Several things happened recently which made me reevaluate. I had an email conversation with one of the staff of our local queer book store. In his last reply he encouraged me to submit manuscripts to certain publishers. But they were all Romance publishers. My books are rarely in their store while self published friend's novels …
How long does it take to write a novel?
This is a tale of two novels. One I started five years ago and is still a work in progress. It’s set in the 90s around the gay scene of Sydney’s Oxford Street. Eight drafts have been written, but after it failed to spark interest, I had it assessed. I found the State Library research …
Writing to a deadline
I have a deadline. A novel I'm writing needs to be published in five to six months. I usually take years on my manuscripts, working on a draft, then putting it aside for a few months. When I pick it up again, I'll see what needs work, fix, then put it aside for another few …
So, you’ve lost interest in that book you’re reading.
I admit, it takes me a long time to ditch a book. I always get into a story, admiring the prose, until there may be a point three quarters in where I lose interest. But at least I've given that novel a decent read. Sometimes I'm still keen to know the ending and skip to …
Continue reading "So, you’ve lost interest in that book you’re reading."
Killing my darlings!
I have a conundrum. There's a lovely scene in a current work in progress which takes place at a Marriage Equality rally which actually took place during the 90s. Me and my husband were there, never believing for a minute this proposal would be even seriously considered in our lifetime. In this chapter, a former …
When reviewers have sex issues.
Something odd happened. A review came out for The Midnight Man which complained about the graphic sexual content. I was confused as the opening chapter has the only sex scene. It's not a scene which titillates because its purpose is to show the reader how unhappy the main character is in his relationship. There are …
Are you sure your novel is ready?
A couple of books I've read lately inspired this blog. And what's interesting about their flaws is it made me reflect on advice I received when my first novel was published. This was way before self publishing was a thing. Back then the first thing I was told was to have my manuscript assessed. My …
Changing my writing process
I was selling my books at a local author event. On the table next to me was science fiction writer, H.G. Ahedi. It was a very rainy Friday night so not many potential readers showed up, leaving me and H.G. with plenty of time to talk. After chatting about cover artists, the difference between being …
Random thoughts which improve my plot
I'm at an interesting stage with my WiP. I revised around two-thirds of the story after creating an excel spreadsheet with details of the changes needed to each scene. Then I read the revised chapters and realised before I continued, the characters needed to be deeper. They were already demanding extra plot twists, telling me …
To hell with my outline!
Apologies for not posting for a while. My time has been dominated by listening to, and preparing promotional materials for, a new audiobook. But today's blog is a follow on from my last where I mentioned I've been panstering for a while, rather than sticking to my refreshed outline. And on the days I haven't …
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