. And seriously, I read a TON of YA. Goes to show how stellar that particular group is at the moment. It's my first stop in the bookstore.Jennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-78069444063924958472009-10-22T10:24:56.348-05:002009-10-22T10:24:56.348-05:00Tee hee, we're so alike in this way, Rach. I h...Tee hee, we're so alike in this way, Rach. I hid my writing from the world for a long time. When I finally got the nerve, I printed up a page, gave it to my sister, and told her that it was an excerpt of a book I was thinking of buying that I'd printed from the internet -and what did she think of it? Totally lame of me. Thank God she didn't rip it to shreds.Kristen Callihanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01448274676402616525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-29544855360124209432009-10-22T10:16:50.090-05:002009-10-22T10:16:50.090-05:00As for genres... I guess my default favourite is Y...As for genres... I guess my default favourite is YA. Since that covers everything! Historical, suspense, romance, scifi...<br />I love both Claire and Lord John's voices in the Outlander series - if I wrote in adult povs, those are the kinds of voices I think I would adopt (especially in terms of sentence length and vocabulary). Sort of a mix between Dorothy Sayers and CS Lewis.<br />Yet when an idea comes and I start writing, that sort of voice doesn't come. Invariably, it's YA. Thinking of it now, Austin might well have been my first male YA pov! Before and after him, it's always girls about 17 years old.<br />Guess I'm just not quite finished exploring that stage of life...Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-9775444103520035632009-10-22T10:09:57.837-05:002009-10-22T10:09:57.837-05:00An advance of authors? Is that cos we're alway...An advance of authors? Is that cos we're always advancing on people (agents, editors, friends), manuscript in hand, saying "read this!"?<br />I used to finish a draft and then just leave the book! Poetry, articles, essays for submission I would edit, but for some reason I never once thought of taking my novels to the next level. Then I joined the forum and suddenly started wondering what the heck I was waiting for? But I still find it nerve wracking to go back and reread. I always get that "what if it sucks?" fear. I jumped into editing and rewriting for The Face of A Lion even as I was writing and researching, mostly cos I write in chunks, so a lot of stuff had to be rejigged as I went. But it wasn't until last spring, when I finally stopped looking at it every day, and waited a whole two months before rereading the entire book in order, that I got some serious editing done. So this time around, once the first draft is complete, I'm going to try harder to let it go for a bit...Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.com