The Novelty of Writing a Novella

The Novelty of Writing a Novella

My novella notebook.
My novella notebook.

A week has passed since I submitted my first novella, and I’ve spent that time catching up on household admin, reacquainting myself with my family, and watching a new-to-me series on Netflix – American Horror Story – compelling viewing, full of twists and turns and dark storylines.

I like writing twists into my novels and with my writer’s tag reading, ‘Romance without the soft edges,’ my storylines have dark elements. I have the luxury of one hundred thousand words with which to explore the issuses that move me.

As a writer who enjoys a large cast, a variety of subplots, and difficult, sometimes taboo issues, writing a novella within the word count of twenty thousand to fifty thousand was a challenge and I had to keep reminding myself to hold back on the subplots, concentrate on the main characters, and not to delve too deep into the issues  – keep it as tight as possible.

The novella came in at forty-seven thousand words. And four dead pens.

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Had I written the ending I originally planned, I suspect the final word count would have been in the sixty thousands. As it turned out, the characters drew the story to a natural conclusion and their timing was spot on.

I enjoyed the whole process, from seeking advice from established novella writers to keeping the plan as tight as possible. The tone is lighter than my novels, but I do touch on a couple of issues. It seems that’s the way it is with my writing.

Now it’s time to head back to Book 4, a full length novel, which is currently sitting at sixteen thousand words. I plan to write one thousand words a day, excluding weekends, so I should have a first draft down by the end of September, maybe October, taking the school summer holiday into account.

I’ll keep you posted.

Take care

Laura x

Offers!

Offers!

Exciting times! I have two books currently involved in promotions.

Click on the images to go straight to the deal.

The first ends this Thursday, 12 th May 2016. This is a Kobo UK offer:

FMFY Kobo UK 3 For 2 Sale May 2016The second is the Amazon May Madness event, which ends 22nd May 2016.

WDKY Pebbles May Madness

 

 

If you’ve read and enjoyed any of the Chesil Beach books, each linked, but standalones, would you consider leaving a review? That would be lovely, thank you 🙂

Take care,

Laura x

May Madness!

May Madness!

WDKY_FRONT_300dpi

I am delighted with the news that my third novel, What Doesn’t Kill You, has been chosen by Amazon UK for their May Madness offer.

From May 1st – May 22nd 2016, WDKY can be downloaded at the bargain price of £0.99p.

It’s the first title under Choc Lit’s new Dark imprint, and it’s received wonderful reviews, which have taken my breath away. Rachel’s Random Reads gave it five stars when it was reviewed in February, here, and has gone on to choose it as a top pick from the entire Amazon May Madness selection.

What a wonderful start to May!

ToD DarkThis follows on from last Thursday’s Amazon Daily Deal for my debut, Truth or Dare?, which hit the Amazon top 100. It was quite a day. My mum used to say everything happened on a Thursday. (There might be a title for a book there …)

And I met one of my all-time favourite authors, Erica James, last Thursday. Along with my fellow Romaniacs, I blogged about the event here.
I’m currently experiencing technical problems with adding new photos to my site, but hope to have this fixed soon. In the meantime, have a great Bank Holiday, and happy reading.

Laura x

 

 

The Middle Distance Writer

The Middle Distance Writer.

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My writing shoes.

I’m in the throes of writing my first novella. It’s quite different to anything I’ve written in the past. It’s not quite the sprint of flash fiction, nor the thrice round the track with a 1500 word short, (Bitter Sweet) but neither is it the long distance 110,000 word novel, such as What Doesn’t Kill You. Having sought advice from my fellow writing friends I understand the novella should have one main plot, as the writer does not have the luxury of a large word count to explore sub plots; to keep the cast to the main players and concentrate on developing them; to make every word earn its place.

There are more pointers, but these are the three that stuck in my mind and the ones to which I keep returning. My inner editor is having a field day highlighting where I’ve gone off topic, or questioning whether or not I need to introduce another character. How important is this person to the plot or hero and heroine?

I’ve never been able to silence my inner editor and I accepted two books ago it’s how I write. My first draft is rarely a true, dirty first draft as I’ve cleaned it up day-to-day. I don’t submit the first draft to the publisher, as there are always things to improve, but I’m hoping the second draft of the novella will be up to submission standard. I call it a second draft, but I’ve usually redone so much as I’ve gone along, three or four, maybe more times, it’s probably a fifth draft.

So, I’m heading back into the work in progress, and flexing my previously unused middle distance muscles and loving every minute.

Take care.

Author Pic 5

Laura x

 

50 Copies of What Doesn’t Kill You Available

50 Copies of What Doesn’t Kill You Available.

WDKY_FRONT_300dpi

My lovely publisher, Choc Lit, is offering 50 Kindle copies of my latest novel, What Doesn’t Kill You, in exchange for an honest review.

To request a copy, email Choc Lit at: info@choc-lit.co.uk. Please insert ‘What Doesn’t Kill You Offer’ into the Subject heading. If you claim a copy, you will need to read the book and write an Amazon review for it.

What Doesn’t Kill You is the first title in Choc Lit’s new Dark imprint – compelling, emotional, hard-hitting novels. Not your typical romance story. An intense, emotional, heartbreaking story.

Blurb:

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – but how strong can one person be?
Griff Hendry knows what it is to be strong. After a turbulent past, he’s dedicated himself to saving lives, working as a coastguard along the breath-taking shores of Dorset. It’s Griff’s belief that everyone is worth saving – which is why he can’t forgive his father, Logan, for what he did.
Griff’s future is plunged into uncertainty when his wife, Evie, tells him she wants a separation. The revelation is a shock and leads Griff to question what Evie could possibly be hiding – and she isn’t the only one holding back. Griff’s troubled stepdaughter, Tess, also harbours a dark secret.
As the truth is uncovered, Griff is forced to accept that perhaps he’s never understood what real strength is.                     

 

Today I’m in Choc Lit Corner defending book covers. Is it a crime to judge a book by its cover? I state my case …

Laura x

 

 

 

Spare Time?

Spare time?

It’s February 29th – our extra day that pops up almost every four years.

My great-nan, Nana Davies, was born on February 29th. She passed away in the 1970s.

Nana Davies 127 Feb 1944
Nana Davies

A local paper, possibly the Dorset Echo, ran the following story, many, many years ago. Apologies for not knowing the exact source of this clipping, but the paper’s name has been cut off.

‘A Great-grandmother at 19. It sounds impossible, but it is the case with Mrs. Harriet Davies, of Mount Wellington, New Zealand, who until 13 years ago lived for 20 years …(address given) in Weymouth. Mrs Davies was born in Maesteg, South Wales, one of 23 children, on February 29th, 1892 – a Leap year. She has had only 19 birthdays, although she is really 80 years old. You might think she would be 20, but 1900 was not a Leap Year.’

There are many wonderful and amazing facts in that report. It goes on longer, but this was the relevant section.

If you’re intrigued as to why 1900 was not a Leap Year, please click here.

And my Nana Davies was indeed one of 23 children.

I expect that one extra day almost every four years was used wisely.

Me? I’m using the day to put together my forthcoming talk for the Weymouth Leviathan Maritime Literary Festival. PowerPoint, here I come.

Have a great day.

Laura x

UPDATE:

My talk at the Weymouth Leviathan Maritime Literary Festival is no longer taking place. Please see the main festival website for details of the other events.

 

 

Rabbit, Bunny, Jabber, Yap, Rabbit. Romaniacs On Tour. Chi Library Talk.

Romaniacs On Tour.

This Thursday, 25th February 2016, I and two fellow Romaniacs, Sue Fortin and Catherine Miller, are giving a talk at Chichester Library. It’s the first we’ve done as a group since being published, and we are looking forward to it immensely.

Chi Library Talk

We will be chatting about our different approaches to achieving publication and what lies beyond the signing of a contract. With light refreshments, a Q&A session, and three Romaniacs in the house, it promises to be a fun, lively and entertaining evening. We would be delighted to see you there. Tickets are £3, available from the library, and are selling well.

If you would like The Romaniacs to visit a library near you, please do let us know and we shall see what we can do … 😀

Take care.

Laura.

I Have a Date on Valentine’s Day …

Littoralis Pinned Post

This Sunday, 14th February, 2016, I’m appearing at the Purbeck Literary Festival with two of my Littoralis buddies, Kate Kelly and Kathy Sharp. Our books are published by well-respected, independent publishers, and we are bringing our experiences to the festival and holding a discussion on choosing the independent publisher route.

It is free entry to our talk, but please check out the Festival website for further information. There will be books for sale, writerly chat and events for all ages over the two weeks.

We would love to see you there.

Littoralis Purbeck Lit Fest

 

Taking The Small Publisher Route

The small publisher option for your fiction.

In an informative and lively ninety-minute discussion, Littoralis, a group of Dorset authors, share their diverse experiences in achieving publication with small, independent publishers.

 

Topics include:

The advantages of being an author with a small publisher.

Knowing your audience and choosing a publisher.

Preparing to submit your manuscript.

Building your online profile.

Marketing and promotion.

The importance of support networks.

Finishing with a question and answer session, we aim to encourage writers looking to achieve publication to consider the small publisher option as the first step of an exciting journey.

 

Laura

Monday Monday …

It’s Monday and it’s back to school and work for the James family.

It’s time for me to make headway with my work-in-progress, which has been left untouched for a couple of months. I have been writing – I wrote two Treats for my publisher, Choc Lit, and I wrote out my Christmas cards. I have been creative, designing social media adverts for my books using Canva, an excellent and easy-to-use tool, and baking a cake for my son’s birthday, and I’ve been inspired by films I’ve watched, games I’ve played, and books I’ve read during the holidays.

One of my new adverts, designed using Canva.
One of my new adverts, designed using Canva.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my break, but I have so many ideas and ways forward for the WIP, I’m raring to go.

I just need to sort out my to do list.

Speaking of which, The Romaniacs, a writing support group of which I am a member, has introduced its new schedule for 2016, kicking off with Motivation Monday. It’s a chance to list our weekly goals so we can work toward achieving them by Friday. We’re asking you all to join in, so we can encourage and support one another, and celebrate everyone’s successes, major and minor. Please hop over to find out more. Click here.

I hope you’ve all had a fab start to the year, and I look forward to hearing about your successes.

Take care.

Laura.