This blog is a reflection on books I've read and events I've attended. And while I know I've made similar mistakes on my writing journey, when I see new writers go down the same path, I hold my tongue as critique can go one of two ways. It can be welcomed by someone keen to …
Book Review – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
I took a while, but I finally understood what this story was about. Or at least, I know what I took from this after the final scene. I loved Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go. I read it after falling in love with the movie, and plan to read Remains of the Day at some …
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Virtual Insanity – Release Day Post
A guy told me he loved books which are part of a series. He just bought a copy of Social Media Central from me at a book con. That novel clearly states it is TAYLeR Book One on the cover, but at the time, little progress had been made on the sequel. Social Media Central …
Plotting using The Snowflake Method
My last post was about a new plotting method I'm using. A few things got in the way of my usual writing days after I published that post, and somehow I didn't feel bad about missing them. It was because I didn't feel like I was working on a book. There were a few times …
Taking time to plot my book
I'm trying something new. Usually when I plot a new novel, I work chapter by chapter having a fair idea of the story and how it will end. I also add notes on the conflict for each scene and every chapter's cliff hanger. But I'm experimenting with a different approach called the Snowflake Method. Right …
How I changed my writing habits during lockdown
I need to be alone to write. Regular readers of my blog know this. But with my husband at home with me during the extended Sydney lockdown (yes, this blog was written during that time), I've had to find a new strategy to work on my projects. So, I've broken my process into what I …
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Time to rethink my work in progress
I'm writing this during Covid lockdown. The date is the 9th of July 2021 and due to the Delta variant, we're not allowed to leave our homes here in Sydney unless totally necessary. As I've often mentioned in my blogs, I can't write unless I'm alone without distractions. My husband is home with me and …
Writing a dystopian novel in an ever changing world.
I've just finished editing an early draft of Virtual Insanity. This is the sequel to Social Media Central. I was surprised most of it needed few amendments. The chapters where the action takes off and continues to the end of the novel are much more polished than I thought. A few other chapters, not so …
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Anatomy of a First Draft.
I finished a first draft. It's titled Virtual Insanity and is the sequel to Social Media Central. It took some time to complete as just after starting it, Covid-19 hit. My husband began a short work contract and had to work from home. I had no quiet space to write so the manuscript lay dormant …
Pantstering that epic chapter.
I always drop chapters toward the end. While I have my outline in front of me I sense certain plot points should come in sooner. The reader will appreciate it and the story won't drag. With my current work in progress, bringing these story elements sooner has affected my word count. Often I find the …
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