Well I have done exactly what the literature tells you.  I have written the book.  Completed it and then left it for a week.  Well actually I left it for more than a week.  Having done all the hard work the idea of editing the book was one I just could not get round too.  However, I am not sure why I put it off for so long.  I have just finished my first edit and actually it was quite a rewarding task.  

So first edit done.  Now I need to type all the corrections and reprint.  Anyone have any idea how many times you should edit a book before you stop.  Until you are happy does not seem like a sensible idea as I am unsure that I will never be completely happy with it.

Today I finished my first draft of my children's book.  It is hard when I sit here looking at it to actually believe that it is finished.  Of course this is not the final step towards publishing there are a lot of changes and alterations that will be needed but at least the bare bones are there.  Now I leave it to sit for a week and look and smile at it until I revisit and start the revisions.  Must chat my proof reader up.  

This book really is a labour of love as I am not sure that I am ever going to publish this apart from self publishing but this if for my niece something for her to remember her Aunty by and read hopefully to her children as well.

Heard this brilliant quote the other day.  Was actually on one of the ever popular American crime fighting programs, Castle.  This one was actually so good that it was inspiring.  If you have ever watched the program you will know how strange that maybe.  Still I thought I would share it with you all

REJECTION ISN'T FAILURE

GIVING UP IS FAILURE

So after having a long look at myself and a talk.  Yes to myself.  I am back on the road again as they say.  

A couple of weeks ago I finished two short stories that I was going to send off for a competition.  They came back from someone I had hired for an opinion and yes you guess it, they had been trashed.  Comments about content, spelling etc.  In all honestly it couldn't have gone worse.  Now I am the first to admit that my English is not great.  Struggle speaking it most of the time without writing it.  On many occasions my brain works faster than my fingers so the story is often jumbled as I struggle to get thoughts down fast enough.  Having said that I didn't think it was that bad.  I had checked the work and the story I thought was good.  

Still rejected by my this first critic I stopped writing for a bit.  I am glad however, to say after my talk to myself I have picked myself up and nearly finished my children's story.  Couple of chapters and some research to complete to be honest.  I have also reviewed the critics comments and maybe they are not all so bad.  

Judge for yourself the story is on this website under fiction work: Angela

Honest opinions welcome I can take criticism now let it be a lesson on toughening up.  

Today I have bullied myself into doing an hour of actual writing.  Not dreaming about, not preparing characters actual put the story on paper writing and it worked.  Started with a rough chapter 1 that I had started ages ago, which was OK spend about half hour trying to sort it into something I might like to read again let alone anyone else.  That didn't work, so instead scrapped the whole idea and then started from scratch.  Think I used four lines from the original draph but the new chapter 1 is just what I hoped it would be.

Tomorrow onto chapter 2 and introducing the leading man in this story.  I am actually very excited by the prospect.

Was asked to write a couple of characterisations for a recent article thought I would share them with you they are not great but worth a giggle.

He walked in with a swagger talking loudly on his mobile phone. His suit was crisp and immaculate like he had just taken it off the peg. As he sat at his table he smiled with a cocky smile at the waitress who raised her eyes at him and looked at the phone in his hand. Not that this stopped him he carried on discussing some takeover business deal that he was involved in at the top of his voice. When the call ended he said ciao and hung up the phone with a thud. He then sat there looking around the dining room smiling at anyone who met his eye. When the waitress came he ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and then finished off by asking for a bottle of champagne as he was celebrating, all this was done at a volume that the rest of the dining room could hear. Whilst he waited for his food he again spent his time looking around smiling at everyone or making a big show of answering emails on his phone. When his food finally arrived he placed his napkin on his lap, with such flourish he looked like a matador trying to encourage a lazy bull to attack.

In complete contrast opposite him sat a quiet timid women who had done everything in her power to avoid his eye contact when she entered. She had spent her time nervously fiddling with her hair and smoothing her clothes down. On several occasions the waitress had tried to offer her a menu and she had smiled politely and asked for just a glass of water. She spent time constantly looking at her watch and then restudying it as if she didn’t quite believe what it was saying. She had positioned herself with her back to the wall and she had a clear view of anyone who walked into the dining room. Whenever anyone did she looked up nervously. The disappointment was fleeting on her face, when she didn’t recognise the person who had entered, you hardly noticed it. Once she had checked the new arrival she went back to smoothing her skirt and picking fluff and stray hairs from her tweed suit. The suit looked old and well worn but there was also evidence that it had been well cared for. She once again quickly looked up at the next arrivals to the dining room.

They walked in hand in hand almost sideways like crabs so that they could look into each others eyes. She was blond with jeans and a bright pink jumper on and he had wavy blond hair jeans and a blue jumper on. They looked like a complete mirror image of each other. As they sat down he pulled the chair out for her and she slide in giving him a kiss, that lasted just a little too long for polite company. She giggled as he broke her embrace and then he walked round to the other side, nearly clearing the table of glasses so as not to break hold of her hand. When the waitress came over and brought their menu’s she placed hers on the table, instead they chose to share one menu all the time looking into each others eyes and holding hands. There was then a giggle and a movement under the table and the more observant diner could observe that one of her shoes had clearly come off her foot. When the waitress came back he ordered for both of them needless to say they were both eating the same.

Whilst perusing my favourite social network site I discovered upon a cleaver idea by an author I greatly admire Chris Kuzneski. He had designed two twitter accounts for characters in his books. These twitter accounts reacted and chatted to each other. It is with this idea in mind that I decided to start a twitter account for one of my main characters although the book is not complete yet at least I can work on the main character by talking to others in his voice.

If you want to follow the vampire with a heart go to twitter and follow @VampireRaylon

I hope you enjoy

After wandering around for the last month trying to find out what my scientist would be called today they have come to me and at least told me there first names.  Raymond the clever shy man and Leonard the older of the two.

It came about by accident really I was trying to work out why my lead hero would be called Raylon and then as if by magic I knew that it was a mix of the two men who had engineered him.  So there you have it the scientists have introduced themselves.

Every book I have read has discouraged me on letting the story tell itself, instead they suggest a plot line and a story book but, at present, I am happy to let the story lead me.  I may crash and burn and then have to admit the text book was right.  At least I tried and there will be nothing more satisfying that proving a text book wrong.

So I have started.   The initially plot line is written and the main characters have been created.  However it is the bit part characters that I find myself struggling with.  I have two characters that I have been carrying around with me for a while and have no idea of their names.  I can see there faces and the way they talk but cannot get there names.

Let me describe them to you and see if they tell you their names instead of me.  These are two scientists who genetically created a mythical creature that became out of control and are now roaming our streets.  One of them is tall and thin with wispy grey hair and a mean face.  He looks a little like the Emmett Brown character in Back to the Future however, not as cuddly.  He is an evil man who has no family and treats colleagues as impostors in his life.  The only acquaintance that he puts up with in his life his is fellow scientist.  He only does that as he knows that this acquaintance is the brains of the experiments and without him he would be washed up and unemployed.

Which brings me nicely to his acquaintance a small man who has a well kept physic not overly muscly but it is clear that he looks after what he eats and exercises when time permits.  This man is younger than the first and wears glasses he is the true brains behind the experiments but has no confidence so needs the other man around for support.  He doesn’t realise that he is the brains instead he thinks that this is an equal partnership.

Carry these around with you for a while take them shopping I did and please see if they tell you what there name let me know because they are alluding me.

Thanks for your help

So here it is the first day to try to put something down on paper.  Why wait until now you might be asking yourself and the answer is easy for the last 2 weeks the other half has been off and needed entertaining so today is my first day to get up and work on my own.  There is nothing like a day to yourself.  Thinking of that going to get a cola now to help me think.  Well not really to help me think just because I want one.

Right back to it.  The tasks for today are to design a story board for the story, much of it has been done need changing though.  I have only designed the first 8 chapters or so, books on the subject say that you should plan the whole book but to be honest I was hoping to let the characters take me on the path that there story takes.  This according to the book is not advised for first time writers but stuff the book I say.  I also need to look and organised by website and blogs.  After that I have planned to do some research which involves sitting on my arse working out what other writers do for example reading.